Walt Disney World guests will notice a dramatic change arriving sooner than expected, with a major transformation set to become impossible to ignore in just one week.
As 2026 moves forward, Walt Disney World is deep into one of the most active periods of physical change the resort has ever seen. The past year alone reshaped the landscape of multiple parks, with 2025 marking the permanent closure of classic experiences such as Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and MuppetVision 3D at Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Now, those shifts are accelerating, and even larger projects are taking center stage.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is where the changes are most apparent. At the heart of the park’s future is the complete removal of DinoLand U.S.A., which is being cleared to make way for Pueblo Esperanza, a new Tropical Americas-themed land. The expansion will feature attractions inspired by Encanto and Indiana Jones, with Disney currently pointing to a 2027 debut.
Over the last year, guests have watched the area gradually disappear. Food locations, including Dino-Bites Snacks and Trilo-Bites, have already closed for good, and the Boneyard playground is no longer accessible. What remains today is a much smaller footprint, anchored only by Restaurantosaurus and the DINOSAUR attraction.
That final chapter is now officially dated. Disney Experiences has confirmed that both Restaurantosaurus and DINOSAUR will welcome guests for the last time on February 1, 2026. Starting February 2, both locations will permanently close, bringing DinoLand U.S.A. to an end after nearly 28 years. The land has been part of Animal Kingdom since opening day in April 1998.
Once the area is fully closed, construction will expand into the former DinoLand space. Disney has already shared that DINOSAUR will be transformed into a completely new Indiana Jones attraction. According to the company, this version will be unique and not a copy of any existing Indiana Jones ride found at other Disney parks worldwide.
At the same time, progress continues on the Encanto attraction. Vertical construction is now underway, and the ride will take guests inside Antonio Madrigal’s bedroom. Antonio, voiced by Ravi Cabot-Conyers in Encanto (2021), possesses the magical gift of communicating with animals, a storytelling choice that fits naturally within Animal Kingdom’s focus on wildlife and nature.
Additional updates are also rolling out across the park. A section of Pandora–The World of Avatar has temporarily closed as Disney repaints and refreshes the land’s bioluminescent features. While the project is designed to preserve Pandora’s nighttime atmosphere, it may impact guest movement and evening crowd patterns during the work.
Elsewhere, new permits hint at further changes. WDWNT has pointed out a recently filed document related to Feathered Friends in Flight!, indicating upcoming work at the attraction. The permit states that Buena Vista Construction Company will “Provide labor, material, and/or electrical for construction.”
Although Disney has not formally announced any updates to the show, permits like this often appear ahead of adjustments or refreshed experiences.
With DinoLand U.S.A. closing entirely in just days, Animal Kingdom is about to look very different from the park guests have known for nearly three decades. What began in 1998 is now being replaced by a new vision, reshaping the park’s layout, attractions, and guest flow as 2026 unfolds.
The transition represents a significant moment for Walt Disney World, balancing the memory of long-running offerings with the resort’s next phase of development.
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