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Dinoland USA at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to close
The clock is ticking for fans of Disney’s Dinoland USA. Much like the dinosaurs themselves, this part of Disney’s Animal Kingdom will soon be going extinct.
ORLANDO, Fla. - The clock is ticking for fans of Disney’s Dinoland USA. Much like the dinosaurs themselves, this part of Disney’s Animal Kingdom will soon be going extinct.
"So we knew this was coming along, we knew the demo was going to start. Now we see that January 12 is going to be the last chance that people have to go on some of these longstanding and opening-day attractions for Dinoland USA at Disney's Animal Kingdom," said Tharin White, from the website EYNTK.info.
Disney has filed permits with Orange County to start demolishing parts of Dinoland USA, with the whole area eventually slated for redevelopment.
Blake Taylor, with Attractions Magazine, said the area would start closing down in phases, starting this Monday.
"That will be the triceratops spin, Dumbo-style kiddie attraction, then the midway games, as well as a gift shop called Chester and Hester's Dinosaur Treasures, but the rest of Dinoland is remaining open for the time being through 2025."
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The area will soon be home to new Disney attractions featuring the scenery and characters from Encanto and Indiana Jones.
"Even though the hardcore fans love Dinoland, I think the average visitor is going to be more excited about an Indiana Jones area. They know that name, they know Encanto, so I think it's the right move for Disney," said Matt Roseboom, from Attractions Magazine.
DinoLand U.S.A. at Animal Kingdom will be reimagined as Tropical Americas. The area will feature two new attractions open, themed around Indiana Jones and Walt Disney Animation Studios’ "Encanto." [Credit: Disney]
Some of the last people to see the complete Dinoland open would be the Disney Marathon runners, this Sunday. The marathon route was set to take them through the area.
Roseboom said Dinoland’s complete transformation was set to wrap up in 2027. He said the theme park's continuous updates and redevelopment were part of Walt Disney’s original concept for the park.
"Walt Disney said the park is in a continual state of being. It's always going to be updated, it's not a museum. It's gonna change and that's what they're doing."
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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by Disney, Tharin White, from the website EYNTK.info, Blake Taylor and Matt Roseboom, from Attractions Magazine, and Orange County.