Is it just us, or has 2023 just been FILLED with exciting news and hints from Disney?
We’re already starting 2024 off with a bang — the Disney Dining Plan is returning, all-day park hopping will also make a comeback, and park pass reservation requirements are disappearing for most ticketed visitors. Not to mention, exciting new additions are coming to the parks in 2024 — from CommuniCore Hall and Plaza in EPCOT to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom. Speaking of new park additions, though, we got a glimpse at some things that Disney plans to add to the parks. One of the things we’re most excited about? The new land in Disney’s Animal Kingdom!
At the D23 fan convention in September, Disney shared that DinoLand U.S.A. in Animal Kingdom would undergo a re-theme, which will potentially include elements inspired by the Tropical-Americas and the Disney films that take place there — like Encanto.
The concept art shown at the convention featured concept art with a house that looked super familiar to Casita in Encanto, and this same concept art was shown on a special edition of 20/20 — titled “Disney100: A Century of Dreams.”
You’re probably thinking, “So what? We’ve already seen this.” Well, for Disney to air this concept art on 20/20 and share details, we have a feeling that this theming could be more official than Disney previously hinted.
Even Lin Manuel-Miranda made an appearance on the show, exclaiming, “I want to go inside Casita, don’t you? I don’t even know what that would look like, but some genius imagineer does!”
So, we think this could be a BIG hint and maybe even subtle confirmation that this is the direction that Disney plans to take with the area. Of course, we don’t know for certain, and things could always change, but we don’t think they’d share an idea on live television unless they had some pretty sturdy plans in their back pocket.
We’ll just have to wait and see! We’ll continue to keep you updated with more Disney news, so make sure to follow along for more so that you’re always in the loop.
Disney also shared a new look at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure on 20/20! Click here to check it out!
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What do you think of Encanto being a major theme in Animal Kingdom’s upcoming re-themed land?
Mike says
Don’t worry folks, it will be Scaled Way Back aka Epcot
Elizabeth says
Not excited about the lack of continuity with the “ animal centered theming “ . To make Encanto work Disney switched its focus to Lands instead of Animals . Zootopia would have been a perfect partner for Animal Kingdom. IndianaJones is another stretch . Plus it’s already in Hollywood Studio which is really more appropriate.