UPDATED December 4, 2024

Well, you know what they say about the DINOSAUR ride in Disney’s Animal Kingdom…

“It’s fast. It’s a blast. It’s IN THE PAST.” The thing is, this DinoLand U.S.A. attraction is soon going to be really and truly… well, “in the past.” DinoLand, including its signature attraction DINOSAUR, is closing to be transformed into a new land themed to The Tropical Americas: Pueblo Esperanza. Let’s chat about that timeline, shall we?

EDITOR’S UPDATE 12/4/24: Though a specific closing date has not yet been revealed, in December 2024, Disney shared the following in regards to DINOSAUR: Disney has officially announced that “2025 is your year to visit before it goes extinct!” So, if you want to ride DINOSAUR at least one more time before it’s gone for good, make sure you plan a trip to Animal Kingdom in 2025.

Disney provided a timeline for the opening of Pueblo Esperanza when the new land was officially confirmed in August 2024 at D23 2024: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. Guests can look forward to entering the Tropical Americas when it opens in 2027, bringing an Encanto-themed attraction, and Indiana Jones attraction, and much more along with it.

Oh, and speaking of that Indiana Jones ride… while some may be familiar with the Indiana Jones Adventure attraction in Disneyland, the Indiana Jones ride — which will ultimately replace DINOSAUR — will feature a brand-new story.

As described by Disney, the attraction will follow “the man with the hat” during a time when he has “recently discovered a perfectly preserved Maya temple, and that can only mean one thing: it’s time to explore it. He’s heard rumors about a mythical creature deep within the temple — and he’s got to see it for himself. So, he brings us along on the adventure… but will there be snakes? We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Disney has not yet announced an official closing date for DINOSAUR to begin this transformation. However, the company did share that construction on the land is set to begin this fall adding, “but don’t worry, you’ll still have plenty of time to experience Dinosaur again (and get that dino).”

It is also expected that construction for Pueblo Esperanza will happen in phases. So it seems that we will, at the very least, have some time after ringing in the new year (2025) to ride DINOSAUR before it closes. This hypothesis is also based a bit on what Disney has stated in regards to ANOTHER major park transformation.

You see, Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland is being expanded with a new Cars-themed area. The Cars expansion will be replacing what is now Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America. Disney has already stated that work will begin in this area in early 2025. There wasn’t a mention of “plenty” of time to, say, take a trip on the Liberty Square Riverboat. To be clear: Disney has not announced a closing date for these Magic Kingdom attractions, but it will presumably be sooner than the closing date for DINOSAUR.

You can rest assured that we’ll let you know immediately when the closure date for DINOSAUR (and, while we’re at it, Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America) is revealed.

Okay, that’s it. The business portion of this post has concluded, and you are free to go on about your day. But before I wrap up, there’s something personal I’d like to say, if you’ll allow me a moment.

Change can be hard. And the cliches are true that if we’re lucky, change is hard in some instances because we’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy something so much that it makes it hard to say goodbye, even when there are great new things to look forward to.

Look, I’m the girl who is STILL in a mourning period over the closure of Primeval Whirl in DinoLand, U.S.A. that happened YEARS ago. And I’d wager a guess that I’m not alone.

But saying goodbye to DINOSAUR, whenever that happens, will cut a little deeper. And maybe I’m not alone? But it’s not just the Iguanodon that I’ll miss.

So here it is: a special message for YOU, Dr. Grant Seeker.

You sure did get us into a lot of trouble trying to hunt down that Iguanodon, and for a while there I thought, “We’re not gonna make it! We’re not gonna make it!” But you know what?

WE MADE IT!

You really ARE one heck of a paleontologist, if I do say so myself. And even though we look forward to new adventures with Indiana Jones, we’ll never forget all the great times with you, Dr. Helen Marsh (played by the stunning Phylicia Rashad) who arrives “just in time to correct a little misstatement…”

… and of course, THAT DINO.

You are the star of my very favorite pre-show in all of Disney World (right after the ol’ Stretching Room, that is). And you’ll be missed.

(Oh, and P.S. Nobody’d better be coming for the “Uh… FLY” guy!)

WHEW! Thanks for letting me process all of that, friends. And if YOU would like to process through ALL of the major news that was dropped at the D23 Event, please check out our DFBGuide YouTube video!

Are you hoping to ride DINOSAUR one more time? Please let us know with a comment!