Tropical Americas is not currently planned to include live animals, according to former Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde. The new land is replacing DinoLand U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and is expected to open in 2027.
Rohde made the comment in a public Instagram reply reported by WDW News Today. It is a useful update for guests who wondered whether Animal Kingdom’s next major land would add another animal habitat alongside its new rides.
What Rohde said
Rohde said he believes animals are important to Animal Kingdom and that Tropical Americas would be better with them. But he described the current project as a remodel with a finite budget, rather than a brand-new land built from scratch.
For now, he said, the project’s business priorities are rides for younger guests, ideally air-conditioned ones. That explains the current direction without turning it into a permanent no. Rohde also said animals could be added in the future if a business plan is created for that work.
The key phrase is “for now.” There is no announced animal exhibit, trail, or live-animal encounter for Tropical Americas. There is also no announced future project to add one.
What guests can expect instead
Tropical Americas is already shaping up as an attraction-focused expansion. Disney has announced Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto, an Encanto-inspired ride, and an Indiana Jones attraction for the land. The new El Carrusel de los Animalitos carousel will feature animal figures, but those are themed carousel figures, not a live-animal offering.
That gives the land a different role from areas such as Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail or Maharajah Jungle Trek. Guests should expect new stories and rides in the former DinoLand footprint, not another place to observe live animals when the land opens.
A narrow but helpful update
There is plenty about Tropical Americas that Disney still has not detailed, including the full opening timeline and operating details. This particular update is more limited: live animals are not part of the current plan.
For families deciding what the 2027 version of Animal Kingdom may feel like, that distinction is worth having. Tropical Americas is poised to give the park new indoor-friendly attractions. Its animal experiences, at least at opening, will remain elsewhere in the park.
