Facades for two new dark rides coming to Animal Kingdom are taking shape now, as the Maya temple ruins are being installed for the Indiana Jones ride and framing for Encanto “Casita” has been erected. Plus, tons of rockwork pieces are being installed, the carousel’s roof is going up, and theming details are starting to appear.

Let’s dig into the latest construction around the site, as well as new official details, patents, and more, for Tropical Americas at Walt Disney World. See the video version of this story below for additional visuals.

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Indiana Jones Ride

Installation of the Maya temple facade has started in front of the new Indiana Jones ride replacing the former Dinosaur attraction.

Prefabricated sections have been installed around the previously erected framing.

Rockwork and brickwork “chips” are being installed along the sides and below the temple facade. These small preformed sections will be covered with a concrete-like mix to create the final rocky ruins look.

The Dino Institute signage is still visible on the wall behind the facade.

The Dino Institute words will likely be blocked by crumbling ruins, roots and fake plants, and other theming elements behind Maya temple main sections. For now, it’s a small remnant leftover from what came before.

The back of the top of the facade depicts a crumbling pile of debris, made to look as though a section of the temple has crumbled, leaving behind small sections of tiered levels.

Thanks to these recent aerial photographs by Bioreconstruct, we can find the missing middle section of the temple’s prefabricated facade, staged backstage near the Imagineering offices behind the back of the park.

The official name for the ride was recently revealed during D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim.

Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent will be the first Disney attraction to feature Harrison Ford’s actual likeness. He was scanned in to be turned into an animatronic figure for the ride.

The ride takes place in the 1950’s, after the events of the original trilogy, but before Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.

New concept art for the ride’s massive serpent was revealed, as well as a scale model, and photos of the in-progress figure being built now.

This large mythological creature, named Tsukán, guards the gates to the underworld, which the ride will venture into.

The ride will also feature monstrous bats, larger-than-life scorpions, fire effects, and of course, snakes.

Looking back at construction, the future site of the land’s play area is filled with connections for water, sticking out of the ground.

Permit images show possible snake theming here. This could tie the nearby Indiana Jones ride to the new play area, which has been rumored to continue the temple ruins dig site theme.

Encanto Ride

Framing has gone up for the “Casita” house in front the new Encanto ride, and it’s larger than many expected it to be.

The casita home is being built raised up above the ground, so it will be visible from far away as seen while approaching the land.

This will also help it to block the large ride building built directly behind it.

Details in the framing can be spotted, like the front door arch and the tallest tower at the top of the structure.

These details match the official concept art, the ride’s scale model, and of course the original movie.

Extensive rockwork is being added in front of, and on top of the large ride building.

The rockwork chips that have been installed in front of the building continue around to the back, creating a full 3D view of the mountainous terrain.

Roofs are being installed atop the ride’s future entrance, located to the left of Casita, as well as for the ride’s exit pathway, found to the right of Casita.

A scenic wall is being built along the side of the building to help block the back half of the structure from guest view. This is where the extensive green mountainous theming will end.

The official name for this ride was revealed during the D23 event as well: Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto.

New official artwork and a portion of the ride’s interior model were revealed during the event, with a look at two different scenes for the ride.

The ride vehicle designs were showcased as well, showing off how they’re made of assembled furniture from around the house.

One of the new interior concept art pieces features a scene where our ride vehicles are making their way up the stairs, heading towards Antonio’s door.

A patent was filed by the company that features an illustration that matches this official concept art.

The patent describes how the scene will be achieved using angled walls and uniquely positioned scenery to create the illusion of moving up the stairs, but the ride vehicles themselves will remain flat, always on the same lower level the entire time.

Some of the animatronic animals for the ride were shown off, with more than 50 animal figures found throughout the entire attraction.

All of the original actors have returned for Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto, which unlike the Indy ride, will not have a height requirement to ride.

Carousel Construction

The new land’s third attraction, a carousel ride, is seeing its roof installed now.

In addition to the center of the main structure, roofing is also being installed atop the ride’s queue structure.

Framing for the queue’s walls has been installed, including arched window shapes along the wall facing the land.

The existing retaining wall behind the carousel is being resurfaced with a new worn brickwork appearance.

The official name for the carousel was revealed, just like the other two rides. This will be El Carrusel de los Animalitos.

The ride will feature 22 carved animal shapes for the carousel seating, all of which were revealed at the D23 event.

Some of the actual designs were shown on the event show floor as well.

Pueblo Esperanza Update

The new land will feature two entrances, and the back entrance, closest to the Finding Nemo theater side, is already seeing theming being added.

Detailed stonework is being carved into the crumbling pillars along this future entrance pathway.

Interestingly, this entrance already features a sign for “Tropical Americas” carved into one of the pillars, as seen from the guest pathway outside of the land.

On the other side of the carousel, the land’s main entrance arch has seen its framing installed, and it appears to have already been covered in a weather-proofing layer.

Construction continues on a tower structure and walls that line this side of the main entrance path.

Official concept art shows this area filled with tables and chairs for exterior dining.

Moving further into the land, the base for the central fountain is taking shape.

This fountain is located in the center of Pueblo Esperanza, the fictional town where this land takes place.

Progress is being made on these few smaller structures being built in the town’s central plaza.

One of these smaller shops or snack stands features a large arched opening on its front.

Across this area, new framing has been installed in front of the large hacienda quick service location.

The former Restaurantosaurus has seen the last of its prior theming removed, now ready to have its exterior elements refinished.

The buildings near the Encanto ride’s exit have also finally seen the last remnants of DinoLand removed.

These repurposed structures contain restrooms, shopping, and may possibly be utilized for new meet and greet spaces.

Timeline & Additional News

Also in the park, it’s official! The Disco Yeti’s days are numbered. Disney has announced that Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom will see its yeti animatronic return to its original, impressive operation.

The company has confirmed that the yeti will remain in its same location within the attraction, but returned to working order.

A timetable for the original yeti’s triumphant return has not yet been revealed.

Joe Rohde had previously said on social media that there are solutions to fix the yeti, but not opportunities.

It’s possible they would need to wait until the park could handle losing the ride capacity while Expedition Everest was closed for the repair. Fans don’t expect the yeti work to start until after Tropical Americas is ready.

A time frame for Tropical Americas was not revealed at the D23 event, but it was previously announced to open next year in 2027.

Monstropolis at Hollywood Studios however, was revealed to now be opening in phases. Phase 1, with the Monstropolis land and theater show, will open next year, with the door vault themed roller coaster opening later.

Tropical Americas, so far at least, is still planned to open all at once.

Stay tuned for continued construction and rumor updates for these projects at Walt Disney World and more. See the video version of this story for additional visuals.

A big thanks to Bioreconstruct for the amazing aerial views. You can follow him on YouTube and social media for more theme park photography.

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Subscribe to the news feed or enter your email address below to never miss an update. Aerial & On the Ground Photos: Bioreconstruct | Official Images: Disney | Other Images as Captioned

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