Animal Kingdom is undergoing a major transformation as Dinoland U.S.A. is set to become Tropical Americas. A cornerstone of Animal Kingdom since the park's opening in 1998, the Dinosaur attraction will eventually be replaced by a new Indiana Jones-themed attraction.
The dark ride EMV is one of Animal Kingdom's more thrilling rides as it takes you on a turbulent journey through the late Cretaceous period to save an Iguanodon from extinction and bring it back to the Dino Institute.
The 2000 animated feature film that it's named after isn't as popular as more recent Disney movies that have released and, simply put, Dinoland U.S.A. felt like a cheap carnival. So it came as no surprise when Disney announced plans to retheme it into a Tropical Americas that will house an Indiana Jones experience as well as the first-ever Encanto-themed ride-through attraction.
There's a ton of excitement surrounding the new Tropical Americas area of the park, but there's also a bit of sadness with the closure of an attraction that has been a park staple since it first opened. There's a nostalgia factor that comes into play when seeing original rides closed for good.
Construction on the new Tropical Americas is set to begin in early 2025, but Disney hadn't really given a date for when Dinosaur will close. We still don't have a specific date, but in a recent post focused on "What's Coming to Walt Disney World in 2025," Disney confirmed that 2025 will be your last chance to ride Dinosaur before it's removed for good.
"While you’re visiting, make sure you “go get that dino” at DINOSAUR," the post reads. "We’ve previously shared this attraction will be closing to make way for the new Tropical Americas land– 2025 is your year to visit before it goes extinct!"
Given how few rides there are at Animal Kingdom, Disney is probably hoping to keep it open for as long as possible while they work on other aspects of the new land. perhaps they will wait for the new Zootopia 4D show to open up in winter 2025 before closing it.