Disney: Parts of DinoLand will have final runs in January

Walt Disney World has announced the final day for guests to visit select elements of DinoLand U.S.A., the dinosaur-themed land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park. The last chance to experience the TriceraTop Spin ride, Fossil Fun Games and the Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures store will be Jan. 12, the company said Monday.

Construction walls will go up Jan. 13, Disney says, but the existing Dinosaur ride, Boneyard play area, Restaurantosaurus, Dino-Bite Snacks and Trilo-Bites will remain open.

DinoLand is being reimagined as a Tropical Americas area with a ride based on “Encanto” characters and a reconfigured Indiana Jones attraction, where Dinosaur has operated since 1998. Disney confirmed these plans at a D23 gathering in August. At the time, Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, said the Tropical Americas attraction was expected to open in 2027.

Other announced theme park plans — without specified timeframes — are a “Monsters, Inc.” land for Disney’s Hollywood Studios as well as a villains-oriented land and two “Cars” attractions for Magic Kingdom. Walt Disney Co. pledged to spend $60 billion on attractions worldwide over 10 years.

Disney World updated its workers about other refurbishments and reopenings in an email Monday.  Among the developments:

• The reimagined “Little Mermaid” stage show at Hollywood Studios will debut in the summer of 2025. The company is filing permits for a new marquee, and work on the exterior of the building, which stands in the park’s Animation Courtyard, will begin “soon,” Disney said. “The Little Mermaid — A Musical Adventure” was announced in late 2023, and an opening date for fall 2024 was previously announced. The earlier “Little Mermaid” show closed during the pandemic in 2020, and never reopened. A villains-driven stage show is slated to open in summer of ’25 at DHS, replacing Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy.

• Magic Kingdom’s Jungle Cruise attraction will reopen from its refurbishment Wednesday (Oct. 16). It will morph into Jingle Cruise on Nov. 2 for the holiday season.

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a roller coaster in Frontierland, will shut down for refurb at Magic Kingdom on Jan. 6 and is set for a 2026 reopening “with a little bit of new magic,” Disney said.

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