Animal Kingdom pre-construction update: Last look at DinoLand before Tropical Americas
As construction commences for Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom, here’s a final look at DinoLand from the sky. Plus, Chester and Hester appeared as characters at a farewell party.
Pre-construction update in DinoLand
To prepare for construction on a new Tropical Americas-themed area — with “Encanto” and Indiana Jones rides — DinoLand U.S.A. is closing at Disney’s Animal Kingdom near Orlando, Fla. The Walt Disney World staple’s first phase of closure began on Jan. 13, 2025 as a mini-land known as Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama! permanently shuttered.
You can learn all about what’s coming to the Tropical Americas land, the projected construction timeline for DinoLand’s phased closure, and more than you ever wanted to know about Dino-Rama in our previous coverage. Today, let’s focus on preserving for the archives what DinoLand looked like just before it began closing thanks to aerial photography by bioreconstruct.
Let’s begin by getting our bearings. Compare the three images below:
- DinoLand as it looked in Dino-Rama’s final days in December 2024
- Disney’s concept art for the future Tropical Americas land
- The model of Tropical Americas land on display at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in August 2024
From the vantage point displayed above, the main entrance to the land from Discovery Island is at the bottom center. The pyramid at the top center is where the Dino Institute currently stands, and the Madrigals’ casita (from “Encanto”) at top left is where the Primeval Whirl roller coaster formerly stood. The landscaping in front of the Madrigal residence comprises real estate currently occupied by TriceraTop Spin, and a carousel attraction replaces the current home of The Boneyard play area.
If the model is to be believed, the structural integrity of Restaurantosaurus and Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures may remain in place, but simply be reimagined to match the Tropical Americas theme (or bulldozed and rebuilt with similar dimensions).
Getting closer, the photo below retains the same approximate point of view, with the Dino Institute (hiding Dinosaur’s massive show building) at top center.
Rotating our view, Dino Institute is at left in the photo below. The series of roofs at top center is Restaurantosaurus. The canopies hang over The Boneyard, and the aqua dinosaur statue flanks Dino-Rama.
Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama! pre-construction
Below are photos of Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama! in its final days of operation in DinoLand prior to Tropical Americas construction. The area’s headliner attraction — Primeval Whirl, a roller coaster with spinning ride vehicles — already closed years ago. When Disney dismantled Primeval Whirl, the company didn’t build anything in its place; the area was walled off and left as an empty plot of concrete. Also seen in the photos below are the TriceraTop Spin hub-and-spoke flat ride, Fossil Fun Games midway activities, and the rooftops of the Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures gift shop.
Dino Institute pre-construction
The area of DinoLand over by the Dino Institute will eventually look much different, too, but there’s still quite a bit of time before construction begins there. Disney says Dinosaur will remain open “through 2025.”
Below is a view of the entirety of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, zooming in closer to DinoLand U.S.A.
Chester and Hester bid DinoLand farewell as construction begins
After Animal Kingdom closed for the day on Jan. 12, Disney cast members attended a party in DinoLand hosted by — who else? — Chester and Hester themselves, as seen in the embedded social media posts below. No, Chester and Hester aren’t dinosaurs; they’re people … but, according to Disney’s own backstory, they might be dead within the lore of Dino-Rama. Does that make these characters zombies? Ghosts? Regardless, we applaud Dino-Rama for keeping us guessing on the intricacies of its fictional narrative, even on its final operating day.
Chester and Hester’s presence at the party marked a very rare appearance, and perhaps their first-ever (and likely, their last).
We’ll conclude today’s tour with a video walk through DinoLand from October 2024 before construction began:
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