DisneyTips.com Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
Fans of DinoLand at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are understandably worried as rumors continue to swirl about the possibility of a retheme coming to this original theme park land. With another DinoLand attraction set to close this spring, we’re sharing all of the details that fans of Chester & Hester’s DinoRama and the Dino Institute will want to know.
Credit: Brittany DiCologero / Disney Tips
RELATED: Secret Cast Member Tips for Winning Prizes at the DinoLand Games
During last year’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, Disney announced that some “blue sky” ideas were in the works as potential replacements for DinoLand U.S.A. As blue sky concepts, the ideas that featured Zootopia (2016) and/or Moana (2016) rethemes of the area have not been greenlit and are simply in the early design phase within Walt Disney Imagineering; As such, they may or may not come to fruition.
While no official announcements have been made regarding the future of DinoLand, U.S.A., there are a couple of other developments worth noting in addition to the concepts shown at D23, the latest of which being the upcoming closure of The Boneyard.
Credit: Disney
RELATED: The Lesser-Known Backstory for DinoLand U.S.A.
According to the Park hours and refurbishment calendar on Disney World’s official website, the Boneyard is set to close for a refurbishment on May 1, 2023. Hours are not listed for the attraction once again until June 13, 2023, so we expect the attraction to be closed for this entire time span.
Without an update on any changes to the attraction from Disney, we expect the work on the Boneyard to be a routine refurbishment. Still, any refurbishments in DinoLand are noteworthy, given several factors over the last couple of years.
Credit: Disney
RELATED: Opinion: Is It Time to Update DinoLand U.S.A.?
In 2020, DinoLand U.S.A. lost Primeval Whirl, the land’s spinning roller coaster in Chester & Hester’s DinoRama, when the attraction closed at the onset of the pandemic and never reopened. In the years since the ride’s closure, the track and all sets and theming have been completely demolished and no replacement has been confirmed so far.
Elsewhere in DinoLand, we have not seen any major changes, but compared to the rest of Disney’s Animal Kingdom we also have not seen much of well, anything. With 2023 marking the 25th anniversary of Animal Kingdom, special treats, merchandise, and experiences have arrived to celebrate across the Park, but DinoLand has not been included in any of the festivities.
Moreover, both Moana and Zootopia have been introduced to the Park with a new character meet and greet with Moana now open on Discovery Island, and Zootopia characters now a part of the Animation Experience at Conservation Station. While none of these directly affect DinoLand, it seems worth noting that the two films that may replace the DinoLand theming are slowly gaining more of a presence in this Disney Park.
As we continue to monitor updates to Animal Kingdom, we will report back with new information on DinoLand U.S.A. as it becomes available here on Disney Tips.
