Antonio's Fiesta de Encanto: Disney names the Encanto ride coming to Animal Kingdom
Disney confirmed at D23 that the Encanto attraction in Animal Kingdom's Tropical Americas land will be called Antonio's Fiesta de Encanto, with no height requirement and more than 50 Colombia-accurate animals. Stephanie Beatriz, Jessica Darrow, and Diane Guerrero return as Mirabel, Luisa, and Isabela, and the land's carousel was named El Carrusel de los Animalitos.
Disney has confirmed the official name of the Encanto ride coming to Tropical Americas at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Antonio's Fiesta de Encanto. The reveal came during the "Horizons: A Carousel of Progress" presentation at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, where Jared Bush, Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios and the film's writer and director, walked through new story details, returning voice cast members, and a first look at the animals inside the attraction.
Key Details
- Official Name: Antonio's Fiesta de Encanto
- Location: Tropical Americas, the new land under construction at Disney's Animal Kingdom
- Height Requirement: None, so the whole family can ride
- Returning Voices: Stephanie Beatriz (Mirabel), Jessica Darrow (Luisa), Diane Guerrero (Isabela)
- Animals: More than 50 animal figures, all species accurate to Colombia
- Also Named: El Carrusel de los Animalitos, the land's carousel with 22 hand-carved Disney and Pixar animal figures
The ride gets its name
The attraction will be one of two headliners in Tropical Americas, the land Disney announced for Animal Kingdom at D23 in 2024. On the Honda Center stage, Bush confirmed the official name: Antonio's Fiesta de Encanto. The ride is set on Antonio's gift day, the occasion from the film when he receives his ability to talk to animals, and guests are invited into Casita as part of the family's celebration. Bush framed the project as part of a lineage going back to Walt Disney's original idea for Disneyland, a place where films step off the screen into something guests can walk through and touch.
The story carries the same message as the film: everyone belongs to the familia of living things, whatever their particular gifts. Disney also confirmed the ride will have no height requirement, which makes it one of the few marquee attractions at Animal Kingdom that the youngest kids in a party can ride.
The film's cast returns to Casita
Voice actors from the animated film recorded new material for the attraction. Stephanie Beatriz returns as Mirabel, Jessica Darrow as Luisa, and Diane Guerrero as Isabela. A behind-the-scenes video of the recording sessions played for the D23 crowd. "It's sort of a perfect film to take all these colors and excitement out of and allow audiences to immerse themselves in it," Darrow said in the clip.
Inside the ride: furniture vehicles and 50 animals
Bush said one of the most enjoyable parts of working with Imagineering has been expanding the world of Encanto beyond the film, designing rooms of the Madrigal house that were never on screen. Ride vehicles represent pieces of furniture assembled by Casita's magic, and they react to the scenes around them like characters in their own right.
A new rendering shown at the presentation traced the ride path through the house, ending upstairs in Antonio's room, which has grown into a rainforest filled with animals. More than 50 animals appear in the attraction, and the presentation included a first look at several in motion: a capybara getting a hair trim, a toucan, and a donkey.
Accuracy matters here in a way specific to Animal Kingdom. Walt Disney Imagineering partnered with Disney's Animals, Science and Environment team to confirm every animal in the ride is a species actually found in Colombia. That follows the research trip Imagineer Joan Hartwig described earlier in the project, when the team traveled to Colombia to study how the region's colors, materials, and building styles respond to its climate and terrain.
El Carrusel de los Animalitos
New construction photos shown at D23 confirmed Tropical Americas is taking shape, and the land's carousel now has an official name too: El Carrusel de los Animalitos. It will carry 22 hand-carved animal figures drawn from Disney and Pixar stories, some of which were on display in the Walt Disney Imagineering pavilion on the D23 show floor. It is a slower-paced companion to the land's two headliners, adapted from the classic carousel format with an Animal Kingdom slant.
The rest of Tropical Americas
Tropical Americas, first announced at D23 in 2024, celebrates the myths and wildlife of the rainforest. Alongside Antonio's Fiesta de Encanto and the carousel, the land includes Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent, a new adventure ride for thrill seekers.
Dining plans are still in progress, but the land's hacienda restaurant is planned as one of the largest quick-service locations on Walt Disney World property. Shops are coming as well, along with a Maya-inspired play area where kids can dig for artifacts.
What this means for guests
Animal Kingdom has long needed more that families with small children can do together, and a headliner with no height requirement addresses that directly. Between Antonio's Fiesta de Encanto, the carousel, the Indiana Jones ride, and a large quick-service hacienda, Tropical Americas is shaping up as the park's biggest expansion since Pandora. Disney has not yet announced an opening date, so guests planning trips around the new land should watch for a timeline in future updates.