Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom: Inside Imagineering's 2027 Land Featuring Encanto and Indiana Jones

Walt Disney Imagineering is deep into development of Tropical Americas, a new land coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom in 2027 set in the fictional town of Pueblo Esperanza. The project draws on extensive research trips to Honduras and Colombia to ensure authentic representation of Central and South American culture, architecture, and nature. The land will feature the first-ever Encanto attraction at a Disney park alongside a new Indiana Jones experience.

Tropical Americas, the next major land coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom, is slated to open in 2027 and will be anchored by the fictional rainforest town of Pueblo Esperanza. The land will draw inspiration from Central and South America and mark the arrival of the first Encanto attraction at any Disney park, alongside a new Indiana Jones adventure. Walt Disney Imagineering has spent years conducting cultural research trips to Honduras and Colombia to root every detail of the land in authentic storytelling.

A Land Born from Decades of Imagineering Dreams

For nearly three decades, Disney's Animal Kingdom has celebrated nature and storytelling across lands spanning the savannas of Africa, the Himalayan peaks of Asia, and the floating mountains of Pandora. Now the park is preparing to welcome a new chapter rooted in the tropical regions of Central and South America — from the northern reaches of South America through Central America and into parts of Mexico.

Disney Legend and former Imagineer Joe Rohde noted that Imagineers had long considered a Tropical Americas-inspired land, with early concepts imagining guests journeying into an ancient Maya temple surrounded by lush rainforest. Those ideas never disappeared — they evolved. With the addition of Encanto's enchanting world and the beloved adventures of Lucasfilm's Indiana Jones, those early visions have grown into a fully realized new land.

What Guests Will Find in Pueblo Esperanza

When Tropical Americas opens in 2027, guests will arrive in Pueblo Esperanza — a town with its own layered history, vivid culture, and surrounding rainforest teeming with life. Much like strolling through the Port of Harambe in Africa or wandering the Kingdom of Anandapur in Asia, Pueblo Esperanza is designed to feel like a genuine, lived-in community.

The land's Encanto attraction will invite guests to celebrate Antonio's new gift: the ability to talk to animals — a theme that ties directly into Animal Kingdom's mission of connecting guests with the natural world. Along the way, visitors will discover that all living things are part of one interconnected family.

Research Trips That Shaped Every Stone and Color

From the earliest stages of development, Imagineers committed to grounding Tropical Americas in authentic research. Teams embarked on multiple trips to the region, visiting local communities, historic sites, and the artisans who have preserved their craft for generations.

In Honduras, a research group traveled to the Copán archaeological site — one of the most extraordinary and well-preserved cities of the ancient Maya civilization. There, Imagineers met Maya artists who spend their lives carving intricate details drawn from Copán's carvings. The team traced stone from those same quarries that supplied the region for centuries, observing the striking red and green native stones firsthand. Those materials, worked by carvers using time-honored techniques, will find their way into the physical environment of Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom.

A separate research trip brought Imagineers to Colombia, where the team immersed itself in the places and cultures that inspired Walt Disney Animation Studios' Academy Award-winning film Encanto. The group met with many of the same people and visited many of the same places that Encanto's filmmakers explored during production. Those firsthand experiences informed the colors of town plazas, the warmth of haciendas in different light, and the ways buildings in the region respond to climate and terrain — all details that will shape how Pueblo Esperanza looks and feels.

Why This Matters for Animal Kingdom Fans

Tropical Americas represents one of the most culturally rich expansions in Animal Kingdom's history, combining authentic regional inspiration with beloved Disney storytelling across two major franchises. Guests planning a visit in 2027 can look forward to a land that celebrates the intrinsic value of nature and the communities it shapes — exactly the spirit Animal Kingdom was built to honor. More details on the land's attractions and experiences are expected to be revealed as construction progresses.