The Walt Disney Company is investing $17 billion in building the future of Walt Disney World over the next decade. Ambitious projects are in the works at three of Disney World’s four theme parks that will completely change how guests visit these destinations.
Today we’re checking in on progress at the construction sites of a few of these these ambitious projects, including an Indiana Jones ride and an interactive animation experience. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including Disney World opening date announcements and how spring break crowds are impacting Lightning Lanes.
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Disney’s Hollywood Studios Ready for Sorcerer’s Hat Installation
A plaza inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios formerly called Animation Courtyard is in the process of becoming a reimagined space known as The Walt Disney Studios. It’s meant to be a theme park version of the real headquarters for The Walt Disney Company in Burbank, California.
The outdoor portions of The Walt Disney Studios will open on May 26, 2026, as will the new indoor show Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! In the photo above, landscaping and the basic shapes of this restructured courtyard are visible.
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The headliner attraction of The Walt Disney Studios, a pavilion-style walkthrough experience called The Magic of Disney Animation, will open sometime in late summer 2026. Construction crews recently painted the entrance to this building a cream color, replacing the gray of the former Star Wars Launch Bay. They also added multi-colored tile to match the groundwork at the real Walt Disney Animation Studios in California.
The entrance to The Magic of Disney Animation will be flanked by Mickey’s sorcerer hat from The Sorcerer’s Apprentice in Fantasia, just like at the real studio. The circular outline where the hat will be placed is visible on the roof.
The sorcerer’s hat at the entrance of The Magic of Disney Animation won’t be as huge as the giant hat that previously stood at the center of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but there is a sense of kismet about some version of this headwear returning to the park’s architecture.
Muppets Theming Replaces Aerosmith at Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith permanently closed earlier this month at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to make way for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets.
When the ride reopens in summer 2026, the existing track will remain in place. The story will instead incorporate Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, the Electric Mayhem band, and other favorites Muppets.
The Aerosmith version has barely been closed for two weeks, but the large guitar out front is already covered in scaffolding in preparation for its tie-dye aesthetic to match The Electric Mayhem, the house band of The Muppet Show.
Additionally, the sculpture depicting the coaster’s ride vehicle limousine at the entrance archway to the attraction already sports a new paint job.
Beginnings of Monsters, Inc. Coaster and Land
Elsewhere in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, construction crews continue to make progress on building Monstropolis, the world’s first land themed to Monsters, Inc.
The largest attraction in Monstropolis will be an indoor roller coaster themed to the climactic door vault chase from the movie. Foundation and electrical work continues on the future site of this massive coaster.
Some of the future Monstropolis will repurpose the area formerly known as Muppets Courtyard, including Muppet*Vision 3D. Scaffolding is currently up throughout this area as workers strip the building exteriors of their theming in preparation for future aesthetics that match the world of Monstropolis, as we explained in more detail in a previous update.
Disney has not revealed an opening timeline for this new land. Mickey Visit predicts Monstropolis will open in 2028.
Beginnings of Indiana Jones Ancient Temple at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
The former DINOSAUR ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be reimagined into an Indiana Jones attraction as part of a new land called Tropical Americas.
For the revamped attraction, the exterior of the existing building will change dramatically. Instead of approaching the museum-like Dino Institute, guests will enter the ride’s queue via an ancient temple. Construction crews just started assembling the beginnings of this temple!
Progress in just a few short weeks includes the removal of the DINOSAUR attraction sign with its meteor and Carnotaurus theming, as well as the start of the framing for the future temple. We’re excited to see the temple continue to take shape in the months ahead.
As a reminder, the above photo shows what this area looked like when DINOSAUR was still open, with the Aladar statue and fountain out front.
Casita from Encanto Taking Shape
Also within the Tropical Americas construction site at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney is building a new Encanto ride. Unlike the Indiana Jones attraction, the Encanto ride will reside in a completely new building constructed from the ground up.
Guests will enter a massive show building by stepping into the Madrigals’ Casita from the film. Continuing the progress from our previous update, the infrastructure for Casita takes shape.
Comparing the concept art to the construction photo, one can see the basic outline of Casita’s lower levels in place. Casita will become even more recognizable as construction eventually gives way to theming, but there’s still a long way to go until that happens.
Along with the rest of Tropical Americas, the Encanto ride will open in 2027 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Theming Removed from DinoLand, U.S.A.
Tropical Americas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be located on property previously occupied by DinoLand, U.S.A., which closed in phases over the past few years and is now fully extinct.
Some of the facilities from DinoLand, U.S.A., will be repurposed for Tropical Americas, including the Restaurantosaurus quick-service dining location. Construction crews recently removed components of the dinosaur theming from the exterior of the former Restaurantosaurus, including the “Eat-osaurus” water tower.
As a reminder, here’s previously revealed concept art for what the Tropical Americas land will look like when completed.
Above is what the construction site for Tropical Americas currently looks like as of March 2026.
Lastly, for good measure, above is what the entirety of this property looked like when DinoLand, U.S.A., was still almost fully operational, in October 2024 before construction began. The only attraction already torn down by that point was the Primeval Whirl roller coaster.
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