Walt Disney World just closed a fan-favorite attraction to make way for a new ride experience based on a major Disney franchise.
Among fans, we’ve observed mixed feelings about this closure. Some park visitors are excited about a recognizable character getting their own ride. Others feel disappointed to see yet another longtime attraction close its doors. At Mickey Visit, we cover the latest Disney news, like a recent test for a line-skipping option at a Magic Kingdom roller coaster and changes set for Cinderella Castle.
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DINOSAUR Now Closed at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
DINOSAUR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is now permanently closed. The ride’s final day of operation was February 1, 2026. Disney closed the attraction in preparation for an upcoming Indiana Jones ride (more on that later).
Yesterday, on the ride’s last day of operation, its wait time hit 250 minutes and stayed there. Guests were eager to get one last ride in before the attraction closed for good. Already,
DINOSAUR and DinoLand USA have been erased from the Disney World map on the app. You can see the change below.
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On DINOSAUR, riders boarded a 12-seat “time rover” for a jostling, fast-moving journey to prehistoric days. While not a roller coaster, the ride was plenty thrilling. The finale showdown, when riders come face-to-face with a huge carnotaurus, could be particularly frightening for younger guests.
In addition to DINOSAUR, the Restaurantosaurus quick-service dining location also closed permanently. This means all of DinoLand, U.S.A., is now closed. Disney approached the closure of DinoLand, U.S.A., in phases. The shuttering of DINOSAUR and Restaurantosaurus in February 2026 follow other DinoLand, U.S.A., entities such as the Primeval Whirl roller coaster, the TriceraTop Spin flying ride, The Boneyard play area, the Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures gift shop.
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How DINOSAUR’s Closure Affects Disney’s Animal Kingdom
In the short term, the closure of DINOSAUR, Restaurantosaurus, and DinoLand, U.S.A., impacts Disney’s Animal Kingdom in several ways.
With one less major attraction (DINOSAUR) open, lines for the park’s other thrill rides may be longer. Wait times for attractions such as Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain and Avatar Flight of Passage may increase. Additionally, demand for Lighting Lane Multi Pass selections at other Disney’s Animal Kingdom attractions may go up. Guests now have one less option to choose from among eligible attractions. See all 7 notable Disney World Lightning Lane changes guests need to know about for 2026.
Restaurantosaurus was known for its American fare, such as hamburgers and chicken tenders. This made it a popular spot with picky eaters in a park filled with more adventurous menu selections. Following the closure of Restaurantosaurus, Harambe Market across the park switched its menu from African-inspired cuisine to burgers, fries, and chicken.
Indiana Jones is Coming
Disney’s Animal Kingdom will replace DINOSAUR with a new Indiana Jones attraction opening in 2027. The new experience will repurpose DINOSAUR’s ride system, but substitute the prehistoric storyline with that of Indiana Jones. We expect the ride path itself to be the same, but everything along the way to be totally different: sets, characters, and, of course, the story. In the new adventure, Indiana Jones searches a Mayan temple after hearing rumors of mythical creatures inside.
This practice of repurposing a ride system for a new experience is a familiar one for Walt Disney World. Other examples of this concept include Maestrom becoming Frozen Ever After at EPCOT and Splash Mountain becoming Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom. Seeing as DINOSAUR itself duplicated the ride system of Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure in the first place back in 1998, the change does have a bit of kismet to it.
Next Door to Encanto
The new Indiana Jones ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be part of a new land called Tropical Americas, replacing DinoLand, U.S.A. as a whole. In addition to the Indiana Jones attraction, Tropical Americas will also be home to a new Encanto dark ride and a new carousel. Unlike the Indiana Jones ride, Disney will build both of those other attractions from the ground up rather than repurposing existing facilities.
The Tropical Americas project is part of an investment of $17 billion over the course of 10 years throughout Walt Disney World. Three of the four theme parks currently have massive construction sites as Disney prepares what’s coming: Cars rides and a Disney Villains-themed land at Magic Kingdom, Monstropolis (based on Monsters, Inc.) at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Tropical Americas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
The Legacy of DINOSAUR
DINOSAUR was an opening-day attraction for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, having debuted with the park in 1998. (Back then, though, the ride’s name was “Countdown to Extinction.”) Now that DINOSAUR is closed, Kilimanjaro Safaris is the only ride in the park open since the beginning.
From an Imagineering perspective, DINOSAUR was part of the broader story of DinoLand, U.S.A., and the land’s fictional setting of Diggs County. Here, community leaders possess different belief systems about whether dinosaurs should be studied for science (as seen at the Dino Institute, where DINOSAUR takes place) or exploited for profit (as is the case with Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama!, which closed in 2025).
These nuances went over the heads of many guests and were, in some ways, difficult to notice in the park. In any case, DINOSAUR earned its place in Walt Disney World history, and many guests will fondly remember it.
DINOSAUR isn’t the only Walt Disney World thrill ride saying goodbye to its current form in 2026. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will close on March 2, 2026. It will reopen in summer 2026 at Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets.
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