While some of our readers felt it was too much of a stretch to link Encanto to the animal kingdom, I would argue that Disney wouldn’t have to work hard to make those connections. For one thing, the film included an entire important subplot surrounding the youngest member of the Madrigal family gaining the ability to communicate with animals. His room in the casa is filled with South American animals who become his closest friends, and it wouldn’t be difficult for Disney to emphasize this piece of the story to make that connection to the animal kingdom.

With that subplot in mind, it would also be fairly easy for Disney to use the Madrigal family to explore the conversation of people living among animals. Maybe they tell a story where the little boy calls on his family to help protect the animals of the forest, and each member of the family chooses a different South American animal to befriend. The possibilities are endless, but all easily fit within the vision of Disney’s Animal Kingdom (certainly better than the entire concept of The World of Pandora did, and that land proved a resounding success).

Other Disney properties work well with a Tropical Americas pavilion as well, such as Up (which already has a presence at Disney’s Animal Kingdom), The Emperor’s New Groove (a bit of a harder sell, though I guess the fact Kuzco becomes a llama is something), and one other significant film franchise…

“I hate snakes, Jacques! I hate ‘em!”

It might surprise some to hear Indiana Jones enter the conversation for an attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom—after all, Indy hasn’t exactly had the best luck with nature. He’s been swarmed by raging army ants, accosted by sewer rats, beslithered by centipedes, and he hates, hates, hates snakes. Also, there’s the issue that Indy is already represented over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Despite these issues, there’s one major reason why Indiana Jones is a serious part of the discussion regarding a South American pavilion at Disney’s Animal Kingdom… and it all comes down to a little known Dinoland USA secret.

Dinosaur (the attraction formerly known as Countdown to Extinction) shares a major connection with the Indiana Jones Adventure in Disneyland. Specifically, the tracks and vehicles for both attractions are almost exactly the same—indeed, Dinosaur is basically a re-timed clone of the other attraction with a different face and just enough adjustments to help guests not notice the similarities.

With Disney’s pressing need to find an economical way to make better use of the Dinoland USA space, it really leaves three options—jump through some significant hoops to preserve Dinosaur as a ride, make an expensive new attraction from scrap, or embrace the obvious option to carry the Indiana Jones Adventure over to Walt Disney World.

The question is, will Disney just carbon copy that attraction over to Orlando, or is this a chance for them to upgrade the Indiana Jones Adventure to something new?

An opportunity for creativity

Tropical Americas certainly sounds like a no-brainer for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but Disney could easily botch the whole thing if they take the path of least resistance—namely by just generating a screen-based Encanto dark ride, converting Dinosaur into a copy of the Indiana Jones Adventure, adding a few toucans outside and calling it a day. If that’s the plan, there’s understandable reason for fans who were hoping for a Zootopia land instead to be upset.

The truth is, if Disney will just give Imagineers room to work, there are some great ways to make Tropical Americas a hit destination for Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We already talked about options for using Encanto, and it wouldn’t be difficult to incorporate Up and possibly even some hints from The Emperor’s New Groove into the land integrated with the animal characters. Disney could also follow the pattern set by Africa and Asia and include a walking trail allowing guests to get close to South American animals as well, one of the best hidden gems in both of those sections.

As for the Indiana Jones Adventure, this is a great opportunity for Disney to try their hand at an upgrade of that exceptional ride. Just like Disneyland has their own version of the Tower of Terror (Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout), Walt Disney World could have their own unique version of the Indiana Jones Adventure with a stronger emphasis on the Tropical Americas setting. Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jaguar, anyone? The Indiana Jones Adventure is, admittedly, one of my lifelong favorite Disney attractions—one I’ve hoped to see make the jump to Florida—but the potential for upgrading that classic ride with a new story is huge, and Disney should jump at the chance to take advantage of it.

In conclusion, a Tropical Americas land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom could prove an absolute win for fans of that park… if Disney embraces creativity, follows through with their proposed pitch, and lets Imagineers have space to cook up something spectacular. If they simply take the path of least resistance, it’s almost better to just let Dinoland USA be until they’re ready to take the plunge properly.

What do you think of Disney’s announcement to build a South America expansion for Disney’s Animal Kingdom? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook. Thanks for reading!