I’m not trying to be dramatic, but when Disney announced an Encanto-themed ride was coming to Animal Kingdom, I cried. The movie means everything to me, and to enter their magical world and go inside Castia feels like a dream come true.

©Disney

Every day, we’re getting one step closer to Pueblo Esperanza (aka the Tropical Americas area) opening in Animal Kingdom, and y’all, you can see the structure. I repeat, YOU CAN SEE THE STRUCTURE!!!

We’ve been keeping an eye on construction since, well, since it was announced, but Disney has been closing DinoLand U.S.A. in phases to turn it into Pueblo Esperanza. The final part of DinoLand will close on February 2nd (rest in peace DINOSAUR and Restaurantosaurus), and the way Disney has been working on the area, we wouldn’t be surprised if changes start on February 3rd.

There she is!

Right now, though, we’ve been watching Disney working with a lot of dirt. So much dirt. We’ve been waiting and waiting for the dirt to turn into something, and well, it has! The structure for the Encanto ride is currently being built and is now vertical.

I see it!

While there are walls blocking guests from entering the area, you can see over them fairly easily, and it’s clearly a structure. I can’t say it looks like Casita very much, but you know, we have to start somewhere.

Walking on over

We actually saw the beams being brought in and put into place, which was super cool to see. We could probably sit and watch them working on it all day, but there’s so much more to discover in Animal Kingdom.

Coming in hot!

In addition to the Encanto ride, DINOSAUR will be turning into an Indiana Jones ride, and there will be a gorgeous carousel with tons of different Disney animals to check out. That’s not to mention restaurants and shopping, which we don’t have many details on, but we can’t wait to check it out.

The new Tropical Americas land coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom lets guests explore a preserved Maya temple – and the ensuing adventure – alongside Indiana Jones. ©Disney

Did you notice in some of the concept art that Casita doesn’t look very big? That’s because, as you enter the house, there will likely be a larger area behind it where most of the actual ride will be, such as the green mountains behind the house. We’ve seen this technique used on many Disney rides, but one of the easiest to figure out is the Haunted Mansion. Yes, you enter the mansion, but there’s a huge warehouse where the ride actually takes place, since the mansion isn’t that big.

©Disney

Pueblo Esperanza is set to open in 2027, so don’t mind me if I’m counting down the days until it happens. I will promptly be the first one in line for the ride when it opens, but in the meantime, make sure you keep following Disney Food Blog, where we’re in the parks every day, keeping track of updates and progress on your favorite attractions.

WHY IS IT TAKING DISNEY WORLD OVER TWO YEARS TO BUILD THE NEW TROPICAL AMERICAS LAND?

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In Pueblo Esperanza, what are you most excited to see for yourself? Mine is obviously the Encanto ride, but tell me yours in the comments.