Animal Kingdom: What the New Rides Mean for a Visit

By Jenna R. · Dining & food festivals · Tampa, FL

Published November 8, 2026 · Updated November 14, 2026

According to reports published Saturday, November 7, 2026, Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World is in line for new additions, including an Indiana Jones thrill attraction and Disney’s first Encanto ride. The reports call the slate six new rides and additions and do not give an opening date for any of them. As of Sunday, November 8, 2026, Disney has not confirmed the list.

The Encanto project is described as a family dark ride with no height requirement: a slow indoor attraction built around story scenes. The reported setting is the Madrigal family’s Casita, on the day Antonio receives his gift of talking to animals. Reports say the vehicles are meant to look assembled from furniture in the house, that effects are intended to make Casita feel alive, and that Audio-Animatronics animals appear on the ride. The coverage calls it Disney’s first Encanto ride and the first Encanto ride anywhere.

The Indiana Jones project is identified only as a thrill attraction. The same reports say the Animal Kingdom plans add family-friendly experiences and refresh existing thrill rides, without naming which current rides would change. They also place Villains Land and a Monsters, Inc. doors roller coaster at neighboring Walt Disney World parks, separate from the Animal Kingdom list.

What we know

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom — reports on Saturday, November 7, 2026 describe six new rides and additions and include no opening dates.
• Encanto ride (Disney’s Animal Kingdom) — described as Disney’s first Encanto ride: a family dark ride with no height requirement, set inside Casita on the day Antonio receives his gift.
• Encanto vehicles and figures — reports say the vehicles look built from household furniture, with effects meant to bring Casita to life and Audio-Animatronics animals on the ride.
• Indiana Jones (Disney’s Animal Kingdom) — described as a thrill attraction, with no land, height rule, or opening date in the reports.
• Neighboring parks — Villains Land and a Monsters, Inc. doors roller coaster are described as under construction at other Walt Disney World parks, not as Animal Kingdom additions.

What’s not confirmed

Disney has not confirmed these Animal Kingdom projects or any opening timeline. The coverage names the Indiana Jones thrill attraction and the Encanto dark ride and refers to six additions, but it does not identify the other four. It also does not say whether a current attraction would close, what the Indiana Jones height requirement would be, or how either ride would be sold under Lightning Lane.

Planning around this? See crowds for my dates.

What it means for your trip

Do not rebuild an Animal Kingdom day around these additions. No opening date was reported, so neither ride is operating, and neither can be booked in My Disney Experience.

For a visit already on the calendar, Avatar Flight of Passage stays the park’s Lightning Lane Single Pass headliner. Use Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris for thrill time, and Na’vi River Journey if you wanted the slow, story-based ride the Encanto project is described as.

Traveling with young children, keep the Encanto description as a future note: no height requirement, indoor, and slow. The Indiana Jones project is labeled a thrill attraction, and no height rule was published, so do not count on it for a young child.

Villains Land and the Monsters, Inc. doors coaster, as described, belong to other parks. They are not stops on an Animal Kingdom day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the new Encanto ride at Animal Kingdom a thrill ride?

No. Reports describe it as a family dark ride with no height requirement: slow, indoor, and set inside the Madrigal family’s Casita.

When do the new Animal Kingdom rides open?

The reports from Saturday, November 7, 2026 did not include opening dates, and Disney has not confirmed a timeline.

Did Disney confirm six new rides at Animal Kingdom?

No. Six additions were described in press reports, which name an Indiana Jones thrill attraction and Disney’s first Encanto ride. Disney has not confirmed that list, and the other four were not identified.

Go deeper — the full guides: Disney World Crowds Today: Where to Go and When · Magic Kingdom Crowds Dec 26–28, 2026: 9.7/10, Dec 27 Best · Animal Kingdom Nov 28–29, 2026: Crowd Levels and Best Hours

SupaPark tracks live wait times and crowd forecasts, and pings you the second a hard-to-get reservation opens or a ride goes walk-on — free to start at supapark.com.