Disney has announced that The Boneyard, the playground at Dinoland U.S.A. in Animal Kingdom, will have its last day of operations September 1. Beginning September 2, the playground will be closed. Here’s what to know, plus our commentary…
This is the latest step in the transition from the old Dinoland U.S.A. to the future Tropical Americas / Pueblo Esperanza. I’d previously noted Disney’s language about Boneyard’s timeline was ambiguous, but as a longtime (y’know, since we had a kid) fan of The Boneyard, I’m sad to see it closing so soon.
The first phase of construction on Tropical Americas began in January, when TriceraTop Spin, Dino-Rama, and Chester and Hester's Dinosaur Treasures closed. Disney made clear that DINOSAUR would remain open until sometime in 2026.
There’s absolutely no reason to doubt that DINOSAUR will still remain open through the end of 2025, even with this unexpectedly soon closure of The Boneyard.
The park needs DINOSAUR as long as possible, for starters. But more significantly, DINOSAUR is being converted into an Indiana Jones attraction. The project, while part of the overall conversation of the land, is mostly physically separate from the other work on the land. So while there might have been good reason to accelerate the closure of The Boneyard, those reasons wouldn’t impact the DINOSAUR timeline.
No word yet on changes to Restaurantosaurus, but I could see that one going either way.
Animal Kingdom Will Get a New Play Area
On the plus side, Disney also announced that the new Tropical Americas land will include a play area. We don’t have any details about it yet, but I’m expectedly cautiously optimistic.
I’ve bemoaned the loss of play spaces in Disney World’s parks in recent years. Tom Sawyer Island and The Boneyard are the big ones, but I also found it notable that Disney replaced the small play area next to Splash Mountain with stroller parking when the ride converted to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. (No to mention the Play! pavilion that never happened, and that big—er, “big”?—loss at Hollywood Studios a decade ago.)
These cuts happen while Universal—longtime “thrill” destination in the area—continues to improve its standing among families with small children. Epic Universe has a great play area—Viking Training Camp. Universal Studios Florida recently opened Dreamworks Land, with multiple play areas. And Islands of Adventure has long had Camp Jurassic. Plus the company is about to learn even more about what works for families with small kids.
Zoe plays at Epic Universe’s Viking Training Camp
None of this is to say Disney can’t right the ship, or even that the ship is way off course. Perhaps they’ve made the calculus that playgrounds don’t make as much sense at Disney World. They’re obviously aware of what can be done with these spaces—just see the new playground over in Disneyland’s Toontown and the awesome Redwook Creek Challenge Trails at Disney California Adventure. Epcot has some good play areas, too.
Bottom line—I hope whatever comes to the new land doesn’t underwhelm. I’m still worried about Animal Kingdom. Keep in mind that this whole project will only net one new ride. And that net count drops to zero if you include our old friend, Primeval Whirl. If you’re losing The Boneyard for something significantly less…eep.
This all happens against an otherwise optimistic outlook around the resort, as Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom—two parks which have seen their share of love the last decade—are getting improvements. It’s overall an interesting dynamic, and I’m interested to see what the resort looks like 5 to 10 years from now.
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