A farewell post to the ride Dinosaur in Animal Kingdom:
As a millennial, I am starting to hit the point where I am sometimes feeling rather old. When it comes to the Disney theme parks, nothing ages me more than having a long list of attractions I loved which are no longer open. I’m old enough to say, “back in my day, we called it MGM Studios!”
I really became a passionate Disney parks fan maybe 15 years ago. I always loved it, but that was when I started getting really into it. It wasn’t just fun to visit the theme parks, it was something I wanted to read about in my spare time, and plan multiple trips a year.
So I never truly got to experience some of the great Epcot attractions people reminisce about (or if I did get to do them, I was young and don’t really remember it). I can’t miss Horizons, the original Figment, and Kitchen Kabaret in the ways that many people do (including Peter Quill).
But I’ve been a Disney parks fan long enough now that my list is getting a bit longer. Before last year there were a few attractions that closed which I miss, but nothing that I was heartbroken about. I said goodbye to Maelstrom, the Great Movie Ride, Lights, Motors, Action!, and Stitch’s Great Escape (good riddance to that one, really!). It was the nighttime shows that hurt the most. I still miss Wishes and the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights.
In the past year or so, we’ve lost a few that really hit me harder. I’m okay with Tom Sawyer Island closing, but Muppet Vision 3D was really tough. And now we say goodbye to another favorite of mine: Dinosaur.
The ride officially closes on February 2, 2026. This is the last section of Dinoland USA closing, to make way for Tropical Americas. That land is scheduled to open in 2027, and will feature an Encanto attraction as well as an Indiana Jones rethemeing of the Dinosaur ride.
The history of Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom
First, let’s take a look at some of the history of this attraction. Dinosaur was an opening day attraction at Animal Kingdom, opening with the rest of the park on April 22, 1998. It did have a different name at that point, though: Countdown to Extinction.
In 2000 it was renamed Dinosaur, to help promote the new animated Disney film. If you haven’t seen the movie, don’t assume you’ll like it just because you like the ride. It’s definitely not a great movie.
When Dinosaur first opened with Animal Kingdom, it was really the only ride in the park. There were lots of animal experiences, some shows, and character meets, but if you wanted an attraction, Countdown to Extinction was it.
It was notable at the time for the large amount of audio-animatronics, although it did go through some changes before becoming the ride that we know and love now. In fact, not all Disney fans were pleased when it first debuted. Some were disappointed that the ride structure itself was not unique (Indiana Jones Adventure opened in Disneyland in 1995, and Dinosaur is basically a copy of that ride with a re-theme).
It was also a pretty intense and scary ride, so when they rebranded it, they also wanted to make it slightly more family-friendly and appealing to kids. They toned down the movement of the jeep to be able to lower the height requirement (from 46 inches to 40 inches). There were some changes to the audio, including more comic relief from Dr. Seeker and fewer terrifying roars. Even so, there’s no doubt it’s still a scary ride for many youngsters!
Aside from the name change, a few other additions were made to tie in to the film, including adding clips from the movie to the pre-show footage. The ending was also adjusted (you previously saw the meteor heading for you at the end of the ride).
Most of the major changes happened with that rebranding in 2000, but there were a few other adjustments in the last 25 years. Many of these actually resulted from a lack of maintenance, or issues with animatronics. The flying pteranodon stopped moving. In 2016, the broken effect of the compsognathus was changed to a projection screen and a few refurbs were done.
Then, at the D23 Expo in 2024, Disney announced that Tropical Americas would be replacing Dinoland USA. An Indiana Jones attraction will replace Dinosaur. Although Dinosaur is the same ride base as Indiana Jones Adventure in Disneyland, they have stated that this will not just be a copy of that ride. It will be an entirely new story, and different than any of the other Indiana Jones attractions in Disney parks.
For more history and great information, I highly recommend this article by Park Lore.
The story of Dinosaur
If you’ve been on the ride, you probably know the general overall story. But there’s a lot of little details and cool backstory here, too!
In the fictional town of Diggs, Florida (Dinoland USA), a group of students came to work and study the dinosaur fossils that had been found there. The ultimately founded the Dino Institute, which opened its own museum and building in 1978.
In the 1990s the Dino Institute connected with Dr. Helen Marsh, who became their new director. She partnered with a tech company working on time travel and ultimately started doing tours for civilians to visit the Cretaceous period.
That’s where you come in! You’re were at the Dino Institute to experience one of these tours – to the early Cretaceous period, of course.
Details of the queue
Depending on the length of line, you sometimes spent some of your wait outside. Once inside the building, though, there was plenty to see and do. This part of the queue was designed to look like a dinosaur museum.
The first section had several display cases with fossils and some theories on the extinction of the dinosaurs. There was a ton to see here, and if you were paying attention, you could probably learn a few interesting things!
The next room had a large Carnotaurus fossil on display in the center of the room – and a globe of the Earth to demonstrate the meteor impact. If you listened carefully, you’d hear narration provided by Bill Nye.
And if you looked around, there were lots of interesting details everywhere. Artwork on the top half of the walls depicted different illustrations of dinosaurs and the incoming meteor event. The bottom half of the walls had rocks with fossils embedded inside. Some of these also had small windows you could look through, with more fossils on display.
The preshow
This was a solid pre-show when it comes to Disney attractions. While it may not have been as flashy as Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, or as thematic as Tower of Terror, I loved it. An approximately 2-minute video explained why you were there.
First, Dr. Marsh (played by Phylicia Rashad) introduces the idea of the Time Rover and they we can actually go back to the time of the dinosaurs. Then Dr. Grant Seeker takes over. He’s supposed to tell you about the safety measures – but instead gets you into a secret mission to bring back an iguanadon.
The preshow was full of funny bits, and very quotable!
From there, you enter the Underground Research Facility, where you may notice a few things around you. One fun fact: there are a set of pipes that are red, yellow, and white. They actually have the chemical symbols for ketchup, mustard, and mayo on them! That’s because McDonald’s was a sponsor of the ride back when it was Countdown to Extinction.
And then you get on board your Time Rover – and hope you make it back!
What I loved about Dinosaur
I will admit, Dinosaur is one of those rides that really grew on me through the years. I’m a big scaredy cat, so for awhile I couldn’t even keep my eyes open for most of that ride! But eventually I started peeking, and I ended up loving it.
For me, I think it was just a great combination of so many things. It was an exciting thrill ride with a fun story. It had great dialogue. And all of the details of the queue and pre-show truly helped immerse you in the experience.
Most people will say that Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure is a far superior attraction, and the changes coming to Animal Kingdom will be a good thing. As objectively as one can be, that’s probably true. But even after being on the Indiana Jones ride multiple times, I still prefer Dinosaur. It was nice to have a non-IP ride (I mean, they did try to shoehorn Dinosaur in, but it wasn’t based on the movie). I loved the original characters and the whole backstory.
Overall, I am excited for Tropical Americas. I love Encanto, and I’m glad to see South America represented in Animal Kingdom. That, to me, makes sense, since we have Africa and Asia. There are so many unique and fascinating South American animals they can feature. Indiana Jones doesn’t thrill me. Maybe they’ll do something great with it, but that franchise has just never really clicked with me.
But I loved Dinosaur, and will really miss it. I always exited this attraction feeling exhilarated and happy. What more could I ask for, really?
Related Posts
Were you a fan of Dinosaur in Animal Kingdom? What were your favorite parts of the ride or queue?
I am sooo upset!!!! That was my favorite part of park and favorite ride!!!! Who doesn’t love dinosaurs??? My grandchildren both boy and girls love dinosaurs!! What are you doing with all the dinosaur stuff??? Can’t you leave it there and put Encanto elsewhere? I love Encanto too but dinosaurs isn’t just one movie, it’s a subject, a learning and teaching experience. My family believes you are making a big mistake!!! Harry Potter, here we come……..
I completely understand <3 I wish somehow they would have at least kept Dinosaur the ride AND added the Encanto stuff... Dinosaur is being replaced with Indiana Jones which does not thrill me!