For the first time, the Tropical Americas carousel looks like a carousel. Crews at Disney’s Animal Kingdom have installed the carved wood roof over the attraction’s circular foundation, giving the centerpiece of the new land a recognizable silhouette after months of steel rings and concrete pours.
A Two-Tier Canopy, Hand-Hewn On Purpose
The roof went up in stages. Beams for the outer section were set first, followed by a boxy central framework lowered into place by boom lift and guided by workers standing on the structure itself. The result is a two-tier canopy rather than a single flat roof, with a smaller peak rising above the main roofline.
Up close the beams carry the weathered, rough-cut texture Animal Kingdom has always favored, with a scalloped carved edge running along the eaves and the timbers fanning outward from the central column. Ground-level photos published this week show scaffolding still wrapped around the structure while each section is bolted to its steel supports.
What Goes Underneath
The canopy will shelter a carousel of hand-carved wooden animals modeled on Disney characters. Only one has actually been confirmed by Disney: Kevin, the flightless bird from Pixar’s Up, whose finished carousel figure was displayed at the Walt Disney Imagineering pavilion during D23 in 2024, down to individually carved tail feathers and a hand-painted floral seat panel. Concept art shown alongside it has fans convinced several other characters are coming, but none of those have been announced.
The carousel sits near the northern entrance to Pueblo Esperanza, the fictional village that anchors Tropical Americas.
The Rest Of The Land Is Moving Too
Progress is visible on several fronts at once. Encanto’s mountainous backdrop is forming, weathered rockwork is being carved at the land’s side entrance, and the former Restaurantosaurus building is being reworked rather than demolished into a new dining venue. The DINOSAUR show building is becoming an Indiana Jones attraction, with steel framework transforming the Dino Institute exterior into a Mayan pyramid. A new playground is also planned.
Disney has committed only to a 2027 opening for Tropical Americas with no specific date attached. Behind-the-scenes looks at projects like this one are the pitch for the Disney Worldbuilders documentary arriving on Disney+ this August, which promises glimpses of lands currently taking shape.
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