Tropical Americas may introduce new stories to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but Imagineers intend for the land to remain firmly rooted in the park’s original creative philosophy.
Behind the Minds of Tropical Americas
Disney Legend and former Imagineer Joe Rohde joined Joan Hartwig, executive creative director for the Tropical Americas project, for a discussion on the show floor of D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. Rohde was the lead creative force behind Disney’s Animal Kingdom but retired before development of Tropical Americas began.
The two Imagineering veterans discussed the principles guiding the transformation of DinoLand U.S.A. into Pueblo Esperanza, the name of the fictional village of the Tropical Americas land.
Watch the full panel below.
Tropical Americas and Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Rather than attempting to reproduce one existing location, Tropical Americas will present an original community inspired by Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. Its environments will be grounded in extensive cultural and architectural research, while its stories will incorporate elements of the Latin American literary tradition known as magical realism.
A Tropical Americas land is something Disney has wanted to add to Animal Kingdom for a long while. Rohde explained that when it comes to the Florida climate and landscape, it was easy to create Africa and Asia lands but it would be impossible to create Antarctica.
When you think of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you think of the kind of places that Disney’s Animal Kingdom can present without becoming overly artificial, one of the obvious places is the tropical American belt.
So for a very long time we have tried again and again and again and, at least under my watch, failed to get a Tropical Americas project mounted.
Joan, however, has succeeded.
Hartwig added that she had worked on previous versions of a potential Tropical Americas land with Rohde prior to his retirement. And though he is retired, he is still consulting on the project. Rohde clarified:
I’m not puppeteering this thing from some mystical distance. Joan and her team are doing all this work now. We laid foundation for this work for years, so we don’t abandon the research that we’ve done before. That’s part of an ongoing thing.
Introducing Magical Realism to Animal Kingdom
Magical realism places supernatural or impossible events within an otherwise realistic world, with characters generally accepting those events as an ordinary part of life.
In a Latin American context, the form frequently combines everyday life with folklore, spirituality, Indigenous traditions, and cultural history. The mystical and fantastical is not treated as an escape from reality, but as another way of understanding it.
That approach makes the concept particularly relevant to an area featuring Encanto. The film presents the Madrigal family’s magical gifts and living home as natural parts of life in an otherwise recognizable Colombian community.
In keeping with the tradition of magical realism, guests visiting Tropical Americas can expect touches of magic throughout the land with no clear explanation.
We learned during the Disney Experiences showcase at D23 that the Encanto ride will be named Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto.
Maintaining the Design Ethic of Animal Kingdom
In this discussion, Joe Rohde emphasized that Tropical Americas is intended to continue Animal Kingdom’s established approach to environmental storytelling. Although Pueblo Esperanza is fictional, Imagineers want it to feel culturally believable. As Rohde explained during the discussion:
Maintaining the design ethic of Animal Kingdom, trying to keep the park in the same mode of expression. A design tradition of how you do this work, new people trained into this research. These are meant to be original places that are extremely realistic. Unlike World Showcase replicas.
Unlike the national pavilions of EPCOT’s World Showcase, Animal Kingdom’s lands generally do not recreate specific real-world destinations. Harambe and Anandapur are fictional places assembled from extensive research, allowing Imagineers to build environments that feel authentic without presenting them as replicas of individual cities or countries. Pueblo Esperanza will follow that same model with respect to Latin American regions.
Joe Rohde and Joan Hartwig
Joe Rohde spent 40 years with Walt Disney Imagineering before retiring in 2021. He served as the overall creative executive and supervising designer for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, helping establish its focus on animals, conservation, cultural research, and highly detailed placemaking.
His later Animal Kingdom projects included Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain and Pandora – The World of Avatar. Rohde was also instrumental in establishing the Disney Conservation Fund. He was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2024.
Joe Hartwig is a 36-year Disney veteran who has spent much of her career creating and expanding Disney’s Animal Kingdom. She began as a scenic artist in film and television production before moving into theme park and resort design. Her Animal Kingdom work has included Kilimanjaro Safaris, Harambe Market, and serving as art director for Avatar Flight of Passage.
As executive creative director for Tropical Americas, Hartwig is now leading the team responsible for continuing the design tradition that she and Rohde helped establish. Imagineers have conducted research trips to Honduras and Colombia, working with Maya artists and studying the cultures, architecture, materials, and landscapes that will inform Pueblo Esperanza.
Tropical Americas
In addition to Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto, Tropical Americas will include an original Indiana Jones attraction named Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent, set inside a Maya temple. The land’s carousel of Disney creatures is El Carrusel de los Animalitos. There will also be a new playground and quick-service restaurant with more details coming later. The land is scheduled to open in 2027.
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The post VIDEO: Joe Rohde and Joan Hartwig Explain the Creative Philosophy Behind Tropical Americas at D23 appeared first on WDW News Today.
