Joe Rohde Shares Insight on DinoLand U.S.A. and Excitement for Tropical Americas in New Posts

As DINOSAUR enters its final day of operation, renowned Imagineer and lead designer on Disney’s Animal Kingdom has shared thoughts about DinoLand U.S.A. and upcoming Tropical Americas land. 

UPDATE (February 2nd, 2026 1PM):

• Former Imagineer Joe Rohde shared additional Instagram posts talking about DinoLand U.S.A. in further detail, showing off some of his favorite details from the now extinct land. 
• The lead designer of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is one of the most inspiring creatives to work for The Walt Disney Company, bringing a highly artistic, intentional, and eclectic style.
• The first post he shared highlights a giant dinosaur portrait formerly found in Restaurantosaurus, which was painted by Rohde himself. 
• Paying homage to the 20th century artist Charles Knight, the old painting is supposed to be somewhat inaccurate to science, replicating knowledge of dinosaurs in the 1940s. 
• Rohde made sure to include his favorite dinosaur the Styracosaurus, which came from a different time period than the Tyrannosaurus, so he also clarified the battle was with a Gorgosaurus for accuracy. 

• In his next post, he highlighted some of the carved dinosaurs found throughout Restaurantosaurus. 
• During research trips around 1995, Rohde and the design team were in Bali looking for woodcarvers. 
• They found some incredible pieces that were scientifically outdated, but met with the artist who made them. 
• Wayan Mustika became their guy, providing most of the woodcarving for the entirety of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. 
• The Mustika family also started a tradition when working on projects for Disney, which saw him add a special window carving to his home to commemorate each commission. 
• Rohde included a picture of one of the carvings (which I desperately want in my home).

• For his fourth post on DinoLand U.S.A., Rohde highlights the ingenuity the creative team had to have on an extremely tight budget. 
• Comparing the park’s budget with the massive 500 acres the park takes up, Rohde shares a look at one of the more simple opening day attractions: a tent with reconstructed dinosaur fossils. 
• The budget-friendly attraction also required them to work with museum suppliers and have a real lab that allowed them to construct the fossils. 
• Especially for the Southeast U.S.A., Rohde admitted that the exhibit was still plenty impressive, regardless of the fact that it came down shortly after for Chester & Hester’s DinoRama. 
• He also highlights that it was also a budget constraint project, but doesn’t get too much into it.

What’s Happening:

• Today, February 1st, marks the last day of DINOSAUR and DinoLand U.S.A. at Walt Disney World. 
• While many aspects of the land, including Chester & Hester’s DinoRama and the Boneyard playground have been closed already, fans are currently taking one last trip to The Dino Institute and Restaurantosaurus ahead of their extinction.
• Joe Rohde, a prolific former Imagineer who served as the lead designer on Disney’s Animal Kingdom, shared a post to Instagram reflecting on the land as it marks its final day of operation. 
• Throughout the post Rohde shares insight behind the design.
• Rohde highlights the land’s sly, droll humor and its attempt to turn paleontology into entertainment.
• He also acknowledged where the land failed, blaming budget cuts and a necessity to open quickly.
• Countdown to Extinction, the original name for DINOSAUR, was created to balance out the ride lineup at the park, being more thrilling than the park’s other offerings. 
• Once the Disney animated film Dinosaur was incorporated into the attraction, the tone difference didn’t change, but Rohde acknowledged the thrill component of the attraction. 
• Additionally, he points out advances in dinosaur science soon outpaced the park’s representations, though full updates were impractical.
• Through both a loving and critical eye, Rohde honors DinoLand U.S.A. and shares his excitement for the upcoming Pueblo Esperanza land.
• You can check out the full post below:

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