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Walt Disney World is beginning to see several previously announced updates take shape at both Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Following Disney’s August 2025 announcement of a refreshed color palette for Cinderella Castle, the first visible stages of the repainting process are now in progress. Meanwhile, DINOSAUR and the rest of DinoLand U.S.A. have permanently closed. In this photo update, we’ll take a closer look at these updates and more.
Cinderella Castle Repainting Begins
Disney began the first stages of repainting Cinderella Castle last month using an updated color palette inspired by the castle’s original and classic design. The new look will feature shades of gray, cream, and blue with subtle gold accents, replacing the current rose gold color scheme.
Just over a week ago, crews applied a fresh coat of pink paint to a small section of the castle. Our best guess is that this was done to test colors from the updated palette, with the area later covered to keep the new scheme from being revealed before the work officially begins. As for why the newly painted section looks slightly different from the rest of the pink, it’s likely due to years of fading in Florida’s intense heat, which makes the fresh paint stand out a bit more.
Less than a week ago, crews officially began the repainting process, applying either gray paint or primer to a section on the back of the castle.
Additionally, crews are preparing to drain part of the moat around Cinderella Castle to support the painting project, allowing construction equipment to move closer to the structure.
Draining hasn’t started yet, but a pump has been set up near Tomorrowland to begin removing water, with a dam in place to block water from the area around the castle. Tarps are currently rolled up along the top of the dam, but will be unfurled once the draining begins.
A pump and dam structure has also been set up on the Liberty Square side.
The rest of the castle remains unchanged, still featuring the rose gold color scheme, and cranes have not yet been brought in.
Here’s Disney’s concept art showcasing the updated color palette for Cinderella Castle.
Vegetation Across Walt Disney World Remains Covered
Ahead of the weekend, vegetation across Walt Disney World was covered to protect it from freezing temperatures, as overnight lows over the weekend dropped into the mid-20s °F. The protective coverings are still in place, with Monday night forecast to see temperatures fall into the low 30s °F. Here’s a look at some of the covered vegetation at Magic Kingdom.
DinoLand U.S.A. Permanently Closed
The last remaining section of DinoLand U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom has officially closed for good. The final day of operation, February 1, 2026, saw the closure of the DINOSAUR ride, The Dino Institute Shop, and Restaurantosaurus. The land is being transformed into Tropical Americas, featuring a new Encanto attraction, an Indiana Jones ride, and more.
With the land now closed, physical park maps no longer feature DinoLand U.S.A., instead highlighting Tropical Americas in its place. The My Disney Experience app also removed DinoLand U.S.A. from its map following the closure last night.
The bridge to DinoLand U.S.A. is still open to guests, but the land’s sign has been covered with a tarp.
The walkway alongside the land remains open to guests. It was already lined with construction walls before the land’s official closure, as sections were closed off in phases to allow work to begin before the final remnants shut down. From here, you can see construction for the new Encanto ride in the distance, as well as leftover elements from now-closed locations, like the Trilo-Bites snack kiosk.
The walkway between the construction walls that previously provided access to the final remnants of the land—DINOSAUR, The Dino Institute Shop, and Restaurantosaurus—was blocked off with rolling planters this morning. We expect this walkway to be fully blocked with walls soon, allowing the entire land to be unified during construction rather than divided by barriers as it was before the last section closed.
Here’s a look at concept art from Disney of Tropical Americas.
That concludes our photo update from Walt Disney World.
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