Added to the Disney World resort now made up of four main theme parks in 1998, Animal Kingdom in Orlando quickly became a fan favorite for the way it strays away from traditional amusement park notions and offers experiences that cannot be found in any other place: a 18-minute safari ride that takes guests past African animals such as lions, rhinoceroses and giraffes through an open-air area maintained to replicate their natural habitat as well as various other shows and rides in which guests can interact with over 300 different animal species.
But withe the theme park now approaching the 30-year anniversary since its opening, several of the rides have started to show signs of age in a way that Disney has not always managed to keep up with.
In February 2026, Animal Kingdom permanently closed the DinoLand U.S.A. section to build a new land inspired by the 2021 film “Encanto” titled “Pueblo Esperanza.” Instead of the “DINOSAUR” dark ride taking riders through various species from the Cretaceous period, the new section will be built around a storytelling fountain and include a new themed thrill ride built inside a replica of a Mayan temple.
Na’vi River Journey ride at Animal Kingdom reopens after being inexplicably shut down
But as construction for the new themed section of Animal Kingdom is underway, guests who came into the park on July 13 discovered that another section of the park had been closed down without any information on the reasons from Disney.
As reported by the Inside The Magic site, the Na’vi River Journey ride was closed at 7:30 on July 13 as the first guests with early theme park entry started arriving and the area around it remained closed throughout the day.
Related: Disney theme park closes dozens of rides for disturbing reason
The boat ride taking parkgoers through a rainforest filled with various flora and fauna that glows in the dark debuted in 2017 alongside the rest of the “Pandora – The World of Avatar” land built around James Cameron’s “Avatar” blockbuster movie franchise.
While the “Avatar Flight of Passage” 3D simulator ride has a height requirement due to certain sudden dips and lifts, “Na’vi River Journey” is the family-friendly ride option in the Pandora section and is a popular ride particularly for the beauty of seeing bioluminescent species in an experience that is designed to mirror going to the moon.
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Is the Na’vi River Ride open now?
“The extended downtime prompted warnings for guests planning to visit Pandora, with visitors encouraged to check the My Disney Experience app before making the walk to the back of the park,” Thomas Hitchen of Inside The Magic reported.
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“Na’vi River Ride” remained closed as the first parkgoers started arriving in the morning of July 14 but, as of 9:40 a.m., those at the park started reporting that it was open and operating.
Disney could not immediately be reached for comment on why the ride had been shut down but the reopening within just slightly over 24 hours suggests that it may have been a mechanical issue or other problem with operations that has been resolved.
Related: 36-year-old theme park closing down after summer season
