Disney’s Two New Magic Kingdom Lands Make Notable Progress as Construction Work Ramps Up

Magic Kingdom is undergoing massive construction as Disney transforms Rivers of America into Piston Peak National Park, the new Disney Cars-inspired land. This is one of the big areas of construction you should be aware of if you’re visiting in 2026.

This isn’t the only area being built in Magic Kingdom. Construction is also underway to develop the new Villains-themed land near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Construction is moving fast, and we’re looking at the newest construction update with aerial photos of the newest progress. At Mickey Visit, we report on all recent Disney news, like the controversy surrounding a large travel agency and changes to operating hours. You can see all the new rides opening at Disney World in 2026.

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Aerial Overview of Magic Kingdom Construction

First up is the aerial overview of all the major construction in Magic Kingdom. You can see in the photo above that there is massive construction taking place to create Villains Land and Piston Peak National Park.

This is the completely cleared space that was previously home to the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer’s Island. Note that the island is completely demolished. Note the black and light grey dirt in the photos where the island was previously located.

This photo shows another angle of the aerial overview. You can see the construction taking place for Piston Peak National Park between Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Liberty Square. As for Villains Land, that’s in the majority of the cleared acreage.

Here’s another overview of land clearing for Piston Peak National Park and Villains Land. This is going to be a massive addition to Magic Kingdom when we can see the size of the area zoomed out like this. Most of this major construction is taking place on the edge of Magic Kingdom with walls blocking the view of the area that used to be Rivers of America.

Closer Look at Villains Land Construction

Now for a closer look at the land clearing area for Villains Land in Magic Kingdom. You can see the land at the bottom of this photo behind the it’s a small world show building.

Here’s another angle for the area being prepped for Villains Land to the right of Big Thunder Mountain.

Here’s a closer look at the site preparation for Villains Land. At this point, the construction is in very early stages but we’re getting a good sense of the potential size of the land. It is also notable that they have already cleared the site for construction work. This is far ahead of the new Avatar area coming to Disneyland.

Villains Land will be home to two major attractions, dining, and shopping. Specific details have not been released yet but after the initial announcement we took some time examining the concept art which hinted at a rollercoaster and the potential of more than one castle structure. At this early stage, it’s hard to see where the structures will be placed but once building takes place we can start speculating in earnest.

Piston Peak National Park Construction Progress

Here’s a closer look at the site preparation for Piston Peak National Park. You can see that the former Rivers of America is drained and nearly reduced to a fresh canvas for construction. In the bottom right hand corner, you can see the Haunted Mansion.

Here is another angle of the view, you can see Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is in the upper left of the photo. In the right hand corner is the Haunted Mansion.

Here’s another shot of the area with Haunted Mansion on the far left and at the bottom of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

And here’s a wider shot of the entire area with the prior Rivers of America in the middle of the aerial view. Look at how big the space is compared to the Frontierland corridor at the bottom of the photo. Piston Peka National Park will draw influence from Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks and is set in the Rocky Mountains with large trees, snow capped mountains, roaring rivers, and shooting geysers.

The Cars-inspired land will feature two attractions including a thrill ride as guests race through the mountains in wild terrain. The second attraction is built especially for smaller guests and will be meant for the whole family.

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These photos all originally appeared on bioreconstruct’s page on X.

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