Disney has received approval of key permits around the upcoming Cars and Disney Villians-themed expansions coming to the Magic Kingdom.
The plans for the expansion remain the same as what we have previously reported. The Rivers of America at Magic Kingdom will be sacrificed for these new areas – that article is a must-read to detail everything changing here. Some wondered if an early additional slowdown in the permitting process could change the planned changes.
Details on the permits, what these approvals mean, and what is coming to the new Cars and Disney Villians-themed areas planned for Magic Kingdom.
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Major Permit For New Magic Kingdom Expansion Approved
The permit for the Magic Kingdom expansion project to change parts of Frontierland and add the new Villains Land expansion have been approved by the South Florida Water Management District.
The permit was approved on February 17, 2025 and allows for changes to the 407 Basin Stormwater System which is a key part of the current management of the water flow for the existing area. This permit specifically allows for changes to the water systems which was what was holding up construction moving forward here. The permit is valid until February 17, 2030. As part of the permit, Disney will create new drainage structures and implement erosion control measures.
READ MORE – Everything We Know About New Villains Land Coming to Magic Kingdom
Previously there was a more substantial than normal additional request for information out to Disney that caused some fans to wonder if the plans themselves would be shifted as part of that discovery. No changes have been made to the plans as they have been previously announced.
Critically, the permit still outlines that the Rivers of America area will be filled to elevation and that the waterway there will go away. See that outlined in the graphic released below.
Though the permit calls for the rivers to be filled in, concept artwork for the new Cars area shows a key water feature. We'll have to wait and see for more specifics on how that featured will be integrated.
The permit includes 300.82 acres and gives Disney the approval that they need to begin site prep for the expansion and changes to build these new lands. The first steps for this project include site prep to grade the area and the creation of laydown yards that can act as staging for construction.
With this approval, we anticipate that we will start to see changes quickly. There is pressure on Disney to begin construction on these new areas to move these new Disney World rides and attractions forward.
Next up we will likely see the first announcement of impacted closures at Magic Kingdom. The key closures will be of the riverboat on the Rivers of America and of Tom Sawyer's Island. Now that the permit has been processed it will likely just be a matter of time. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is also currently closed at Magic Kingom (see all refurbishment) for a year-long closure that will stretch into 2026. It may be easier to be doing that work at the same period of time and is another reason that the closure of the Rivers of America is likely going to come quickly.
The new area being built will feature two new Cars-themed attractions. “One attraction will be a thrill ride as guests race through the mountains through wild terrain across a landscape of mountain trails, geysers, and mudholes. The second attraction is built especially for smaller guests and will be geared (see what I did there?) for the whole family.” You can see all the details on these new Cars-themed rides that we have so far.
Less is known about the new Villains Land beyond the fact that there will be two new attractions in the area. We know that this expansion will come much later than the new Cars area and will be a sort of phase 2 for this expanion. We know that this new area will be popular so hope that Disney accelerates this timeline.
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Removing the Rivers of America is really going to hurt Walt Disney World. First they take out the shooting gallery, change Country Bear, change Splash Mountain, now remove River Boat and Tom Sawyer Island. Disney owns so much land in Orlando, why not just add onto the park? These changes are not sitting well for many Disney fans. And with Universals new EPIC Universe opening up, well I think Disney is making some bad decisions, but they didn’t ask me – LOL. Shameful that they are ruining the parks.