Dramatic changes are coming soon to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World! A new Cars-themed area and a new Villains Land are replacing the Rivers of America in a newly reimagined section of Frontierland.
This news was first announced at D23: The Ultimate Fan Convention last summer and now we have more details about the dedication Imagineering is taking with the new land along with an official closing date for the attractions in Rivers of America.
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Disney Cars “American West” & Villains Land Coming to Magic Kingdom
The reimagined Frontierland at Magic Kingdom will incorporate the themes of the American West into the park in a new way as Disney adds in a new Cars-themed area called Piston Peak. We just got new concept artwork and way more details about the new land from Walt Disney Imagineering. You can see that concept artwork and the new details here.
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The new Disney Cars-themed area inside Frontierland will feature two different rides. One attraction will be a thrill ride as guests race through mountains of wild terrain across a landscape of mountain trails, geysers, and mudholes. The second attraction is built especially for smaller guests and will be geared toward the whole family.
The land is inspired by Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks and will include tall trees, forests, snow-capped mountains, rivers, and geysers. The land is being built to truly look and feel like the American wilderness. The new area is themed to the Rocky Mountains.
Disney is also moving forward with a land themed to villains that will be placed behind the new Cars attraction in this area. We have fewer details on that expansion which is expected to open after the Cars area does.
Both of these new lands are leading to major closures in Magic Kingdom.
Closing Date for Rivers of America Attractions
Access to the Rivers of America will officially be closing on July 7, 2025, as Disney begins reimagining this area. This includes its two attractions: Liberty Belle Riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island. The official last day of operation is July 6, 2025.
Impacts to Walt Disney World Railroad
The Walt Disney World Railroad will also be impacted during the construction of the Disney Cars-themed area and Villains Land at Magic Kingdom. The railroad will remain in operation between the Fantasyland and Main Street, U.S.A. stations and the Frontierland Station will close. The train will run as a kind of shuttle style where it goes backwards and forwards between the two stations. It will not complete the full loop around the park.
To ensure that guests have a good view during the construction and for anyone who is prone to motion sickness when riding backwards, Disney will be rotating some of the benches on the trains so that guests have the option to face forward.
We are pleased that Disney is keeping the railroad operational during this period in some form because during the TRON Lightcycle construction it was taken offline for four years. I hope that this subway style operation doesn’t last the entire construction period of these new lands, which would be years, but if it does at least we still have some version of the attraction running. No information on the timeline was given.
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