Magic Kingdom “Beyond Big Thunder Mountain” Construction Kicking Off Soon

The Magic Kingdom expansion “Beyond Big Thunder Mountain” is one of the biggest Disney theme park announcements that doesn't yet have an opening date. Fans have been anxiously waiting for news on this expansion, which is going to be the biggest ever for the park and has been compared to the scale of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Pandora – The World of Avatar.

Disney previously shared that the Magic Kingdom expansion will introduce new attractions, shows, and restaurants. There have been a variety of possibilities for the characters and stories that will be featured in this expansion teased during previous events by Disney.

Now, we can report that actual progress to begin work on the Magic Kingdom expansion is underway. Keep reading for more details on what we know!

Progress on Magic Kingdom Expansion

Disney has shared that they plan to file water management permits in the next few weeks which will allow for development work which will prepare the area behind Magic Kingdom for future expansion. I saw the diagram of this permit during a presentation at Walt Disney Imagineering, but it has not yet been filed. When the permit is filed we may get a better sense of what the expansion area could actually look like.

This expansion is expected to be the largest in Magic Kingdom history.

We were quite pleased that Disney chose to share this news with us because it signals that what we had perceived as a blue-sky idea is actually already getting underway. Our biggest complaint with Disney's current theme park expansion plans has been that they haven't just gone out and started construction. With this news and the recently filed permit to build an area to support work for the the expansion of Disney's Animal Kingdom gives us hope that they are finally getting to work.

While the details of the Magic Kingdom Expansion are not yet set in stone, ideas like Encanto, Coco, and a Villains Land were previously possibilities that were shared. Because it has been teased that Encanto and Coco will be featured in the reimagined Dinoland at Animal Kingdom, likely, we won't see these franchises featured as part of the expansion.

That leaves us to wonder if some sort of Disney Villains area could still be coming to the Magic Kingdom. When the Chairman of Disney Parks shared that idea with the crowd at the last D23 Expo the response was dramatic. People were thrilled with that idea. So, if the Walt Disney Imagineers can figure out how to deliver an enjoyable villains experience I wouldn't be surprised to see that long-requested land created.

You can see everything you need to know about the Magic Kingdom expansion in our guide.

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