TONS of new projects were promised for Disney’s experiences division at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event!
Magic Kingdom was one park confirmed to receive not one, but THREE new experiences in the coming years. A new nighttime parade, Cars Land, and Villains Land are all headed to Magic Kingdom. But during the D23 Horizons showcase, Disney only said that Cars Land would be added to Frontierland. Still, they didn’t say where specifically in Frontierland, which brought out a lot of speculation. Now, Disney has released new details about Cars Land, including where it will be going in Magic Kingdom!
Disney shared that “It’s time to leave Radiator Springs and head west into exciting new locations.” Cars Land was confirmed for Frontierland in Magic Kingdom but that could mean a lot of different places, and we weren’t sure exactly where it would go. Some were even thoughts that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad could be replaced with a Cars ride.
However, Disney has just released details about where Cars Land will be going in Frontierland, and luckily, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is safe. To make room for this new land, the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will be transformed into “vast and rugged terrains for a rally race.”
Michael Hundgen, Walt Disney World Portfolio Executive Producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, shared, “We are thrilled to create this original Cars adventure and put our guests in the driver’s seat as we—quite literally—explore a new frontier in Frontierland.” He continued saying, “Part of pioneering this new story includes tapping into the themes of exploration and adventure that inspire so many of us to keep propelling forward. Anytime we touch Magic Kingdom, we recognize the massive responsibility that exists to get it right and tell stories that connect with our guests.”
A brand-new, thrilling ride will have you racing through the mountains, climbing trails, and dodging geysers. Plus, a second ride will be a racing ride geared towards the whole family.
This is a major change to Frontierland and to Magic Kingdom that will begin next year. So you will have plenty of time to experience the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island once more before they leave Magic Kingdom.
We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for more details about the upcoming Cars Land project in Magic Kingdom. In the meantime, keep following AllEars for more Disney news!
NEWS: Disney CONFIRMS Location for NEW Villains Land Expansion at Magic Kingdom
Tell us what you think about this new experience in the comments!
Well I just got finished writing a comment about the end of Muppet 3 D In the Studios and then I see this. Clearly Disney does not care about people who are prone to motion sickness, have medical conditions that preclude thrill rides, or that have children that don’t meet the height requirements for most rides. So what are these folks supposed to do for their $125+ park tickets? Every time I turn around something else is being taken away from my experience or is planned to be removed. Next thing you know Its a Small World will be gone. I am a DVC member and I already have reduced my number of days at the parks when I stay at WDW, I go to other places like Vero Beach instead and I will definitely continue and increase those practices. It used to be I could spend the day at the Parks and not be disappointed. Now I can do everything in an hour and just call it a day and I’m not spending that kind of money on tickets for an hour’s worth of fun. And news flash for Disney, people like me don’t spend money sitting by the resort pool or going off Disney property. Keep telling yourself it’s people taking European vacations instead of taking Disney vacations that’s causing the fall in revenue.
I hate to see this. Tom Sawyer Island was a great break from the rush and bustle. We always made a stop to relax a little and cool off. We also loved the Riverboat. You can enjoy WDW without frantically rushing around every single minute!
What a pity that Tom Sawyer Island is closing. Tom Sawyer Island allowed much needed down-time for families to relax from the heavy crowds in mid-afternoon. Our four sons loved exploring the trails, caves, rope bridge and the Fort with the rifles. This island allowed for kids’ imaginations to run free. We regrouped at Polly’s Landing for lemonade and ice cream, while relaxing in rocking chairs. After free time on the island, we rejoined the throngs of people on the mainland, refreshed for our next ride. It will be sorely missed by those of us that treasured this hidden retreat.
Ugh. Tom Sawyer’s Idland and the Riverboat was that transition between Frontierland and Liberty Square. Little by little MK is becoming another amusement park. If you want to take down an old ride for Cars. Why not re-theme Autopia? At least they are both cars. So here we go, years and years of walls up in the parks. Smells like desperation to me.
So sad that the rivers of America is closing. We can’t get to Florida until November 2025 (coming from Scotland) and it’ll be closed by then.
Ducks! Where will the ducks go?
I’m so confused! I don’t understand how Cars fits into the Frontier Land theme. There were no cars on the Frontier. Then there’s the issue of the River of The Americas. Will they fill that in? More importantly, many of the EPCOT “improvements” were scaled back or outright canceled due to lack of budget. Since then Disney has reportedly lost over $150M in revenue. If they couldn’t afford to finish EPCOT properly, where will they get the budget for all of the current D23 promises? Something just doesn’t add up.
UGH, so another classic, unique piece of old Walt Disney World taken away again, to be replaced with more IP from arguably the worst Pixar franchise.
A commenter in the Wall Street Journal had an excellent point of view following an article about D23 and the ever-increasing prices. He asked who had the most disposable income to pay for theme park vacations. Not families, but older people….and that Disney was not satisfying their urge for nostalgia. “By all means, bulldoze all that they hold dear.”
This transformation of Frontierland is just that. One of my must-do rides was always the Mark Twain Riverboat. It took me back to the peaceful, charming early days of Disneyland. Walt Disney himself used to breakfast on the patio of the River Belle Terrace overlooking the Rivers of America for the beautiful view. Now that will be replaced by a crowded, concrete area filled with 2-hour long wait rides. Such a shame!
Goodbye to more Americana nostalgia from the parks. I can’t quite understand how a new Cars attraction fits into the Frontierland theme.
Ugh, we like to go to Tom Sawyer island just to get away from the crowds. It’s also a “true frontierland” playground. We had great “adventures” there. It’s also a nice transition from the haunted mansion standpoint. Wonder how the noise level will be now around haunted mansion and just the transition from the landscaping. I hate the original MK is disappearing. Those were much happier times for sure, and seemed like a bigger imagination. Carsland will be neat, but hate standing in long lines for another ride.
I get it: TSI and ROT are not as popular as other attractions. It’s about the numbers. But those of us who bring young children to WDW, its a welcome respite for the adults and fun place for the kiddos to run off excess energy in the middle if the day. Very sad to see it go. Cars Land will be a nice addition to MK. Just wish it could ho somewhere else. 🤷♀️😢
We do Tom Sawyer’s Island every time, so it will be sad to see it go. Sonny boy also read both Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn because of the fun the kids had crawling around the island while I had a few moments of quiet time on the rocking chairs. That said, it is an underutilized big patch of real estate that could be better served. We went to Tom Sawyer Island because it was quiet, but it was perhaps too quiet.