One of Disney World’s most iconic rides is going away for a long time.
The next few years are going to be a time of massive change for the Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland. The Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island are closing forever to make way for a new Cars-themed land expansion, while a massive Disney Villains-themed land will be built “beyond Big Thunder Mountain.” Speaking of Big Thunder, that Disney icon is our focus today, as the attraction prepares for a massive refurbishment.
In just a few weeks, Big Thunder Mountain will close for refurbishment on January 6th, 2025. When Disney announced the closure earlier this year, they confirmed that it would be for the majority of 2025, saying that the ride would “reopen with a little bit of new magic in 2026.”
While we initially suspected that this refurbishment would tie into the overall construction of the land, the potential delays that come with the permit issues Disney is currently facing call that into question.
However, there is no question that the loss of Big Thunder for at least a year will undoubtedly have a major impact on the park’s overall waits and crowd flow, as Big Thunder is still one of the Magic Kingdom’s most popular rides — with some of its highest wait times.
While the first Big Thunder Mountain attraction originally opened at Disneyland in 1979, the idea for the runway train-style coaster was for the Magic Kingdom. Initially, the coaster — designed by future Disney Legend Tony Baxter — was supposed to serve as an ancillary to Imagineering Icon Marc Davis’s Thunder Mesa/Western River Expedition. When it became clear that that oft-delayed attraction would be unbuilt, Baxter reworked the coaster concept into a standalone attraction, which allegedly led to a long-running feud between the two.
Despite the acrimonious beginnings, Big Thunder was a huge success at Disneyland and Disney World. Further versions also exist at Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris, while a spiritual successor — the Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars — operates in Hong Kong Disneyland.
In just a few weeks, Walt Disney World’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – – one of the Magic Kingdom’s most popular attractions — is going to close for OVER a year as part of Frontierland’s massive transformation. Stay tuned to AllEars for more on the Magic Kingdom.
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Are you going to try and ride Big Thunder before it closes? Let us know in the comments below.
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