Magic Kingdom is about to change…forever.

That’s because Disney World has big plans for the park, including building an all-new Villains land behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. However, there are also plans to demolish Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island to make way for a new Frontierland expansion based on Cars. Well, we’ve now got a huge update on that Frontierland expansion.
In August 2024, Disney filed a permit for construction of a stormwater management treatment facility just east of Magic Kingdom. This facility will likely be used for the stormwater drained from Frontierland — the language used in the permit suggests it’s for the Cars expansion.

However, the South Florida Water Management District needed additional information for the permit. Disney then filed for a 60-day extension to give the company more time to gather those details and get it to the District. In early December, the District agreed to give Disney an extension until January 9th, 2025 for submitting that information.

Disney World has now submitted its updated plans for the Frontierland expansion. The South Florida Water Management District now has 30 days to review the updates and request additional information. The updated plans also included updated maps like this one…

…and this one.

The new Frontierland area will feature two new Cars-themed attractions. Disney described one ride as a “thrilling rally race through the mountains. Take on wild terrain as you race across the landscape climbing mountain trails, dodging geysers and — Mater’s favorite — splashing through mudholes.”

The other ride will be more family-friendly so “smaller racers” can enjoy it. Disney previously stated that construction would begtin in 2025, although that date could change depending on when the plans and permits are approved.

These plans must be approved before Disney can begin working on the expansion, so it could be some time before we see actual work happening in Magic Kingdom. However, we’ll be keeping an eye out for updates and will let you know when we see them, so check back with AllEars again soon for more.
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What do you think? Are you looking forward to this expansion or not? Let us know in the comments!
Horrible idea, especially when they can expand outward from that, in a few different directions.
What are these people thinking??
Every time that I see an article about draining the Rivers of America to make way for CarsLand, it makes me so sad. I wish Disney had better sense than to destroy an original, iconic and beautiful part of Magic Kingdom for a noisy, crowded, concrete “Land” with just 2 rides. We’re giving up beauty and peace, complete with a riverboat attraction of roughly 20 minutes and an island for exploration as long as you wish, for about 15 minutes total time for the new rides. A poor ROI (return on investment) on quality ride-time.