UPDATE: NEW Documents Filed for Cars Land Permit at Magic Kingdom

The changes are coming to Disney World!

Magic Kingdom

DinoLand U.S.A.’s first round of closures has happened, new shows are coming soon in 2025, and the skip-the-line service has changed again! Now we have updates on a major Magic Kingdom overhaul.

In case you missed it, a brand-new Cars project is coming to Magic Kingdom! This new area will feature two new attractions and be placed right in the middle of Frontierland. If you’re looking forward to some off-road racing, you’re going to love this new area!

Coming to Frontierland at Magic Kingdom, a new area themed to Pixar Animation Studios’ “Cars” will leave Radiator Springs and head to the wilderness with two new attractions including an off-road race.

While we are super excited about these new attractions, it does mean saying goodbye to Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America, two classic Disney attractions. We have loved these opening day areas as a place to escape the crowds and find some shade, but we can’t deny that attendance on the island and the riverboat have dwindled over the years.

Tom Sawyer Island Scavenger Fort

Disney fans were torn over the controversial decision to remove these opening day attractions but no matter our personal feelings, Disney is moving forward with the changes! The first permit for the overhaul was filed in August 2024, shortly after the initial announcement at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.

D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event

Unfortunately, after that permit was filed, the South Florida Water Management District requested further information from Disney about the work associated with the permit. The letter warned Disney that without a response, the application may be denied. In December 2024, Disney replied with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) requesting a 60-day extension to get the required information.

Rivers of America

On December 9th, the South Florida Water Management District responded and agreed to give Disney until January 9th, 2025, to reply with the additional information requested. Well, that date has gone and passed so what’s happening now? Disney had filed additional documents on December 19th, 2024 that extended the deadline to January 18th, 2025.

Rivers of America from Frontierland

On their deadline, Disney finally filed those new documents. (This is a lot of paperwork!) These additional documents feature maps showing that Disney is going to direct surface water to a new inlet or pond which implies that was one of the concerns of the South Florida Water Management District. 

©Disney

We also noticed there will be some nearby laydown yards, which is interesting to see where things might be! This project has been heavily hyped by Disney so while these permit issues might cause delays, we doubt it indicates that these plans won’t come to fruition.

©Disney

While these updates themselves aren’t major details regarding the new project, it is a big indication of the land’s progress (or lack thereof). According to Disney, shovels will be breaking ground on this project in early 2025 so even with these delays, they might still be on track for that timeline.

©Disney

We don’t have a confirmed opening timeline for this new area, but we will keep you updated on every detail as they come! Don’t forget to keep following AllEars for all of your Disney news and updates.

Disney Just Dropped TONS of News About 3 HUGE New Attractions Coming in 2025!

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How are you feeling about these changes? Tell us in the comments! 

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6 Replies to “UPDATE: NEW Documents Filed for Cars Land Permit at Magic Kingdom”

  1. Off road racing … just what belongs in Frontierland. This is so wrong and will cause major problems during the destruction of these beloved attractions. Walt is spinning in his grave.

  2. I’ll be really sad to see Tom Sawyer Island go. It was a really nice place to get away from the get away. It was, however, kind of a pain to get there but that’s what made it a “get away”. The cave system and fort were just like an undiscovered area in the woods that you and your friends found when you were a kid or at least it created that same sensation. If anything, for those youngsters that don’t have that opportunity to experience that (those not living near the woods) adventure… I realize that I am just a minority in these sentiments because most people over the years never have a favorable opinion of the joint (Tom Sawyer Island, The whole Mark Twain genre, the river). I do hope that they at least repurpose the sternwheeler elsewhere in the park. That would be a real shame to let it disintegrate in a bone yard.

  3. Disney is making a bad mistake. While Universal is building well themed hotels and a new park, Disney is ruining the theming of Frontier land. They have the land to build new, but instead are just getting rid of things. Not impressed. Their immagineers have lost their imagination.

    1. It’s not the imagineers fault … it’s the people running Disney now. Not sure I even want to go back. I would rather keep my memories of when the parks were run better. Everything has to be IP related .. no original rides with original characters.