Disney World is in a period of transition, headlined by massive changes coming to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom.
Each of these parks is in the midst of removing opening day attractions and lands to replace them with new, high-tech, intellectual property (IP)-based environments.
Rivers of America -> Piston Peak
In 2024, Disney announced massive changes were coming to the Magic Kingdom. The Rivers of America, the iconic waterway that has been at the center of the park’s Frontierland since opening day in 1971, would be closing for good. Disney confirmed that the river, as well as Tom Sawyer Island at its center and the Liberty Belle Riverboat, which traversed its waters, would be demolished to make way for a new land based on Cars.
In the late spring of 2025, Disney realized further details on the closure — the final day of the Rivers of America’s operations would be July 6th, followed by permanent closure on July 7th – and the new Cars Land will be entitled Piston Peak — an “an awe-inspiring wilderness filled with towering trees, snowcapped mountains, breathtaking waterfalls, roaring rivers and impressive geysers,” according to Disney.
Piston Peak’s design is inspired by the Rocky Mountain region of the United States, as well as the country’s national parks. In fact, the buildings in the area will be based on the National Park Service’s “Parkitecture” concept.
The land will feature two attractions: An “off-road rally race” ride, complete with custom vehicles…
… and a “family-friendly attraction, featuring the theme park’s original character Ranger J. Autobahn Woodlore.
Work on the land is scheduled to begin this summer.
Dinoland -> Tropical Americas
Disney is also massively altering one of the opening day lands at Animal Kingdom. DinoLand U.S.A. has been closing in phases since early 2025, with TriceraTop Spin, Fossil Fun Games, and Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures having their final operating day on January 12th, and the rest of the land — including DINOSAUR– closing just about a year later in January of 2026.
Work has already begun on the area’s replacement: Tropical Americas.
The new land will be “lush and sprawling, featuring a large fountain in the center where the villagers like to gather and tell stories.” At its center will stand a giant working carousel featuring animals from Disney stories, themed to look like they have been carved out of wood.
Tropical Americas will be headlines by massive attractions based on Encanto and the Indiana Jones franchise.
The former will be a ride-through attraction featuring the Madrigal family. According to Disney, “inside the Casita, Antonio has just received his special gift — the ability to communicate with animals — and his room has transformed into a rainforest. It’s time to go explore alongside him, and you never know what member of the family you might bump into…”
Meanwhile, the Indiana Jones attraction will be reusing the DINOSAUR infrastructure — an full-circle moment, as DINOSAUR itself is a reskin of Disneyland’s original Indiana Jones Adventure — “in this new venture, the man with the hat has recently discovered a perfectly preserved Maya temple, and that can only mean one thing: it’s time to explore it. He’s heard rumors about a mythical creature deep within the temple — and he’s got to see it for himself. So, he brings us along on the adventure… but will there be snakes? We’ll just have to wait and see.”
Work is currently ongoing on the Tropical Americas site, though with DINOSAUR not closing until 2026, Disney is likely going to need to reach deep into 2027 to get the land ready for opening.
It’s Tough to be a Bug -> Zootopia: Better Zoogether
Finally, another Animal Kingdom opening day attraction – It’s Tough to Be a Bug – closed in early 2025 to make way for a new IP-based 3D film.
Zootopia: Better Zoogether will make its home in the theater located within the Tree of Life, and allow guests to “join Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and more for a new wild adventure” that will take them on an “adventure through different biomes seen in the film.” The show is scheduled to open in late 2025.
Disney World’s two kingdoms, Magic & Animal, are in the midst of massive transformations that will change the face of each park forever. Stay tuned for AllEars for more on these ongoing changes.
I Can’t Be the Only Disney Adult Who Thinks About This Abandoned Restaurant in the Middle of the Night
Which of these changes are you most excited about? Which are you most nervous about? Let us know in the comments below.
Been going to Disney for 40 years and I really love all these updates. The only thing I worry about is that Disney has a long history of providing rich, creative and detailed renderings only to see the finished product cut, curbed, slashed and simplified to disappointing levels by comparison. Staying true to the vision is especially important with ALL the amazingly diverse water features shown in Piston Peak.