Cars Land in Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland
Updated: March 12th, 2025
During the 2024 D23 Parks and Experience Panel, Disney announced the expansion of Frontierland in Magic Kingdom to include a new Cars-themed area.
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.”
Overview | Attractions | Dining | Shopping |
Overview
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.
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!
Attractions
The first permit for the overhaul was filed in August 2024, shortly after the initial announcement at 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dining
Coming soon!
Shopping
Coming soon!
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.
