It has been a HUGE weekend of announcements and we got a sneak peek at so many new attractions that will be coming to Disney World in the next few years during D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
Cinderella Castle
We learned more about Pueblo Esperanza which will be replacing DinoLand U.S.A. in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as well as found out about a Monsters, Inc. land coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Magic Kingdom also got some big news with BOTH a Villains land and a Cars land announced for the park. There have been some discussions on where these new lands will be going in Magic Kingdom, and we just got some confirmation on where they will be located.
Disney offically announced where the Cars land will be located in Magic Kingdom!
©Disney
The Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will be transformed into this brand-new land coming to the park. That means that Cars land will be located in Frontierland and as Disney wrote will, “put our guests in the driver’s seat as we—quite literally—explore a new frontier in Frontierland.”
Cars is coming to Magic Kingdom! ©Disney
This new expansion in Magic Kingdom will include the addition of two Cars attractions. The first one will have you racing through the mountains and along wild terrains, all while trying to dodge geysers and splashing through mud holes. While the second attraction will be more family-friendly and geared for smaller racers.
©Disney
We took a look at the current Magic Kingdom map and based on Disney’s announcement and the concept art, the red line here indicates where we expect the new Cars area to be.
Map of where the new Cars area will be
We also dug into the concept art a bit. If you zoom in, this appears to be the current Liberty Square Riverboat building. At least it looks like it to us! What do you think?
Concept Art
Construction on this new area is expected to begin in early 2025, so if you are hoping to explore Tom Sawyer Island one last time or enjoy a trip on The Rivers of America, you better hurry! Make sure to stay tuned to DFB for all your Disney World news!
Find out more about the Villains Land coming to Magic Kingdom!
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What do you think about Cars land replacing The Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island? Let us know in the comments!
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Pueblo* Esperanza
It won’t be long until the Magic Kingdom is unrecognizable
Not a fan of getting rid of Rivers of America. Ambiance plays a huge part in a Disney Park. I will miss hearing the the whistle of the Liberty Belle, and the quiet retreat of Tom Sawyers island.
Why not build past the border of the railroad track and utilize some of the land out there.
Why would the art show big thunder on the right then? Have you forgotten about the beyond Big Thunder announcement from last d23?
This is a disgrace. They are completely obliterating Frontierland for more IP. They are doing everything they can to rid themselves of anything original to the parks. This will hurt the blend into Liberty Square. Iger is determined to ruin the parks.
Cars land will not replace the rivers of of America. Villains land will also be along the banks of the river. As you can see in the concept art. The rivers of America might get shorter, but they will still have the riverboat. Land will go behind big thunder where there is currently a drainage canal.
That’s huge! Getting rid of Tom Sawyer Island! I never saw that coming.
Makes me kind of sad. We love to ‘hide’ on Tom Sawyer Island and even bring our own picnic food to have a quick quiet break.
That is wonderful!! I am so excited about this and the new Villains land! To so excited about changes to Animal Kingdom. Even more reason for us to skip AK if we can only hit three parks. It will be great to finally have a Cars Land! Even if I won’t live to see it completed, my great grandchildren will enjoy it.
Makes no sense whatsoever! Probably cheaper for them to reengineer existing space than develop new space. At least maybe they’ll get rid of the existing car rides
Quite disappointed that the river boat is going to be retired. Was always one of our highlights when looking for a relaxing 30mins or so on the beautiful paddle steamboat.
I see what you mean with the Liberty Square building… but shouldn’t Tiana’s attraction be visible next to Big Thunder Mountain if that is the case? From that perspective would seem more like it will be in the back of Big Thunder Mountain.
My first comment was marked as SPAM so i will try again….The Riverboat is closing for good??? DId i read that correctly??? No more churning of the wheels…no more horn blasting as boat comes an goes??? Please tell me i am not reading this correctly that the boat is still in operation when this Cars comes to be….
Demolishing Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America to replace it with something else a stupid. There are three reasons why this is a bad idea. First, you’re taking away an original piece the park. I know this is going to happen inevitably in some cases, but this is a very “huge” original part of the park and it was and great place to relax or let the little kids burn off steam playing on the island, and you never had to wait in line much to do anything there. Second, this will be a very massive eye sore and construction area (with all Of the walls, dust, noise) that could’ve been avoided simply by building the new cars land just outside the current boundary of the Magic Kingdom similar to what they’re going to do with the new Villains land. Finally, it has nothing to do with Frontierland or Liberty Square. Both of which are to set put you back in time to earlier days. Cars, being set in modern times, messes that up. Please don’t misunderstand me, I love the Cars movies and I think the proposed Cars land/area looks like a lot of fun. But they should add it onto the existing boundaries of the Magic kingdom and not destroy Frontierland to build it. The entire reason Walt Disney created Disney World so that they wouldn’t run out of space. Get creative in your construction and figure out how to use that space to add the new Cars land/area onto the Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios.
n way, fill in the Rivers of America?
I think this is absolutely horribly disappointing. Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island were central to both Frontierland and the overall experience of walking through the park. And the theming from Main Street to Liberty Square to The Rivers of America and Frontierland made sense and was aesthetically pleasing. Now, Liberty Square will have Cars racing around its’ edge?
Not to mention, what do Cars have to do with the American Frontier? And honestly, why are we going back to Cars (and Monsters, for that matter?) Was anyone clamoring for this?
I hope Disney will reconsider this. At the very least, leave the Rivers and TSI but make them smaller (i.e. chop off the northern 1/3 and build Cars there).
Well that’s disappointing.
Getting rid of Rivers of America snd Tom Sawyer Island absolutely SUCKS.
That’s disappointing. Removing the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will change the whole feel of the park.
I am so disappointed and disturbed that Disney is planning a Villain themed land. I can’t imagine Walt ever wanting to commercialize or glamorize evilness in our society. What kind of message is this sending? What happened to the happiest place on Earth, or the Place where dreams come true. This is more like a nightmare.
Are there temporarily shutting down the riverboat ride or getting rid of it? I’d be real disappointed if they eliminated the riverboat ride. A pleasant way to get a breeze in the summer. And it’s a classic. And why not add the Cars ride elsewhere? They have so much space. Why crowd it into an already crowded space?
Figures Disney would do that. They just refurbished the track for the paddle boat. They do know how to waste money. No wonder why they have to nickel and dime the park goers.
Is the ferry boat going away near Tom Sawyer Island..
Good news, now I don’t have to go to Magic Kingdom when [if] I go to WDW! Now all they need to do is close Tiki Room and Golden Horseshoe in Disneyland and I can officially get a season pass for Universal!
Fun fact, did you know that Universal is going to have food? Probably not too late to get in on the themeparkfoodblog.com domain AJ.
We are heartbroken about Tom Sawyer Island and the Riverboat disappearing – my Gen Z son even more than I am! But I have long figured that at least the Island’s days, as is, were numbered. And neither probably drew in many guests for the space they take up. I just hope that they don’t just destroy the Riverboat. There are some really lovely little places on it. Hopefully they will at least sell it rather than trashing it, but I really hope it can be repurposed, maybe even somehow find a new home in MK or one of the other parks or maybe a hotel resort. While we’re not happy for what is being lost, I get it. What I don’t get is how some other attractions manage to keep their spot (although I won’t name names), or attractions and other places that close and nothing replaces them for many, many years, if ever. Although I will say this – if there is going to be a kiddie car ride in the new Cars area, do we really still need the Tomorrowland Speedway? If space is at such a premium in MK, surely two rides that are basically the same aren’t ‘needed.’
I’m sure there are going to be a lot of fans crying about the loss of Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island. Quite frankly, I can’t believe the river boat is going away. But I have been riding it for about 30 years. Have to make way for the new. The new lands had better be FANTASTIC!
So we’re losing the Riverboat?
Cars land sounds great! Tim Sawyer Island is kind of a nothing, old attraction
Not sure how I feel about Tom Sawyer’s island. I feel like it was under utilized but it was a great spot to take a break from the craziness. If I still had littles, I would definitely have used it to give them a little roaming room after being penned up in a stroller. However, I will miss the paddle boat. We always ride it for a rest break and to see the park, kind of like the Peoplemover. But time marches on, so we’ll see the new lands – eventually.
oooof- that’s gonna be a big, annoying change. Imagine the amount of construction walls in that area.
I always wondered why they’d left such a massive footprint in the middle of the super-busy Magic Kingdom and didn’t think about swapping it out. It was a fun playground for kids and I’ve never regretted going to it and messing around, but it’s ANCIENT and I could see them getting rid of it.
Still sucks, though- I’ll miss the area and it was lovely to LOOK AT from across the way- this will mess up a lot of sight lines and un-beautify a huge chunk of the park if they stick in there.
Oh no! Tom Sawyer Island offered some serenity and natural enjoyment. Disaster!! Not everyone likes roller coasters and extreme rides. Let’s have more immersive experiences please!
My son-in-law proposed on the island. My daughter will be crushed. I think it stinks! The last quiet retreat with some of Walt’s original magic, gone. I’m officially through. No more visits to WDW and if I can ever get even money, I’m selling my stock.
I think Tom Sawyer is underutilized land. I understand change but the ambience of that area. The waterway next to haunted mansion and the look and feel of it. I hope they leave some of the serenity there. It is one of my favorite “non ride areas”. The ducks love that area too. The nostalgia is being lost a bit.
They are destroying Magic Kingdom now. They already destroyed Epcot so let’s just complete the destruction!
Nooo! Not my Liberty Square Riverboat!!!
Can’t they get rid of Hall of Presidents instead?
Another one of Disney’s tone deaf “improvements”. Tom Sawyer’s Island and Rivers of America are iconic Magic Kingdom attractions and should remain. There appears to be room for this behind Big Thunder. The theme does not match Frontier Land. Is anyone with an ounce of brain left in a decision making position at Disney, not just parks but the entire organization?
I’m very disappointed that they have chosen to get rid of Tom Sawyer’s Island and Rivers of America. These two attractions are representation of early America which was so important to Walt Disney. Disney has enough land to build on that they could have kept these two attractions which would give guests things to do when the stand-by lines are ridiculously long for guests that can’t afford to buy lightning lanes for their families. It seems that it’s always a replacement and not an addition when it comes to new attractions at WDW. Bob Igor needs to be replaced in my opinion.
While I realize that Tom Saywer island isn’t very utilized like it was in the past, I am pretty sad to see the river going away. It is always so fun to look out over the river while riding Thunder Mountain and I will miss that a lot.
This makes me so unhappy. One thing I always loved about Magic Kingdom was the atmosphere, the feeling of being in an interesting locale. This was what set MK apart from other amusement parks. I remember taking our grandson on the riverboat along with other times we rode on it. Now the Haunted Mansion is going to be bordered by another version of the Speedway? Disney could have put this ride somewhere else, but they’re always taking things away to add something new. No wonder the wait times are so long.
Sigh…..more of Walt going away. ☹️
It’s sad to see all vintage and classic Disney is vanishing. With all the unused land another park just can’t be built ?
I hate this. Tom Sawyer’s Island is where we go to wind down and explore the caves. Build it behind Thunder Mountain!
Once again, Disney is ruining a sweet part of Disney World. The history of our country is fast being forgotten, and with the removal of Tom Sawyer Island and River of America/The Riverboat another iconic memory is being erased from Disney World. Disney has plenty of land in which to build Carland..or whatever they want. Why oh why remove such a sweet, gentle area of Disney World?
I don’t believe that Tom Sawyer Island will be missed but River of America is a Disney original and a icon of Liberty Square. It will be a shame not to see that beautiful old paddle wheeler anymore. Cars Land will NOT fit into Liberty Square!
Absolutely not! That was one of waltz favorite attractions that whole area along With a lot of us. Florida has tons of land. I’m sure they can find a place to put cars land somewhere accessible still within the magic kingdom. Don’t get me wrong. I love cars as much as the next person but we also love frontier land after all that is where we all came from!
While I do love the Cars Land attraction coming to WDW I hate the idea of replacing Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Belle being gone too. So many happy memories being a kid and going on the steamboat with my parents. I’d love to see history stop being stripped from everywhere in Disney.
I am not happy . Tom Sawyer Island was my kids and my grandkids favorite place. Hopefully they will enjoy the new land but I think they are going to be too old for it.
Tom Sawyer island was a good place to let the kids run around while the parents rested with a cool lemonade
Maybe Disney can’t expand so far out behind Big Thunder Mountain. Is the land too marshy to build on? Look at the building permits they have filed. They have to put in good drainage and some of the land that was previously designated unavailable is now moderately available. Maybe it’s just too hard to build on. I’m not an engineer though!
Oh this is sad. I like the idea of a new land, but wish they had found a different place to put it. I have to break the news to my granddaughter who I wouldn’t be able to take on a trip to WDW until next year, that we won’t be riding the big boat that I rode when I was a little girl her age. She was looking forward to that. If I could afford it I would go before it closes. Just don’t think I can swing it. 🙁 So sad