At D23, we finally got to hear all about the Magic Kingdom expansion!
Villains Land is coming to Magic Kingdom!
Magic Kingdom is about to receive significant upgrades. Villains Land will be added “Beyond Big Thunder Mountain,” and a new Cars Land will replace Tom Sawyer Island. While we know that some Disney fans have mixed emotions about the addition of Cars Land in Frontierland, we have some good news!
Currently, you can only get to Tom Sawyer Island by boat as the island is actually surrounded by water. When Cars Land takes the place of the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island, significant changes are coming to the shape of the land that is currently there. From the concept art, it seems that a majority of the Rivers of America will be paved over, leaving a little bit of water around the new Cars Land.
©Disney
If you visit Tom Sawyer Island today, you cannot get to nearby attractions like the Haunted Mansion, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad unless you take the boat transportation back to the mainland of Magic Kingdom. Well, this is all about to change!
Map of where the new Cars area will be
With the new Cars Land, you will be able to walk directly to the land—at least, that is what the concept art currently shows. We looked a little closer at the concept art and noticed something that we really liked!
©Disney
It is no secret that you walk a lot during a vacation to Disney World, but this new change may cut down on your need to walk all the way around this part of Magic Kingdom. It seems that there will be a walking path that connects Liberty Square, through Cars Land, to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This would save so much time if it is actually built! Currently, to get from Liberty Square to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, you have to walk through all of Liberty Square and all of Frontierland, past Tiana’s Bayou Adventure just to get to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, even though you can see it from the queue of the Haunted Mansion.
©Disney Look to the right!
If this walkway is built, it can make rope-dropping and walking around the park easier and more efficient.
Potential Walkway
While we will miss the nostalgia and peacefulness of the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island, we are hopeful about the Magic Kingdom expansion and look forward to this new pathway, which will help bring the two lands even closer together!
Views from Tom Sawyer Island
While no closing date has been announced for Tom Sawyer Island, we feel that the announcement is drawing near as a permit has already been filed to start work on the Island to bring Cars Land to life. As always, stay tuned to Disney Food Blog, where we will continue to monitor any news about the construction of Cars Land.
We Created A Map With All The Best Shortcuts in Magic Kingdom
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Are you excited about this potential new pathway that connects Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Liberty Square? Let us know in the comments!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
If Rivers of America goes I go too!!!
Tom Sawyer Island
I am not one that usually complains about attractions coming and going, but the loss of Tom Sawyer Island, the rafts, and the Riverboat will change Magic Kingdom for the worse. I wish they would just leave these as they are and replace the Raceway with Cars Land instead.
I think it’s a mistake to have Cars land in Magic Kingdom. Put Cars Land in Epcot or Hollywood Studios.
I went once to Tom Sawyer Island once in the 70’s when I was a kid. I only went one other time when I took my two kids to visit it in 2010. These are the only two times I have been there. I won’t miss it.
Poor Walt. It appears that they are changing his whole vision of what the Magic Kingdom was supposed to be.
Upgrades? These are not upgrades. This is totally destroying and rebuilding. This is not adding, plussing, upgrading. It’s destroying for something that doesn’t belong in that space.
This is a good attempt to put a positive spin on a huge mistake they are making. I’ll walk extra steps if we could keep the Rivers of America. I don’t even really care about Tom Sawyer island but it’s nice to look across the water and see it.
Tom Sawyers island and the River boat rive were such lovely places to relax in, let the kids run wild in, keep cool in. when you sailed across the river it was as if you were visiting another land. My children loved going to the island (and firing the guns at the trains!!). Its a shame Disney cannot / couldn’t find a way to have both…
Does anybody seriously believe that a new shortcut makes up for ruining the aesthetic of both Frontierland and Liberty Square? I understand the concept of looking on the bright side, and I give you credit for trying, but there’s no bright side here. It’s been a horrible plan from the start, and a shortcut to Big Thunder doesn’t fix that.
This is definitely one of the top 5 worst ideas they have had!
I am not a fan of the new Cars Land. Magic Kingdom is losing its vision and its beauty and charm. Frontierland was intended to transport guests back to the American Frontier of the 19th Century. Cars does not fit into this story. Magic Kingdom, like the rest of the Disney World parks, are becoming nothing more than a concrete jungle with a mismatch of rides based on ho-hum IP. The concrete makes the parks absolutely unbearable for us 6 months out of the year. We visit the Disney parks for their ambience, and not solely for the rides. If all WDW had was rides, we would never visit. The rides get boring once we’ve done them a few times.
Is there any information about what will happen to that wonderful steamboat? I loved relaxing on that for a lengthy ride. That would be a huge loss for me. Will be transferred to some sort of service on Disney property?
It’s such a huge special ride that is difficult to find in other theme parks. All theme parks have tons of cement and metal and man-made rides. How many have huge, authentic steamboats (& steam trains!) Walt loved ‘bigger than big’ ideas.
I’d love to see cars land, but not where they want to put it. It already looks cramped and it’s not built yet.
Seems like there was no thought to serving all users. The laid back quiet areas will be paved over. They could have found a way to keep the trees, shade and wildlife that actually add a different element to the enjoyment of the park. The only positive is a possible connection and path back to magic kingdom? They definitely could have figured that out without destroying and added a mismatched puzzle piece. Cars should be in Hollywood Stidios or move to tomorrow land.
I hate this idea, even if it does provide an easier way to get around. The loss of the river itself is what upsets me. I don’t mind them changing the island. I won’t even miss the riverboat ride (although I wish they could leave the riverboat itself in some capacity). But the river itself is so scenic and pretty.
Disney is ripping out the heart of the Magic Kingdom and trying to placate us with an old IP mess of a “land” It’s horrible. I thought we were supposed to respect nature, Walt was very tree-forward and nature focused, on record. When they were building Disneyland, he was adamant about preserving as many trees as possible. I thought we’d learned that we need more green spaces in our world and environs, not fewer. You can’t sugarcoat it, it’s terrible. Talk about paving over paradise and putting in a parking lot!
Every time I read an article regarding the removal of Tom Sawyer’s Island and The Rivers of America; it makes so upset!! The powers that be at Disney need to start listening to their valued guests wants and desires since we are paying the admission ticket. They should put Cars land in DHS first of all because the theming does not work in Frontierland no matter what spin they put on it and by filling in most of the river, it’s going to feel like one big hot mess. Bob Igor has made so many bad decisions for this company during his tenure, but this one is the worst IMHO. Bob Igor needs to be replaced.
First it was changing out Splash Mountain to Tiana ( and I embraced that as much as it hurt, I could even make sense of it since the Rivers of America and the Liberty Belle was a good connection between Haunted Mansion and Tiana). BUT, Then It was the shooting arcade, shutting it down and turning it into a Lounge for DVC. Then it was re-imagining Country Bear. Now it’s losing the Rivers of America, the Liberty Belle and Tom Sawyers Island. Seriously, what will be left? The Diamond Horsehoe and a few shops? Oh, and Thunder Mountain which will be sitting out there by itself, totally disconnected to it’s new surroundings. Walt bought land to imagine and build. Frontierland is an integral part of the American story something that Walt Disney actually embraced and its being slowly replaced and honestly there is no real good reason. This is my last rant, I promise. :/
I hope this turns out to be a good idea. Like others who have mentioned it it seems like cars land would be more appropriate at Hollywood Studios. And surely the cars and layout will be like the ones in California. I look forward to seeing the end results.
Silly placement of this new attraction.