Cars area coming to Magic Kingdom

[PerceptiveCoot]

People on Magic are also noting parts of Liberty Square are gone. You can imagine which parts. One could say they are the parts burdened by what has come before.

 

[belloq87]

 

[Patrokls]

If this were Disneyland I might be upset but it’s not. The Magic Kingdom has always felt to me like a bad copy of Disneyland. These new areas will help give the park its own identity. Probably an unpopular opinion but I guess I just don’t get too attached to things.

 

[Allison]

Gentle reminder to please tread lightly as we don’t discuss politics here.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

I have both the mercenary and healthy position that this doesn't affect me, so I'm fine.

 

[Jake S]

Yeah, I'd be much more upset if this was happening at Disneyland. I understand that's of no comfort for those with a strong attachment to the Magic Kingdom.

 

[DodgsonHere]

Horrible horrible horrible

 

[belloq87]

Getting rid of Tom Sawyer Island? Fine, sure, whatever, I guess.

Getting rid of the Liberty Belle? That's now one less ride a guest can do with basically no wait in Magic Kingdom, and the 15-minute calming reprieve it provided from the hectic park walkways has no replacement.

Getting rid of the Rivers of America? Entirely? That's unconscionable. Do folks really think that looking at googly-eyed Cars vehicles speeding around is going to be a better -- and more thematically appropriate -- view from the Haunted Mansion queue than a scenic body of water? The views around the River, generally, provided the most beautiful overlooks in the park.

I was very positive about this announcement on Saturday night, but now I'm just very bummed.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Tom Sawyer has lost it's charm over the years, so no real loss there. But, I was hoping they would at least keep the front area of RoA the same. Honestly, wouldn't mind if Cars took over the existing Tom Sawyer Island area and beyond, but that body of water is so crucial for a park that features expansive concrete walkways.

 

[Magic-Man]

Good lord I'd thought they'd shut down the back half of RoA for aesthetic purposes, not destroy the whole thing! I guess it'll be worth it in the long run but man this hurts.

 

[MartyMcFly]

Net positive on paper but the aesthetic matters. I believe this fundamentally changes Magic Kingdom.

Seeing that Boat sail off into the distance within the context of what else was going on around me, and then later on finding out I could ride that boat. That is/was an experience that set Disney apart.

They're removing a top 3 set-piece. The park was designed the way it was for a reason, the flow, the story, the intangible stuff you can't quite quantify, it's a coherent piece of art that get's diluted the more you veer.

Rides will be great I'm sure but it'll be at the expense of something that really sets the Magic Kingdom apart.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

I’m a huge fan of the riverboat but I had always assumed that any expansion to Frontierland would have to come at the expense of that section of the park. There’s no way around Big Thunder or Haunted Mansion without jutting into the river so I’m kind of surprised this is coming as a shock after the announcements.

What would an alternative be that wouldn’t require a crazy amount of walking or even more dead ends? Only thing I can think of would be to host the rides on an island accessible via bridge (don’t think there’s enough room for an underground tunnel, so there goes the boat anyway) or cut off all but the front half of the river which, again, loses the boat.

At least it’s not Radiator Springs. If they could pull off something similar to what they have at Grizzly Mountain in California Adventure it could be a nice consolation prize.

 

[snayberry]

The river aesthetic is nice and I'm sad to see it go. But I can't remember the last time I went to Tom Sawyer's Island and I go to Disney a lot. I'm excited for the changes, it's time.

 

[Magic-Man]

I will say, I'm glad that the snowy mountain part is going near Haunted Mansion and Liberty Square. It will help with the immersion at least. I just hope you can't see the cars from Haunted Mansion.

 

[Jake S]

Really nice piece by Robert Niles over at Theme Park Insider on losing Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer's Island. Robert is the biggest fan of both the Rivers and the Island that I know and I appreciate his perspective on this change.

 

[belloq87]

What would an alternative be that wouldn’t require a crazy amount of walking or even more dead ends?

Doing what they did in Disneyland for Galaxy's Edge.

Which seemed to be the initial intent of the Blue Sky version of "Beyond Big Thunder" back in 2022.

Really nice piece by Robert Niles over at Theme Park Insider on losing Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer's Island. Robert is the biggest fan of both the Rivers and the Island that I know and I appreciate his perspective on this change.

I'm glad he at least points out the bizarre, systematic removal of major water features from Magic Kingdom.

 

[Magic-Man]

Doing what they did in Disneyland for Galaxy's Edge.

Which seemed to be the initial intent of the Blue Sky version of "Beyond Big Thunder" back in 2022.

Yeah I'm really surprised that they didn't just shorten the river and make the Liberty Bell a resting place. I did read on reddit though that apparently the river and boat are a maintenance nightmare, so maybe it was only a matter of time.

At least we actually know it's going to happen now. You can't close an entire section of the park for a canceled project.

 

[lowbudget]

I've got 2 young boys, and while they thought the river boat was cool on their first trip to MK last year, neither was overly excited or wanted to ride.

They are both in love with the Cars franchise and will go bonkers over whatever ride gets opened here.

I said that, to say this, while the nostalgia and general feeling of the river boat is certainly a loss, there are several generations out there in the prime demographic which have no attachment to it and would benefit much more from a quality ride with a very relevant IP.

 

[ReelJustice]

Which seemed to be the initial intent of the Blue Sky version of "Beyond Big Thunder" back in 2022.

Until they did land studies on the land they thought was buildable (assuming/guessing), but I also remember this Cars concept getting floated like a decade ago, so maybe it was also just low-hanging fruit

 

[OLSinFLA]

Doing what they did in Disneyland for Galaxy's Edge.

Which seemed to be the initial intent of the Blue Sky version of "Beyond Big Thunder" back in 2022.


I'm glad he at least points out the bizarre, systematic removal of major water features from Magic Kingdom.

Apparently Epic is taking all the water for Celestial Park