Disney World Cars Expansion to Replace Magic Kingdom's Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island
Kachow! Two new Cars attractions are coming to the Magic Kingdom in Florida.
Cars is going off-road at Disney World's Magic Kingdom park. Following news out of Disney's D23 convention over the weekend that a Cars-themed expansion of the Frontierland section of the park is gearing up for two new rides inspired by the road-tripping Pixar franchise, the Disney Parks Blog announced Monday that the Florida resort is closing Rivers of America and the Mark Twain-inspired Tom Sawyer Island. Unlike its west coast counterpart — Cars Land at Disney California Adventure Park — Disney World's Cars area is set in the great outdoors beyond Radiator Springs.
According to Disney, the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island "will be transformed into vast and rugged terrains for a rally race with some of the world's most iconic racers," including champion race car Lightning McQueen.
The reimagined Frontierland at Disney World's Magic Kingdom theme park.
- Disney Experiences)"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," said Michael Hundgen, Walt Disney World Portfolio Executive Producer at Walt Disney Imagineering. "Part of pioneering this new story includes tapping into the themes of exploration and adventure that inspire so many of us to keep propelling forward. Anytime we touch Magic Kingdom, we recognize the massive responsibility that exists to get it right and tell stories that connect with our guests."
Frontierland will undergo the Cars area renovation in early 2025 to add "a brand-new thrilling rally race through the mountains, climbing trails, and dodging geysers, in addition to a second attraction geared towards fun for the whole family." Disney didn't disclose when Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will close, but a spokesperson said there is "plenty of time to experience the charm and nostalgia of Frontierland as it is today," including a 17-minute cruise around the scenic Rivers of America aboard the steam-powered Liberty Square Riverboat and the self-guided tour of Tom Sawyer Island, which is reached by log raft.
Concept art for the new Cars attraction racing into Magic Kingdom.
- Disney Experiences)The two Cars rides will join Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the newly reimagined Country Bears Jamboree, and The Princess and the Frog-themed Tiana's Bayou Adventure as the land's major attractions. The first is described as a high-speed rally race across wild terrain and mountain trails, and the second is geared toward smaller racers.
"The American West has always been about keeping your eyes on the horizon … believing in yourself, carving your own path, and striving toward success. That goes for miners in the mountains, bears from the country, a princess from the bayou … or a racecar from the big city," Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D'Amaro said when announcing the area themed around Cars at D23 2024.
Disney World also confirmed plans for an all-new Disney Villains land as part of Frontierland's multi-acre expansion, a Monsters, Inc. land at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and new Indiana Jones and Encanto rides at the Tropical Americas section of Disney World's Animal Kingdom.
