MK Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[mlayton144]

Just came back from visiting MK and was happy to say my good-byes to the river and Liberty Belle. It was so nice to be able to have a relaxing place in the park to walk by or to take a spin on the boat during the day. No matter how good Cars is, you cannot replace that aspect of the ROA nor the iconic scenery.

I also question how they will transition from Cars to Villains.

Quite honestly I question how they can transition to Villains from any land

 

[Surferboy567]

Quite honestly I question how they can transition to Villains from any land

I feel that if you have a sufficient “buffer” zone you can make mostly anything work. Ruins I envision starting small but then starting to get more and more elaborate as you proceed into the land.

 

[castlecake2.0]

As we approach Halloween this would be a good time to announce the all new entry area coming to haunted mansion… (no insider details on this one but it needs it)

 

[spresso81]

Quite honestly I question how they can transition to Villains from any land

I think they had the best you could hope for. The area around ROA is really a dense forest. Using that growth with some obvious pathways would be similar to the Pandora reveals at the AK. I think using nature would have been best. Then having the normal tree growth get a bit darker more ominous as you got closer to the land. Throw in some black/purple trees, maybe some mis-shaped trees.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Just to be negative about EVERYTHING, I’m a bit concerned villainsland is just going to be full of craggy purple rockwork, which seems like the least imaginative approach possible. And I’m really bored with Imagineering rockwork, which seems to be most of what they build now.

 

[Kamikaze]

Yes.

You may be right that ADA won’t matter much longer in Florida but that’s another topic! Haha

So I'm not saying the ADA doesn't matter. I'm saying it being the 'largest moving' (or however you want to phrase it) ADA attraction doesn't mean anything. All attractions are ADA compliant.

 

[mlayton144]

I think they had the best you could hope for. The area around ROA is really a dense forest. Using that growth with some obvious pathways would be similar to the Pandora reveals at the AK. I think using nature would have been best. Then having the normal tree growth get a bit darker more ominous as you got closer to the land. Throw in some black/purple trees, maybe some mis-shaped trees.

Yeah that would could have worked

 

[castlecake2.0]

Just to be negative about EVERYTHING, I’m a bit concerned villainsland is just going to be full of craggy purple rockwork, which seems like the least imaginative approach possible. And I’m really bored with Imagineering rockwork, which seems to be most of what they build now.

I wonder if they make it transition from colonial seaside town into a more sinister looking village type thing. Kinda along the lines of how harbor house transitions into fantasyland.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

It’s a sad day, no doubt — though it’s hard to argue there aren’t valid reasons behind it. Still, I deeply miss the charm and whimsy that once defined evenings at the Magic Kingdom 20+ years ago. This marks yet another piece of that era fading into history. Today’s audience demands more stimulation, more spectacle. Where imagination once filled the gaps, Disney now has to manufacture it. And that shift will only accelerate until there's nothing left of what once was. I understand they’re making decisions they believe are best for the business, but I can’t help but wonder what it says about where we’re headed as a society.

 

[Purduevian]

It's just going to be terrible capacity lol. Not really resolving anything in the first place IMO if the argument is low ridership per year at RoA. I love Rollicking Roadsters but the capacity per hour is horrendous. And heaven forbid another Alien Swirling Saucer/Junkyard Jamboree situation.

You know the 2nd cars ride system? Please do let us know!

 

[spresso81]

Goodbye ROA - My 4 year old was so cute because she knew I was going to miss the riverboat. When asked what ride she wanted to do first at the MK she proudly said the riverboat because it was going away.

 

[jah4955]

Struck that so many walls are up, as, per another popular park update site, "starting July 7, guests will no longer be able to access the Rivers of America or its attractions. Construction walls won’t be erected for a few weeks after that."

 

[DCBaker]

Here's a look at the new Magic Kingdom Guidemap:

 

[Jedi14]

Quite honestly I question how they can transition to Villains from any land

It’s probably going to be that the new walkway they’re building by Cars will transition to more spooky, dead trees until you reach Villains.

 

[lazyboy97o]

This is another key point. They can block the entrance to Muppet Courtyard and hope most guests forget about it and, sadly, they probably will. The RoA area will be an unprecedentedly huge and unavoidable eyesore for years, a fact that will keep the closure fresh in guests mind and emphasize the aesthetic damage being done to the area.

I'm saying novelty of experience as it correlates with attraction popularity.

I didn't touch on the walls because they are just part of the process.

I wasn’t talking about the construction walls. In all honesty, I don’t really understand why people get all worked up about them.

The Rivers of America are being replaced with a visual wall. What was intended as a clear vista will now end upruptly, and it doesn’t really matter if it’s a creek or rockwork. It will something opaque intended to block your view. It would be like filling in the windows on one side of Main Street, USA. It doesn’t matter if the infill was a series of ornate, absolutely amazing murals and mosaics, it would fundamentally change the spatial experience of the land.

Disney has really moved away from space making objects to instead focus on objects in space. They’re building just drop things down with little thought to how the placement of objects shapes the experience. It’s all about the surface level treatment of the aesthetic, anything can be anything if decorated that way.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It’s a sad day, no doubt — though it’s hard to argue there aren’t valid reasons behind it. Still, I deeply miss the charm and whimsy that once defined evenings at the Magic Kingdom 20+ years ago. This marks yet another piece of that era fading into history. Today’s audience demands more stimulation, more spectacle. Where imagination once filled the gaps, Disney now has to manufacture it. And that shift will only accelerate until there's nothing left of what once was. I understand they’re making decisions they believe are best for the business, but I can’t help but wonder what it says about where we’re headed as a society.

This isn’t about the best business decisions. It’s about a guy who doesn’t like the park wanting the map to look different so he can say “I did that.”

 

[DCLcruiser]

I'm not following. Are you referring to its addition or removal? Because the BAH overstayed its welcome.

Addition. It was a huge eyesore for years.

 

[jrhwdw]

Here's a look at the new Magic Kingdom Guidemap:

Thanks for this MK Guidemap DCBaker!!!!

 

[DCLcruiser]

It really does seem like there are more "it's underutilized space, bad for business" people here than "I like Cars, and I want some Cars attractions" people.

I like cars and I want some Cars attractions. That being said, the space needed anything compelling (preferably a coaster, but that’s just me).

 

[EricsBiscuit]

A reminder that when these projects are complete:

• MK will have an additional 2 attractions as 2 Cars + 2 Villains are replacing TSI and Liberty Belle. Plus, Tron literally opened 2 years ago without replacing anything. That's +2
• HS opened Little Mermaid to replace Muppet Vision's capacity (Villains replaced Lightning McQueen so was just a swap) and when the Door Coaster and Monsters Show opens, HS will have its largest attraction lineup since September 2011 when Journey into Narnia closed (20 attractions in 2011, 21 attractions when Monstropolis is complete). That's +1
• AK's is replacing everything with something new, with Encanto having a larger capacity than Primeval Whirl. Whilst we may be down to 19 attractions in 2026, we'll be back to 23 attraction in 2027 (the same capacity as AK had in 2024) - That's =0

No subtractions in the long term, but actually 11 new attractions (Zootopia 3D, 4 Tropical Americas, 2 Monstropolis, 2 Cars, 2 Villains) replacing 8 attractions (ITTBAB, 4 Dinoland including Primeval Whirl, Muppet Vision, TSI, Liberty Belle)

All this and the park still will have fewer attractions than in 1994.