News Cars-Themed Attractions at Magic Kingdom

[Consumer]

What a grotesque decision to remove Rivers of America. I am not exaggerating when I say Magic Kingdom is ruined by this change. I hope nothing similar ever happens to Disneyland.

 

[basas]

I'm no pixie-duster but I recognize that (a) it's just a theme park (b) in Florida (c) run by a California-based company (d) that thinks WDW fans are just stupid tourists.

And the standard response to "I'm not going!" applies. (someone will be there to take your place)

I'm quite sure someone has taken mine by now.

Or…maybe not? Did they just not announce last week attendance has been (and is projected to continue being) soft? Seems like a bad time to tick off your loyal fans…

 

[phillip9698]

This is awesome news. That plot of land is always so empty. I understand that some families enjoy the change of pace that a deserted island provides and this is sad news for them.

I’m glad we are getting some attractions and areas that will actually draw and hold guests.

 

[Raineman]

Is anyone else getting Splash/TBA announcement vibes from all of this? Well, without the social/political undertones, which is probably a good thing.

 

[Beacon Joe]

You don't think getting rid of Tom Sawyer Island and Fort Langhorn has anything to do with political correctness?

Not to mention if they remove Liberty Square and Hall of Presidents.

So I haven't read through the whole thread, but are there indications that we're losing Tom Sawyer Island?

 

[Charlie The Chatbox Ghost]

View attachment 808711
Tried to modify this layout to have Cars in the back half of the river while keeping that shape for Villains land. Totally possible, and they can even extend further behind Fantasyland if they really want. No train track modification required.

Just gonna leave this here too- I doubt there's any hope in changing their minds, but hey, might as well get any potential solutions to the problem visible!

 

[UNCgolf]

How a space feels is a result of how the space is designed, not just pure square footage. A physically huge area can feel crowded and suffocating.

Just look at Toy Story Land, which is on a quite large plot, but only has one walking path and feels tiny.

 

[Mondo]

I hope that they can at least preserve more of the river than the stretch of rapids that concept art shows. Jeez. I can’t believe this is happening. What is wrong with this company?

 

[BrianLo]

 

[monothingie]

Cars Rides Replacing Rivers of America & Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom

Walt Disney World has announced that the Cars attractions coming to Magic Kingdom will replace the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island, fully eliminating the waterway. This post shares details, concept art, and everything

www.disneytouristblog.com

Tom Bricker with a good take as always.

This block especially stands out

“Beyond that, instead of being singularly fixated on increasing capacity, I wish Walt Disney World would endeavor to eliminate stress. When it comes to this, there are the usual suspects–screen time, lines, ride breakdowns, etc. But another one is offering up lovely places to decompress that bring smiles to the faces of guests.

Some of those decision-makers should go inside one of the massive Magic Kingdom quick-service restaurants during the middle of the day and count all of the people not eating anything. Just sitting there with their heads on the tables or attempting to ‘rest and recharge’ in about the most chaotic environment possible. (Nothing says ‘recharging’ quite like the midday rush at Pinocchio Village Haus!)

I’m not kidding. One important goal should be getting these people out of the loud and unpleasant restaurants and into actual serene spaces that offer nice ambiance and actually will allow them to mentally refuel for a brief bit. Walt Disney World needs to understand that Magic Kingdom is a world-class theme park, and those two words have meanings beyond just the fanciest and most modern rides. There should be a concerted effort to not just keeping it a “park” but enhancing that angle. It may not be captured on guest satisfaction surveys, but it’s as big a part of what separates Disney from an average amusement park as the envelope-pushing attractions.”

Go to the SSE lounge opening in 2025!

Enjoy $22 cocktails and the AC!

 

[MrPromey]

Because as I've said every time "5th gate" conversations come up, WDW already has enough to fill a week-long vacation, and Americans will only ever take week-long vacations. Expanding beyond one week worth of stuff has diminishing marginal returns, so they focus on making new and better stuff rather than a larger quantity of stuff.

That issue doesn't exist at Disneyland, which is not yet a week-long destination.

The number of current attractions between the DL resort with its two parks and WDW with its four are roughly equal.

Unless you're spending a decent chunk of time doing non-park activities (which they seem to offer fewer of these days than they used to) the only things that really makes the WDW experience longer are the wait times, the travel between parks and the travel in parks since things are, pretty much in every aspect, more spread out in Florida.

It also doesn't hurt that the park hours for DL's parks are typically way better than WDW's four, either.

 

[Homemade Imagineering]

After this mess they better utilize all of that expansion space beyond just Villains. Give us Coco too

 

[JohnD]

No I honestly don't. I think it's just an empty part of the park that can be used more effectively.

Fair enough. But I hope they save the Liberty Belle and, if so, stays in WDW somewhere.

 

[ctrlaltdel]

I honestly don't think it will be very tall. The latest concept art (which I take to be more "true to scale" than what was shown at D23). It appears that the "peak" of the mountain will actually be built on top of (and to partially hide) the main show building). shows cars driving up that mountain and that tallest point only being maybe 10-20 feet above the cars.

I tried to make some sense of the image. Based on what I can see, it seems the ride will be as follows:

1. Entrance/(Exit)?: I can't tell if this is the formal ride entrance or just the entrance of the show building. Either way, you may either walk (or drive) past McQueen and Mater as you enter the main show building. Or maybe it's possible that this is the end of the ride and you go past McQueen and Mater before making a left turn to the finish line (H)[which I have no other way of getting to otherwise)
A. Show Building Race Exit: It looks like you will have a dark ride portion (similar to RSR) prior to exiting the show building to start the "race"
B. Start Line: You can see the start line here indicating the start of the race before the cars make a180 degree turn to the right before going over the bridge
C. The Bridge: Shown in a lot of the concept art
D. Under the Bridge: After the bridge the cars turn 270 degrees to the left to go under the bridge they just crossed
E. Tunnel/Cave: After going under the bridge, the cars turn 180 degrees to the right again to go through a tunnel/cave (that goes under the path the cars previously took before going over the bridge)
F. Mountain Ascent: After exiting the cave, there is a (mostly) straight section where I assume the gyser/mud aspect will come into play before the ascent up the mountain
G. Mountain Peak: At the peak of the mountain, the cars will go around the signature mountain peak before making a turn and going... well, who knows!
H. Finish Line: Eventually, you get back up to the finish line, but I can't see where there is an outdoor path here or if maybe the ride goes back indoors for a portion before making it to the finish line.


View attachment 808688

Good breakdown. I actually think geysers are a little bit to the right of your label 'H.' From F, I think you go back behind the show building in a canyon (you can see rockwork behind the show building, going all the way around behind the finish line and grandstand area from the concept art). Just under Big Thunder, you can see two cars coming off a turn, after that there appears to be a few more turns before picking up your arrows at 'H.'

 

[Chef idea Mickey`=]

I think he’s right. As I said in my other post, this is a company now ashamed of its American roots. Today it’s Frontierland, tomorrow it’s Liberty Square and don’t be surprised if one day its Main Street USA being converted into a version of Shanghai’s ‘Mickey Ave’.

We don’t know much about what Walt would have done (so I tend to avoid that), but it’s well documented that Walt was a patriot. I think he’d be ashamed to see his company run like this.

I think the leading cause is to following an agenda to remove such like it never existed so for swaying out and away the next generation.

 

[basas]

I 100% agree that the dynamic you're describing exists within TWDC. However:

1. Those voices have lost a lot of clout. Chapek wasn't a culture warrior himself but he was spineless and let the culture warriors win. Iger is kinda-sorta a culture warrior but he cares about money first and foremost and he realized that the Brand was being eroded. So he put out a mandate that Disney will no longer been seen as a propaganda machine.
2. I don't think those forces have anything to do with this decision.

That’s how you disagree with an opinion while still being respectful. I appreciate your response.

 

[larryz]

Or…maybe not? Did they just not announce last week attendance has been (and is projected to continue being) soft? Seems like a bad time to tick off your loyal fans…

Well, telling the world that TSI and RoA are going away is like Viagra for attendance figures...

 

[basas]

The days of treating you weirdos with kid gloves is over.

Another classy comment. Keep it up - you’re on a roll!

 

[RobbinsDad]

Unpopular take here I'm sure, but I'm not mourning the loss of TSI or ROA. Filling the entire river in seems a bit much - keeping a stretch by Haunted Mansion would have allowed the Belle to at least stay docked, perhaps converting it to a shop/snack spot, but I honestly won't miss it that much. TSI is a cool attraction once you're there, but I can't stand the rafts - it's like being in a hot stretch room. Also the mountain-scape renderings are beautiful - hopefully the end product looks close to this.

My issue is the Cars IP injection, it's plain lazy. At least it's not an entire Land - hopefully we can eventually get another attraction or two that's not Cars in the new Frontierland space. I mean, Lambert the Sheepish Lion was right there...

 

[Chef idea Mickey`=]

View attachment 808725

Oh no he pressed chaos or was forcefully forced to do so.... Coco went out the door. Welcome Mater mud puddles and so long Americana!