I was in attendance at the D23 Experiences Showcase this past weekend. It was a pretty epic event that dropped an absolutely insane amount of information about what’s next at Disney World and everything new coming to the Disneyland Resort. But when it comes to theme parks, good news is often balanced with bad news, and now that penny has dropped. New Cars attractions slated for Magic Kingdom will mean the end of some of the park's oldest attractions.
New attractions at Disney World frequently, though not always, means that older attractions are being replaced. Disney Experiences obviously doesn’t announce that part at the big public events, because it could lead to an unhappy audience. Today Disney confirmed that two attractions based on Pixar’s Cars franchise will be replacing the area of Frontierland currently home to the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island.
The Rivers Of America And Tom Sayer Island Are Being Replaced, And That’s Sad
Part of what Disney Parks were always about was invoking a sense of nostalgia for a previous time in America, even if it was one that never quite existed the way it was portrayed. Now, 50 years later, Disney World itself is a place of nostalgia, so it’s always tough when classic attractions are lost.
The Rivers of America at Magic Kingdom has been there since 1971, and Tom Sawyer Island is almost as old. While the original Riverboat that cruised the river was replaced, the area has remained otherwise largely unchanged in that time. Kids who have played on the island have grown up and had kids who played on the island.
But starting next year, the waterway and the island will be transformed into what Disney calls “vast and rugged terrain.” The area will include two attractions: one a thrilling rally race through mountains, and the other a lower-intensity car ride experience designed for younger guests.
There was always the possibility that Frontierland would actually be expanded in some way, and that these new attractions wouldn’t require major changes to the existing land. We are getting a new Villains land right next to Frontierland that is a completely new expansion that won’t cause the loss of anything.
It’s certainly sad to lose these classic attractions, and the change is going to completely change the way Frontierland looks and feels in a way that I’m not convinced will be good. It will also remove the most significant water feature in all of Magic Kingdom, and that’s a tragedy. The Riverboat is an iconic part of the land, and losing it sucks. Blending the “Old West” vibe of the existing land with something Cars-themed also doesn’t feel like something that could possibly work.
The New Frontierland At Magic Kingdom Can Still Be Amazing
While I’m a little sad for the end of something classic, I can’t help but also be a little excited for the future. I’m not the world’s biggest Cars fan or anything like that, but I always look forward to new attractions and new lands. Just because Frontierland is about to become radically different doesn’t mean it will be bad.
We just saw the Country Bear Jamboree undergo a major overhaul, and for the most part, that has been met positively. Tiana's Bayou Adventure also opened recently and people love it. New doesn't mean the end.
The concept art, as seen above and taken on its own, looks pretty impressive. While we should all have learned by now not to take concept art at face value, seeing what the expectation is certainly makes Frontierland look incredible. As with all things, I am cautiously optimistic that while we’re losing something great, we may be gaining something equally great; or maybe, if we’re really lucky, even greater.
Construction is set to begin next year, but exactly when or how it will be done are unclear. This means fans have at least the next several months, and possibly longer, to enjoy the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island one more time before they say goodbye.
