A legendary part of Magic Kingdom Park is on its way out. Walt Disney Imagineering has shared more details about the Cars (2006)-themed replacement of a major section of Frontierland, marking the end of Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America.
The End of an Era
Frontierland has been a staple of Magic Kingdom since the park’s opening, but its landscape is about to change forever. At the 2024 D23 Expo, Disney announced plans to bulldoze Tom Sawyer Island and fill in the Rivers of America. Now, new details have emerged about what will take their place.
While many Disney Parks fans embrace innovation, others mourn the loss of these classic attractions. Both Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat have been part of Magic Kingdom Park since 1971, offering a nostalgic link to Walt Disney’s love for American history. However, declining foot traffic and shifting guest interests have made the area a prime target for redevelopment.
Why Disney is Moving On
In addition to dwindling popularity, Tom Sawyer Island has faced growing controversy. Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” has been widely debated due to its outdated racial themes and language, with some questioning its continued place in modern entertainment. As one of the last non-Disney intellectual properties in Magic Kingdom Park, its removal aligns with Disney’s broader push toward integrating more of its own brands into the parks.
An all-new Cars experience will replace it, introducing two new attractions to Frontierland. Unlike Disney California Adventure Park’s Cars Land, these rides will be original to Magic Kingdom Park, offering fresh experiences tailored for the Florida resort.
First Look at the New Cars Attractions in Frontierland
In the latest episode of We Call It Imagineering on YouTube, Disney Imagineers unveiled a sneak peek at one of the upcoming Cars rides. A diorama model showcased an off-road rally race attraction that would carry riders through different elevations in the desert.
In one segment, Imagineers displayed a digital rendering of Radiator Springs Racers alongside the proposed layout of the new ride. While Radiator Springs Racers remains exclusive to Disney California Adventure Park, the upcoming attraction in Magic Kingdom will operate on a similar track system, delivering a high-speed, immersive adventure.
“The vehicle will steer itself through a track system,” one Imagineer stated, confirming the ride will not be trackless like Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
Walt Disney World Resort has not yet provided a closure date for Tom Sawyer Island or the Rivers of America. However, permits for demolition and early construction work have already been filed. Meanwhile, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is undergoing an extensive refurbishment, signaling that Disney may be preparing the attraction for increased guest traffic as the Frontierland transformation unfolds.
Is Cars a worthy replacement for Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America in Frontierland? Disney Dining would love to hear from you in the comments!
No! This is the worst thing and it will DESTROY the Magic Kingdom!!
What a loss for the Magic Kingdom. This is a terrible idea. Frontier land was iconic.
Please reconsider destroying these two attractions. Lots of people want something a bit slower and somewhere quiet. Everyone doesn’t want thrill rides. Disney has tons of acreage to build on, just expand and make another land!!
It’s about time. Frontier Land had it’s day years ago but the area was just wasted real estate. Time for a way overdue upgrade
This is a terrible idea – not all progress is a good idea. Tom Sawyer Island is a great place for people who want to enjoy some quiet time away from the crowds and heat as the Island offers many areas of cooling shade. Exploring the trails and caves and the fort are one of my favorite things to do at Magic Kingdom. It will be a truly sad day when/if this destruction happens.
Of course, let’s destroy all vestiges of the past. That way, we can pretend it never happened. Thank goodness the stories authored by Samuel Clements ( Mark Twain) are still available. Better get your copies now before they too, are banned.
They can make all the excuses they want for this boneheaded decision, but it all comes down to profit. And and attractions like the river and the steamboat are just too lame for an era of thrill rides and “intellectual property”. Assuming that anyone at Disney still asks the question “what would Walt think?”, the answer would be all too obvious. He would NEVER approve and they know it. But he’s not here to object, so, out it goes. And with it goes a major part of what makes Frontierland, and the Magic Kingdom itself, what they are. I shudder to think what the park will look like in a hundred years as more and more of the original concept, and sensibility, are chipped away at. On their own, the new attractions may well be entertaining. But it’s nowhere near worth what’s going to be destroyed to achieve it. And, by the way, don’t tell me there wasn’t someplace else they could have put a Cars Land area – even beyond the established perimeter of the park. It has been done, and they could have done it in this instance too. If they’d wanted to. It’s a sad and unnecessary loss. And though the Magic Kingdom experience may not be ruined, it will be diminished.
Personally, I hate the “Cars” franchise. I’m hoping they don’t replace the BTM train with stupid Lightning McQueen.
Like Trump and his Cronies, Disney seems doomed to repeat it’s follies and do the absolutely worst thing possible! They’ve already bastardized Frontierland in Disneyland with the addition of Star Wars Land, as big a waste of space as I’ve ever seen! 2 attractions and the occasional meet n greet with WAY overpriced Merch. Walt will be turning in his grave once again when Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America come to a close.
Surely Disney own enough land to expand the Magic Kingdom without destroying more of Walt’s legacy
Disney just can’t do anything right anymore. And not only can they not do anything right, but they also seem to be incapable of making ANY intelligent decisions. Some recent “Highlights”: Making Bob Chapek CEO, instead of Tomm Staggs, and then having to fire Chapek and buy him out of his contract. Galactic Star Cruiser. Appointments for visiting parks. Replacing fast pass, which was included with the cost of your ticket with paid line skipping. Ending “Disney’s Magical Express”. Replacing “Maelstrom”, an entirely original idea from Imagineering (remember when they used to let Imagineering do that?) that could be enjoyed by THE WHOLE FAMILY, with yet another ride that is aimed only at young girls and has made Norway a must skip for 60% of EPCOT visitors, when they could have just put the FROZEN ride in Fantasyland or Hollywood Studios. So, no one should be surprised by this inept decision to completely ignore the theming of Liberty Square and Frontierland and shoehorn in an unwanted Cars ride. Disney doesn’t care about Walt’s legacy, or your enjoyment of the parks, they only care about selling more Cars and Frozen toys ETC.
What’s next? Will Main Street transform into a getto complete with muggers and drug dealers?
The place has less something for everyone and more cheap amusement park flavor all the time.