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Another big change is heading for Magic Kingdom Park as the Frontierland transformation continues.
For better or worse, Disney’s theme parks are always changing. With Walt Disney World Resort getting a $17 billion investment over the next decade, we can expect plenty more changes on the horizon – whenever Disney deigns to announce them, of course.
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With the D23 Expo just around the corner, hopefully, we’ll get some confirmation as to what’s coming to Disney World soon. In the meantime, we do have a vague idea of what to expect from the next 10 years at its theme parks, starting with some big changes in the Magic Kingdom itself.
Splash Mountain’s successor, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, is opening in just over a week, sparking the beginning of what seems like a huge overhaul for Frontierland. Last week, we reported on the permits filed for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s transformation (which will apparently see the roller coaster’s entire track ripped out and replaced) in the coming months.
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Disney has previously hinted at big plans for “Beyond Big Thunder,” which CNN claims is “probably the largest expansion ever at Magic Kingdom.” A recent Disney Parks Blog post even teased, “Hold your horses, we’re not done yet. We have a lot of growth and investment planned for our theme parks in the coming years and look forward to sharing more announcements about Frontierland … so y’all come back now, ya hear?”
While there are no precise details as to what this will entail, Scott Gustin confirmed in April 2024 that “Walt Disney World is currently in the process of filing permits for development work behind Magic Kingdom.”
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This week, even more permits were filed for the area – this time for Frontier Trading Post, a gift shop in Frontierland that sells your typical array of Disney Parks merchandise.
As per WDW Magic, this permit is assigned to MLC Theming Inc. and is valid until June 30, 2025. Walt Disney World Resort has worked with the company – which specializes in theming such as rockwork and scenic painting – on multiple projects in the past.
Credit: Disney
Disney has yet to announce any closure for the store, total or partial. However, it has made several other major announcements for Frontierland, including the closure of Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade, which will soon be replaced with a Disney Vacation Club lounge.
Meanwhile, County Bear Jamboree also closed in January 2024 to make way for a new replacement: Country Bear Musical Jamboree. This will see several iconic Disney tracks performed in the country music genre, as is the norm for the iconic Audio-Animatronic bears.
