RIP Frontierland: Disney Files Permit for the Death of Original Magic Kingdom Land

Walt Disney World Resort has filed another construction permit amid the ongoing Frontierland overhaul at the Magic Kingdom. The document lays out plans for a trailer compound west of the park in a space where crews have already been clearing land.

At D23 2024, Walt Disney Imagineering revealed that it planned to add two all-new Cars (2006) attractions to Frontierland in Magic Kingdom Park. To build these rides, crews will bulldoze Tom Sawyer Island and fill in much of the Rivers of America, marking the end of the original landscape of the Old West-themed land. Additionally, the Liberty Square Riverboat will almost certainly close as part of the overhaul.

Walt Disney World Resort also announced that it is moving forward with formerly “blue sky” plans for a Disney Villains land at Magic Kingdom Park. The land will take over unused space “beyond Big Thunder Mountain,” sending more foot traffic through Frontierland and vastly expanding the Magic Kingdom’s footprint.

Ahead of the Cars and Disney Villains expansions, Walt Disney World Resort has already transformed much of Frontierland. In 2024, Splash Mountain became Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and the modernized Country Bear Musical Jamboree debuted. Earlier this year, the Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade became a private Disney Vacation Club (DVC) lounge.

Construction crews are also spending the entirety of 2025 on the most extensive ever refurbishment of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, entirely replacing the steel roller coaster track and adding “new magic” to the ride. The “Wildest Ride in the Wilderness” will reopen sometime in early 2026.

Walt Disney World Resort is expected to hold off on most of the Cars construction until Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopens, as too many closures at once could be detrimental to wait times throughout Magic Kingdom Park. However, Disney is doing as much as possible to prepare for the Frontierland overhaul before closing Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat.

In February, Walt Disney World Resort received the green light to drain and fill the Rivers of America and bulldoze Tom Sawyer Island. In the months since, Walt Disney Imagineering has filed several construction permits and cleared land west of the Magic Kingdom.

This month, a new permit revealed the purpose of the cleared land outside the Magic Kingdom. According to the filing, Walt Disney World Resort plans to build a compound of at least three trailers in the area and has requested permission to make a potable water connection at the site. Construction is expected to begin in June 2025 and wrap in May 2026 with a budget of around $100,000.

Walt Disney World Resort has yet to announce a closing date for Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat, or opening dates for the Cars attractions in Frontierland or the Disney Villains land “beyond Big Thunder Mountain.” Follow Disney Dining for updates on this and other projects throughout Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Which upcoming addition to Magic Kingdom Park are you most excited about? Disney Dining would love to hear from you in the comments!