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 we know about the plan–plus commentary about why this is happening and the good, bad and ugly of this news.
To bring you up to speed, this past weekend at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro revealed exciting new details about what’s coming to Walt Disney World. Two of the highlights were exciting news about Monstropolis and the Monsters Inc. Doors Coaster as well as Villains Land in Magic Kingdom.
Alongside that, one of the biggest announcements involved a Cars reimagining of Frontierland. According to Walt Disney World, soon you’ll be able to explore the uncharted territory of the great outdoors with an expansion in Frontierland themed around Pixar Animation Studios’ “Cars.” It’s time to leave Radiator Springs and head west into exciting new locations.
As part of a new update, Walt Disney World has now revealed that in order to make way for this completely new frontier, the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will be transformed into vast and rugged terrains for a rally race with some of the world’s most iconic racers.
In case you didn’t quite grasp it the first time, this means that the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will close. The Cars expansion is not going Beyond Big Thunder–at least, not in a material way–it’s filling in the Rivers of America and replacing the land that’s currently Tom Sawyer Island.
Here’s new concept art showing the new Cars section of Frontierland:
“We are thrilled to create this original Cars adventure and put our guests in the driver’s seat as we—quite literally—explore a new frontier in Frontierland,” shared Michael Hundgen, Walt Disney World Portfolio Executive Producer at Walt Disney Imagineering.
“Part of pioneering this new story includes tapping into the themes of exploration and adventure that inspire so many of us to keep propelling forward. Anytime we touch Magic Kingdom, we recognize the massive responsibility that exists to get it right and tell stories that connect with our guests.”
The new area will bring you along for the ride (pun intended) with a brand-new thrilling rally race through the mountains, climbing trails, and dodging geysers, in addition to a second attraction geared towards fun for the whole family.
Ahead of work revving into high gear next year, guests will have plenty of time to experience the charm and nostalgia of Frontierland as it is today.
And cruising just around the bend, guests will be able to venture Beyond Big Thunder Mountain into an all-new land dedicated to Disney Villains. Inspired by the wicked characters fans know and loathe, the multi-acre expansion will include two major attractions, plus dining and shopping. Walt Disney Imagineering is pushing creative boundaries to dark and mysterious levels to bring this new, first-of-its-kind land to life.
Together, these new additions to Magic Kingdom will represent the largest expansion in park history.
Turning to commentary, the Parks Panel at D23 felt a little too good to be true. That there were a few important details purposefully withheld, like the location of Monstropolis at Disney’s Hollywood Studios or how Cars and Villains would fit into Magic Kingdom, that would’ve sapped some of the energy from the room.
When it came to the Cars and Villains Land announcements, I had already assumed that, in order to accommodate both expansions, some of the Rivers of America will be lost in the process. That was also true with prior concepts that had been floated for Beyond Big Thunder. It was never entirely a beyond the berm expansion.
As I wrote in the Cars commentary, my guess was that a lot of the Rivers of America would be consumed by the expansion based on the potential size and scale of these two areas, along with Josh D’Amaro and Imagineers using the word “reimagining” in addition to “expansion” to describe the project. That also explains why Imagineering has yet to file the permit, despite indicating it would happen soon back in April. Because once the cat is out of the bag, as it is now, sentiment is going to sour on this project to at least some degree.
It wouldn’t have bothered me at all if Tom Sawyer Island is becoming Tom Sawyer Peninsula and the Rivers of America is shortened. Eliminating the dead ends at Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad would be hugely beneficial from a crowd flow perspective, especially with all the people these two new lands are going to draw.
However, that’s not what this is. There will be no more Rivers of America or Tom Sawyer Island. They’re goners.
It’s not exactly paving over paradise to put up a parking lot, but it’s kinda close. This will replace tranquil waters and a lush area that offered a lovely escape from the crowds and chaos of Magic Kingdom for almost the exact opposite of that. Loud cars racing around and attractions that will undoubtedly draw those huge crowds.
Disney is undoubtedly making this decision from a guest utilization perspective. These two Cars rides will be hugely popular, and effectively expand the capacity of Magic Kingdom in the same amount of space.
It’s no secret that the Liberty Square Riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island don’t have the hourly throughput numbers as most attractions in Magic Kingdom. Eliminating them reduces operational and maintenance expenses on attractions and areas that are underutilized and don’t offer as much operational ‘bang for buck’ to the company, so to speak.
Because of this, some fans will likely be entirely okay with this decision to eliminate the Rivers of America–as is their right. Even many longtime guests have probably never even been over to Tom Sawyer Island or done a lap on the Liberty Square Riverboat. Others probably have done so infrequently over the years, and will do these new Cars attractions more. This is necessarily true–hence the ‘underutilized capacity’ term.
From my perspective, this also at least partially misses the point. Theme parks are not just the sum of their ride rosters, to be raced around and checked off one by one. They are as much defined by the spaces in between; by the absence of attractions, too.
The Rivers of America, Liberty Square Riverboat, and Tom Sawyer Island are incredible assets to Magic Kingdom not just for the guests who actively utilize these attractions. They offer serenity and delightful atmosphere even to guests who simply walk along the waterfront promenade, stopping for a moment to catch their breath and take in the view.
It’s impossible to quantify this. That’s precisely what worries me. Sometimes Disney’s decision-makers view the parks as figures on a spreadsheet, and from that perspective, it’s easy to overlook “underutilized” things that are incredibly important to the Disney theme park experience from a holistic perspective.
It’s the little moments we treasure just as much as a ride on Big Thunder, and it’s the little details or quiet moments that become indelible parts of our memories from visits to the parks over the years. These little things might seem superfluous on paper, especially when the alternative is expanding the park and growing capacity by thousands guests.
By viewing the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island as underutilized real estate that’s expendable, Disney is missing the forest for the trees. Spaces like these are what help define our days in the parks, giving us little moments to pause and absorb the big attractions and experiences we’ve enjoyed. These things and places are what keep us coming back.
There’s a long term price to be paid for viewing the parks from the perspective that every square foot must be put to its most efficient use and have its capacity maximized. That’s too myopic of a view, and ignores the practical reality that guests form impressions based on the totality of their visit, with those little things or counterprogramming adding as much as the E-Tickets.
If everything is go-go-go, the guest experience as a whole can suffer. And that’s true even if the individual attractions replacing the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island end up having higher guest satisfaction scores.
There are some things that are impossible to quantify–that guests just absorb, even without realizing it. If this sentiment sounds familiar, it’s exactly how we describe the value of atmospheric entertainment–the energy can be felt subliminally even if not consciously. It brightens the mood, even if unknowingly.
It’s the exact same idea with the Rivers of America.
There’s no guest satisfaction “metric” for how many guests per day walk along that waterfront promenade, pause for a deep breath, smile and take a photo. I mean, technically there is a metric–the ones wearing smart watches probably see their heart rate drop a little, but Disney’s survey team isn’t seeing that data. (Hopefully.)
It could be an indelible moment burned into their memory, or, more likely, a fleeting bit of happiness. But it still mattered. It was important to their day as a whole. Most critically, it was a much-needed reprieve from the often stressful nature of the world’s most popular theme park. This has long been my perspective on the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island–that they are invaluable assets that serve as counterprogramming to give guests an expand from the paved pathways and hustle and bustle of Magic Kingdom.
I speak from experience. This waterfront promenade is one of my favorite places in all of Magic Kingdom, and we have so many memories of this waterfront walk late at night with a cool breeze coming off the Rivers of America, or early in the mornings as the sun flitters through the trees. It is one of those places in the park that allows us to slow down, take a deep breath, and soak up our surroundings. Maybe that makes me biased, and overly sensitive to losing the Rivers of America when the average guest reaction will be: “Who cares? Bring on Cars!”
I don’t think that will be the prevailing sentiment among Walt Disney World diehards. And I’d also like to think I’m a realist.
That’s precisely why I would’ve been okay with shortening the Rivers of America and potentially making it Tom Sawyer Peninsula, even if that meant major modifications or a permanent docking of the Liberty Belle. Because doing so also would’ve met guests where they were, removing a ‘barrier of entry’ for Tom Sawyer Island (so many guests never visit simply because the rafts over are a hassle) and allowing more kids to burn off some steam in that play area.
Meanwhile, the waterfront promenade and the ambiance it added still would’ve been there for guests to enjoy while walking past the main drag of Frontierland. It still would’ve accomplished the same goals from a guest decompression perspective. If anything, the Tom Sawyer area would’ve been appreciated by more people since it would’ve been easier to access. All while offering up space for expansion. A win-win compromise for all.
Obviously, that’s not what Walt Disney World has elected to do. So I cannot say I’m fully on board with this idea right now.
To be clear, I’m not suggesting I’ll dislike the Cars area or I’m suddenly anti-Villains Land at Magic Kingdom because of this. My feelings about the Cars attraction remain mixed (more on that in a future post since my 4:30 am commentary didn’t properly articulate it) and unequivocally positive about Villains Land in a vacuum. But I also think: not like this. They should’ve tried to thread the needle better, not sacrificing a serene section of the park that’s more of an asset than they likely realize.
I’m also not foreclosing the idea that I’ll change my mind. It’s impossible to ascertain atmosphere from concept art. Maybe the promenade that I love so much will be present in some form, or will have a spiritual successor. There do appear to be waterfalls and waterways, so perhaps those will provide a sense of serenity, natural beauty, and kinetic energy.
This Cars area all could be great in a totally different or even similar way. There are flashes of the Cars concept art that give me National Park vibes, and I like that (even if other flashes of it remind me of extreme sports). I’m willing to ‘wait and see’ and withhold full judgment. (What other option do I even have? It’s not like I can single-handedly stop this!)
For now, though, I’m a bit shell-shocked by the decision to fully eliminate the Rivers of America, and worried about how that could irreparably damage the feel of Magic Kingdom. I really hope Disney is not making this decision lightly, is focused on more than just increasing capacity, and is giving Imagineers the resources to do this right.
If we’re losing this area of the park, it had better be worth it. The marquee Cars attraction needs to be as good as Radiator Springs Racers, the themed design of the area must be superlative and in keeping of the rugged spirit of Frontierland, and the new area must have great kinetic energy and atmosphere.
They cannot deliver two overly-short attractions, a sea of concrete and some trees, along with a concept that feels at-odds with Frontierland. This has gotta be strong. They have to make the skeptics (like me) concede we were wrong about ever questioning the wisdom of replacing the Rivers of America. And I absolutely will do that if they’re able to deliver. I would love nothing more than to eat crow. I’ve gotten used to the taste over the years.
Finally, 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.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What is your reaction to this announcement that Walt Disney World is replacing the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island with Cars rides? Do you think the two all-new Cars rides coming to Magic Kingdom are “worth it”? Do you agree or disagree with our sentiment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I’m also incredibly saddened by this news. We aren’t frequent guests of WDW like so many on this forum and have only been twice. After all my research and planning, our favorite memories/moments of those trips were not being the first ones on 7DMT, a high score on Buzz Lightyear, or running from ride to ride. Instead, they took place in Frontierland watching our daughter clap her hands and stomp her feet listening to Notorious Banjo Brothers and Bob, and sitting on the steps watching the Electric Light Parade go by. Those, of course, are gone now along with 100 other small magical things. We are taking one more trip in February and tit will most likely be our last. It’s so truly unfortunate that this quiet, 0lovely area will be lost.
I usually read all comments before I chime in, but I couldn’t wait….surely tons of people agree with this – Disney decision makers must be teenagers with accounting degrees. The elimination of the river and island is the equivalent to the redesign of the central hub; get rid of the trees/shade, the sunken patio across from Plaza Restaurant, rose garden, etc. and flatten it all out with shadeless astroturf, so that we can pack more people in to watch the damn fireworks. The Blessing of Size was the reason for building WDW in the first place – why are they always behaving like it’s in the middle of Anaheim?!?!? Spread the freakin park out!!!!!
Agreed! They have plenty of land in Florida. Why get rid of a beautiful outdoor space in order to pack in a couple more rides there. Build them somewhere else.
Literally just said this when i was there last week: the fact that Magic Kingdom is constantly wall to wall packed with people is some kind of decades-long failure to complete the simple task that was originally laid out, which was to make a BIGGER Disneyland. Make. It. BIGGER. Built OUT, not OVER. What are we doing here.
I’m definitely not liking this. I love riding on the Liberty Belle and just relaxing and waving at people from the boat. Taking away the Rivers of America will lose the sense of atmosphere.
I’m sad that the plans are to take it away entirely.
But at least I can still enjoy the one in Disneyland.
I’ll try to have an open mind though.
I think they’re making a big mistake. I often use the riverboat ride to take a break and “forest bathe” away from the throngs of people for a bit; so peaceful and gives me time to rest and regroup for what’s next on the list for the day. There aren’t many quiet places in the park where you can get away from the craziness for awhile. And Tom Sawyer’s Island has always given kids and their parents a space to have an adventure in real nature and from the squeals and laughs, I know every generation enjoys it. I’m devastated that they will fill in the river, no doubt killing the fish and amphibians that have made it home for over 50 years. It’s like taking away a city park. Big Mistake, Disney.
We love Tom Sawyer Island. I still have young children, and it is by far their favorite part of Magic Kingdom. They even said they don’t want to go back without it there…. So shocked by that statement.
Great writing Tom; as always you articulate what is/was ‘magic’ about WDW and why people care about proposed changes. Personally, I wish unused land was used for these additions, available property space is not an issue at WDW. And if anyone from Disney Corp. is reading this, STOP pushing customers to their screens, it absolutely detracts from the whole park experience.
I totally agree with you, Tom. I am 71 years old and have been going to Disneyland and Walt Disney World since I was 5 years old. We have taken our children and grandchildren many times. Tom Sawyers Island is such a wonderfully unique place for children to feel freedom and discovery. I still remember the caves and tunnels in Disneyland from a very young age. This entire area is such a peaceful retreat from the rest of the park, a place for everyone, especially kids, to recharge. We will be very sorry to see it go.
Years ago my nephew, asked me why I was upset over the closing of 20,000 and then Mr. Toad and then Snow Whites Scary Adventure.. I replied “someday they will start taking away your fondest memories of past vacations there. Now, it is finally happening. He is starting to get that feeling. Like those things are really gone..forever.
Disney doesn’t care so much about guest Experiencing WDW …Now they just say ok, Book a hotel, lots of restaurants and rides (that are more and more generic) , get here, spend a boatload of money and get out… Come back real soon!
Since the 1980’s we used to go every month for 2 nights, instead of taking a Full vacation for a week or 2 every year …that way we spread out the fun and the money, year round. Then Disney got Woke..started a morphing, into more of Carnival rides…fast, spinning jerking Carnival rides (exactly what Walt did not want). The last time we went was with our Triplet Grand Kids..we spent a lot of time sitting outside the rides, waiting for them ..the rides have so many health warnings and such activity that it keeps older relatives from doing anything WITH the family but shop or eat…which I’m sure the new leaders at Disney are perfectly fine with.. they still get the $$$$.
So, now, we have not been back in 4 years. Every time I think about booking a trip I read something else they are taking away.. they are giving less for more $$ . No thanks, guess my Disney days are done. Sad.
Disney isn’t replacing ambiance and theming with thrill rides and chaos because they are “woke.” Iger and his board members have never been idea people or visionaries; they can only see profits. Your attributing the lack of creativity to “wokeness” is as ignorant as Disney management.
You totally lost your credibility when you compared this decision to “wokeness”. Has nothing to do with that.
Pretty dumb comment to throw ‘woke’ in, when it makes absolutely no sense.
This is modern Disney at it’s finest. Let an attraction or area languish to the point that it becomes greatly under utilized and then use “low attendance” as an excuse to demolish it. I’m all for progress and change but there are certain characteristics that should not be messed with at the castle parks and this is most certainly one of them.
Pure bean counter decision and I’m mixed about it. The riverboat ride is nice, but we’ve rarely done it, and it’s been ages since we went over to Tom Sawyer Island. There are logical reasons to look on this is as (severely) underused real estate. It makes logical sense.
And yet…
One of the first pictures I took this trip was looking back from the bridge closest to Splash Mountain to get Cinderella’s Castle from the side, with the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island framing the picture. I later got some great sunset pics while in line at the Haunted Mansion, including one of the Liberty Belle, and others with the sun reflecting on the water. I also love that peaceful promenade along the water. Hopefully we’ll not lose all the natural beauty. We could still get some nice nature out of this with waterfalls, streams and the like. Fingers crossed.
My own hope was that we’d keep the southern island, the Liberty Belle would have a shorter circular route. Of interest, if the new Cars mini-land is taking up all of the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer, I think it also points to where Villains Land is going, truly beyond the berm. I now think that pushing out past Floridian Way is going to happen. Cars land is going to be the gateway to Villains Land.
But not announcing this at D23 because there would be a downside, and a significant end to Frontierland as we’ve known it since 1971; you nailed why they delayed this part of the news.
I’ll be at WDW in September. It will be a farewell voyage for two of the most iconic “Walt Disneyesque” features of MK. Who is the genius who wants to put “Cars” in Frontier Land??? Why not replace Autotopia, or build it in a more appropriate park like HS. This is bizarre. The only logic I can think of is that there will be construction crews in the area for Land of the Villians, so let’s kill two birds with one stone. Unfortunately, they will be killing more than a couple of “birds”, and you offered beautiful insight on the unquantifiable experience enhancement that Frontier Land offers. Why not just build a casino in Frontier Land. I can guarentee its over-utilization.
Christine,
I thought the exact same thing about reconfiguring autotopia for Cars!
I am in complete agreement with the article, and with the many commenters here who are in dismay and heartbroken over the idea that there may soon be no Rivers of America or Tom Sawyer Island. But I am going to remain guardedly optimistic. Change is hard, and hardest of all when it removes an icon of your childhood, whether that childhood was 5 years ago, or 50 (and surely ongoing for all who spend time reading a Disney theme parks blog!). But it comes for us all, including Disney theme park icons.
The park that Walt had a hand in designing 70+ years ago served a domestic US population of less than half what it is today. And a global population that has more than tripled since then. And that’s not even getting into economic and technological advances that make travel to Disney so much easier and accessible. These parks are unrecognizably more crowded, even on “slow” days than even 15 years ago, much less 50+, and the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer island were designed for a slower less crowded world.
This was inevitable, I just didn’t expect it to happen in my lifetime. That doesn’t mean what replaces it won’t provide a better option, even if unrecognizably different. I go to Disneyland as or more frequently than I go to Orlando, and let me tell you if you haven’t been: the waterfront there is the furthest from serene as you are likely to find, especially in the evenings. I love that it’s there, and hope it stays, but it’s not where I go to relax. Ironically, when I think of places I can find to get away and just enjoy the environment I find myself in for a few restful moments in Anaheim, I am hard pressed to think of better areas than the more tucked away parts of … Radiator Springs! Specifically, the walkway that goes from the Radiator Springs Racers ride into the food court, where you can sit on a bench in front of the (fake) waterfalls and (fake) mountains, and watch the Cars zoom by. But it’s all fake, of course: even the Rivers of America have tracks under the water. It’s all an illusion, and a world class illusion. I have faith that Disney Imagineers (and probably even a few of their accountants) understand that setting and theming and illusionary settings – “illusion” being another word for “magic” – mean as much or more than “cool rides” and “efficient throughput”. Every recent example of theme park design shows this…. or at least the better ones do. Radiator Springs is a prime example.
Using a non Disney example. If you had asked me 15 years ago about the prospect of not having Jaws in a Universal Theme Park, I would have been aghast. My kids, on the other hand, would be even more appalled about the prospect of losing Diagon Alley, which will far more inform their childhood nostalgia than that nasty Shark does mine … in fact, even my 10 year old self would have to agree that Diagon Alley is WAY cooler. And that isn’t because of the E Ticket ride there. It’s good, sure, but not nearly as good as the (fake) Wizarding World in a (fake) corner of London they built around. Same with Radiator Springs, same with Pandora, same with Galaxy’s Edge.
Change comes for us all. I am not looking forward to no (fake) Rivers of America or (fake) Tom Sawyer Island, nossir, I am not. Not one bit. It sucks.
I AM looking forward to the amazing (fake) built environment that will replace it. I can do both. All my uses of the word “fake” here could as well be replaced with “illusion”…. or “magic”.
Mark, I was about to submit a response but you TOTALLY hit the nail on the head. I agree with your thoughts completely. Thanks!
I agree–Mark’s response was a perfect counterpoint to this post. Wise words that, I hope, prove correct.
(He’s already right about one thing–the back porch of Flo’s is one of the most serene and tranquil spots in all of DLR, even with those Cars zooming past!)
This articulates my thoughts exactly. I can understand the disappointment. I also am excited to see some revitalization of a space that hasn’t been as appreciated by the general public for many years. As a kid, I really loved going over to Tom Sawyer’s Island. However, I couldn’t tell you the last time I rode over there.
Your points about the population and attendance changed over the decades are well made. And, your comparison to Jaws/Diagon Alley are spot on. Just because it will be different, doesn’t mean it can’t be better.
Ah yes. I can just imagine waiting in the Haunted Mansion queue with ATV engines revving 50 feet away.
Not sure where to start with your comment but:
1. Yes, Disneyland’s waterfront is not relaxing. (Maybe Disney shouldn’t stage an elaborate nighttime show there. Just a thought.) But so what? No area of Disneyland is relaxing with today’s crowds, except for a few quirky spots (e.g. the walkway near Harbour Galley/Splash Mountain).
2. Universal is a hodgepodge—a series of facilities in different aesthetic silos. There’s no attempt at integration or cohesion. It’s pretty easy to swap out one area for another. (I like Universal, btw; not trying to knock it.) Something similar can said about California Adventure, a park with a shoddy layout. Also, Cars Land was a new build, not a reimagining of or imposition on WED-era design.
3. I trust modern Disney to create elaborate, self-contained IP-based lands. I trust them less when they alter WED-era designs. At their best, Disney theme parks are harmonized public spaces where the various areas interface with each other while incongruities are eliminated. I don’t mean strict logic or literalism, but some sort of conceptual or aesthetic harmony must prevail. It’s hard to describe but this is what makes Disney different than your local mall (if it still exists), Six Flags or, yes, Universal. No matter how hard you try, there’s no way to justify Cars in Frontierland: That franchise and the land in which it will be located are ludicrously incompatible. Cars does not mesh with 18th and 19th century America—or, more accurately, a 20th century idealization of early America. If they screen off the Cars area from Frontierland proper with plenty of rock formations and water features, that might minimize the damage, but the sense of scale and depth that the river provides—both aesthetic and conceptual—will be lost.
If only Walt and Roy bought enough land to expand and build all the things they could imagine so that they didn’t have to pave over beautiful, atmospheric elements of the world’s most popular park. Oh wait….
Hi mk97:
I don’t disagree with much you say here. My own comments are a bit of a hodgepodge, but if I had one single point I wanted to make, it was that at least some part of our love of Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island is based on very subjective individual personal nostalgia. I am not saying you are wrong – I agree with you and really like your comments about integration, cohesion, and (in your earlier comment) “genuinely compelling design”. I am just not sure I am capable of being objective about whether the current Rivers of America is the best example of that, or at least separating my judgment about that from my own deeply rooted childhood love of it.
I am not trying to “justify” Cars in Frontierland; I am merely saying “wait and see”. I think all would agree that the most compelling aspects of Tom Sawyer Island and the River are the sense of naturalism and a “green space” in an otherwise paved urbanesque environment. In my opinion, there are equally compelling examples of this from more recent eras in Grizzly Peak in California Adventure and Jurassic Park at Universal. And, to lesser degree, Radiator Springs in Anaheim has its own sense of that (if you have not been, it is hard to accept I suspect), albeit it is a desert naturalism, and a little more “urban”. The art in the new area looks to me like they are intending to maintain the green forested sense of naturalism of Tom Sawyer Island. If they pull it off, I can see how it will still have that “green space” feeling.
Because you mentioned your age, I know that one difference between you and me, it is that I am 25 years older than you, which I respectfully suggest means I have already been through at least one more generation of this kind of change, have ‘suffered’ more ‘losses’ to be wistful about, and maybe why I am slightly better able to look on the (very possible) bright side that this new Cars area could be a genuinely compelling design which still feels very naturalistic. As I earlier stated, there is nothing truly natural even about the Rivers of America; it is artifice and – to your point – the art in that artifice is beautiful.
As to where I disagree with you, they are quibbles. Your main points are well taken but I think you are a bit unfair on Universal, and probably slightly too rose-coloured about “WED era” design. WED era Fantasyland is itself a hodge-podge of spinners and dark rides (almost all based on Disney “IP”… as borrowed from the Grimm Bros, JM Barrie, Milne et al) compared to, say, WED era Main Street or, well, Frontierland. The Harry Potter areas of Universal are, at least in my opinion, the best and most influential examples of the exact kind of “genuinely compelling design” which you laud . Pehaps they aren’t to your personal tastes, which is more than fair, but I am definitely not of the Harry Potter generation and I was simply blown away the first time I saw them. Even moreso is that true for me of Radiator Springs, mainly in that I had no positive expectations; I have some affection for Harry Potter; the Cars movies leave me completely cold (the worst movies in the otherwise superb Pixar streak of its first 15 years). And yet, I was blown away when I first saw that too. Probably this too informs my ability to imagine this as less of a loss than we might all think.
The only other thing that occurs to me to add is that I was only commenting on the ostensible serenity of the Rivers of America waterfront in response to Tom’s comment. For myself, it is associated on BOTH coasts with frenzied crowds in a traffic snarl, and about as far from serene as I can imagine. If nothing else, I hope the new work will alleviate that.
It is the aesthetics and the atmosphere that I love about it, which i believe is your point. And which loss I am already grieving as are you, and most of the commenters here. We simply don’t know yet what the future design holds, so all we do know with certainty is we are losing something we love. And it is a loss. I am with you there, I really am. I don’t fault anyone for focusing on that, but am making the choice to be optimistic that the new can be as good, or possibly even better.
I think Universal’s Harry Potter lands are excellent and, in some ways, better than Cars Land. When I write that the Universal parks are a hodgepodge, I’m simply making an observation about the rather haphazard layouts and lack of unifying themes. Those parks are just collections of random stuff, albeit sometimes impressive stuff. And that’s fine—Disney-MGM Studios and California Adventure are basically that, too. But not every park is like that. Some parks—such as Animal Kingdom—have an impressive fusion of theme and aesthetics. (N.B. Animal Kingdom is not a WED-era design and I love it; I have a plenty of respect for non-WED designs.) Again, modern Imagineering is skilled at creating self-contained mega-lands like Galaxy’s Edge, Pandora, etc. Those are basically mini-theme parks rather than lands in the classical sense. Imagineering is still capable of impressive designs, and I suspect that will be true of the new Cars area to some extent. After all, Imagineering has gotten pretty good at rock work and waterfalls.
My problem is that the parks are slowly becoming indistinct from each other—collections of IP-based stuff, with thematic and aesthetic questions (e.g. “Does this addition/renovation actually fit the theme of this park/land?”) downgraded. It feels like management decreed that the Rivers of America must go because it’s underutilized. And then, because Imagineering is no longer allowed to create anything non-IP, had to choose an IP that could conceivably work. (I’m sure the logic was just: Cars -> Southwest desert rock formations -> Frontierland.) This is how you end up with both California Adventure and Magic Kingdom—two wildly different parks—with areas based on Pixar’s Cars. If this Cars area were going to built at Hollywood Studios—which, again, is a potpourri of a park—I’d have no complaints. I’m not against IP-based attractions. They just need actually fit the area in which they’re located.
Yes, Fantasyland is something of a hodgepodge. But, again, my point about “hodgepodge designs” is about the layouts/themes of whole parks, not individual lands. Actually, a hodgepodge style can work, within certain limitations, for traditional castle park lands. Such lands tend to be quite abstract when compared to the realism and literalism of newer lands. Fantasyland (let’s ignore both Magic Kingdom’s New Fantasyland and Tokyo Disneyland’s Beauty and Beast area, neither of which really fit the traditional Fantasyland mold) is cohesive: medieval European architectural styles homogenized into a complementary whole. Again, like a lot WED designs, it’s fairly abstract. Fantasyland takes place in a strange nowhere—it’s not a specific locale from any particular film and so is able to house disparate IP-based attractions. But certain films and architectural styles would obviously be out of place in Fantasyland—Moana, for instance. Literalism is not necessary for themed design, but conceptual and aesthetic cohesion is essential. Other WED lands, like Main Street and Frontierland, have more demonstrable settings, although they’re still plenty abstract compared to, say, Harambe at Animal Kingdom. Others, like the 1967 and 1971 Tomorrowlands were thoroughly modernist.
“Because you mentioned your age, I know that one difference between you and me, it is that I am 25 years older than you, which I respectfully suggest means I have already been through at least one more generation of this kind of change, have ‘suffered’ more ‘losses’ to be wistful about”
Yeah, I get it. There were people who thought the replacement of Mine Train Through Nature’s Wonderland with Big Thunder Mountain was a travesty.
Thanks, mk97, for the thoughtful and civil reply. I agree with everything you say here. I do think there is an interesting discussion to be had about whether a roughly 1955s era “Route 66” single lane highway, small town diner could be considered the “Frontier” from the perspective of 2024 in the same way Mark Twain and Davy Crockett represented it IN 1955. ie the theme park was built on Walt’s nostalgia for an earlier age from him, and now we are nostalgic for his original vision of that. But that gets very “meta” and this is already a very long exchange. I genuinely like everything you have to say. I am not sure we even disagree, really.
I do want to make clear I DO think the Harry Potter lands are ‘better’ than Radiator Springs. When I said “moreso” I was trying to get at the disparity between how intrinsically interested I am in the subject matter (Harry Potter, yes though not nearly as much as my kids; Cars, no) and how much I love the thematic design of both anyway.
I also think it’s amusing (at my expense, not yours) and love that a 27 year old has an appreciation of something that represents an era well before his (or her?) own time, and the old man is the one arguing for the newer shinier vision. As for that, wait and see how I completely lose it if they announce that Monstropolis is going to take out Muppetvision, and then you will see how cranky I can get!! The Muppets are irreplaceable; how did the Liberty Square Muppet history show or Epcot mobile Muppet Labs not set the world on fire WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU KIDS TODAY!!!!!??? 🙂
Joking aside, I really enjoyed the exchange. It’s refreshing to see these kinds of exchanges can still happen without degenerating into anger. Thanks much, I sincerely mean it.
“I do think there is an interesting discussion to be had about whether a roughly 1955s era “Route 66” single lane highway, small town diner could be considered the “Frontier” from the perspective of 2024 in the same way Mark Twain and Davy Crockett represented it IN 1955. ie the theme park was built on Walt’s nostalgia for an earlier age from him, and now we are nostalgic for his original vision of that.”
Yes there is, but let’s please save that conversation for next Monday. Otherwise you’ll preempt another article on that exact topic!
Great exchange, though.
I 100% agree with you. I find myself extremely disappointed in Disney for even considering that this plan would go over well with fans. I feel like they are drastically missing what makes the Magic Kingdom an unbeatable place. You’ve said it well. I hate to use language this dramatic when it comes to something like a theme park, but I feel rather betrayed and devastated about this… not only the loss of the Rivers of America, but the fact that folks at Disney would think it would be a plus to remove it. I feel very misunderstood as a fan. I’m really upset.
I am 100% in agreement with this article. The beauty and serenity of the riverfront promenade will be sorely missed. Our family can race-walk through the park, and catch as many rides as possible, with the best of them. But we all love the relaxing moments that come with stroll on a wooden boardwalk along the waterfront, and the views of the river and the Mark Twain steamboat, in the middle of a busy park day. And on nights in which we are in the park at closing time we try to position ourselves close to the Haunted Mansion so as to end the evening strolling down the mostly deserted waterfront as we make our way out via Frontierland and Adventureland.
This news feels like it’s giving with one hand while picking our pockets with the other. A “natural” body of water seems to be a key feature of every Disney park, critical to exceptional placemaking. My family commented on how the lack of a lake or river felt really odd and uncomfortable at Paris’s Studios Park. Conversely, we were all delighted to see “Disney ducks” waddling around near Big Thunder Mountain, making their castle park feel a little more like “home.” The hub redesign already took away some of our water views at MK, and I cannot imagine Liberty Square retaining its quaint vibe without the steamboat landing. I will double down on cherishing my memories of sharing lemonade with my 2-yr old at Aunt Polly’s landing – the best place in WDW to rest my then 6-month pregnant belly. I have noticed that expectant moms and parents of infants have an increasingly difficult time finding respite at the parks. Changes like this are weirdly family unfriendly, which is the last descriptor I’d expect to use for WDW!
Excellent article, Tom. You captured the true essence of Tom Sawyer Island.
I have such fond memories of running around the island with my brothers when I was a kid. We even visited last October with my nephew and it brought back all of the priceless memories. The caves, the escape tunnel from Fort Langhorn, the mill, and all of the other structures on the island are truly unique and offer an opportunity for a child’s imagination to run wild. We’re expecting our first son this December. I can’t begin to tell you how much I was looking forward to having him explore the island for the first time in a few years, but unfortunately it looks like he’ll never have that opportunity.
Do you know if there is a petition or some other form of feedback that Disney might consider to alter these plans? A peninsula or bridges would be far more appropriate than this proposal. Thank you.
This is terrible. I’m usually exhausted by the relentless Debbie Downers in the Disney fan community who insist everything was better in the past, usually the mid-1960s through the early 90s, just when EPCOT Center started to deteriorate and Magic Kingdom had various bad designs foisted upon it. But there is some truth to their complaints. Anyone defending this decision just doesn’t care about theme parks as art. I know that sounds pretentious, and I’m not claiming theme parks are high art. But they have the potential to not be low art. They can be places of genuinely compelling design. But our increasingly juvenile culture requires that everything be pitched to the emotional and intellectual level of a 15 year old, at best. Theme parks have followed cinema in a gradual but persistent dumbing down of their content in order to capture the biggest audience. Pop culture, including theme parks, doesn’t have to dumb, but it almost always is now. Here ends my old man rant (although I’m only 27).
Well said. In my opinion, this has nothing to do with nostalgia or how many time you “rode this ride” – it’s about dumbing down the park (and I love Cars, btw).
Is there no where else to put Cars attractions? How about Tomorrowland? Seems as though the Speedway could use a major upgrade- keeping in the cars theme perhaps. How about Carousel of Progress? That ride is so tired and the opposite of “progress” that we only go in there if we need a serious rest with A/C. I agree with all the comments referring to the ambiance of the River as a slightly less hectic area. Tom Sawyer island is a hidden gem. While I’m glad to hear that plans are in the works for new attractions- can we replace/update the truly outdated spaces before losing the few quiet more scenic spaces?
I am in the minority here and I am fine with it. Frankly, Tom Sawyer Island was always boring and felt like a spot that needed more. And a riverboat to nowhere is not much of a ride. I look forward to the changes.
I agree with this whole article. I have often wished that Tom Sawyer’s Island were a little more accessible with a bridge rather than having to wait for a raft. But some of my kids’ core memories are on that island. Discovering the tunnels and caves, pretending to shoot at Big Thunder from the rifle roosts, the barrel bridge, and Tom and Huck’s fort are some of their favorite things in all of Magic Kingdom. We rope-dropped the island last time we were there, and we saw the afternoon parade from there and it was the most serene parade experience ever. If they are going to get rid of some of the best theming in the park, they had better spare no imagination and cut no corners on what replaces it.