Disney Files First Permits for Cars & Villains Land Construction in Magic Kingdom
Imagineering has filed the first permits for the not-so-Beyond Big Thunder project encompassing Cars and Villains Lands expansions to Magic Kingdom. This post covers details about the permits, implications for the Walt Disney World Railroad, Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island–plus speculation about a future in-park hotel and more.
During the Parks Panel at the 2024 D23 Expo, Walt Disney World announced two all-new Cars attractions in a reimagined area of Frontierland at Magic Kingdom. This is not Radiator Springs or a clone of Cars Land from Disney California Adventure, but it’s sizable enough for us to consider it Cars miniland at minimum. Along with this, they officially announced Villains Land expansion at Magic Kingdom.
Subsequent to D23, Walt Disney World revealed that the Cars area will actually replace the Rivers of America, meaning that Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat will permanently close. This news let a lot of the air out of the tires, so to speak, from Walt Disney World’s otherwise blockbuster D23.
These first permits were filed with the South Florida Water Management District almost immediately after Walt Disney World’s ‘clarification’ about the location of the Cars land. The timing of all this was clearly purposeful. As discussed in our Beyond Big Thunder post, we were advised by Imagineering back in early April that the permits would be filed in the coming weeks. They presumably reconsidered, as those would’ve let the cat out of the bag that the Rivers of America would be filled in to some degree.
The “to some degree” part of that was anticipated. As explained at the time, it was highly likely that the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island would both be “condensed.” From a purely operational and crowd flow perspective, one of the obvious goals of the ‘Beyond Big Thunder’ project was eliminating the Big Thunder Mountain and Haunted Mansion dead ends. We just did not know at the time that this meant completely filling in and losing the entire Rivers of America.
Anyway, the new mid-August 2024 permits filed with the South Florida Water Management District relate to stormwater displacement modifications and construction laydown yards. There are low-lying areas to the northwest of the Rivers of America, necessitating additional work to establish usable gravel laydown yards in the first place.
Water management permits are always the first to appear for a project of this nature. Think of approval on these as a necessary prerequisite for beginning substantive construction–this type of permit is required is when waterways are going to be rerouted or water is displaced.
Basically, before the Rivers of America can be drained, Disney needs to explain how they are going to replace the lost stormwater runoff capacity. Such is the nature of construction in the swamps.
As for the gravel laydown yards, there will be three in total around the northwestern perimeter of Magic Kingdom. Two will be located beyond the berm, meaning outside of Magic Kingdom guest areas, with the third laydown yard that should be visible from within Magic Kingdom along the northwestern banks of the Rivers of America. These gravel laydown yards will be used for construction equipment, heavy machinery, materials staging, earth-moving, etc.
Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America have no closing date at present. Walt Disney World has only indicated that work will kick “into high gear” in 2025, but before then, that “guests will have plenty of time to experience the charm and nostalgia of Frontierland as it is today.”
If you want to review the permit package for yourself, you can do so on the SFWMD site by searching for 407 Basin Stormwater Modifications. Fair warning: it’s over 1,000 pages in total spread out over numerous PDFs. And this isn’t even the “exciting” stuff. There will likely be many more “meatier” permits filed in the months and years to come as Imagineering brings the Cars and Villains Lands to life.
As a bit of color commentary and context, these types of staging areas are common for large-scale construction projects at Walt Disney World. It might seem shocking that the gravel laydown yards are like triple the size of the actual expansion area, but that’s not uncommon–especially since this isn’t a single uninterrupted staging location.
There have been similar laydown yards for all sorts of major expansion projects, from New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom to Pandora – World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom. The one for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land was similarly massive, dwarfing the size of the expansion itself.
What’s more interesting about these staging areas, in my opinion, is that they should result in land that was previously marginally suitable for construction to become suitable for building. Meaning that the staging areas themselves could be construction sites in the future.
This could simply mean this area is an expansion pad for the Villains Land. Should it be well received, Walt Disney World might greenlight another attraction to be built in this space. That would certainly make sense, especially with Villains Land being more of an open concept land instead of another single intellectual property expansion.
Equally likely, from my perspective, is an in-park hotel overlooking the Villains Land. To be clear, this is purely speculative–I’ve heard zero credible rumors about a hotel being part of the ‘Beyond Big Thunder’ project. I just know how Walt Disney World management salivates at the prospect of more high-dollar hotel inventory, and this would certainly check that box–and in a highly desirable location.
This strikes me as a way to ‘sell’ the project internally, as the room capacity would be incredibly valuable and help recoup the costs of the expansion. In fact, there’s already pretty much a blueprint for this: Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea, which is also at the back of that park and has a hotel overlooking the new land. Even though such a Magic Kingdom hotel wouldn’t be on the monorail line, it could probably dethrone Grand Floridian as the flagship Walt Disney World resort.
Speaking of speculation, it’s also safe to expect that the Walt Disney World Railroad will close for another few years.
In case you missed it, Walt Disney World Railroad closed for the construction of TRON Lightcycle Run in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom. It went down on December 3, 2018 and did not reopen until December 22, 2022 after being closed for 1,481 days (but who’s counting?!).
It’s entirely possible that the Walt Disney World Railroad goes down even longer this go-round. Back with the last closure, we heard so many fans complain that it was poor planning by Disney to take the trains offline so long. That is incorrect. It was entirely by design–a feature, not a bug.
Taking the Walt Disney World Railroad down under the pretext of construction offered the company considerable operational cost-savings. It also resulted in minimal pushback from guests and fans since it was visibly obvious that building the new roller coaster interferes with the railroad.
To be clear, I have zero insight into Walt Disney World’s plan for closing the railroad to accommodate construction of the Cars and Villains Lands. I’m simply sharing what happened in the past, as that’s probably the best predictor of the future.
What we do know is that starting in 2025, the railroad tracks will be between the gravel laydown yards and the construction site on Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America. It’s entirely possible, if not probable, that the WDW Railroad will need to be taken out of service to facilitate work and vehicular traffic back and forth across the tracks from the staging area to the site. Whether that closure occurs in mid-2025 or Walt Disney World is able to push it back until 2026 is anyone’s guess.
Longer term, the construction of Villains Land will almost certainly necessitate a closure. Not only is there the same issue with staging to site access, but the Villains Land will actually be built directly alongside the Walt Disney World Railroad. While it’s possible this new land manages to stay inside the berm, we wouldn’t bank on it.
That could mean that a track re-routing is necessary to accommodate Villains Land. More optimistically, there could be another station added at the far back of Magic Kingdom, about halfway between the existing Frontierland and Storybook Circus stations. Getting super speculative and combining the two points above, having an in-park hotel with a railroad station (similar to Disneyland Paris, but on the backside) would be savvy.
Ultimately, it’s good to see these ‘Beyond Big Thunder’ projects kicking into high gear so soon after their official announcements at the 2024 D23 Expo. While we can certainly debate whether Cars should be replacing the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island in the first place, it’s good to see them moving in an expeditious manner regardless.
At least for me, it would be worse to announce all of this, then have Disney sit on their hands for a few years, only to have the best part of the project–Villains Land–fall through due to the delays. The second phase of Disney projects is infamous for never happening, and that’s usually because work doesn’t start until the first phase is open. I’m glad that is not happening here.
Unfortunately, this does mean that “saving” the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island is an absolute lost cause. We’ve had readers ask us whether petitions, emailing Walt Disney World Guest Communications, etc., are good ideas. Our response is that we always recommend contacting the company to respectfully express your disappointment and explaining how the company’s decisions and practices will impact your vacations and future business (or lack thereof) with Walt Disney World.
While I don’t see any value in petitions, contacting Walt Disney World over this is a good idea. But it’s not going to alter the trajectory of the project. It’s way too late for that. The wheels are already in motion, and have been since 2022. This decision is not going to be undone.
On a positive note, hearing from diehard fans who are displeased by projects like this is precisely what gives the company pause and serious consideration before proceeding. Meaning that contacting the company will not change this decision, but it may be what helps save Carousel of Progress, Journey into Imagination, or Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room (random examples–not suggesting any of them are currently on the chopping block).
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Your Thoughts
Excited that Imagineering has already filed permits for the Cars and Villains Lands in Magic Kingdom? Or were you hoping that there was still time for a change of plans if enough fans voiced their displeasure with the closing of Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America? Are you optimistic that this will usher in an era of expansion at Walt Disney World? Excited or underwhelmed by the plan? Or, are you in wait and see mode with this? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? 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!
This is a good source article that can use an update now that it seems all of the trees in the permit areas on both side of Floridian Way are down. If you use Google Earth and turn on historical imagery you get aerial views from May 2025 that should a lot of trees already down even beyond the Reedy Creek Fire Station off Floridian Way.. that is not limited to the road construction that seems geared toward re-routing Floridian Way to the west of where it is now now to give more area to the Grand Floridian and the new Polynesian Tower. Driving down Floridian Way past the fireworks launcher you can now see that the lines of plowed trees in the May 2025 Google Earth view represented the borders of what trees to clear out.. those trees are down. I think bioreconstruct may have images of the down trees from above.
I know I’m in the minority on this but I don’t look to my entertainment or go to WDW to experience evil.
I see your point, but one assumes that “evil” is tamped down considerably simply by virtue of being Disney. This is presumably going to be “Not so Evil” Villains Land in the same way we have Mickey’s “Not so Scary” Halloween Parties… which still has plenty of reasonably kid-safe spooky delights, my personal favourite being the chilling effect of the Headless Horseman in the parade. If one made a list of the top 5 most enduring and iconic attractions in all of Disney, is there any chance Haunted Mansion wouldn’t be on that list. If it’s not on your personal list, I respect that. For me it’s 1A and 1B with Pirates of the Caribbean… which also celebrates “evil” come to think of it!!
The powers that be are slowly destroying the Magic Kingdom. it’s just sad. Liberty square will be next on the chopping block. Oh and wait until they get tired of the castle. I wonder what they will replace that with. they have already destroyed epcot.:-(
The Cars ride looks really fun, but it should go somewhere else. It could replace Tomorrowland Speedway and be themed as planetary rovers traversing a fantastical other-world. A landscape of wondrous rock formations would be a great visual foreground to Tron and Space Montain, making those iconic structures feel like “bases” on another world you are enticed to visit. And it would be a great way to transition from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland, as strange alien foliage, cool nighttime luminescence, and fun creatures make sense right in between these lands. Give it a Buzz Lightyear theme if IP is desired, and include the Toy Story aliens.
Back at Rivers of America, if they needed to put a high capacity attraction there, they should have created Rivers of America 2.0, an exciting journey from the rushing rivers of New England to the southern bayous to the wild rapids of the West. This innovative new river and rapids attraction would include show scenes, “water coaster” thrills, and a heart-warming respect for America’s natural beauty (which driving cars through the wilderness does not accomplish). It would tie all of Frontierland’s biomes together as “the” signature E-ticket of the area. Ponds of water would be retained at key places around the shoreline of the old Rivers of America (such as Liberty Square where the Liberty Belle would be permanently docked as a restaurant) and “the bayou” by Tiana’s, to harken to the original River of America. A project like this would have challenged the Imagineers to honor the past and legacy of the park, while bringing a new thrilling chapter to the story.
This is a disastrous error that will change the entire feel of the Magic Kingdom for the worse. In a race to get the most thrill rides into a given number of square feet, Disney will lose. What has always made the Disney parks far superior to all others is that they offer beautiful ambiance and a celebration of America and its rich history. Destroying the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island is a big step away from that and a big step toward destroying Walt’s vision. This major blunder needs to be reversed.
Since Tom Sawyer Island is over 50 years old, it’s eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. If Disney receives any sort of Federal subsidies, there could be a path to preservation of the existing structures and effectively the island itself.
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/how-to-list-a-property.htm
Perhaps, the Florida Division of Historical Resources would be interested in exploring the submission of a nomination for the structures on Tom Sawyer Island.
https://dos.fl.gov/historical/
I second this suggestion.
I think it’s a mistake to get rid of the river and Tom awyers island why? because they give the park some magic, makes it different from a universal type pure theme park . It some how adds ambience, people can stop and relax. children can have some down time. it is a slow down and pause area.
I go for the ‘magic’ and ambience as much as the rides and have been going now for 36 years, some changes have been good others very bad in my opinion. the Ethos of the original parks starting to change to much in my opinion, especially EPCOT ?
Is there any way of knowing if a visit during late March- early April 2025 would give us the chance to see these areas of the park one last time? Or if we’d be facing construction walls by that time?
Just look at that aerial shot: there is no justifiable reason for draining the Rivers and paving over the Island, other than Disney being too lazy to pay for the upkeep. They’d rather spend a hundred times the cost for something new and shiny.
If the theme is “BEYOND Big Thunder Mountain”, wouldn’t it make more sense to build this unnecessary Cars land on the OTHER side of the mountain, rather than out in front pulling focus?
And since the Villains are the “dark side” of fantasy, their land should be behind Fantasyland: literally the wrong side of the tracks.
Also, I’ve seen too many people complain about BTM and the Haunted Mansion being dead ends. While a giant block of concrete where TSI/Fort Langhorn used to be might alleviate some of the crowd flow, what would help even more is giving people a reason to walk even further
I have no problem with losing the River or Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom Park. But Disneyland Park needs them ! For the Columbia.
what about the Liberty Belle? The ice cream social during the nighttime fireworks is the ultimate way to end your day in the park.
And Disneyland already killed their Tom Sawyer Island by re-theming it to POTC. This isn’t just going to ruin the aesthetic of Frontierland, but it’s a death sentence for Liberty Square
Melanie’s comment is awful on so many levels. I love Magic Kingdom and look forward to these additions. The steamboat never was much so I’m ok with it going away. TSI disappearing is tougher to swallow, but something similar on the runaround fun level, but more modern, could fairly easily be built elsewhere. Looking forward to Cars, Villains, and lots of fun people in costumes!
I hope this doesn’t lead to a permanent closure of Walt’s trains! I’d be sick if that happened. I just don’t understand why villains need to come to MK. It is easily already the most popular park, and the entertainment is geared mostly to families. Why can’t this remain the last bastion of goodness on earth? Now we’ll have to worry about all the weirdos wandering around amongst our children and grandparents. MNSSHP was a real eye-opener last year. Not your grandma’s idea of trick-or-treating! I just shudder to think what adding Villains Land to the mix of 3 months of Halloween will bring. I also share the opinion of losing water and trees but adding concrete to the Florida heat will not be a win! I guess it will be for Disney because after you’ve purchased a ticket, they don’t care how long you stay. I’m glad to see the parks expand before Iger leaves, but it just seems so last-minute in nature. I hope the future generations enjoy the parks, but they will not have the peaceful, generational, stop-&-smell the roses type of vacations that we had.
Hey Melanie, I am very curious what your statement “Now we’ll have to worry about all the weirdos wandering around amongst our children and grandparents. MNSSHP was a real eye-opener last year. Not your grandma’s idea of trick-or-treating! ” mean? I must have missed some the news regarding this…
I get that some don’t like the idea of change, but this needed. It has always been short-sighted that Disney has created and not previously addressed the crowd choking at the front of RoA. This plan opens up that area and creates what will become, one of Disney’s best decisions in a long time. How it didn’t happen before baffles me. If Disney gets their act together and listens, perhaps hotel plans can be added. I’m getting older, so get going Disney.
They’d damn well better not close the train again like they did for Tron. That was ridiculous and completely unnecessary. Short closures for crane hoists, sure, but not for 4 years! Hell, they just replaced the tracks… I could maybe see some short closures while they build a new berm to separate the trackage from the new Villains area and plant it for camouflage, but nothing long-term. Once they drain the RoA, they can run most construction traffic under the tracks where the waterway is now. Don’t recall for absolute certainty, but that RR bridge might even be a drawbridge. Seems like they could previously take the steamboat out that way for maintenance, so that would make sense.
I really hope they do a great job with visual and audio separation for the new pseudo-Cars land. But losing RoA and TSI REALLY SUCKS!
I think people complained when they redid 20,000 leagues under the sea – but no one seems to mind now judging by the length of the queue for the mine train!
People just don’t like change. TSI was a great place for my kids to play in back in the 90s-2000s but we are in different times now. I personally prefer slower more scenic rides/attractions but I know I’m a minority there ( just DON’T mess with my people mover!!!)
Look we were just at Tom Sawyer island 3 weeks ago glad a walked it one last time. However it’s dirty and there’s really nothing to it anymore I get the nostalgia of it but it’s over folks. As far as the steam boat on a track well that also needed to go the water smells bad. it would take millions to redo the theme part of this iconic piece of history so why not bring in something new with that $$$
This is terrible . Florida is HOT . If for no other reason the rivers of America should be saved . We need a water feature in Frontierland . For that reason alone this is a terrible idea . TERRIBLE
Not to mention that it’s probably the most beautiful place of the park at night. With TSI offering great respite from the heat during the day…
The heaps of cement that will replace it will be great to provide a shield from the heat! Just like cement-land, aka Galaxy’s Edge.
Well, concrete anyway. NOT cement. It’ll be like the monstrosity the Hub has become versus back in the good days when it had some trees there in front of the castle. Yeah, we really need more giant heat islands (pun intended) in the park and by all means get rid of the only remaining forested part of the park. Villains Land will hopefully be cool, but this destruction of RoA and TSI is stupid.