Two New Cars Rides Coming to Disney World
Walt Disney World has pulled back the curtain on Beyond Big Thunder, revealing a totally different concept that includes two all-new Cars rides in an expanded area of Frontierland at Magic Kingdom. This post shares details, concept art, and everything we know about the plan–plus comprehensive commentary including whether we think these are potentially good or bad additions for the park.
These Cars attractions were announced during the “Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase” or Parks Panel presentation during the 2024 D23 Expo at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro offered a sneak peek at concept art for the future in addition and teased what was to come in a few years.
This was just one of several blockbuster announcements for Parks & Resorts at Horizons, during which D’Amaro revealed several ‘shovel to soil’ projects that will come online in the next 5 years, including over a half-dozen additions that will debut before the end of 2025. He and head Imagineer Bruce Vaughn followed through on their promise to deliver concrete details and not just tease more ‘Blue Sky’ possibilities.
Via video call, the one and only Tow Mater “announced” that he and Lightning McQueen are racing into Magic Kingdom. The dynamic duo will be part of a new area inspired by the Pixar Animation Studios film “Cars” coming to a reimagined section of Frontierland at Magic Kingdom.
“The American West has always been about keeping your eyes on the horizon … believing in yourself, carving your own path, and striving toward success. That goes for miners in the mountains, bears from the country, a princess from the bayou … or a racecar from the big city,” Josh told the D23 crowd.
Don’t get too comfortable in Radiator Springs because it’s time to leave the pit stop and head west into exciting new frontiers. On this adventure, guests will be able to experience not one but two exciting new “Cars”-themed attractions.
In other words, this is not a clone of Radiator Springs from Disney California Adventure. It’s a new story and setting that goes beyond what was established in the Cars film franchise.
One of the two all-new Cars attractions will invite you on a thrilling rally race through the mountains. Take on wild terrain as you race across the landscape climbing mountain trails, dodging geysers and — Mater’s favorite — splashing through mudholes.
But what about smaller racers? The second attraction will be geared towards them and will be fun for the whole family.
Get ready to start your engines! Work on this new Cars Land area of Frontierland will begin in early 2025.
Turning to commentary, we’ll start by pointing out what might be obvious–but perhaps not–this is part of Beyond Big Thunder. Disney used the word “reimagined” for some reason when describing it, but I suspect that’s simply a matter of repositioning Frontierland a bit, which has already started to happen.
There’s also the practical reality that all of the proposed Beyond Big Thunder projects weren’t technically entirely behind or beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Some of the Rivers of America will be lost in the process, which was also true with the prior concepts. I’m not sure how much will be consumed by Cars and the other concept, but I’m guessing a lot based on the potential size and scale of these two areas…which also could explain why Imagineering has yet to file the permit, despite indicating it would happen soon back in April.
I’ll save the Rivers of America battle for another day. Frankly, it won’t bother 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 huge from a crowd flow perspective, especially with all the people these two new lands are going to draw. Of course, the plan could repurpose more of this land and the river than that, in which case, my perspective might shift.
Speaking of other areas of the park and attractions, the next thought that came to mind is that the second attraction that’s geared towards smaller racers and will be fun for the whole family is an indirect replacement for Tomorrowland Speedway. There’s absolutely no need to have both attractions in the same park. If anything, the second Cars ride is a strategic addition that use less real estate than Tomorrowland Speedway.
While I don’t necessarily think that a specific concept is earmarked for Tomorrowland Speedway–or that the attraction will even close within the next several years–this is likely the long-term plan. Even though it just got TRON Lightcycle Run, Tomorrowland is undeniably in need of help.
I could see a reimagining of Tomorrowland being a tentative part of the 10-year plan for Walt Disney World and this being the first piece of that puzzle. Of course, just ask Disneyland fans about tentative Tomorrowland plans and how likely they are to come to fruition.
Beyond that, I’m honestly a little surprised that Walt Disney World opted against cloning Radiator Springs Racers and am curious as to the logic. It’s quite possible that they don’t want to work with that ride system again, and have learned their lesson about its viability in Florida weather.
It’s also possible they simply want to try something new or have a smaller footprint of land to use. Either way, I’m fine with it. When I first heard rumblings of Cars Land coming to Magic Kingdom, I was looking forward to Radiator Springs Racers. (Even though I admittedly didn’t believe the rumor, so I didn’t give it that much thought.)
I’m also fine with an original attraction. Cars is pretty far from my favorite film franchise, but I think it lends itself to theme park attractions really well, and am looking forward to seeing which direction they drive it. I also think it’s a pretty good fit for Frontierland, and should transition nicely from Big Thunder to…beyond!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What is your reaction to this announcement of two all-new Cars rides coming to Magic Kingdom? Are you excited for this, or would you have preferred something else? Of the two Beyond Big Thunder projects, are you more excited for Cars or Villains Land? Anything you’re hoping does not end up coming to fruition? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? 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!
We go twice a year, and we enjoy ourselves each time. I love the fact you are modernizing to benefit the majority. I cannot wait to see all the new projects. Continue to do such great things for all ages.
yup, so they are destroying an original nostalgic americana land and walt designed area. the replace with cars a mid level interest IP that does not fit at all with 19 century frontierland. At this point you can help but see in imagineering all the hateful efforts uncovered by film threat, and how they have destroyed disney animation.
the phrase disney has been trotting around internally of “if its male and pale its stale” applies to this. the outright disdain and lets call what it is Neo-communism. This is the theme park equivalent of brutalist architecture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brutalist_architecture
I’m thoroughly disgusted with this. I would support ading cars to magic kingdom, but it should of been moved to actually expand, not destroy tom sawyer and rivers of america.
and the pitiful claim they carefully consider is bollocks. this is part and parcel of the above ethos.
You clearly aren’t commenting in good faith, but I still have to point out Cars is one of the most male leaning franchises in the entire Disney portfolio. The whole reason there’s more than one movie is because the merchandise sold so well with young boys. If you wanna argue Disney is trying to alienate men (they aren’t) you’ll need a better example.
“Neo-communism”??? – LOL. If this ludicrous comment gets removed, the world will be better for it.
I agree.
THE GOOD:
* we’re getting an entirely unique experience, rather than just recycling the same ideas over and over again
* once this is complete, Tomorrowland Speedway can go in the trash where it belongs
THE BAD:
* this clashes with the theming of Frontierland in the most glaring way possible. BTM and ROA/TSI fit with the mid to late 19th century aesthetic, while TBA and CBJ I think could be considered a mini land. Early 20th century, sure, but you could interpret them as a positive representation of Southern culture. But Cars is a contemporary film with over a century of technological innovation dividing them. If any park at WDW was going to get Cars, it should’ve been DHS.
* this is probably gonna mean another two year shutdown of the Railroad
I
I kinda hate to see Frontierland commercialized, but I get it. Tomorrowland Racers is also an old favorite ride of mine, so would hate to see it go. I’d miss that familiar smell of gas & fumes! It makes sense, though, considering the Tomorrowland is supposed to be futuristic. I’m glad the 2nd CARS ride was not announced as similar to the bumper car ride at Disneyland (esp considering the similar one already in Toy Story Land). So, I hope the family-friendly ride will be a nice addition for the little ones to enjoy!
DHS should’ve gotten the Cars land. They already have Toy Story Land (plus that boring show) why not add some more Pixar?
If a new racing attraction has to come to !magic Kingdom, then bulldoze Tomorrowland Speedway into nothingness and install something with electric cars themed to Sugar Rush!
Thoughts on how this will affect the Liberty Belle Riverboat? That’s my husband’s favorite sit and chill ride.
Unfortuantely the concept art suggests that all of Tom Sawyers Island and the Rivers of America is going to be leaving the Magic Kingdom at least. Which is interesting because it means that these 2 new rides are going to need to have a lot of capacity for Magic Kingdom to break even agaisnt the loss from the 2 attractions its replacing and I hope will at least have some water features in the area to break up the landscape. .
Officially announced this morning that the Cars area will replace Tom Swayer Island and Rivers of America. But this idea that it will be hard to break even against capacity lost doesn’t really make sense. The reason they are removing them is because they were likely the two least visited attractions in the park and they took up a ton of space. Its an easy win for park capacity and for guest flow too, but losing water is always sad. Water is calming and peaceful and the park can use that.
I’m happy that it’s not just going to be a Carsland and RSR clone. I really think the weather piece is the reason why-during my WDW trips as an adult, it became obvious that Test Track was THE attraction in the resort most affected by weather by a significant margin. I totally understand the desire/pivot to something else as a result.
And anything that keeps originality in the parks, so as to give people an incentive to visit both DL and WDW, is a plus in my book.
Like many other previous Disney (pro)announcements; show me the beef. Let’s all come back to the 2024 D23 announcements in five years and see what they actually built (and actually get to work re: Tiana’s Bayou). Call me a skeptic, but I’ve stopped believing their announcements and wait for the actual (new) attractions.
So, here is my (possibly paranoid) concern about this announcement…
“One of the two all-new Cars attractions will invite you on a thrilling rally race through the mountains. Take on wild terrain as you race across the landscape climbing mountain trails, dodging geysers and — Mater’s favorite — splashing through mudholes.”
The above sounds so similar to the layout and design elements found within Thunder Mountain, that I am extremely worries that the first of the Cars rides is going to be a re-imagining (and loss) of Thunder Mountain itself. Did they, at any point, explicitly state that Thunder Mountain itself would be untouched and that the Cars tide would be a totally new ride? Or did they just gloss over that possibility?
Hmm… wow. Now you got me thinking too. Did they even say “Beyond Big Thunder Mountain” at all yesterday?
Eh .. I just looked at the pictures again. That looks nothing like Big Thunder Mountain. I think we’re good.
I have the same concern. Cars stuff going in a “Reimagined” section of Frontierland. There’s a long rumoured BTMR refurb coming but not announced, my first thought is it’s actually a reskin.
Is there any chance that Big Thunder Mountain RR is getting re-themed to become one of these new Cars attractions?
The potential this has to replace Tomorrowland Speedway is also intriguing since Stitch’s Great Escape is still an empty building and Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor (which, for the record, I really enjoy) could potentially shut down or relocate to the new Monster’s Inc Land. That would give them a ton of space to breathe new life into Tomorrowland!
Oooh, I like the direction of travel on that thought! With Tron having set an atmospheric direction, and WDW being able to learn from Japan’s reimagining of Space Mountain, there are some really cool ideas in this direction!
Tom, how does this fit geographically with Villians land? From your commentary are you thinking it fits between Big Thunder and Haunted Mansion while Villains sits north and/or west of Big Thunder? Basically I’m struggling to figure out the positioning and relative scale of the two Magic Kingdom additions since to me they seem somewhat similar.
I like that none of the new announcements are straight up clones. It sounds like this one could actually be pretty similar to Radiator Springs Racers…just in a completely different setting, so both rides still feel unique. Not sure what to make of the second cars ride. Since there were NO details, my mind immediately went to “flat ride” or something like Tinkerbell’s Busy Buggies…but a Speedway/Autopia type ride would make a lot of sense, too.
This was the one announcement of the night that I did not like only because of the word choice Josh used. If it is a reimagined portion of Frontierland and they get rid of Tom Sawyer island and Rivers of America that would be disappointing but I know it’s currently an underutilized area of the park. If they come out later and say it’s a brand new mini land right behind Big Thunder then I would definitely stomach the news a little better. Otherwise I thought the rest of the announcements ranged from good to amazing! I’m hoping all of these plans are fully realized and that imagineering is able to create these rides and lands with a similar quality to Pandora. Hopefully once all that is done can they finally turn their attention back to Epcot in the back half of the 10 year plan!
Even if they’re not bringing the full Radiator Springs to WDW they should have (imo) brought Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. I know it’s the same ride system as Alien Swirling Saucers, but all that proves is that the ride system doesn’t actually matter, because Mater’s is 100x the attraction.
Love Maters’ too!!
as an aside I am counting the days when my grandchildren are permitted to watch tv,. they are still just around 2,.. but they both love Cars toys and real vehicles as well so Cars might be the first screening,. I love that film and am guaranteed to tear up during the James Taylor song,.. Tom, it would be really interesting to compile a list for screening the full Disney education for today’s civilized child. One can’t simply work chronologically since the fallout from the early taste for orphaning would endanger the whole project,..
Love this idea. My kids are past that stage now, but I’d love to hear Tom’s plan for which order he plans to introduce classic Disney films (and shows) to Megatron. I know there are definitely still some gaps in my kids’ Disney literacy…I keep discovering them (and my own gaps) during Disney Cruise Line trivia. Just this week I learned of the existence of a show called “Recess” that I need to investigate now that I’m back on land.
Look, I hate Tomorrowland speedway as much as anybody, but kids LOVE getting their own drivers license. My child brought hers to school for show and tell! Since the Cars drive themselves, that would be lost…which is a big loss. Hopefully they’ll come up with a way to keep the feel of “real driving.” I can think of several possibilities.
This – adults may not like the Tomorrowland Speedway cut two of the biggest moments in a child’s Disney upbringing are when they get to stear the car and when they get to go in their own car. For those reasons alone they cannot get rid of the Speedway (or Autopia). Improve them, yes but not get rid of them.
If its anything like cars in California this is a win
A little disappointed it’s not radiator springs – hands down best land in US especially at night. It also appears the Tom Brinker island may be replaced – also a great attraction – one of the few places where you tell your own story
Tom Bricker Island!,.. it’s about time Tom got his due recognition!! Move over Huckleberry Sarah!!
OMG OMG OMG omg!!! my cars obsessed child is going to flip! looks like we will be making another trip once this is all done! between this and monsters inc world my kids and family are excited to see what they do! it’s about time we got some new exciting stuff geared towards kids!
If you can swing it check out cars land in California