Will Disneyland Move the Matterhorn for Tomorrowland’s Reimagining? Why We’re Skeptical of Rumors

Rumors are swirling that the Matterhorn Bobsleds will be relocated and rebuilt or removed entirely as part of the comprehensive reimagining of Tomorrowland at Disneyland. This post shares our commentary about the likelihood of that happening, along with everything we know about the overhaul.

Let’s start with the bigger-picture Tomorrowland transformation. This was officially announced last month during the 2026 D23 Expo, when host Neil Patrick Harris was joined by Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum, who revealed a reimagining of Tomorrowland in Disneyland is in the works.

Officially, all that’s known is that the transformation of Tomorrowland will honor the legacy of the original land while reimagining its future. Disneyland Resort will strive to preserve what guests cherish most, while also introducing new experiences and possibilities for the next generation of fans.

According to Disney, Imagineers are “beginning to dream up the next chapter of innovation and storytelling for Tomorrowland” with new attractions, more open spaces and new places for Disneyland guests to dream about the future. The plans for Tomorrowland will restore the spirit of optimism, innovation and possibility that inspired Walt Disney to create “a vista into a world of wondrous ideas…” in 1955 and have defined this land for decades.

In addition to what was shared during D23, I also had the opportunity to attend a separate Tomorrowland media briefing with Emily “Emo” O’Brien, Imagineering Portfolio Executive Creative Producer at Disneyland Resort and Jill Estorino, President of Disneyland Resort. That added background context about the Tomorrowland transformation.

Both emphasized the importance of Walt’s original vision for Tomorrowland. They said they’d be looking to that as their “guidepost” and “North Star” when envisioning the future of Tomorrowland, adding that Walt’s sense of optimism is at the core of their vision for Tomorrowland as a vista into wondrous worlds.

They seem more concerned with improving Tomorrowland’s sense of place and making it a land where families will actual want to linger, as opposed to racing from ride to ride, getting in and out as quickly as possible. Emo specifically referenced her work at Tokyo Disney Resort, where she and Jill worked together on Fantasy Springs. In addition to new attractions, there will be new open spaces for guests to come together, relax, and “dream about an optimistic future.”

This is not a surprise for two reasons. First, Tomorrowland at Disneyland as it currently exists is the antithesis of a pleasant place to spend time. It would make sense to open it up to the greatest extent possible, giving the land more breathing room.

Second, it’s exactly what Tokyo Disneyland is doing with Tomorrowland Plaza by adding a park-like courtyard in front of the new Space Mountain Earthrise (concept art above). Emo bringing a taste of Tokyo to Tomorrowland at Disneyland should be a win.

When discussing the overhaul, both emphasized the enormous responsibility and privilege to transform Tomorrowland. Emo specifically indicated that Imagineering was approaching this with a tremendous amount of thoughtfulness, care, and attention to detail, and knew how important it is that they get this right. Both pointed out how this was the only version of Tomorrowland that Walt himself actually envisioned, designed, and walked in.

We also know that the project is very early in development. “We are literally just getting started,” Emo underscored. “We’ll share with you more as the time comes, but what a thrill to be able to talk about it now.” The revised timeline further reinforced this, with Disney indicating that Avengers Campus and Coco at DCA will be done first, then Tomorrowland at Disneyland, followed by Avatar at DCA.

Disney hasn’t committed to a specific year for when the Tomorrowland project will start or finish, or whether it’ll occur in phases. Nor have they indicated which attractions will be reimagined, replaced, added, etc. I got the sense that this project literally just got greenlit before D23, which explains the lack of specifics.

My gut is that the plans have yet to be finalized, and there are likely competing concepts. Between that and decades of rumors about Tomorrowland, there’s undoubtedly a lot that has been pitched over the years. That plus an absence of confirmed details means that void will be filled with rumors and speculation pulled from the past. That’s just how this stuff works.

I would also hazard a guess that Disney will aim to stretch the budget as far as possible by giving attractions that are doing reasonably well a new lease on life with a cost-effective refresh or reimagining. A couple of examples here would be Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters, which we would not expect to have their underlying ride systems or buildings touched.

Instead, a ‘charge’ for the latter on par with what Walt Disney World just received makes the most sense. It seems highly unlikely that Disney will go the direction of Tokyo Disneyland and blow $200 million of budget turning Astro Blasters into a Wreck-It Ralph Ride. That strikes us as a misuse of funds when there are so many more pressing priorities.

It’s a similar story for Star Tours. If it can be reimagined into a ‘new’ ride with a new film and window dressing for the queue, somewhat akin to Iron Man Experience in Hong Kong, maybe that happens. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be surprised if it’s not touched. Space Mountain likewise will not receive the Tokyo treatment. Again, maybe a light refresh, queue redo, and new mission, but they’re not rebuilding the mountain.

The reason attractions are unlikely to receive the bulk of the investment is because there are more pressing priorities, and a lot of options that have the potential to be huge and expensive undertakings. Those will be the focus of resources, along with much needed placemaking to improve aesthetics, improve crowdflow, and free up available space and crowd-absorbing capacity.

Which brings us to the rumor or speculation or whatever you want to categorize it as that the Matterhorn will be demolished, relocated and rebuilt. This is not a new rumor. It’s one that has come up from time to time over the years, given the age of the attraction and depending upon which way the wind is blowing.

Back in August 2019, a chunk of rockwork fell off the Matterhorn. Following that, there were rumors in 2021 that more of the exterior and interior structure was decaying and falling apart. This gave rise to the previous round of “rumors” about the Matterhorn being rebuilt, and what led me to poke around about the possibility of the project.

Based on what I learned at the time, rebuilding the Matterhorn in its current location was a complete nonstarter. Even if Disney was willing to spend the hundreds of millions of dollars necessary, it literally could not be done. This wasn’t really a surprise.

One thing that has come up repeatedly over the years is how Disneyland was built in a different era, and it is quite literally not possible to rebuild attractions on a one-for-one basis. The world has changed since then (mild understatement), and modern OSHA and ADA regulations, among other regulatory hurdles, preclude it. Anyone who saw Disneyland Handcrafted, which was basically a highlight reel (or horror story) of how safety standards have changed, likely understands this.

This is one of the major impediments to bringing back the PeopleMover, and why Disney refreshes Fantasyland dark rides as opposed to gutting the buildings and replacing them outright. Because, again, they couldn’t. Existing attractions and facilities are grandfathered in for updates, but that ceases to be the case when the line is crossed between refresh and replacement.

I don’t purport to be an expert on OSHA or ADA law, but I do know that triggering contemporary safety or accessibility standards would massively increase the footprint needed for these attractions. It doesn’t really take an expert to understand that. Just look at the cramped queues or narrow ride paths for Fantasyland dark rides versus their modern counterparts.

There’s a reason newer show buildings are massive by comparison, and part of that is newer technology and larger ride systems, but a major component is more stringent safety and accessibility standards that effectively balloon sizes (and budgets). It would probably take two of the current Fantasyland dark ride spaces to make one modern attraction.

Obviously, the Matterhorn is not in a Fantasyland show building. It has an outdoor queue and other material differences. But it does have a narrow layout, low clearances, and other elements that almost certainly would increase the attraction footprint fairly significantly if it were rebuilt.

We’ve actually discussed some of this fairly recently, both with the retracked Big Thunder Mountain and rumored Space Mountain overhaul at Walt Disney World. In both of those cases, the subject of safety clearances came up. The fan-favorite family of opossums failing ride envelope testing at BTMRR was a pretty big red flag for me. It strongly suggests that much of Space Mountain would fail such a modern test, which would likely mean that the attraction could not maintain its iconic two-track layout when it’s reimagined.

The Big Thunder Mountain retracking and rumored Space Mountain reimagining at Magic Kingdom would seem to support the notion that, under new leadership, maybe Disney would be willing to invest the hundreds of millions of dollars necessary to rebuild the Matterhorn. Add to that OLC literally building a new Space Mountain behind its old one, and it does seem possible that maybe things have changed since I last heard credible rumors in 2021.

I am personally inclined to bet against it, and rather strongly. It’s my understanding that that Disneyland’s chosen course of action was phased preventive maintenance to extend the life of the asset. Even back in 2021, it was described to me as the “Mountain of Theseus” (back when that line from the WandaVision finale was all the rage), with the suggestion that even then it was not actually a 1959 ride. It had been effectively rebuilt in piecemeal fashion over the years to avoid triggering the above issues.

This is why Matterhorn has gone down for refurbishment at least once per year since 2021, or since 2010 if you include the 2020 closure of the parks as a whole. The ride has had multiple closures in many of those years, and multi-month projects are not uncommon. Even before these rumors resurfaced, my assumption was that it’d get another lengthy refresh and quasi-reimagining in the lead-up to Disneyland’s 75th Anniversary, just as it did in 2015 before the 60th.

It’s always possible that things have changed, either with Disney’s appetite to invest in a Matterhorn rebuild and relocation (which would undoubtedly cost considerably more than staggered refurbishments) or the need to do so. After all, it’s an aging structure and there might come a time when the piecemeal approach is no longer tenable.

Assuming, for the sake of argument, that there’s at least a kernel of truth to the rumors, relocating the Matterhorn would have upside. I’m also operating under the assumption that the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Autopia, and even a portion of the Disneyland Monorail track are all fair game, so there is ample space for a relocation closer to “it’s a small world.”

Moving the Matterhorn north to the defunct motor boat cruise dock and current Autopia and Monorail track is workable, as there’s plenty of ‘excess’ track that both could lose to accommodate a Matterhorn that’s roughly 150% the size of the current mountain. That would free up space where the Matterhorn currently sits, which would allow for widening of the parade route and freeing up space next to the Submarine Lagoon and behind the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters show building.

Honestly, though, I think the more likely outcome in that scenario is demolishing the Matterhorn and building the North Mountain as part of Arendelle. If Disneyland is going to lose the historic version of the attraction, why not just rip off the Bandaid and do the Frozen miniland?

Despite Disney’s recent efforts to do more ‘for the fans’ (as evidenced by the D23 slate of announcements, including this Tomorrowland overhaul), I have a hard time with a Matterhorn rebuild being one such project of this nature. Disney is in a no-win position, as fans would be outraged even by the prospect of a rebuild and relocation.

Given that, what’s the upside of spending ~$500 million on a new Matterhorn when that same amount could be spent on a more marketable mountain that’s part of Arendelle? But I also don’t think either of these scenarios are likely in the first place.

Maybe it’s just a failure of imagination on my part, but I really struggle to see how relocating and rebuilding the Matterhorn is a priority. Unless it is absolutely necessary, and there’s no other recourse to keep the current attraction operating, I just do not see this happening. I don’t doubt that it’s been pitched, probably many times over the years, and perhaps that’s the basis for these rumors.

If this is about Disneyland needing the space to expand Tomorrowland, and they almost assuredly do, there are just too many easier and more viable alternatives. Again, there’s the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Autopia, and Monorail track. Two of those things could be condensed and one could be removed completely. There’s the PeopleMover track and associated structures, which we hope are put to use again.

One of the obvious byproducts of Tomorrowland being neglected for so long by Disneyland is that there’s a lot that is ripe for replacement, redevelopment, reimagining, or just TLC. Unfortunately, not all of it can conceivably happen; Disney isn’t going to suddenly be comfortable investing $2 billion into closing and redoing a land that up until this year they didn’t want to touch because it was performing so strongly despite being stuck in the past.

There’s the Innoventions/Launch Bay/Carousel building. It’s worth noting that there are separate rumors about underlying issues with this building, which is home to the Star View Station Disney Vacation Club member lounge. That is currently closed for refurbishment through Fall 2026, but there haven’t been any updates on the project in months.

Meanwhile, the Tomorrowland Skyline Terrace, which uses the outdoor portion of the same building, just had its own ‘temporary unavailability’ extended, and is now expected to return in late January 2027. It’s possible this project is just taking longer than anticipated, but it’s also possible that Disney opts against throwing good money after bad and the Innoventions building becomes a casualty of the Tomorrowland reimagining. That would also offer a lot of space to work with for a new attraction, especially since its adjacent to Autopia and the other aforementioned attractions.

The other upside to spending the bulk of the budget on the ‘back corner’ of Tomorrowland is that it’s less impactful to guests, which is probably important in this high-traffic area of the park. Innoventions, Autopia, and the rest of what’s around them are a dead-end. By contrast, Matterhorn is front and center, with pathways all around it.

That alone presents quite the logistical hurdles. I’m also not convinced Disneyland would want a walled-off or partially demolished Matterhorn right next to Sleeping Beauty Castle to be one of the key visuals for the Los Angeles Olympics or Disneyland 75th Anniversary.

Ultimately, my perspective is that Tomorrowland needs a tremendous amount of help and this transformation should deliver exactly that. Even while working within the current bounds of the park, they can significantly increase the usable footprint and capacity of Tomorrowland by making the right choices. It’s like the perfect case study in “underutilized capacity” (and in a very high-demand land).

At the same time, budgets are finite and moving the Matterhorn would eat up a ton of that. There are very clearly bigger fish to fry after this land has been neglected for decades, and there’s also plenty of space that is more ripe for redevelopment that would increase capacity to a greater degree while also being less costly.

The Tomorrowland transformation is going to be a herculean undertaking. That’s true even if Disneyland and Imagineering choose one of the easier options, as even the path of least resistance involves a lot of resistance. It’s probably a 4-year phased project costing over $1 billion. That’s without spending $500 million to move the Matterhorn.

Given all of that, it’s just hard to fathom why Disney messes with Matterhorn as a discretionary component of the project. I would put the chances of that happening at under 10%.

The concern is if this is non-negotiable because the Matterhorn is at the end of its usable life. That the only alternative is closing the attraction and letting it rot (literally) in the middle of the park, which Disney also will not do.

So either this isn’t going to happen and the rumors are wrong, which is the best case outcome from my perspective, or I’m wrong and this is going to blow the budget of the Tomorrowland transformation to the detriment of other badly-needed reimaginings and replacements. Fingers crossed!

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Your Thoughts

What do you think of the rumors that Disney is going to relocate and rebuild the Matterhorn Bobsleds? Think it’s plausible as a discretionary project to free up space for the Tomorrowland transformation? What about as a non-negotiable move because the current attraction is at the end of its usable life? Thoughts on the reimagining of Tomorrowland at Disneyland? Any particular rides, restaurants, IPs or anything else you’d like to see in a reimagined Tomorrowland? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? 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!