Disney says permits will soon be filed to begin work on Magic Kingdom's 'Beyond Big Thunder Mountain' expansion

Forum Forums Tweet Share Tweet Share

Gallery / 4 Photos
Beyond Big Thunder Mountain Blue Sky concept art

Posted: Thursday April 4, 2024 11:00am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

In a recent presentation to invited reporters at Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, California, earlier this week, the company confirmed that plans are moving forward with the 'Beyond Big Thunder Mountain' expansion at Magic Kingdom.

Specifically, Michael Hundgen, VP, Walt Disney World Portfolio at Walt Disney Imagineering said that permits would soon be filed for preliminary work on the site. The plans will likely be Water Management District permits, typically required before large projects break ground.

The yellow area indicates the approximate area of the project

According to the Blue Sky concept unveiled by Parks head Josh D'Amaro, the new land behind Big Thunder Mountain at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom would include Disney animation IPs, including Coco, Encanto, and villains.

Beyond Big Thunder Mountain Blue Sky concept art

We expect to hear more about the Magic Kingdom expansion at the upcoming D23 Fan Event in August 2024.

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

DisneyHead12352 minutes ago

Wild speculation… they have a villains / heroes cruise ship coming out. Maybe they are waiting on feedback to see how that plays out? I don’t think MK will ever host a villains land because it could scare off the littles, but HS still needs additional rides. I could definitely see it there.

ToTBellHop1 hour ago

How many members of the BoD are members of these boards?

Starship8241 hour ago

If we get another "blue sky" segment Josh D'Amaro should be fired. Honestly he's sort of already on thin ice... At least on these boards.

ToTBellHop1 hour ago

Maybe the next CEO will pull the trigger on the villain land in the 2030s…

PREMiERdrum1 hour ago

There's no evidence it ever was. The source that claimed it was isn't reliable whatsoever. . There was at least consideration, though I don't think it was ever that serious. More of a visualization exercise, which - strictly in paint - did create a nice vista. I wouldn't be shocked if we saw one more bit of Villains Blue Sky at D23, as they might need to milk the concept to preserve momentum. Formally share details for Tropical Americas, a "focused" Blue Sky of Moana and Coco, and an "even further beyond BTMRR" pretty Dark Kingdom art, along with some Live E announcements would give them a nice boost.

sedati5 hours ago

“If You Had Wings” was very screen heavy.

Advisable Joseph6 hours ago

Not 100% sure about Robin Hood. Anyway, the relevant classics are where the villains are.

OSUPhantom6 hours ago

I swear if they pass on Villains Land I’m going to be pissed. A brilliant concept, popular with the fans and general public alike, capable of making use of copious amounts of IP. I for the life of me cannot understand why they’d pass on it.

James Alucobond8 hours ago

I think you could conceivably do something kind of interesting with the art deco deity murals from the end credits that I assume are supposed to be an allusion to artwork in the Empire State Building, but I largely agree.