Disney Reveals Trackless All-Terrain Ride System for New Magic Kingdom Cars Attraction at D23 Brazil

3 days ago in "Cars Land Magic Kingdom"

Frontierland Concept Art Aerial View
Posted: Saturday November 9, 2024 11:10am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

At D23 Brazil, Disney offered a glimpse into the new Cars-themed attraction planned for Magic Kingdom's Frontierland by showing a test video of the ride system.

The video (see below) appears to confirm our previous report that the attraction will use a trackless, all-terrain ride system. This marks a significant departure from the traditional slot-car approach seen in other Disney car attractions like Test Track at EPCOT and Radiator Springs Racers in California.

The concept art released earlier raised questions about how this new ride would function, as the images showed cars navigating rugged outdoor terrain with no visible track or guide slots. This led to speculation that Disney Imagineering might be using a different, possibly more advanced, ride system to deliver the promised experience of "climbing mountain trails, dodging geysers, and splashing through mudholes."

The test video presented at D23 Brazil seems to confirm these speculations, showing an all-terrain ride system that bears similarities to Dynamic Attractions' "Automatic Guided All-Terrain Vehicle." This ride technology allows vehicles to handle steep inclines, declines, rapid acceleration, and navigate challenging terrain—all without the use of fixed tracks. The test footage demonstrates cars crossing paths and maneuvering independently across rugged terrain, providing a glimpse of the immersive and unpredictable ride experience Imagineers are aiming for. Here is a look at a demonstration of the ride system from Dynamic Attractions.

Dynamic Attractions, a long-time collaborator with Disney, has previously worked on high-profile rides like Test Track, Radiator Springs Racers, and Flight of Passage. Their "all-terrain" technology, with its ability to operate indoors and outdoors seamlessly while supporting near-miss elements, seems well suited for the kind of experience hinted at in the concept art and Disney's description.

The new Cars attraction, set against the backdrop of Frontierland, aims to deliver a ride experience where guests feel as if they're truly racing across rugged landscapes. The trackless ride system, with its adaptability to various terrains and dynamic ride paths, looks set to give guests an unpredictable and exciting adventure, unlike anything currently at Disney World.

Stay tuned for more updates as Disney continues to refine and reveal details about this upcoming addition to Magic Kingdom.

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

View all comments →

PizzaPlanet5 hours ago

Looks like this system can achieve bigger elevation changes. From the concept art it appears there will be a lot of that along the ride path

TrainsOfDisney5 hours ago

That’s what I don’t get…. If you notice the slot it’s a really boring ride haha.

danlb_20005 hours ago

This a good question. Seems to be a lot of risk just to eliminate the slot which most people probably don't even remember being there once the ride is over.

Andrew C7 hours ago

I don't believe this has been confirmed.

Raineman7 hours ago

So, here's a question-if the ride vehicles will be just following a linear path in this attraction, why is a trackless system needed? As we've seen in every attraction with the trackless system, it allows them to have ride vehicles moving in ways that a linear track could never do, and usually in an larger, non-linear space. If this attraction is just cars moving on a linear track, why not use the same or similar system that TT/DCA Cars uses? Is it simply to make the attraction look more "real" and eliminate the slot in the track that makes it less immersive?

Andrew C8 hours ago

The ole' bait and switch.

lazyboy97o19 hours ago

The dirt track experience testing footage is not from Dynamic Attractions’ promotional materials.

FettFan20 hours ago

Or build “Beyond Big Thunder”…actually, you know, *beyond* Big Thunder, and not smack dab in front of it.

Epcot81Fan21 hours ago

Rocket Rods has entered the thread.

peter1143522 hours ago

Ridiculously often. And they are not cheap.

Ayla22 hours ago

It won't be closed every time it rains due to mud. It will be closed every time it rains due to ~ rain.

JoeCamel22 hours ago

I'm pretty sure that is the same video Dynamic showed at IAAPA when they pitched this system like ~7 years ago

lazyboy97o1 day ago

The Skyliner is a widely deployed system from a major vendor that has been selling such systems for nearly a century. This is a first ever public installation possibly using a system from a manufacturer that’s been mired the past few years in the consequences of over-promising.

Rhinocerous1 day ago

How many times do we think the name "Lightning Lane McQueen" was used in the pitch deck for this attraction?