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

11 days ago in "Cars Land Magic Kingdom"

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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."

Cars Concept Art

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.

Cars Concept Art

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.

Cars Concept Art

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DisneyHead1231 hour ago

I wish they had just gone with Coco’s Village, which I’ve inferred was the likely choice until potentially the day of the D23 announcement. I don’t mean to harp on this endlessly because I really enjoy the parks and think Disney is doing a lot of great things there, I’m just sooo bummed by this decision. I think it was primarily a cost cutting measure and unfortunately I think that will come across in the final product.

Rhinocerous10 hours ago

That makes sense. Otherwise, it would be projecting on the ride vehicles, which would be distracting to guests and give away the gag.

RSoxNo111 hours ago

I haven't experienced it in person, but it appears to be a reasonable solution. What's interesting is that if one of the vehicles in the chain is removed, the projections have a circular gap where that vehicle should be.

UNCgolf1 day ago

Rise is also blessed with a setting that's supposed to have kind of a huge warehouse feel. Most of the Imperial/First Order stuff in the films is giant open hallways etc.

andre851 day ago

I'd say Rise does a great job of this (even if it's not my favorite ride). The tech was perfect for that ride experience and theme.

MistaDee1 day ago

Haven't had the pleasure of riding it first-hand, but I'm curious if floor projections were convincing enough to mitigate this. I feel like trackless rides should try to design around the warehouse feeling and minimize the amount of wide open spaces like Mystic Manor does

RSoxNo11 day ago

Wasn't Beauty and the Beast in Tokyo one of the first to correct this with projections on the floor?

ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ1 day ago

Shame it's Piston Peak. They could almost get an IP twofer by naming the ride "Race to Wrench Mountain"

Nickm20221 day ago

While I don't disagree I am curious do we think there's any possibility adding a pathway here between Tianas (past Thunder and under the RR) to Villains), as we know Disney is trying to not have dead ends in the park and personally I think they should to help with congestion

ToTBellHop1 day ago

It’s a prime location for a mountain.

SplashJacket2 days ago

Depends on what you consider major attractions and "on all sides". 7DMT, Matterhorn, Disneyland, Grizzly River Run, and Disneyland's buzz come immediately to mind. The location is definitely a limitation, but I think there's an erroneous viewpoint in there. When speedway goes, it's likely in a larger development that encompasses Stitch, Cosmic Rays, and the Speedway.

Casper Gutman2 days ago

Yup. Are Spaceship Earth and MMRR the only major attractions with guest areas on all sides? The placement of Tron was shockingly short-sighted.

UNCgolf2 days ago

I think it's incredibly unlikely they construct a large building there for several reasons -- for one, almost all of a building would be visible from inside the park/on stage thanks to TRON's placement, so either they'd have to theme the entire building or there'd be significantly more backstage intrusion. The PeopleMover is also in the way for some of the footprint.