First Permits Filed for Disney World's New Cars-Themed Area, Replacing Tom Sawyer Island

Aug 12, 2024 in "Cars Land Magic Kingdom"

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Cars Land Permits

Posted: Monday August 12, 2024 4:35pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Walt Disney Imagineering is moving quickly following the recent announcement of plans to redevelop Magic Kingdom's Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America into a new Cars-themed experience.

The first permits for the project have been filed with the South Florida Water Management District today, specifically for modifications to the stormwater basin located behind Tom Sawyer Island and Big Thunder Mountain.

Cars Land Permits

As is common with major projects at Walt Disney World, extensive preliminary work related to water management must be completed before new construction can begin.

Wide view of the new Frontierland, with two Cars-themed attractions replacing Tom Sawyer Island

Disney has announced that construction on the new Cars-themed area is slated to start in 2025.

It was confirmed today that the Cars-themed land will directly replace Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America, though no closing date has been set. Disney assures guests, 'You will have plenty of time to experience the charm and nostalgia of Frontierland as it is today.'

Describing the upcoming area, Disney stated, 'Soon, you'll be able to explore the uncharted territory of the great outdoors with an expansion in Frontierland themed around Pixar Animation Studios' Cars. It's time to leave Radiator Springs and head west into exciting new locations. To make way for this completely new frontier, the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will be transformed into vast and rugged terrains for a rally race with some of the world's most iconic racers.'

Cars Concept Art

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DisneyHead1235 hours 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.

Rhinocerous14 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.

RSoxNo115 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.