After Permanent Closures, Cars Expansion Construction Recasts Frontierland at Magic Kingdom

Overview

• Disney has permanently closed Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island after 54 years to make way for a Cars-themed land called Piston Peak National Park.
• Construction activity for the expansion is plainly visible from guest areas in Frontierland, with work noises now part of the soundscape.
• The removal of the waterway has altered the area’s microclimate, with visitors noting a shift from damp, cool air to a drier environment and a different smell.
• These immediate sensory changes are leading some longtime fans to say Frontierland already feels unlike the version they knew for decades.
• Separately, Tomorrowland’s Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin is in a full reimagining that includes updates to the attraction’s exterior.