Walt Disney World is gearing as much as start development on the Piston Peak ‘Vehicles’ space this month, with backstage land clearing already underway. The most recent aerial pictures reveal a large expanse that’ll be used for website prep, area workplaces, and, finally, future growth that’s really ‘Past Huge Thunder.’
This comes in opposition to the backdrop of the in-park areas that Piston Peak Nationwide Park will exchange completely closing in lower than per week. Walt Disney World introduced that the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and Liberty Sq. Riverboat will all shut on July 7, 2025. The final day to expertise any of those points of interest and places at Magic Kingdom will probably be July 6, 2025.
Together with that, “shuttle mode” operations of the Walt Disney World Railroad will start on July 7, 2025. That’s additionally when the Frontierland Station will shut on a short lived foundation for Vehicles and Villains Land development. There’s been some confusion about why Frontierland Station wants to shut throughout this venture, however the aerial photos ought to make that clear.
Whereas we’ve seen work during the last couple of months already beginning backstage, that’s solely what’s publicly seen from Floridian Manner, the part of highway to the northwest of Magic Kingdom. It’s been troublesome to discern simply how far alongside progress is on this space nearer to on-stage areas and the guest-facing aspect of the Rivers of America.
All of this website prep work is a vital prerequisite to demolishing and filling within the Rivers of America, so we’ve been curious to know simply how a lot progress has been made. Frankly, we’ve puzzled whether or not the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island wanted to shut this quickly–because it appeared just like the backstage work would take loads longer and will doubtlessly permit the guest-facing areas to stay open longer. Properly, now we’ve some solutions.
These come courtesy of eye within the sky pictures from friend-of-the-site bioreconstruct, the go-to supply for aerial theme park pictures (a extremely beneficial comply with who graciously supplied the helicopter photographs right here)…
Let’s begin with a high-level establishing shot.
In case you’re questioning what you’re taking a look at, it’s Magic Kingdom (far proper) and the realm to the northwest of the park. The Magic Kingdom aspect of the picture reveals Frontierland and the Rivers of America, making the remainder of the picture the realm that’s (really!) ‘Past Huge Thunder.’
There’s a whole lot of land cleared within the pictures. The areas nearer the parks will probably be laydown yards supporting the development of Vehicles and Villains Lands (extra on these in a bit). The far left is a brand new retention pond that’s being created for displaced stormwater capability misplaced because of the infill of the Rivers of America. As a bonus, the center reveals the brand new routing of Floridian Manner–that’s a serious multi-year venture we haven’t actually coated as a result of roads don’t appear to get the folks going (in a overrated sense–they do get folks stepping into a literal sense).
If a few of this sounds acquainted, it’s as a result of we’ve coated it extensively as a part of the allowing course of for this venture over the course of the final ~11 months. All of that is exactly what the State of Florida was involved with as they made Imagineering file, make clear, modify, and so forth. the venture plans. It wasn’t over the substance of the additions–they weren’t scorching and bothered by eye vehicles in Frontierland, it was all about water administration.
As a refresher, the allow for all of this was issued by the South Florida Water Administration District (SFWMD) in Winter 2025, giving Imagineering till February 17, 2030 to redevelop the realm. The underlying SFWMD allow is huge in scale and scope, encompassing over 300 acres round Magic Kingdom and past.
That’s regardless of the precise venture website solely being about 14 acres. What we see in these aerial pictures is the influence to the opposite ~286 different acres that won’t be house to Lightning McQueen, Mater and their friends.
Taking a more in-depth and extra overhead aerial view, we are able to see one full gravel laydown yard and a portion of one other that will probably be adjoining to the venture website. These are in low-lying areas to the northwest of the Rivers of America, necessitating extra work to determine usable gravel laydown yards within the first place.
There will probably be three gravel laydown yards in complete across the northwestern perimeter of Magic Kingdom. Two will probably be situated past the berm, which means exterior of Magic Kingdom visitor areas, with the third laydown yard inside Magic Kingdom alongside the northwestern banks of what’s at present the Rivers of America. These gravel laydown yards will probably be used for development gear, heavy equipment, supplies staging, earth-moving, and so forth.
Right here’s one other take a look at the laydown yards from the SFWMD allowing for the sake of comparability:
All these staging areas are frequent for large-scale development initiatives at Walt Disney World. It could be stunning that the gravel laydown yards are like triple the scale of the particular growth space, however that’s not unusual–particularly since this isn’t a single uninterrupted staging location.
There have been related laydown yards for all types of main growth initiatives, from New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom to Pandora – World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom. The one for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land was equally huge, dwarfing the scale of the growth itself.
What’s actually attention-grabbing about these staging areas is that they are going to end in land that was beforehand “marginally appropriate” for development to develop into “appropriate” for constructing. Which means that the staging areas themselves may very well be development websites sooner or later. That is truly one thing touched upon by the 2045 Complete Plan that was simply permitted by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. Whereas the headline is the attention-grabbing Approval of a Fifth Gate at Walt Disney World, the actual story is extra prone to be resort growth–however extra on this in a bit.
Again to the aerial pictures, we’ve a view that’s primarily behind Tiana’s Bayou Journey.
As you would possibly recall, Walt Disney Imagineering filed development permits to put in trailers with an handle equivalent to a backstage space behind Huge Thunder Mountain Railroad and Tiana’s Bayou Journey in Magic Kingdom. Imagineering area workplaces and parking will eat an enormous portion of this explicit laydown yard.
That is very related permits for a trailer park and staging space behind Kali River Rapids in help of the Tropical Americas venture final spring. Additionally they repurposed the previous Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser behind Disney’s Hollywood Studios into area workplaces for the Monstropolis growth there.
Past the laydown yards that’ll help precise development, there’s the water administration ingredient. As we’ve mentioned beforehand, this can be a vital prerequisite for starting substantive development–when waterways are going to be rerouted or water is displaced in Florida, the primary part of a venture is addressing that misplaced stormwater capability.
Rivers of America connects to a canal that runs out to Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake. You possibly can see this within the above picture–or if you stroll from Magic Kingdom to the Grand Floridian (it’s the bridge resulting in backstage storage of the Electrical Water Pageant). Runoff would circulate into the Rivers of America, then these lakes.
Principally, Disney wants someplace for the displaced stormwater capability misplaced from infilling the Rivers of America. This entails creating a brand new retention pond for water administration that’s roughly three-quarters of a mile to the northwest of Magic Kingdom. It’s doubtless that the bottom eliminated when digging the brand new pond will probably be used for filling the Rivers of America. Circle of life and all that.
We’ve truly seen one thing related with the TTC over time. In case you’ve ever puzzled why there’s a perpetual pile of dust there, it’s as a result of that’s been moved there after digging retention ponds–it’s then used for the Floridian Manner initiatives. I don’t know why it’s in the course of TTC, however they’ve decided that’s a very good staging website for no matter motive.
One factor these aerial pictures actually underscore is the blessing of measurement at Walt Disney World. As somebody as soon as stated, the Florida Mission incorporates “sufficient land right here to carry all of the concepts and plans we are able to probably think about.” Clever phrases.
You would possibly take a look at these photos and shake your head that Disney is opting to switch the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island once they might as a substitute merely construct past the berm–making the land really ‘Past Huge Thunder’ as initially promised, as a substitute of the laydown yards in that house. You would possibly marvel why Walt Disney World opted for this strategy. All honest questions and considerations.
The very best rationalization is effectivity. One factor Imagineering has pressured when explaining its upcoming slate of initiatives is that they wished to stretch budgets so far as attainable. (Usually talking, this can be a good factor; Imagineering has a deserved repute for spending like a drunken sailor.)
Given land suitability (or lack thereof), it’s doubtless that prices would’ve exploded in the event that they construct the brand new lands within the present laydown yards and the laydown yards past these. It’s additionally totally believable that they did additional surveying and realized that wasn’t even an choice.
One other chance is that Walt Disney World didn’t need to make Magic Kingdom too massive. I haven’t heard this talked about by anybody, however I view this as an under-discussed chance. One factor we talked about repeatedly with the previous era of resort initiatives is how company don’t like sprawling resorts.
“An excessive amount of strolling” is the single-biggest criticism about many inns, and it wouldn’t shock me within the least if this additionally extends to the parks. I don’t doubt for a second that Imagineering pitched a model of those plans that retained the Rivers of America and considerably expanded Magic Kingdom into territory ‘Past Huge Thunder,’ however administration pushed for a extra consolidated footprint “resulting from visitor suggestions” about foot ache or no matter.
To be abundantly clear, this isn’t to excuse or clarify away the ultimate plans. From the outset, we absolutely anticipated Tom Sawyer Island to develop into Tom Sawyer Peninsula–that’s one compromise answer. One other can be constructing Vehicles Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios within the parking zone, adjoining to Monstropolis–that’s one other various.
Whereas I respect effectivity and Imagineering being extra cost-conscious for as soon as, I can’t assist however shake the thought that it appears like Walt Disney World is designing its “growth” plans as in the event that they’re in space-constrained Anaheim. In the meantime, the initiatives for Disneyland are precise expansions. It’s just like the Freaky Friday reboot no one requested for.
(Sorry, however I hate the fan suggestion of Vehicles changing Tomorrowland Speedway; I’d truthfully moderately have this than that. Tomorrowland Speedway ought to type the eventual basis of a hybrid Fantasyland/Tomorrowland growth a la the Magnificence and the Beast and Baymax space at Tokyo Disneyland.)
The above aerial picture reveals each of the prevailing clearings for future laydown yards, together with what’s going to develop into the third laydown yard as soon as that land is cleared. The ultimate laydown yard will probably be nestled between the backstage roads, canal, and railroad tracks. It’s the one that might be seen from the Rivers of America, if the realm had been staying open past July 7.
As ought to be clear from the aerial pictures and website plans, the railroad tracks will probably be between the gravel laydown yards and the development website on Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America. This is the reason we anticipated that the Walt Disney World Railroad would must be taken out of service to facilitate work and vehicular visitors forwards and backwards throughout the tracks from the staging space to the positioning.
As a substitute, we’re getting shuttle mode. There have been some skepticism and complaints about this from Walt Disney World followers, however it’s completely the best-case situation. Allow us to not overlook that the Walt Disney World Railroad closed for the development of TRON Lightcycle Run in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom. It went down on December 3, 2018 and didn’t reopen till December 22, 2022 after being closed for 1,481 days.
No less than firstly, that venture was much less impactful to the WDW Railroad than this one–there was a whole lot of work that might’ve seemingly been achieved whereas the trains continued to run. Taking the Walt Disney World Railroad down underneath the pretext of development supplied the corporate operational cost-savings. It additionally resulted in minimal pushback from followers because it was visibly apparent that constructing the curler coaster interfered with the railroad. At minimal, they might’ve finished shuttle mode then. Let’s take the win that they selected to take action this time, as a substitute of closing the WDW Railroad fully for one more 5 years.
It’s in all probability price stating that we’re not out of the woods but with a whole Walt Disney World Railroad closure. Simply throughout part one of many venture whereas the Rivers of America is stuffed in, Tom Sawyer Island is demolished, and Piston Peak Vehicles land is constructed.
Long term, the development of Villains Land will nearly actually necessitate a closure. Not solely is there the identical challenge with staging to website entry, however the Villains Land will truly be constructed immediately alongside the Walt Disney World Railroad. Whereas it’s attainable this new land manages to remain contained in the berm, we wouldn’t financial institution on it.
That might additionally imply {that a} observe re-routing is critical to accommodate Villains Land. Extra optimistically, there may very well be one other station added on the far again of Magic Kingdom, about midway between the prevailing Frontierland and Storybook Circus stations. Getting tremendous speculative, having an in-park resort with a railroad station can be savvy.
This might merely imply this space is an growth pad for the Villains Land. Ought to or not it’s effectively acquired, Walt Disney World would possibly greenlight one other attraction to be constructed on this house. That would definitely make sense, particularly with Villains Land being extra of an open idea land as a substitute of one other single mental property growth.
From my perspective, the in-park resort overlooking the Villains Land might be extra doubtless. To be clear, that is purely speculative–I’ve heard zero credible rumors a couple of resort being a part of the ‘Past Huge Thunder’ venture. I simply understand how Walt Disney World administration salivates on the prospect of extra high-dollar resort stock, and this will surely verify that field–and in a extremely fascinating location that comports with the newly-released CFTOD plan.
An in-park resort strikes me as a technique to ‘promote’ the venture internally, because the room capability can be extremely helpful and assist recoup the prices of the growth. Actually, there’s already just about a blueprint for this: Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea, which can also be in the back of that park and has a resort overlooking the brand new land. Although such a Magic Kingdom resort wouldn’t be on the monorail line, it might in all probability dethrone Grand Floridian because the flagship Walt Disney World resort. On the upside, if there’s a resort venture hooked up to Villains Land, it gained’t develop into one of many notorious part 2 initiatives that’s confined solely to espresso desk books.
Finally, it’s good to see these ‘Past Huge Thunder’ initiatives kicking into excessive gear–and to know that Walt Disney World didn’t simply decide to shut the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island this summer time to avoid wasting on working bills. From the above aerial pictures, it’s very clear that critical work has already occurred, and the subsequent step is beginning on-stage demolition and infill.
Whereas we are able to actually debate whether or not Vehicles ought to be changing the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island within the first place, it’s good to see them shifting in an expeditious method regardless. As I’ve talked about elsewhere, it might be worse to begin all of this just for delays and price range cuts to show this into the Magic Kingdom Dust Pit for the subsequent 5 years. We already endured that at EPCOT for one aggressively mediocre (to place it charitably) end result; we can not have the identical at Magic Kingdom.
These Vehicles and Villains land initiatives want to be house runs. They can’t be something lower than unimaginable. It could be tragic for Disney to sit down on its palms for a number of years, solely to have the very best a part of the venture–Villains Land–fall by because of the delays. The second part of Disney initiatives is notorious for by no means occurring, and that’s often as a result of work doesn’t begin till the primary part is open. I’m glad that isn’t occurring right here.
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Your Ideas
Ideas on Disney already beginning land clearing for the huge laydown yards behind Magic Kingdom? Excited or disillusioned that the Piston Peak Nationwide Park is changing Rivers of America? Want Walt Disney World remembered its ‘blessing of measurement’ when greenlighting these initiatives? On condition that that is going to occur regardless at this level, do you hope it’s full steam forward so we don’t need to endure a repeat of the Large EPCOT Dust Pit fiasco? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions—even if you disagree with us—is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
