Walt Disney Global continues racing against development of the Piston Top ‘Vehicles’ house of Frontierland and Villains Land, attaining a big milestone: complete demolition of Tom Sawyer Island. Months after the Rivers of The us closed over the summer time, new aerial pictures disclose that each and every construction at the extinct enchantment is long gone as of the beginning of Christmas at Magic Kingdom. Right here’s the newest, plus our statement about what’s subsequent.
Let’s get started by means of briefly bringing you up to the mark with what’s modified between summer time and nowadays. The Rivers of The us, Tom Sawyer Island, and Liberty Sq. Riverboat closed again on July seventh. For our tribute to the aesthetics and creative worth of this house of Magic Kingdom, see Why the Rivers of The us is Value Saving. The sentiment there is a part of an overarching and ongoing fan debate about Walt Disney Global that extends some distance past this one resolution.
In conjunction with those everlasting closures, “travel mode” operations of the Walt Disney Global Railroad have now begun. That is because of the brief closure of the Frontierland Station, which is happening to house development. The staging spaces and the development websites are on reverse aspects of the railroad tracks, therefore the closure. This implies you’ll now not enjoy the Grand Circle Excursion of the Walt Disney Global Railroad for (most definitely) the following few years. I wouldn’t be stunned if Frontierland Station doesn’t reopen once more within the 2020s, however truthfully, I’m simply glad to have the trains in any respect.
Since then, crews were running to empty the Rivers of The us. That used to be more straightforward stated than completed, as hurricane season led to it being refilled a couple of instances. However crews in any case received their fight in opposition to Mom Nature, who’s it appears a large fan of the RoA, with an help from business water pumps. Development partitions, scrims and scaffolding now line the walkways in Frontierland and Liberty Sq., making it tough for visitors to look into the undertaking website.
With perspectives from ground-level now most commonly blocked, we take to the skies above Magic Kingdom for a glimpse over the development partitions. Those overhead pictures & video come courtesy of eye within the sky pictures from friend-of-the-site bioreconstruct, the go-to supply for aerial theme park images…
Let’s get started with a high-level setting up shot.
This isn’t an excellent view of the development, nevertheless it’s a surprising shot proper down Major Boulevard USA, whole with a monorail passing or even daylight lights. I haven’t the slightest inkling in regards to the demanding situations posed by means of taking pictures from a shifting helicopter, however can’t consider that this is a simple one to seize. Most definitely kind of an identical to the Helmsman in Pirates of the Caribbean timed completely to a lightning strike. Kudos to bioreconstruct in this one.
Oh, and we do get a peekaboo view of the development website at the some distance higher left. You’ll even see one of the crucial laydown yards past Large Thunder that’ll beef up Vehicles and Villains land development.
Right here’s some other view from in the back of Magic Kingdom, kind of in the back of Tiana’s Bayou Journey and Large Thunder Mountain Railroad. This presentations the Rivers of The us and Tom Sawyer Island demolition, but additionally the general laydown backyard that we’ve been observing make growth because it performs catch-up to the opposite ones.
We’ve coated those laydown yards and drainage necessities broadly as a part of the allowing procedure for this undertaking over the process the closing year-plus. As a refresher, the allow for all of this used to be issued by means of the South Florida Water Control District (SFWMD) in Iciness 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. Alternatively, the true undertaking website simplest being about 14 acres–the whole lot of it after which some is visual within the picture above. I believe some lovers would possibly mistakenly imagine this growth is greater than it in fact is in line with the lets in and aerial pictures so far. The laydown yards and general allow house are a lot larger than the brand new lands, although this nonetheless is the biggest growth in Magic Kingdom historical past.
We don’t have new November 2025 pictures of the opposite laydown yards, probably as a result of the ones haven’t advanced a lot (if in any respect). Above is a have a look at the others as of closing month.
You’ll scroll from side to side and spot how those glance side-by-side. As some other refresher, those gravel laydown yards are in low-lying spaces to the northwest of the Rivers of The us, necessitating website prep paintings to cause them to usable. There are 3 gravel laydown yards in general across the northwestern perimeter of Magic Kingdom.
Two are past the berm, that means out of doors of Magic Kingdom visitor spaces, with the 3rd laydown backyard inside of Magic Kingdom alongside the northwestern banks of what’s recently the Rivers of The us. Those gravel laydown yards shall be used for development apparatus, heavy equipment, fabrics staging, earth-moving, and many others.
Paintings at the laydown yards began in overdue spring. Above is a good upper point view from over the summer time again prior to the Rivers of The us and Tom Sawyer Island closed.
As you’ll see, primary growth has been made since Rivers of The us and Tom Sawyer Island closed. The general staging house and undertaking website has had maximum of its timber got rid of, and is catching as much as the others. Some other large building is the set up of undertaking crew trailers at the center laydown backyard.
That is very equivalent lets in for a trailer park and staging house in the back of Kali River Rapids in beef up of the Tropical Americas undertaking closing spring. In addition they repurposed the previous Superstar Wars: Galactic Starcruiser in the back of Disney’s Hollywood Studios into box workplaces for the Monstropolis growth there.
Right here’s a better have a look at the previous Rivers of The us, which has now had all buildings demolished.
Which means that Superstition Bridge, Fortress Langhorn, Harper’s Mill and Potter’s Mill, Aunt Polly’s Eating place, the structures for the caves, and the entirety else. It’s all long gone. Simplest scattered timber stay.
The correct part of this may grow to be the Piston Top ‘Vehicles’ land (mainly the south island of Tom Sawyer Island), whilst the realm that’s past Large Thunder will grow to be Villains Land. That’s the portion of this undertaking this is true park growth.
Zooming in a bit of, right here’s the south island of Tom Sawyer Island and the decrease loop of the Rivers of The us throughout the standard box of view inside of Magic Kingdom.
This additionally presentations the scaffolding and scrims which are up alongside the Rivers of The us waterfront prom. Those are within the tired riverbed, so the “shortcut” walkway to Tiana’s Bayou Journey and Large Thunder stays open. There are different spaces of correct development partitions alongside the remainder of the waterfront.
I’ve been pleasantly stunned by means of simply how unobtrusive this undertaking is so far. You’ll see the partitions when first coming into Liberty Sq., however the best way that the brown scrim is ready again alongside the shortcut approach it doesn’t stand out from the primary thoroughfare of Frontierland.
It is helping that there’s a excellent quantity of foliage between Frontierland and the previous Rivers of The us or present undertaking website. The end result whilst you’re strolling thru this phase of the park, most likely to discuss with long term UNESCO Global Heritage Website, Grizzly Corridor, you don’t truly understand all that a lot. Mix-in brown residing as much as its title.
The development website is there, clearly, however this isn’t a huge crater that instructions visitors’ consideration. Mercifully, it’s completely not anything just like the Massive EPCOT Dust Pit. Now, if this drags on for ~5 years with minimum growth and the result is one thing corresponding to the experience model of CommuniCore Corridor, you’ll be expecting my track to modify.
Right here’s some other attitude at the south island.
In the midst of the island, there are huge mounds of grime. I used to be at the floor in Magic Kingdom the day past, and those are about the one factor that’s visual over the partitions. You’ll see the absence of the generators that used to poke up above the partitions and the remainder timber, however that’s about it. Another way, simply the brand new grime mounds.
Your next step is most likely the use of the ones huge mounds to infill the previous Rivers of The us waterbed.
There’s most definitely some ultimate clean-up to be completed at the islands themselves, however the level is that the land clearing received’t be completed all the way down to the riverbed point. Fairly, the previous waterway shall be introduced as much as the previous island’s point. That’s going to require much more grime, so be expecting extra huge mounds to seem because the undertaking progresses.
Along with that, crews will wish to set up infrastructure and utilities, and do a large number of invisible paintings prior to vertical development can start. Tropical Americas took about 10 months to head from land clearing to the beginnings of vertical development.
Our absolute best bet is that the Piston Top Nationwide Park ‘Vehicles’ land is nearer to a complete 12 months away. In truth, I’d be stunned and inspired if we see this move vertical by means of Christmas 2026. I’d like to be mistaken and feature this paintings kick into a better tools, however those tasks are all the time slow-going…till they’re now not. The vertical level is what is going rapid. This occurs time and time once more, and but, lovers repeatedly query why issues are going so sluggish…after which why tasks have ‘speeded up.’
Right here’s a have a look at demolition at the north island. The some distance proper facet could also be proper round the place a brand new walkway will attach Large Thunder to Haunted Mansion. It’s tough to look, however a brand new development wall throughout the Large Thunder undertaking website has been put in, both to give protection to the enchantment or for long term use as soon as the experience reopens inside of the following few months.
The walkway indisputably might not be finished (and even began) prior to Large Thunder reopens. It wouldn’t make sense to take action, because it’d block get entry to to the Vehicles development website. We do be expecting prep-work to start at the Large Thunder Mountain Railroad facet because it’ll be more straightforward to do so whilst the curler coaster is closed.
One in every of my larger questions is what Walt Disney Global plans to do with the remainder mature timber on Tom Sawyer Island. It will be great if there have been a approach to transplant those for long term use.
I’m now not precisely a professional on tree relocation prices, however I know that mature timber are “prohibitively” pricey (or so they are saying about tasks with worth tags within the billions of bucks and over the top bloat). That is why such a lot of contemporary tasks have regarded barren, and to their detriment, for those who question me.
Epic Universe is the most important and absolute best contemporary instance. That park will glance nice when a few of its plants fills in, however that’s going to take a couple of years. For the reason that Piston Top is meant to be a nationwide park, it’d be great if that integrated lush panorama and mature timber. I don’t find out about you, however I haven’t visited any U.S. Nationwide Parks with a number saplings that gave the look of they have been planted the day past.
In the end, right here’s an aerial video of the growth at the Rivers of The us and Tom Sawyer Island demolition:
In the long run, it’s excellent to look those ‘Past Large Thunder’ tasks kicking into excessive tools forward of the vacations. This additional underscores that Walt Disney Global didn’t simply make a selection to near the Rivers of The us and Tom Sawyer Island this summer time to save lots of on running bills. From the above aerial pictures, it’s very transparent that severe paintings has already came about, with infill to boost up within the coming months.
I’m nonetheless now not happy that Walt Disney Global opted to head this path versus an abridged Rivers of The us (maintaining the south island and waterfront) plus natural park growth, nevertheless it’s going to occur and there’s not anything we lovers can do to modify the process this Piston Top undertaking aside from on the margins.
Accordingly, I would really like not anything greater than for this undertaking to transport as briefly as conceivable, with cranes showing on website to start vertical development by means of overdue 2026. Get this completed briefly to reduce the visitor have an effect on and feature Piston Top open ASAP. As some distance away as it sort of feels nowadays, each Vehicles and Villains land opening prior to 2030 could be an enormous win.
Making plans a Walt Disney Global travel? Know about motels on our Walt Disney Global Inns Opinions web page. For the place to consume, learn our Walt Disney Global Eating place Opinions. To save cash on tickets or decide which sort to shop for, learn our Pointers for Saving Cash on Walt Disney Global Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a singular have a look at artful pieces to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney Global Experience Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most efficient position to start out is our Walt Disney Global Go back and forth Making plans Information for the entirety you want to understand!
Your Ideas
Ideas on Disney demolishing Tom Sawyer Island and shifting ahead with infill on Rivers of The us? Excited or upset that the Piston Top Nationwide Park is changing Rivers of The us? For the reason that that is going to occur regardless at this level, do you hope it’s complete steam forward so we don’t need to bear a repeat of the Massive EPCOT Dust Pit fiasco? Do you settle or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we will permit you to solution? Listening to your comments—even whilst you disagree with us—is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please percentage your ideas beneath within the feedback!
