Imagineering has filed the primary permits for the not-so-Past Large Thunder mission encompassing Vehicles and Villains Lands expansions to Magic Kingdom. This submit covers particulars concerning the permits, implications for the Walt Disney World Railroad, Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island–plus hypothesis a couple of future in-park resort and extra.
In the course of the Parks Panel on the 2024 D23 Expo, Walt Disney World has introduced two all-new Vehicles points of interest in a reimagined space of Frontierland at Magic Kingdom. This isn’t Radiator Springs or a clone of Vehicles Land from Disney California Journey, but it surely’s sizable sufficient for us to contemplate it Vehicles miniland at minimal. Together with this, they formally introduced Villains Land enlargement at Magic Kingdom.
Subsequent to D23, Walt Disney World revealed that the Vehicles space will truly substitute the Rivers of America, that means that Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Sq. Riverboat will completely shut. This information let a number of the air out of the tires, so to talk, from Walt Disney World’s in any other case blockbuster D23.
These first permits had been filed with the South Florida Water Administration District virtually instantly after Walt Disney World’s ‘clarification’ concerning the location of the Vehicles land. The timing of all this was clearly purposeful. As mentioned in our Past Large Thunder submit, we had been suggested by Imagineering again in early April that the permits can be filed within the coming weeks. They presumably reconsidered, as these would’ve let the cat out of the bag that the Rivers of America can be crammed in to some extent.
The “to some extent” a part of that was anticipated. As defined on the time, it was extremely possible that the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island would each be “condensed.” From a purely operational and crowd circulate perspective, one of many apparent targets of the ‘Past Large Thunder’ mission was eliminating the Large Thunder Mountain and Haunted Mansion useless ends. We simply didn’t know on the time that this meant utterly filling in and shedding all the Rivers of America.
Anyway, the brand new mid-August 2024 permits filed with the South Florida Water Administration District relate to stormwater displacement modifications and building laydown yards. There are low-lying areas to the northwest of the Rivers of America, necessitating extra work to determine usable gravel laydown yards within the first place.
Water administration permits are at all times the primary to look for a mission of this nature. Consider approval on these as a mandatory prerequisite for starting substantive building–such a allow is required is when waterways are going to be rerouted or water is displaced.
Mainly, earlier than the Rivers of America might be drained, Disney wants to clarify how they’ll substitute the misplaced stormwater runoff capability. Such is the character of building within the swamps.
As for the gravel laydown yards, there might be three in complete across the northwestern perimeter of Magic Kingdom. Two might be situated past the berm, that means exterior of Magic Kingdom visitor areas, with the third laydown yard that needs to be seen from inside Magic Kingdom alongside the northwestern banks of the Rivers of America. These gravel laydown yards might be used for building gear, heavy equipment, supplies staging, earth-moving, and many others.
Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America haven’t any cut-off date at current. Walt Disney World has solely indicated that work will kick “into excessive gear” in 2025, however earlier than then, that “friends can have loads of time to expertise the appeal and nostalgia of Frontierland as it’s at present.”
If you wish to evaluation the allow bundle for your self, you are able to do so on the SFWMD web site by trying to find 407 Basin Stormwater Modifications. Truthful warning: it’s over 1,000 pages in complete unfold out over quite a few PDFs. And this isn’t even the “thrilling” stuff. There’ll possible be many extra “meatier” permits filed within the months and years to come back as Imagineering brings the Vehicles and Villains Lands to life.
As a little bit of colour commentary and context, a lot of these staging areas are frequent for large-scale building initiatives at Walt Disney World. It may appear surprising that the gravel laydown yards are like triple the scale of the particular enlargement space, however that’s not unusual–particularly since this isn’t a single uninterrupted staging location.
There have been comparable laydown yards for all types of main enlargement 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 enlargement itself.
What’s extra attention-grabbing about these staging areas, in my view, is that they need to lead to land that was beforehand marginally appropriate for building to change into appropriate for constructing. That means that the staging areas themselves may very well be building websites sooner or later.
This might merely imply this space is an enlargement pad for the Villains Land. Ought to or not it’s effectively obtained, Walt Disney World would possibly greenlight one other attraction to be constructed on this area. That will surely make sense, particularly with Villains Land being extra of an open idea land as an alternative of one other single mental property enlargement.
Equally possible, from my perspective, is an in-park resort overlooking the Villains Land. To be clear, that is purely speculative–I’ve heard zero credible rumors a couple of resort being a part of the ‘Past Large Thunder’ mission. I simply understand how Walt Disney World administration salivates on the prospect of extra high-dollar resort stock, and this would definitely examine that field–and in a extremely fascinating location.
This strikes me as a technique to ‘promote’ the mission internally, because the room capability can be extremely priceless and assist recoup the prices of the enlargement. In actual fact, there’s already just about a blueprint for this: Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea, which can also be behind 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 may in all probability dethrone Grand Floridian because the flagship Walt Disney World resort.
Talking of hypothesis, it’s additionally protected to anticipate that the Walt Disney World Railroad will shut for an additional few years.
In case you missed it, 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 (however who’s counting?!).
It’s totally potential that the Walt Disney World Railroad closes longer this go-round. Again with the final closure, we heard so many followers complain that it was poor planning by Disney to take the trains offline so lengthy. That’s incorrect. It was totally by design–a characteristic, not a bug.
Taking the Walt Disney World Railroad down beneath the pretext of building provided the corporate appreciable operational cost-savings. It additionally resulted in minimal pushback from friends and followers because it was visibly apparent that constructing the brand new curler coaster interferes with the railroad.
To be clear, I’ve zero perception into Walt Disney World’s plan for closing the railroad to accommodate building of the Vehicles and Villains Lands. I’m merely sharing what occurred up to now, as that’s in all probability the most effective predictor of the longer term.
What we do know is that beginning in 2025, the railroad tracks might be between the gravel laydown yards and the development web site on Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America. It’s totally potential, if not possible, that the WDW Railroad will have to be taken out of service to facilitate work and vehicular visitors forwards and backwards throughout the tracks from the staging space to the location.
Long term, the development of Villains Land will virtually actually necessitate a closure. Not solely is there the identical subject with staging to web site entry, however the Villains Land will truly be constructed instantly alongside the Walt Disney World Railroad. Whereas it’s potential this new land manages to remain contained in the berm, we wouldn’t financial institution on it.
That would 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 and mixing the 2 factors above, having an in-park resort with a railroad station (much like Disneyland Paris, however on the bottom) can be savvy.
Finally, it’s good to see these ‘Past Large Thunder’ initiatives kicking into excessive gear so quickly after their official bulletins on the 2024 D23 Expo. Whereas we will actually debate whether or not Vehicles needs to be changing the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island within the first place, it’s good to see them transferring in an expeditious method regardless.
A minimum of for me, it will be worse to announce all of this, then have Disney sit on their arms for just a few years, solely to have the most effective a part of the mission–Villains Land–fall by way of as a result of delays. The second part of Disney initiatives is notorious for by no means occurring, and that’s normally as a result of work doesn’t begin till the primary part is open. I’m glad that isn’t occurring right here.
Sadly, this does imply that “saving” the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island is an absolute misplaced trigger. We’ve had readers ask us whether or not petitions, contacting Walt Disney World Visitor Communications, and many others., are good concepts. Our response is that we at all times suggest respectfully expressing your disappointment and explaining how the corporate’s choices and practices will impression your holidays and future enterprise (or lack thereof) with Walt Disney World.
So contacting them over it is a good thought. However it’s not going to change the trajectory of the mission. It’s means too late for that. The wheels are already in movement, and have been since 2022. This choice isn’t going to be undone.
On a constructive be aware, listening to from diehard followers who’re displeased by initiatives like that is exactly what offers them pause and critical consideration earlier than continuing. That means that contacting the corporate won’t change this choice, however it might be what helps save Carousel of Progress, Journey into Creativeness, or Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room (random examples–not suggesting any of them are at the moment on the chopping block).
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Your Ideas
Excited that Imagineering has already filed permits for the Vehicles and Villains Lands in Magic Kingdom? Or had been you hoping that there was nonetheless time for a change of plans if sufficient followers voiced their displeasure with the closing of Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America? Are you optimistic that this may usher in an period of enlargement at Walt Disney World? Excited or underwhelmed by the plan? Or, are you in wait and see mode with this? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions—even whenever you disagree with us—is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
