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Credit: Edited by Inside the MagicReports are swirling that Disney World may be axing a majority of Frontierland to make room for New Orleans Square as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure continues t0 progress at Magic Kingdom.
For those who have been to Magic Kingdom in the past, you likely know that the park is built up of multiple themed lands that guests can explore. Firstly, guests will walk into Main Street, U.S.A. This nostalgic entryway is inspired by early 20th-century small-town America. Guests can enjoy shops, restaurants (Starbucks), and the iconic Cinderella Castle at the end of Main Street, U.S.A..
If you head left, you will next find yourself in Adventureland, a land that whisks guests away to exotic locales with attractions like the Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Enchanted Tiki Room. The Swiss Family Treehouse and Aladdin’s Magic Carpets also contribute to the adventurous atmosphere.
Next up is Frontierland. This Wild West-themed land features attractions like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the soon-to-be-completed Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and the Country Bear Jamboree, which was just announced to shut down at the end of the month for a slight retheme.
Liberty Square is designed to resemble colonial America and boasts attractions like The Haunted Mansion and Hall of Presidents. The Liberty Square Riverboat offers a scenic cruise around Tom Sawyer Island.
As guests continue walking through the park, they will embark on Fantasyland, which is a magical realm where classic fairytales come to life. From Cinderella Castle (or at least, the back side of the castle) to “it’s a small world,” Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, guests can experience beloved stories and characters. Years ago, we also saw New Fantasyland be added into the land, replacing Toontown.
Finally, Tomorrowland transports visitors to the future with attractions like Space Mountain, Tomorrowland Speedway, and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. The land is often the first stop for guests who start their Magic Kingdom journey on the left side.
As we mentioned, Country Bear Jamboree is set to close down, which Disney announced in a blog post yesterday. The post shared the updates that will be done to the attraction, as well as updates on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, another Frontierland attraction, set to open later this year.
However, the blog post did end rather interestingly, it stated, “Keep an eye on the Disney Parks Blog as we introduce you to all the “bayou”-tiful details for this attraction, from new critters to the catchy New Orleans-inspired tunes. But hold your horses, we’re not done yet. We have a lot of growth and investment planned for our theme parks in the coming years and look forward to sharing more announcements about Frontierland … so y’all come back now, ya hear?”
Disney teased more news coming up, regarding the future of Frontierland, and predictions are being made on what that means.
During the “A Celebration of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” presentation at Destination D23 in 2023, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro offered a peek at concept art for the future of Magic Kingdom. Bruce Vaughn, head of Imagineering (WDI) came on stage and said he has been “blown away” by the concepts being explored for Magic Kingdom.
During the 2022 D23 Expo, we were told about the Blue Sky plans for “Beyond Big Thunder” which was a plan to extend Magic Kingdom past Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, with Coco, Encanto, and a Villains land.
But what does this all have to do with Frontierland?
In Disneyland, guests walk through New Orleans Square, which has become heavily themed to Princess and the Frog, with the addition of Tiana’s Palace which recently opened up. In Magic Kingdom, we do not currently have that land, but some predict we might.
Brayden (@SirBrayden) creator of Mickey Views, has been sharing his belief that Frontierland will become, in part, New Orleans Square and now, doubled down on that belief with this recent tease. The Disney creator stated that this is “not speculation”; however, his sources are not mentioned.
The “more announcements” teased for Frontierland are closing Pecos Bills for Tiana Restaurant and, if they ever get money, building something desert-ish behind Big Thunder so they can rope it into a new land and remove the Frontierland theme from existing street. Not speculation.
The "more announcements" teased for Frontierland are closing Pecos Bills for Tiana Restaurant and, if they ever get money, building something desert-ish behind Big Thunder so they can rope it into a new land and remove the Frontierland theme from existing street. Not speculation pic.twitter.com/hkHdGd2isr
— Brayden (@SirBrayden) January 9, 2024
Brayden continued, “If they don’t secure the necessary resources and approvals to remove Frontierland in its entirety like they want to, at the very least we should see Disney create a New Orleans area consisting of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and what is currently Pecos Bills.”
When it comes to Beyond Big Thunder, Brayden had this to say, “I don’t know if there even is a current plan for Beyond Big Thunder given under the current WDW President Jeff Vahle and Chairman Josh D’Amaro there is no expansion happening they’re way too cheap. But building something Southwestern back there was the plan *if* they had money”
Brayden has been speculating this change for quite some time, as you can see explained in his video below from April of 2023.
It seems that this speculation would believe Frontierland getting cut in half, theoretically, leaving Country Bear Jamboree and Big Thunder Mountain in Frontierland, as well as creating a New Orleans Square, beginning at Peco’s Bill through to Adventureland.
Again, this is purely speculation, but it would allow for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure to fit into a land more seamlessly, as well as give Disney a chance to expand Magic Kingdom, without actually expanding it.
There could be a chance that Frontierland could grow its “missing” land back once Beyond Big Thunder begins its plans, but that would eat into the land that will theoretically house the villains’ section of the park. Over the next 10 years, Disney CEO Bob Iger stated that Disney will be investing $60 billion into their parks and Disney Cruise Line, which will hopefully include the Magic Kingdom expansion.
Do you think that New Orleans Square will be coming to Magic Kingdom?