January Shutdown: Multiple Disney World Locations Closing in New Year, Will Not Accept Guests

New Year, new start. That’s certainly what it feels like looking at the list of permanent and indefinite closures hitting the Walt Disney World Resort in January 2025.

As the resort enters its biggest evolution era in recent memory, with the addition of brand-new lands and complete overhauls (“RIP Frontierland”), the Central Florida Disney parks will need to clean house before embracing the future.

Ever since D23 Expo 2022, Disney fans have been anxiously anticipating the next steps for the Disney Experiences brand. Over the last two years, Experiences chief Josh D’Amaro has confirmed a number of additions and changes for the Mouse House’s flagship destination, Walt Disney World Resort, with some of the updates coming at a great cost.

After the 2022 fan event left many wondering whether Disney would actually follow through with any of the “blue sky” ideas they presented, 2023’s Destination D23 and 2024’s D23 Expo, brought a number of confirmed changes–as D’Amaro clarified, “dirt is moving,” and all plans mentioned are in motion.

Among those plans is the DinoLand U.S.A. overhaul, which will see Disney Imagineers bring the Tropical Americas to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In this so-called Pueblo Esperanza area, the Encanto and Indiana Jones franchises will form the basis of two signature attractions, among other experiences.

Later, It’s Tough to be a Bug! will eventually be replaced with a Zootopia-inspired Better Zoogether 3-D show at the Tree of Life Theater.

Perhaps the biggest—and most divisive—change will be the relandscaping of Frontierland at Magic Kingdom Park. By bringing the Cars of Radiator Springs to Frontierland, Disney will completely remove Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America.

The Cars-themed land, which will be different from the one found in Disneyland Resort’s Disney California Adventure Park, will feature multiple attractions targeted at all ages.

Not only will Magic Kingdom welcome Pixar’s Cars, but it will also say hello to the Disney Villains in a much anticipated new area themed around the company’s most evil and beloved characters. Ahead of these biggest changes to the Disney World landscape, the resort will shutter multiple attractions, both permanently and temporarily, across its four theme parks in January.

Multiple other attractions will close in the New Year, joining the already closed Test Track at EPCOT and Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

In Magic Kingdom, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will close for over a year. On January 5, 2025, the Frontierland staple will run its final course before being changed forever.

The official Walt Disney World website states that Big Thunder Mountain will reopen in 2026 with “a little bit of new magic,” suggesting it may get updated in a similar way to the version found on the West Coast in Disneyland Park.

Also, at Magic Kingdom, except this time over in Tomorrowland, Disney recently confirmed that Astro Orbiter will be shutting for a lengthy period. The refurbishment of the ride will commence on January 13, with a reopening listed for sometime in the summer of 2025.

At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, TriceraTop Spin will permanently close at the end of business on January 12. This shutdown begins the end of DinoLand U.S.A., which will eventually be transformed into the aforementioned Tropical Americas-themed land. Also shutting down permanently from January 13 will be Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures and Fossil Fun Games.

Surprisingly, Disney recently confirmed that the signature DINOSAUR ride will remain open through the end of 2025.

More recently, Disney confirmed that Kali River Rapids will also refuse guest access as it enters its seasonal shutdown on January 6, reopening sometime in March 2025. As for EPCOT, the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros will also go dark in January.

The World Showcase ride will close on January 6 and is expected to begin welcoming guests once again on March 15, 2025.

While offering so much, Disney World also loses multiple attractions month after month. January feels particularly heavy for closures, and with discourse brewing, is the Central Florida resort even worth visiting in 2025?

How do you feel about so many attractions being closed in January 2025? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!