4
Credit: DisneyA major piece of Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort has officially closed its doors indefinitely.
After the holiday magic of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year at Walt Disney World Resort, attention is now on the big changes slated for 2025. Some, like the highly anticipated reimagining of Test Track at EPCOT, were already in motion heading into the new year.
With 2025 now here, Disney fans are witnessing the end of several beloved attractions as the company embarks on a new era of park evolution. Disney’s Animal Kingdom recently bid farewell to three permanent fixtures as DinoLand U.S.A. as the House of Mouse begins its transformation into the Tropical Americas-themed Pueblo Esperanza.
Fortunately for fans of the classic DINOSAUR ride, Disney confirmed that the attraction will remain open through 2025 despite previous speculation about its closure. However, locations such as TriceraTop Spin, Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures, and Fossil Fun Games all closed permanently on January 13, 2025, and the land was erased from Disney World maps moving forward.
While changes at Animal Kingdom are significant, perhaps the most controversial development is the transformation of Frontierland at Magic Kingdom. First announced at the 2024 D23 Expo, Disney plans to bring the Cars franchise to the area, merging it with Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
This ambitious overhaul will see iconic staples like Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America removed entirely from the park—yes, the Liberty Belle will no longer sail.
As part of this transition, on January 6, 2025, Disney closed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad indefinitely. According to the official Disney World website, the ride would “temporarily close for refurbishment on January 6, 2025,” and will “reopen with a little bit of new magic in 2026.”
This means guests took their final ride—for now—on January 5, 2025. Speculation is already swirling about what the “new magic” could entail, with many pointing to updates akin to those made to Disneyland’s version in Anaheim over a decade ago when new lighting and projection effects were installed.
In preparation for the extensive refurbishment, Disney filed a permit in late 2024, hinting at a possible reopening timeline. According to WDWMagic, “The permit, filed today, is assigned to long-time Disney Imagineering partner Elite AV Systems Inc. and expires on December 3, 2025.”
The report further states, “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is scheduled to close on January 6, 2025, for what Disney has described as its most extensive refurbishment to date. Previous permits for the project included work with Coastal Steel Inc. for general construction and DPR Construction for complex structural updates. The DPR Construction permit is valid through March 13, 2026.”
With the attraction now closed, progress became visible right away. Theme park reporter Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) shared an update on X (formerly Twitter):
“The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad refurbishment work is moving along quickly. Just a few moments ago, crews used a crane to lift and remove a massive piece of track. The ride closed on Monday and is set to reopen next year at Magic Kingdom.”
In the video, construction crews can be seen using a crane to hoist a large track section high above Magic Kingdom, visible from various parts of the park.
Madi (@madidavis07) shared photos of the moment, captioning them:
today while we were in line for haunted mansion!
Now, almost three weeks since the closure of this 44-year-old staple began, Disney World workers have pretty much removed the entire track, at least what can be seen externally. WDWMagic shared images of the transformation, revealing that the majority of the track pieces have now been pulled out of the location, marking the end of an era.
“…Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s design is intricately integrated with themed rockwork and other scenic elements,” the report reads. “This adds significant complexity to the track replacement process, requiring crews to carefully dismantle and navigate the ride’s elaborate environment without damaging surrounding theming.”
It’s clear that Disney isn’t wasting any time with the refurbishment, a surprising pace considering the company’s history of taking its time with large-scale projects (…World Celebration). Many speculate this urgency is driven by the imminent opening of Universal’s Epic Universe, a new theme park set to reshape the Central Florida entertainment landscape in just a few months.
Following the D23 Expo, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro addressed the challenges of undertaking massive projects during the INBOUND conference in Boston. He acknowledged that Disney doesn’t always get everything right but emphasized that each decision is made with the next generation of Disney fans in mind.
What do you think about Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closing for over a year? Are you surprised by how quickly Disney has moved on this project? Let us know in the comments below!