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Credit: Inside the MagicJust weeks before Tom Sawyer Island closes for good at the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort has filed new demolition permits for the original Frontierland area.
At D23 Expo 2024, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro revealed that Walt Disney Imagineering was building two all-new Cars (2006) attractions in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom Park. This expansion will take over much of the Rivers of America, forcing Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat to permanently close on July 7, 2025 (the final day of operations for both attractions is July 6).
Earlier this month, Walt Disney World Resort shared more details about the Cars area coming to Frontierland. Inspired by the United States’ grand and expansive national parks and named after a place in Pixar’s Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014), the Piston Peak National Park area will feature a thrilling roadster race ride and a family-friendly attraction introducing an all-new character, Ranger Autobahn Woodlore.
Concept art for the area shows that it will preserve some of the existing Rivers of America landscape and eventually connect to the entrance of Disney Villains land, another promised Magic Kingdom Park expansion slated to go “beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
On June 25, Walt Disney World Resort filed a “Notice of Commencement” for construction work in the Tom Sawyer Island area.
The permit contracts NorthStar Contracting Group, Inc. for work including “demo, infrastructure prep and utility modification” at 4975 Caribbean Way in Bay Lake, Florida (the address of Tom Sawyer Island). It expires one year from the filing date on June 25, 2026. From theme park journalist @ScottGustin on X (formerly known as Twitter):
Earlier today, Walt Disney Imagineering filed permits for demolition, infrastructure prep, and utility work on Tom Sawyer Island.
July 6 is the last day to experience Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Liberty Belle at Magic Kingdom.
Earlier today, Walt Disney Imagineering filed permits for demolition, infrastructure prep, and utility work on Tom Sawyer Island.
July 6 is the last day to experience Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Liberty Belle at Magic Kingdom. pic.twitter.com/qls7CnyhuW
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) June 25, 2025
Walt Disney World Resort extended the Liberty Square Riverboat’s hours for its final weeks of operation; it now opens one hour earlier, operating from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tom Sawyer Island is open from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. most days. Before making their final visits, guests should check the hours for both experiences on the My Disney Experience app or the Walt Disney World Resort website.
The official webpages of the Liberty Square Riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island state that they “will close permanently on July 7 to make way for the largest expansion in history at Magic Kingdom.”
Walt Disney World Resort has yet to announce the opening date for Piston Peak National Park or the nearby Disney Villains land.
The changes come amid a years-long transformation in Frontierland, which saw Splash Mountain transformed into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the grand opening of the refreshed Country Bear Musical Jamboree, and the closure of the original Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade to make way for a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) lounge.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is currently closed for a year-long refurbishment that will bring “new magic” to the Magic Kingdom Park roller coaster when it reopens next year.
Which Cars characters do you hope to see in Piston Peak National Park? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!