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Credit: Inside the MagicWith Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party opening last night, it gave Disney fans a chance to check out Magic Kingdom decked out for fall, even though it is only mid-August. Beyond that, it also gave guests a look into the future of Magic Kingdom: a construction zone for the next few years.
With the closure of Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America, construction walls went up and closed down the heart of the park. Despite the protest of Disney fans, Disney still went ahead with the closure to make way for the new Cars and Villains Lands.
But Disney fans weren’t expecting a Halloween horror show at the Not-So-Scary party. When fans made their way to the construction zone, they found that Rivers of America had been completely drained. The shock of seeing the once-vibrant area gone through Disney fans for a loop, but when they woke up this morning, it only got worse.
With the water gone, construction vehicles could start making their way into the former Rivers of America to begin clearing out decades of sludge and dirt. With only a few small trucks, it appears that this is only the early stages of cleaning out the river so it can be leveled for the Piston’s Peak Cars Land.
The aerial photos posted on X (formerly Twitter) by @bioreconstruct show the river drained enough for three trucks to drive near the riverbed. They also show the scope of the project with some land clearing beyond Big Thunder Mountain for the new lands.
It’s been about six weeks since Disney closed the two water attractions in Frontierland. Disney has not announced when the new Cars Land will open, but most experts expect it won’t welcome guests until 2029.
The next step for construction is to fill in Rivers of America and begin removing some of the trees around the river and on Tom Sawyer Island. At the current pace of construction, that could happen within the next few weeks.
When guests head back to Magic Kingdom for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, they could be looking at a large patch of dirt rather than the tree-filled island. Significant changes are coming to Magic Kingdom, so be prepared.
What do you think of the changes coming to Magic Kingdom? Let us know in the comments.