Disney Closed These Rides, but We Will Always Remember Them

Take a walk down memory lane.

A family of four smiles and takes a selfie with Donald Duck at Walt Disney World, with a large building and trees in the background. The excited children in colorful clothes capture the magic of their 2026 resort stay. — Credit: Disney

If we’re being honest, Walt Disney World has a daunting amount of things to do. From classic dark rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion to thrilling roller coasters like Space Mountain and Expedition Everest, it’s easy to spend an entire day just enjoying the attractions on offer at Disney World.

However, Disney’s Florida resort has so much more for guests to enjoy than purely rides and attractions. Take, for example, Oga’s Cantina at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. This highly themed bar transports guests into their own Star Wars story, allowing them to sit back, relax, and enjoy some out-of-this-world beverages in the coolest bar in the galaxy.

Pandora – The World of Avatar also transports guests into an alien world, though instead of Star Wars, it’s James Cameron’s blockbusting Avatar franchise.

Pandora has been a huge hit since it opened in 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, so much so that Disney is now working on bringing the Avatar franchise to life on the West Coast, too.

While Disney World is full of fun things to do, it’s not all been Mickey bars and Dole Whips. Disney only has a finite amount of space to expand, meaning a lot of the time, rides close to make way for these newer experiences.

Over the last several years, guests have seen a number of fan-favorite rides and attractions close to make way for new expansions, and while these updates are exciting, we can’t help but look back and long for the days when we could enjoy some more “classic” experiences.

It’s Tough to Be a Bug

Starting with one of the most recent closures at Walt Disney World, It’s Tough to Be a Bug isn’t a “ride” per se, but it was one of the most shocking developments at the resort. The 4D show had been a part of Animal Kingdom since the beginning, located inside the park’s Tree of Life theater.

Blending fun 3D effects with real-life props, It’s Tough to Be a Bug was funny, quirky, and wholly unique. The attraction closed permanently in early 2025 to make way for a new theater show, Zootopia: Better Zoogether.

Reactions to this new attraction have been mixed, but no matter how good they are, we will always miss It’s Tough to Be a Bug.

DINOSAUR

Next up on our list is one of Disney’s most intense and ferocious rides, DINOSAUR. The ride isn’t closed yet, but it will shut down for good in early 2026, marking the end of an era for Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Disney has plans to transform DinoLand U.S.A., which includes DINOSAUR. This attraction has never ranked all that highly among other options at the parks, but there is something truly special about DINOSAUR that we can’t get enough of.

Maybe it’s the animatronics, maybe it’s the atmosphere, maybe it’s the sheer fact of being the only scary ride at Walt Disney World. Whatever the reason is, we will really miss DINOSAUR when it finally goes extinct.

Liberty Square Riverboat

This is a very tough one to take about. Last year, Disney announced several projects for Walt Disney World. The list includes the updates to Disney’s Animal Kingdom that we already mentioned, but also involves the complete overhaul of Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland.

This section of the park has changed drastically over the years, with one of the biggest updates happening last year with the grand opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

Now, Frontierland stands at another fork in the road, and this time, Disney is leading in an even bolder direction. This summer, Disney permanently closed Magic Kingdom’s Rivers of America, which included Tom Sawyer Island and Liberty Square Riverboat.

The artificial waterways had flown through the park for decades, and the riverboat had given guests a chance to explore them authentically.

The water tours ended this July, marking one of Disney’s most controversial decisions to date. Fans are still torn up about the closure and demolition of Tom Sawyer Island, though the riverboat lies on it, at least as a display piece, for now.

Muppet*Vision 3D

Again, not a ride per se, but more of an immersive 4D experience, Muppet*Vision 3D was perhaps one of the most unique and quirky attractions in all of Walt Disney World. Much like It’s Tough to Be a Bug, Muppet*Vision 3D blended physical props and animatronics together with fun practical effects, transporting guests into the wacky world of the Muppets.

The attraction closed after decades of operation this summer, along with the land it resided in, Muppets Courtyard. This section of Disney’s Hollywood Studios is set to become Monstropolis, a new land inspired by Pixar’s Monsters Inc.

Concept art depicts an exciting hub full of things to explore, but we will never forget what once occupied this space.

What rides should be on this list?