Another Portion of "Classic" Magic Kingdom Will Be Removed Permanently by Disney

Magic Kingdom is experiencing its largest expansion in history, with two massive new lands on the horizon: Piston Peak (the new Cars-themed area) and Villains Land. While excitement is building for these additions, there’s something significant being lost in the process—something that has defined the Magic Kingdom experience since 1971.

It’s not an attraction. It’s not even a building. It’s the park’s carefully crafted sightlines.

The Magic of Immersion

One of the hallmarks of Walt Disney Imagineering has always been the obsessive attention to theming and immersion. From the moment you step onto Main Street, U.S.A., you’re transported to a specific time and place. Walk into Liberty Square, and you’re in colonial America. Step into Frontierland, and you’re in the Old West. This illusion works because Disney has meticulously controlled what you can—and cannot—see from each land.

For decades, dense landscaping, strategic building placement, and the famous “berm” (the elevated earthen wall surrounding the park) have kept the modern world at bay. You don’t see Space Mountain from Frontierland. Each land exists in its own bubble, and that’s part of the magic.

But that’s changing.

Trees Are Coming Down

Construction for Piston Peak National Park officially began in July 2025, when the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Liberty Square Riverboat closed permanently. Since then, significant tree removal has already taken place throughout Frontierland and Liberty Square to make way for the new expansion.

Guests have already noticed the difference. Photos circulating online show that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is now far more visible from the Magic Kingdom hub than it ever was before. Large trees that once provided natural screening between lands have been removed, and the results are jarring for longtime fans.

This is just the beginning.

A photo that might become a Thread in a few years. What will change with the development of Piston Peak National Park?
Skyline of Frontierland seen when entering from the Magic Kingdom hub. pic.twitter.com/evYqp0PycT

— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) December 14, 2025

The Strange Sightlines in Magic Kingdom

Here’s where things get awkward: when Piston Peak is built, you’re likely going to see Cars-themed mountains and attractions from Liberty Square. You’ll be standing in line for the Haunted Mansion, and you’ll be able to see Piston Peak National Park’s rugged Western terrain and rally race vehicles in the distance.

You’ll be strolling through Liberty Square, surrounded by colonial brick buildings and Revolutionary War-era theming, and Lightning McQueen’s world will be visible.

This isn’t speculation. The geography simply doesn’t allow for the kind of visual separation that Magic Kingdom has relied on for over 50 years. According to Disney’s own descriptions, Piston Peak will feature “dramatic peaks,” “soaring geysers,” and “rugged mountains”—all of which will tower over the relatively low-profile buildings of Liberty Square and Frontierland.

It’s not just Cars. The upcoming Villains Land—which is rumored to include a massive structure inspired by Maleficent—will likely be visible from multiple areas of the park, including Frontierland.

Fan-created maps and concept art suggest that Villains Land will sit directly behind Frontierland, northwest of Big Thunder Mountain. If that’s the case, guests in Frontierland may be able to look up and see a dark, gothic mountain looming in the distance—a mountain that has nothing to do with the Old West theming around them.

Again, this breaks one of the core principles that has made Magic Kingdom feel so immersive for decades.

Why This Matters

Some might argue that this is nitpicking. After all, you can already see parts of Cinderella Castle from multiple lands, and guests don’t seem to mind. But there’s a difference between a castle—an icon that unifies the park—and seeing completely unrelated themed environments bleeding into each other.

Imagine you’re a first-time visitor. You’re exploring Liberty Square, learning about colonial America, and you glance to your right and see… race cars and mountain peaks? Or you’re in Frontierland, enjoying the cowboy aesthetic, and you look up to see a villain’s lair from a completely different story?

It’s disorienting. It breaks the spell. And for a park that has prided itself on immersive storytelling, that’s a significant loss.

The Cost of Expansion

To be clear, this isn’t an argument against Piston Peak or Villains Land. Both expansions sound incredible, and they’ll likely bring cutting-edge attractions and much-needed capacity to the park. But there’s no denying that something is being sacrificed in the process.

The “classic” Magic Kingdom—the one that felt like a series of distinct, carefully separated worlds—is disappearing. In its place, we’re getting a park that feels more crowded, more visible, and less concerned with the kind of meticulous theming that once defined it.

Disney has already made changes that signal this shift. The closure of the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island wasn’t just about removing old attractions. It was about fundamentally reshaping the park’s layout. The removal of mature trees throughout Frontierland and Liberty Square is another sign that sightline preservation is no longer the priority it once was.

A New Era for Magic Kingdom

Whether you love these changes or mourn them, one thing is certain: Magic Kingdom is entering a new era. It’s an era of bigger expansions, bolder IP integration, and—unfortunately—less visual separation between lands.

The park’s famous attention to detail isn’t going away entirely, but the philosophy is shifting. Instead of hiding everything behind berms and trees, Disney seems more willing to let guests see the full scope of the park, even if that means seeing things that don’t quite “belong” in the land they’re standing in.

For some, that’s exciting. For others, it’s a loss of something irreplaceable.

So yes, Disney is removing the Rivers of America. They’re removing Tom Sawyer Island. They’re even removing parts of the Walt Disney World Railroad experience.