If you haven't visited Magic Kingdom since before July 2025, some familiar ground is simply no longer there. The Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Liberty Square Riverboat — fixtures of the park since its 1971 opening — are gone, cleared to make way for Piston Peak National Park, the Cars-inspired land Disney calls the centerpiece of the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history.
At D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, running August 14–16, 2026, Disney has put detailed physical models on the show floor that make the project's scope tangible. The Piston Peak model reveals a mountainous landscape complete with towering trees, waterfalls, rivers, geysers, a visitor lodge, Ranger HQ, and trails — all styled after real American national parks using what Disney Imagineers describe as National Park Service-inspired "Parkitecture." The land's headline attraction will send guests on an off-road rally in specially designed vehicles, while a second, family-friendly experience will feature Miss Fritter from Cars 3.
Disney frames Piston Peak as an extension of Frontierland's westward storytelling rather than a transplant of Cars Land from Disney California Adventure. The fictional national park is meant to feel native to Frontierland's narrative, even as it replaces the comparatively open river geography that defined that corner of the park for more than five decades.
Piston Peak isn't the only major project reshaping Magic Kingdom's western side. Beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Disney is developing its first land dedicated entirely to Disney Villains. D23's show floor includes physical concept models for that project as well, featuring dramatically twisted trees that signal a darker visual tone than anything currently in the park. Disney has confirmed two major attractions plus dining and shopping for Villains Land, though specific ride systems, characters, and storylines have not been officially announced — meaning reports linking the land to Maleficent, Hades, Ursula, Yzma, and Kronk remain unverified for now.
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Taken together, the two expansions are redrawing a substantial portion of Magic Kingdom's geography. Cinderella Castle, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and other signature landmarks remain untouched, but the landscape connecting parts of the park is being rebuilt from the ground up. Disney's major Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase presentation is scheduled for August 15 and is expected to offer additional details. This story was first reported by Disney Fanatic.
