Magic Kingdom Threatened with Closure: Multiple Lands in Danger of Demolition

According to recent reports, Magic Kingdom is set to majorly expand, but with that expansion will certainly bring a lot of closures to areas of the popular theme park — and if the building time of TRON Lightcycle / Run is any indication of a timeline for one attraction, things might be very messy at the most magical place on earth for a while.

At Walt Disney World, we have been seeing changes in the theme parks for a while, almost as if Disney was rotating through their parks. In Magic Kingdom, Toontown was demolished with New Fantasyland being added in 2012, in 2017, Pandora — World of Avatar debuted at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, then, nearly half of Disney’s Hollywood Studios was in shambles for years as Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge were added in by 2019, and by June 10 of this year, EPCOT will finally have all of the walls down around CommuniCore, opening up World Nature, World Discovery, and World Celebration after its lengthy refurbishment that also added attractions like Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

Now, the spinner is back to Magic Kingdom.

Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that $60 billion would go into the theme parks and experiences sector of The Walt Disney Company beginning in 2025, with $30 billion of that fund going directly into new developments in the theme parks.

“It’s probably the largest expansion ever at Magic Kingdom,” Michael Hundgen, Walt Disney World site portfolio executive, said Tuesday during a rare media event previewing new Disney attraction designs and technology at its Walt Disney Imagineering facility in California, said CNN.

He mentioned that the expansion will encompass an area similar in size to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, spanning approximately 14 acres. A Disney team is presently engaged in research trips and conceptualizing designs for this expansion zone. However, Hundgen did not disclose the themes or narratives that will be featured, nor did he provide a timeline for the project’s completion.

While there is no confirmation on what is coming, there are reports that recently revealed probable expansions.

Brayden, who runs the YouTube channel Mickey Views has speculated what will come to Beyond Big Thunder.

Did someone order some RUMORS?! ??‍?

Did someone order some RUMORS?! 👨🏻‍🍳 pic.twitter.com/ndI6QwxGVb

— Brayden (@SirBrayden) April 9, 2024

The expansion would include:

• Dark Universe is a villain-themed land that was shown during the 2019 D23 Expo as a “Blue Sky” project. It should include one major E-ticket attraction and a second ride.
• Radiator Springs Racers from DCA is said to be coming to an expansion of Frontierland.
• A Woody attraction will come to Frontierland.
• Frontierland de-themed and moved.
• Rivers of America may be shortened or downsized (or worse).
• Tom Sawyer’s Island may be shortened or downsized (or worse).

Below is the full video of Brayden explaining these new transitions and expansions at Magic Kingdom.

Disney CEO Bob Iger, who returned to his role in November 2022 only two and a half years after leaving the company, said: “As I looked at the returns on the invested capital that we made in this business over the 15 years prior to my coming back, it was extraordinarily compelling. We should allocate in a direction where we had great returns.”

At the virtual Disney shareholder meeting on Wednesday, a preselected question was asked: “Why hasn’t Disney prepared anything or placed more than just a handful of attractions to be ready for this in 2025 at Walt Disney World?”

Iger replied, “That just couldn’t be further from the truth.” He said Disney has been aware of Universal’s plans for more than a decade, and that Disney has a method of analyzing all its needs to strategically deploy its capital.

Related: Disney’s Expansion Plan Begins: Mickey Mouse Finds New Home Overseas

After naming new lands and attractions that were developed at Disney’s Florida resort over the past decade, Iger said, “By staggering these major launches, we have been able to commercially and operationally optimize our new offerings over time, rather than having to do it all at once.”

There are also rumors of Indiana Jones, Encanto, and Coco taking over DinoLand U.S.A.

If this is the level of change that will take place in Magic Kingdom, there is a strong chance that a lot of areas in Frontierland and Liberty Square will be closed for years, based on Disney’s ongoing renovation timelines.

What do you think of this Magic Kingdom expansion plan?

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