With the East Coast version of Disneyland opened in Orlando in 1971, multiple generations of parkgoers have now come to associate the four parks making up Disney World with specific rides and memories.
To keep visitors’ experiences fresh, parks are constantly being updated with new rides to reflect modern films and characters. The Magic Kingdom park is currently undergoing a major construction that will see Rivers of America transformed into a new “Cars”-themed Piston Peak National Park as well as another land dedicated to Disney villains.
With Rivers of America permanently closed down in July 2025, construction on the new lands will be taking place throughout the coming years. Four rides that were inside Rivers of America were closed down permanently while several others nearby are shut down temporarily for refurbishments during ongoing construction.
As construction on new Magic Kingdom lands continues, four Rivers of America rides shut forever
The four rides lost to the closure of Rivers of America include “Tom Sawyer Island” and “Liberty Belle Riverboat.” The latter steam-engine boat ride was launched just two years after Magic Kingdom opened in 1973 and took visitors around the artificial island.
Other experiences lost to the Rivers of America closure include the shorter “Rafts Across Rivers Of America” boat ride to the island and “Walt Disney World Railroad Full-Circle Tours.” The latter full-circle train ride around Magic Kingdom has been one of the classic rides running since Disney World opened in 1971.
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While not a ride, the “Aunt Polly’s Dockside Inn” snack shack selling Southern-inspired dishes such as barbecue sandwiches and soft-serve ice cream has also been shut permanently along with Rivers of America.
Disney released this photo of the newly-refurbished Big Thunder Mountain.
Disney
With some Rivers of America experiences lost, here are the Disney World rides reopening this spring
Unrelated to the Rivers of America closure, “Big Thunder Mountain” in the park’s Frontierland has been closed for refurbishments since January 2025. “Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin” in Tomorrowland has also been shut since August 2025.
The latter laser blaster ride finally reopened to visitors on April 8 while the iconic roller coaster is also slated to come back at the start of May. The updates put in over the last year of construction include new tracks and more modern cars.
The height requirement for kids was also lowered from 40 to 38 inches.
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“The rumblin’, rollin’ fun of Big Thunder Mountain here at Disney World recently completed a mountain-top to cavern-deep refurbishment meant to keep the classic attraction in tip-top shape, ready to delight guests who want to ride the rails for years to come,” Disney announced through its official parks blog.
When it comes to the new “Cars” and Villains lands, Disney has so far released very little information about rides or opening dates. This type of construction at any of the parks has traditionally taken at least five years.
“Part of pioneering this new story includes tapping into the themes of exploration and adventure that inspire so many of us to keep propelling forward,” Michael Hundgen, an executive producer for Walt Disney Imagineering, said last year. “Anytime we touch Magic Kingdom, we recognize the massive responsibility that exists to get it right and tell stories that connect with our guests.”