Comments from a recent interview are getting Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle in hot water from the Disney fan community. In talking about growth at the resort, Vahle said the quiet part out loud, noting that recent closures of beloved attractions like MuppetVision 3D and the Rivers of America were due to those areas being “underutilized”. Let’s take a look at what Vahle said, and why it is hitting home with Disney fans.
Vahle Takes Heat, Calling Closed Beloved Attractions Underutilized
We’ll start by taking a look at what Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle said in a recent interview with Orlando Magazine.
In the past year, we have broken ground on major expansions in three of our theme parks. We are building Monstropolis in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Tropical Americas in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Villains- and Cars-themed areas in Magic Kingdom. Construction of Disney Lakeshore Lodge, a new Disney Vacation Club property next to Fort Wilderness Resort, is also well underway.
We know that everything at Walt Disney World is somebody’s favorite, so we were extremely thoughtful about that. These lands and attractions will deliver some incredibly creative experiences while also bringing new life to underutilized areas.
Honestly, on its face, there’s really nothing new from Vahle here beyond the fact that it was he who said it this time. Disney Experience executives, all the way up to Chairman Josh D’Amaro, have talked about optimizing every square foot possible inside the theme parks. Of course, this is not a winning strategy when it comes to creating themed spaces, but it has been proven to be a winning strategy when it comes to optimizing shareholder returns.
When the interview with Vahle came out a few days ago, I really didn’t think anything of the comments. Basically, Vahle was saying exactly what we’d expect someone in his position at The Walt Disney Company to say. I’ve never met Jeff Vahle, so I can’t really speak to his intentions, but I have heard stories. His comments dismissing the Rivers of America, MuppetVision 3D, and more as underutilized areas that need to be optimized do align with what I’ve heard of him. That is, there is a greater focus on the bottom line than there is on some of the principles that made Walt Disney World, and the Disney theme parks in general, great.
Of course, the Disney fandom isn’t taking the comments well, and I can’t really blame them. Reaction on social media has been scathing towards Vahle.
There are a few things at play here. First, I think Vahle’s comment saying that “everything at Walt Disney World is somebody’s favorite” approaches empathy toward nostalgia, but doesn’t get there. Of course, Vahle’s job isn’t empathy, so we’ll move on.
The next issue is when Vahle says, “we were extremely thoughtful about [removing people’s favorite things]”. That’s a tough statement to make when there are so many shuttered areas at Walt Disney World that are ripe for investment. Instead of replacing beloved attractions, investing in closed spaces would be additive – I’m looking at you, Wonders of Life (honorable mention: Stitch’s Great Escape). There are so many areas that could be brought back to life, that I think dead/closed areas should’ve been prioritized for capital over “underutilized areas”.
The loss of the Rivers of America in particular is significant. Yes, it was underutilized in the most optimization-focused sense of the word, but it was supposed to be. The Rivers of America is going to be tough to replace as a breath of fresh air in the world’s busiest theme park. I never got around to writing an article about Tom Sawyer Island, and I might still, but my opinion was that it was the last hidden gem in Magic Kingdom, and now it’s gone.
In seeking to eliminate underutilized spaces, Walt Disney World is simply building New York City without Central Park. Ironically enough, Walt Disney World’s biggest competitor, Universal Orlando Resort, built a theme park around their own version of Central Park: Celestial Park. When creating something brand new out of the dirt, Universal realized that underutilized spaces play just as important a role as groundbreaking, envelope-pushing attractions. Universal understood this so well that they not only created space for it, but they leaned into it. Universal executives would often mention that Celestial Park is “putting the park back in theme park”. To me, that read as a dig at Walt Disney World, which was announcing plans to pave over the Rivers of America.
All of that is to say that while I don’t find Vahle’s specific comments as distressing as Disney fans have over the past 48 hours, I do find the mindset of maximum optimization distressing. The white space in between words is what creates a complete, cohesive sentence. Optimizing every corner of the theme parks with Lightning Lane-generating attractions loses sight of the importance of creating spaces to relax and catch your breath. Spaces like the Rivers of America not only invited guests to slow down for a moment, but they also play a huge role in establishing theme and place within a theme park.
While all of the announced projects are certainly too far along in the process to be substantially changed, the hope is that there is a mindset shift within Disney Experiences leadership to recognize the importance of underutilized spaces, and not the need to optimize underutilized spaces.
The fear is that we’ve gone too far already, and that Disney won’t build an Epic Universe Celestial Park-style area ever again. I can’t imagine Josh D’Amaro (or the next Chairman when D’Amaro lands CEO) getting in front of 12,000 Disney fans at a D23 Expo and announcing a Rivers of America-style concept anytime soon. I hope I’m wrong.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
They should have torn out the massively polluting Tomorrowland Speedway, put Cars Land over there and left ROA/TSI alone. The main reason Uncle Walt established massively huge WDW was to have the room to grow that they didn’t have in Anaheim. There’s thousands of acres of raw land almost completely surrounding the Magic Kingdom. Expand into that, don’t tear out perfectly good attractions. If you don’t want to go outside the periphery of the railway (pedestrian crossings are too dangerous with all those strollers everywhere), move the rail line further out!
I thought everyone knew. No one has been going to these areas/rides since before the pandemic. One’s nostalgic memories aside, Disney is one of the most data driven companies in America. They know who is on the ride day to day and hour to hour. They are standing on business to make sure there’s memories for years to come.
Here’s the deal. People been going there for decades and what was nostalgic to them isn’t nostalgic for newer people. The people that are going down for the first time now will have their own nostalgia with Tiana’s bayou adventure and other things. So in 20 years when they change those again..
Tried to post a comment and it timed out on me. It was good, it was real good. But, in actuality, who cares right? It will never make a difference, it should but it won’t. WDW will become a playground for DVC and the ultra rich.
There are a lot of old, boring rides at WDW. A park needs to constantly reinvent itself to keep visitors coming back. The idea that they should keep bad attractions (e.g. Carousel of Progress) just because they were there when you were a kid, doesn’t make sense.
Current Disney Management needs to go. They understand nothing about themeing! It’s about developing ALL THE SENSES, not just cramming something into every space! This is why modern talking cars belong no where in FRONTIERLAND OR COLONIAL LIBERTY SQUARE! It’s why monsters needed placed next to its Pixar cousin Toy Story and Muppets needed an expansion! CURRENT WDW PRESIDENT IS TONE DEAF!
I am so upset that the Riverboat has gone and Tom Sawyer Island. I loved the fort. I liked the feeling I was in a John Ford movie. Liberty Belle was like going back in time. The voice over was so soothing. My mother is in a wheelchair: gentle rides mean alot to us. Now it’s all gone. We lost The Great Movie Ride, now this. Makes me so sad.
The optimization of underutilized areas (greed) is trending. I just heard the same wording about plans to, in my opinion, ruin Leu Gardens in Orlando. Very sad world we live in that behind every joyous experience there are vampires.
They didn’t care about what Walt would have wanted. Walt Disney does not fit in with their New Woke values, and therefore they are saying by their actions that Walt has to go. As for me, I would much rather have Walt’s underutilized attraction this thing Bob and Josh’s trash and garbage.
Not writing about Tom Sawyer’s Island just shows that he was right about under utilized. Although a small percentage of park goers go back (probably not every visit), I was a one and done visit, maybe checking it out every 10 years or so.
The river boat and island, the Liberty Bell, and Haunted Mansion…that area was the colonial period. Flawless. Turn the corner and you’re in the Wild West; which is why IMO Tiana doesn’t fit. Car’s Island would be like moved shortened they moved the loudest area across from Hogsmeade.
It’s understandable to feel sad about the removal of attractions like TSI, the Riverboat, and the Muppets. These areas might not have been as profitable as hoped, which is sometimes necessary for the growth and evolution of the parks. Over the years, Disney has made similar changes—removing popular areas like the Backstage Tram Ride, Toy Story Land, and the Lights, Motors, Action! stunt show to make room for new experiences like Toy Story & Star Wars Land. While these changes can be disappointing, it’s often because the parks are trying to find new ways to entertain and delight visitors. What was nostalgic to a 10-year-old in 1995 isn’t nostalgic to a 10-year-old in 2025. We’ve seen this before, such as with the Tower of Terror in California, which still exists in Florida and on Tom Sawyer Island wich still exist in Disneyland, preserving its charm. These unique attractions become even more special when they’re the only place to experience them, making the memories even more meaningful. Change can be hard, but it also opens the door to new adventures and memories.
They’re closing the dinosaurs ride and attractions. Sad. Would have loved to show my son when he’s older.