There’s nothing that compares to a birds-eye view for massive construction projects at Walt Disney World. Thankfully, friend of the site Bioreconstruct acts as our eye in the sky when it comes to the transformation of Walt Disney World. From a helicopter some 3,100+ feet in the air, we have new photos of the ongoing demolition of the Rivers of America at Magic Kingdom. Interestingly, demolition work has also expanded to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which remains under refurbishment. Here’s a detailed look at the Piston Peak National Park and Villains Land construction sites from earlier today!
Aerial Photos of the Rivers of America Demolition at Magic Kingdom
We’ll start with a wide look at the entire Magic Kingdom expansion construction site. There are a couple of things happening at the same time, all reliant on the demolition of a number of guest areas. Of course, the most visible demolition has been that of Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America.
Disney began draining the Rivers of America back in August, about a month after the area was closed to guests. During that time, Imagineering teams worked on preserving props from Tom Sawyer Island and preparing it for demolition.
Following the draining of the river, Disney installed construction walls around the site to block Tom Sawyer Island from the view of guests. A couple of weeks later, Disney began the demolition of buildings on Tom Sawyer Island. About a month ago, Disney began the demolition of the cave systems on Tom Sawyer Island.
A couple of weeks ago, we got a unique view of the demolition of Tom Sawyer Island, with the vast majority of the trees cut down.
Now, we have a look at the construction site from the air again, showing how nearly the entire site is now dirt as Disney continues demolition ahead of the next phase of the project.
What is the next phase of the project? Back in mid-October, we unearthed permits that revealed that the next phase of the project was grading of the site and the installation of water management systems. The exciting part of our analysis of the permit was piecing together the outline of the upcoming Villains Land.
For more on how drainage lines can inform entire layouts of theme park lands, check out our article below!
Ok, back to the recent photos, we’re going to start with an overview of the site. The photo immediately below shows the northwest corner of Magic Kingdom, as viewed from a vantage point north of the theme park, looking south. We can see sort of two distinct areas. The middle of the photo shows the former Rivers of America and dark dirt outlines of the demolition of Tom Sawyer Island.
A small line of trees separates this area from an area that used to be a forested area north of the Walt Disney World Railroad tracks. It is believed that this area will be utilized as a construction laydown yard, but it could also house some infrastructure or attractions for Villains Land.
Piston Peak National Park
Focusing on the south end of the construction site, we find the area that will eventually become Piston Peak National Park. The general boundaries of the new Cars-themed land are from the exit of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad straight across to the entrance of Haunted Mansion. This east-to-west line will divide Piston Peak National Park to the south and Villains Land to the north.
Here’s a look at concept art showing Piston Peak National Park taking over the southern end of the Rivers of America.
If we look at the far right edge of the photo below, we can see that demolition has taken place for the Tom Sawyer Island boat launch, as well as demolition of the walkways around the exit of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Earlier this month, we caught photos and video of Disney starting early ride testing of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Big Thunder has been closed since January and will be closed for the remainder of the year. The entire track has been replaced, and Disney is working on bringing “new magic” to the ride when it reopens sometime in 2026.
Villains Land
Looking at the north end of the construction site, we can see an area that will become Villains Land. Disney has been a bit more secretive about the layout and exact location of Villains Land. We’ve only been able to put together bits and pieces from our analysis of construction permits. Therefore, it’s tough to say exactly how much space Villains Land will take up. That said, Disney is obviously clearing plenty of land in the northwest corner of Magic Kingdom to give itself plenty of space over the next 3-7 years to develop the area.
For everything we know about the Cars-themed expansion to Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland, check out our dedicated project page below!
For everything we know about the upcoming Villains Land at Magic Kingdom, check out our dedicated Villains Land page below!
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!
