New aerial photos from friend of the site Bioreconstruct, reveal ongoing work for Villains Land at Magic Kingdom. Earlier this week, we got a ground-level look at the land grading work taking place, but these new aerial photos offer a better look at the scale of the work. We can even see some new infrastructure work taking place in what will likely be a backstage area tied to the Villains Land development.
Aerial Photos of Villains Land Infrastructure Work at Magic Kingdom
We’ll start with some context to understand what we’re looking at. In the image below, we can see the Villains Land-related buildings highlighted in purple. We believe that Villains Land will be located north of an imaginary line between Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Haunted Mansion.
In the first aerial photo below, we can see the sprawling construction site in the northwest corner of Magic Kingdom. There is a lot of dirt moving throughout the site as Disney shapes the land to create a blank slate from which Villains Land can grow out of the ground.
Shifting perspective, we can start to see what could be an “on stage” area and what could be “backstage”. The boundary that we’re thinking of is basically along the old Walt Disney World Railroad route. In the photo below, we can use the concrete pipes as a delineation point. Anything to the west (lower part of photo below) would be considered backstage, while anything to the east (upper part of photo below) is eligible for an on-stage area.
Looking at the site from the north, we can see a large pile of dirt being utilized to fill areas within Villains Land. I think that this dirt pile behind the Haunted Mansion will eventually need to be flattened to allow for the creation of a 94,000sqft building.
I like the angle of this next photo. In it, we can see the Piston Peak National Park construction site and most of the Villains Land construction site. What this photo really provides is a sense of scale between the two areas. It is worth remembering that Piston Peak National Park is not a new themed land. Instead, it is being positioned by Disney as an expansion to Frontierland. It will, ideally, integrate well with the existing areas in Frontierland.
More importantly, Piston Peak National Park is not a big area. A rough measurement puts the size of Piston Peak National Park at about 3.5 to 4 acres of land. That’s just a little bit bigger than the size of Storybook Circus. While Piston Peak National Park will certainly redefine this area of Magic Kingdom, we have to keep reminding ourselves that it is not a brand-new land, and the photo below reminds me of that fact.
The photo above also sort of highlights where the boundary between Piston Peak National Park and the Villains Land area is. In the photo below, we can see that land grading has occurred up to an area just beyond the Haunted Mansion/Big Thunder Mountain imaginary line. I contend that this area is the start of the Villains Land part of the construction site, and the photo below shows the recent efforts to create a level grade from which to build upon.
Zooming out again, we want to turn our attention to a backstage area where early infrastructure work is underway. There is some digging taking place in an area that we think will be pretty far backstage when the dust settles. That said, it is very likely related to the Villains Land construction site. Disney will need to plug their new infrastructure into existing infrastructure, and previously filed permits seem to suggest that there will be some connection points along the Floridian Way roadway nearby.
Analysis by BlogMickey.com of existing permits revealed that Disney plans on wrapping this infrastructure work up by 2028. It is believed that Piston Peak National Park will open sometime in 2029 and that Villains Land will open in 2030 or beyond. For a closer look at the speculated timeline, and how this infrastructure work ties into it, check out our article 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!
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