New aerial photos of Villains Land offer the best look yet at the next phase of work in the northwest corner of Magic Kingdom. Site staging has expanded, and the first hints of attraction show building pads are starting to appear. Crews are also digging and placing pipes across the site. Here’s a look!
Villains Land Site Work Advances With Grading and Utility Installation at Magic Kingdom
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- The lighter dirt that points to early attraction show building grading
- Early underground infrastructure
- How the current site lines up with the permitted building layout
- The road to a 2028 infrastructure finish
What the New Aerials Show
New aerial photos from friend of the site Bioreconstruct capture the sprawling Villains Land construction site in the northwest corner of Magic Kingdom. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad still anchors the southern edge of the work, with the former Rivers of America basin opened up to the north and west.
The headline here is staging. Crews have spread laydown areas of pipe, precast manholes, and construction materials across much of the site. It’s not exactly glamorous, but this type of work is critical preparation for the attractions, experiences, shopping, and dining to come.
Lighter Dirt Hints at Show Building Pads
Look for the lighter-colored dirt in these photos. Those compacted, pale areas appear to be early land grading. The leveled and prepped pads that the attraction show buildings will eventually sit on.
The grading appears to be roughly consistent with the permitted layout Disney filed earlier this year, which placed the Villains Land buildings across the former Rivers of America basin. It’s especially obvious for the northeast show building behind the Haunted Mansion. It is widely believed that this will be an immersive dark ride, although the theme of the ride remains a mystery.
Underground Infrastructure
The other story in these photos is the pipes. Crews are digging trenches and placing stormwater pipes and conduit across the site, with staged precast manholes waiting nearby.
This underground work has to go in before the pads can be finished and built upon. Color-coded pipe runs and the manholes staging suggest that the stormwater and utility backbone for the expansion is actively going into the ground.
How It Lines Up With the Permitted Layout
A permit Disney filed on January 16th gave us building footprints to measure against. The largest Villains Land structure came in around 83,000 square feet, with additional buildings at roughly 55,000, 16,000, and 8,500 square feet, plus a 5,800 square foot building next to the Haunted Mansion. That permit also pointed to more than 9,000 additional guests of daily capacity once the expansion is complete.
The grading and utility work in these aerials falls within that same basin footprint. As pads take shape, we should be able to start matching graded areas to the permitted buildings more easily.
The Story So Far
- Disney filed a permit in October 2025 covering drain lines across roughly 33 acres for the Cars and Villains projects.
- A January 2026 permit revealed the building layouts for both Villains Land and the Cars-themed Piston Peak National Park.
- Our analysis of filed permits indicated the infrastructure work is targeted for completion by 2028.
- Aerial photos in March 2026 showed early infrastructure work and land grading underway across the site.
What Comes Next
The infrastructure phase is targeted for completion by 2028. Piston Peak National Park is expected to open around 2029, with Villains Land projected for 2030 or beyond. Disney has not confirmed firm opening dates for either project.
For now, the work remains earthwork and utilities, with show building pads just beginning to take form. We will keep tracking the site as the pads firm up and vertical construction begins.
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!