Disney World's 'Cars'-Themed Piston Peak Takes Shape at Magic Kingdom

Walt Disney World's largest Magic Kingdom expansion in years is now rising in Frontierland. Construction crews continue to shape Piston Peak National Park, a new land themed to Pixar's Cars that is taking over the area once occupied by Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America.

Disney has confirmed the land will feature two attractions. The headline ride is a rugged, off-road adventure in which guests board open-air, four-person vehicles that climb rockwork and wind through forested terrain meant to evoke a national park. A second, gentler ride is designed with younger "racers" and families in mind.

A longer road ahead

The project was first unveiled at Disney's D23 fan event and has moved steadily from concept art to active groundwork. Disney has not committed to a firm opening date; industry watchers expect the attractions to debut toward the end of the decade rather than in 2026.

The retheme is part of a broader wave of investment across Central Florida's parks as operators compete for visitors following the 2025 arrival of a major new rival nearby. For now, Frontierland guests will see walls and cranes where the Rivers of America once flowed — the early, unglamorous stage of a headline attraction still years away.

Sources: Attractions Magazine; Disney Parks (D23 announcements).