As we enter the middle of 2023, Disney's Magic Kingdom is undergoing some radical changes that will open iconic new rides and change old fan favorites. There's the closure of Splash Mountain to transform it into Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Another major change to the park was the April 4th opening of Tron's Lightcycle Run.
But, what big changes are awaiting Magic Kingdom if we look beyond 2023 and 2024? We've compiled three of the top rumored changes. Each would dramatically change Magic Kingdom. With Disney finalizing some major projects and making recent comments it plans to invest $17 billion more into Disney World in the next decade, each of these projects could be next up on Disney's list!
Rumored Change #1: Goodbye to Frontierland
©Disney – Original
Would Disney really do away with one of its “themed lands?” Frontierland exists at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland.
And yet, with Splash Mountain being reimagined as Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Frontierland's signature ride at the Magic Kingdom no longer has a “frontier” theme to it. At California's Disneyland, Tiana's Bayou Adventure sits next to New Orleans Square, which becomes a natural fit.
Magic Kingdom doesn't have a New Orleans Square area, however. One idea would be that Disney could completely reimagine Frontierland, perhaps making it a new land that's home to a new Encanto and Coco ride (more on that next).
Rumored Change #2: An Encanto and Coco-Themed Ride
©Disney – Original
With no Disney parks in Latin America, Disney World is a popular destination for visitors from South and Central America. Disney has released a couple of major films featuring Latin American countries with Encanto and Coco. However, neither film has a major attraction at Disney World.
One rumor has been that Disney could pick the films to be the basis for two of its next major attractions. A recent Reddit thread speculated on what Encanto could look like as a dark ride and the ideas were very compelling.
The opportunity to re-theme Frontierland could be an ideal place to put an Encanto or Coco attraction. It's important to know that this idea is beyond just “rumors.” Disney revealed concepts in 2022 of Coco and Encanto attractions and has been relocating roads behind Thunder Mountain to accommodate future attractions. Our money is on a new land featuring Encanto and Coco being the next major Magic Kingdom expansion.
Rumored Change #3: Goodbye Tomorrowland Speedway
It's not very controversial to say Tomorrowland Speedway is showing its age. The cars are older and aren't exactly futuristic. In a world where electric cars are seen as the future, the stinky go-carts you ride in are decidedly outdated. Could a major update (or replacement) be one of Disney's next major projects?
With Disney finishing off one major attraction in Tomorrowland (Tron, which opened on April 4th), they can finally shift their focus. One common suggestion is to re-theme the ride around Wreck-It Ralph. The idea is to use the Sugar Rush arcade game from the movie as a theme. With Disney looking to inject more IP into its parks, this idea seems like a no-brainer for Disney's next batch of changes.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Donna R. Theimer AIFD/Shutterstock.com.