Disney World fans OUTRAGED as theme park announces closure of beloved attraction to make way for new Cars land

Disney World fans have been left outraged after the theme park announced the closure of a popular attraction to make way for a new Cars land.

Over the weekend, Disney Experiences chairperson Josh D’Amaro unveiled a slew of new additions that would be coming to the Happiest Place on Earth, which included an Encanto river ride, an Indiana Jones attraction, and a Zootopia show.

He also revealed that they had three brand-new areas in the works – one themed like the Disney Pixar movie Monsters Inc., another based on the beloved Cars franchise, and a third dedicated to Disney’s villains.

But the news was met with mixed reactions from the amusement park’s longtime fans.

While many were excited about the upcoming additions, some were heartbroken when it was revealed that they’d have to say goodbye to another section of the park to make room for the Cars land.

The company said that the River of America and Tom Sawyer Island in Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland would be transformed into the new Lightning McQueen-themed area – which means the Liberty Square Riverboat ride would shut down permanently.

And fans of the attractions immediately took to X, formerly Twitter, to share their devastation.

‘This makes me very sad. The Liberty Riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island are such a classic part of Magic Kingdom,’ one person wrote.

‘This is genuinely so disappointing to me. Magic Kingdom was my favorite park because of how late it was open and how peaceful and fun it was to walk around Frontierland since it’s one of the lesser populated areas of the park,’ someone else agreed. ‘It’s gonna be a s**t show and concrete jungle now.’

‘Walt never intended his theme parks to be a concrete jungle. He was inspired by taking his daughters to the park,’ another user scathed.

‘His designs were inspired by his small town, his love for America and all her beauty. River of American is an essential element/landmark to the parks, just like the castle.’

‘This is awful. For a resort with an endless amount of land, why take away a beloved piece of the park?’ a different fan asked. 

‘They’re taking the Walt out of WDW,’ a fifth tweet read, while a sixth said, ‘Man… they really want to kill anything original in the parks.’

‘WDW is being gutted. People don’t realize the things that made it special and the best in the world are being removed,’ someone else tweeted. 

‘It’s going from a theme park with cohesive storytelling and lands to a common amusement park/carnival, with random IPs crammed next to each other. It’s a slow death.’

‘A few weeks ago I was sitting in Liberty Square just soaking in the ambience. The Liberty Belle riverboat was getting ready for her first voyage of the day, releasing loud rhythmic puffs of steam into the air,’ another user wrote.

‘I never expected that two months later, future prospects of reliving that moment are going to be lost forever. 

‘We’re losing way more than we think. This should be an alarm bell for anyone who loves Walt Disney World.’

‘I feel exactly the same… literally can’t believe this is happening. Makes me sick to my stomach,’ a different person replied.

‘Have always loved Tom Sawyer island… A welcome oasis of calm in a day at MK (Magic Kingdom). Would be a big loss, for me,’ another Disney fan agreed.

Others, however, praised the decision. One person wrote, ‘Walt wanted a family park that evolved with the times, I also loved The Library Belle but it needs to change.’

‘As a modern day Disney fan, I don’t care for Tom Sawyer Island and am OK with it going away,’ someone else said. 

‘I understand some fans have nostalgia for EVERY opening day attraction, but sometimes, things have to change. 

‘Having to take a raft just to get over there was a hassle anyway lol.’

‘I’ve been to Disney so many times. I’ve never once did this boring s**t,’ a third user revealed.

‘I won’t miss the riverboat’s annoying horn blasting in my ears when I walk down Liberty Square,’ a fourth admitted.

‘The only people who care about this are Disney adults. This is building for the next generation,’ another tweet read. 

The new Cars land will contain two dazzling attractions. One will ‘be geared towards smaller guests and will be fun for the whole family,’ while the second will ‘invite you on a thrilling rally race through the mountains,’ as per WDWMagic.com. 

‘Take on wild terrain as you race across the landscape climbing mountain trails, dodging geysers and – Mater’s favorite – splashing through mudholes,’ it adds.

‘To make way for this completely new frontier, the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will be transformed into vast and rugged terrains for a rally race with some of the world’s most iconic racers,’ the company said in a press release.

It’s unclear when exactly the Liberty Riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island will close, but Disney said construction won’t start until next year – so you can still enjoy them until at least the end of 2024.

‘Ahead of work revving into high gear next year, guests will have plenty of time to experience the charm and nostalgia of Frontierland as it is today,’ it added.

Another ride set to close for the park’s new updates include Dinosaur in Animal Kingdom, which will be transformed into the Indiana Jones attraction.

DinoLand will be re-themed to a Tropical Americas area, which will be home to the parks’ first ever Encanto ride. 

Over in Hollywood Studios, Monsters Inc. land will have a suspended rollercoaster that will put riders ‘right in the middle of the monster action.’

Disney hasn’t confirmed where that new area will go, but some fans suspect it will replace Muppets Courtyard, which would mean the closure of the ride MuppetVision 3D. 

The villains-themed area will be added as an expansion to Magic Kingdom, so nothing will have to change for that.

‘This land will be home to the villains that you know and those that you loathe, which means happily ever after… It may feel like just a distant dream,’ Josh said while announcing it.