Newly released concept art suggests that the changes announced over the weekend coming to Walt Disney World in Orlando will include the draining of its iconic Rivers of America in the Magic Kingdom to make way for a new land themed to Pixar's "Cars" franchise.
Disney theme parks expert Len Testa, of Touring Plans, posted the new art, which shows the new Cars Land occupying the area where Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer's Island currently are located.
This xeet's video shows the transformation that's coming.
It's hard to imagine the Magic Kingdom without that central waterway, which lent the park so much beauty and tranquility. So much of what differentiates Disney theme parks from amusement parks is their commitment to world-creating. Their sense of place is intended to be much more than just concrete walkways between rides.
And it's hard to imagine why this was necessary when there is so much undeveloped land surrounding the park. There are even large areas of the river that could be drained and built upon that would have far less effect on the beauty of the park than the area around Tom Sawyer's Island and bordering Frontierland and Liberty Square. If the rivers area must be razed, why not leave the small part of the waterway that have the most effect on the aesthetics of the park, as this xeet suggests:
@Bioreconstruct posted this photo, taken at a time when the river was drained and under repair to joke about the new plan.
And the irony of a beautiful, scenic river and a walkable island in our idealized "frontier" being paved over to make way for Cars was not lost on some in social media.
You may have very limited time to get to Disney World and see the Rivers of America one last time.
Previously:
• Walt Disney World 2015: a keen-eyed design themepunk critique
• Walt Disney World's newest ride: Tiana's Bayou Adventure
• Skepticism about the rent-a-disabled-guide/skip-the-lines Disney World story
• Music and video revealed for new Disney World ride: Tiana's Bayou Adventure
