Magic Kingdom Steps into the Future But…
Welp. It’s all over.
We know the when and where of it, and it’s definitely happening, whether some fans like it or not.
Cinderella Castle
Magic Kingdom steps into the future in July, but it’s a sad day for some. Let’s talk about our feelings on this oddest of days.
The Halcyon Days of Yore
Photo: Disney
Go into any retirement home on this planet, and the residents will happily tell you about the good old days.
They remember a time when the world was fresher and more vibrant, when life was simpler and purer.
Photo: Matt Stroshane/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Walt Disney himself actually recoiled against this notion. His Carousel of Progress explicitly demonstrated how much the world had improved during his lifetime.
Few people of his age look at the world with such open eyes, though. Most of us remember a moment when we were happier and the world seemed smaller.
Disney
The reality of human existence is that few people deal well with change. We just don’t.
So, when we learn that something we like will turn into something else, we naturally recoil in horror. And that’s what’s happening at Walt Disney World right now.
Magic Kingdom
For the body of our lives – and I don’t care how old you are when I say that – Magic Kingdom has remained relatively stagnant.
Rather than changing the fundamentals of this beloved theme park, Disney settled on expansion instead.
The Orlando campus added EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom over the past 45 years.
However, Magic Kingdom largely remained the same, at least structurally. The park has hosted the same seven themed lands since October 1st, 1971.
Fantasyland at Disney World
The closest thing to a structural change occurred when Disney expanded Fantasyland into New Fantasyland 15 years ago.
More recently, rumors persisted that Magic Kingdom would close Frontierland, a themed land that appeared to be on life support.
Olga Thompson, Photographer
Once Disney confirmed that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a ride set in the 1920s, would replace Splash Mountain, those fears appeared correct.
Then, the governor called to save Frontierland. Sort of. The name will stay, but the place will be different.
Changing of the Guard
2024 D24 Expo
During the most frustrating D23 Expo parks presentation ever, Disney officials knew they were too broke to build anything.
So, what they did instead was engage in a thought experiment. They mentioned potential themed lands and attractions, surveying the crowd for its responses.
One thing became clear during that awkward conversation. Fans wanted a Disney Villains themed land.
To Disney’s credit, it heard its fans loud and clear on this point, even though the company couldn’t do anything about it at the time.
Disney’s financial structure at the time wasn’t the greatest due to the pandemic, but as I always say, the company thinks in terms of decades, not years.
After that event, park planners knew that a Disney Villains themed land must be on the menu. And it caused them to think even bigger.
Disney Villains Wickedpedia
Once CEO Bob Iger had cleaned the books, which remains an ongoing process, the company put it in writing that Disney would spend $60 billion on expansion.
Fans immediately believed that their dreams had come true. It’s a textbook demonstration of “Be careful what you wish for.”
Photo: Washington Post
Short of building an entirely new theme park, an approach Disney has never taken in America under Iger, something had to give.
Disney’s four theme parks aren’t out of space per se, but infrastructural matters force certain decisions.
Photo: skillastics.com
As an example, Disney’s Hollywood Studios isn’t an easy park to build out now, as the company used a lot of its space for the previous two expansions.
We lost Streets of America in the exchange, the piece sacrificed on the board to bring us Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land.
That’s how Disney does business at times, making the hard choice even when everyone knows it’ll be unpopular.
Kill Your Darlings
History is repeating itself at Hollywood Studios this very week. Fans have lined up to catch a final viewing of Muppet*Vision 3D.
Some of them have even tempted fate by dining one last time at what has perennially ranked as Disney’s worst restaurant, PizzeRizzo. I hope they brought lots of Tums.
This area, Muppets Courtyard, will die so that Monstropolis may live. In literary terms, Disney killed its darlings.
In simplest terms, this philosophy suggests that a creator must sometimes remove something they love from the story to make the entire book better.
Disney
While nobody is using this phrase at Disney, at least not to the best of my knowledge, it aptly describes what’s happening right now…and why we’re all so sentimental.
Disney is reclaiming the space of several classic but unpopular attractions to create something more appealing to the majority of fans.
Those of us who enjoy the existing attractions suffer, which is a natural part of this process. And it’s agonizing.
Muppet*Vision 3D represents the legacy of Jim Henson, and no Muppets fan wants it gone.
Disney
Sadly, its wait times since the announcement of its impending closure reinforce Disney’s point.
We haven’t witnessed a rush to watch the show one last time. Even Country Bear Jamboree got that, yet Muppets fans were only noticeably larger during its final few days.
And that brings me back to Magic Kingdom. For the first time ever, Disney will redefine the structure of this park.
On July 7th, three classic park experiences will close forever. Disney will pave over the Rivers of America, fundamentally changing the park’s landscape.
As a byproduct of this decision, Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat must close as well. Disney will kill these darlings.
Dealing with Change
Magic Kingdom Nighttime Cinderella Castle
I suspect that if you asked the average Disney fanatic which of these experiences they’ll miss the most, you’ll get a variety of answers.
For my part, I won’t miss Tom Sawyer Island at all. The Liberty Square Riverboat has provided me with some fond memories, but I can ride a boat somewhere else.
Photo: Disney
Personally, I’d rather have the land at Magic Kingdom used for something else. On the other hand, I’m quite aggravated about Muppet*Vision 3D.
For your part, you may feel differently, especially if you’re a parent with fond memories of Tom Sawyer Island.
That’s the unfortunate part of all Disney park changes. When something dies, the memories go along with it.
Okay, we both know that’s not true, but that’s how it feels to some, which is part of the problem right now.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Disney fans are experiencing the various stages of grief right now, and we know that we’ll remember something future generations won’t.
Magic Kingdom is timeless, so much so that a book I once read that riffed on the concept, Magic Kingdom for Sale – Sold! turns 40 next year.
Rivers of America
When author Terry Brooks wrote that, the park was already 15 years old and an iconic tourist mecca. That’s how quickly Magic Kingdom became an institution.
At no point in our lives did any of us consider, “What if Disney land-locked the entire park?” That’s what’s happening now, though.
We’re about to be the relics who remember the waters of Magic Kingdom, those gorgeous Rivers of America.
Here’s the worst part. Most tourists won’t even care. We all know that these attractions, while vital to the park’s appearance, aren’t popular.
The Acceptance Phase
So, that leaves many of us in the same spot. We’re spending the first few days of summer enjoying the weather and eating plenty of ice cream.
We’re feeling melancholy, though. We cannot help but feel that Walt Disney World is changing in a way that feels more final.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Sure, the Hollywood Studios transition of 2016-2019 felt dramatic, but we all knew an overhaul was needed. That’s the acceptance phase.
Few fans are there yet when it comes to Magic Kingdom, partially because it hasn’t happened yet. There’s more to it, though.
Flowers – Partners Statue – Magic Kingdom
We’re hurting because this feels like an inflection point at Walt Disney World, a changing of the guard, so to speak.
From this moment forward, we’ll have a before and after at Magic Kingdom with the existence of Rivers of America as the line of demarcation.
Some won’t remember it well at all, and people born after 2025 won’t even know it. For everyone else, this is a melancholy day, though.
The waters are leaving Magic Kingdom as the park steps into the future. It’s hard to accept that.
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