Imagineering Recordsdata Allow to Demolish Tom Sawyer Island at Disney World


In a bittersweet improvement, Imagineering has filed the primary allow to demolish Tom Sawyer Island, forward of building on the ‘Piston Peak’ Vehicles challenge in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom. This particulars the newest information, and what we’re anticipating from the Rivers of America alternative at Walt Disney World.

Reasonably than beginning by bringing you up to the mark on the Vehicles saga, let’s begin with the information earlier than backtracking. Walt Disney Imagineering filed a brand new Discover of Graduation on June 25, 2025 for “demo, infrastructure prep and utility modification” to an handle that corresponds with Tom Sawyer Island in Magic Kingdom.

Disney lists NorthStar Contracting Group, Inc. because the contractor for the challenge. NorthStar has some spectacular bona fides within the demolition world. Based on the corporate’s web site, NorthStar has been ranked within the prime 10 Demolition & Wrecking Contractors in the USA since 1999. NorthStar was even ranked #1 in Wrecking & Demolition for 2020 by ENR Journal–are you able to imagine it?! (I don’t know what that’s.)

Level being, it will appear that Walt Disney World is assembling the dream group for the Vehicles challenge, first calling on one of many world’s main cellular modular companies for the Imagineering subject places of work and now an all-star within the demo house. It’s just like the Avengers, however for paving over paradise to place in a cartoon Vehicles race.

In any case, Walt Disney World goes to wish the demolition all-stars who “deliver solutions” as a result of the Discover of Graduation lists the default expiration interval of 1 yr–which means it expires on June 25, 2026.

As we’ve talked about in current allow protection, it’s by no means noteworthy when these Discover of Commencements go along with the default, as new permits can at all times be filed for extensions. It’s illuminating when the interval is shorter or longer, as that’s typically (however not at all times) reflective of the inner challenge timeline.

For these retaining rating at dwelling, that is the primary substantive demolition allow that we’ve noticed for the Rivers of America alternative following the allow issued by the South Florida Water Administration District (SFWMD) in mid-February 2025, giving Imagineering till February 17, 2030 to redevelop the world. The underlying SFWMD allow is huge in scale and scope, encompassing over 300 acres round Magic Kingdom and past.

The challenge website itself is about 14-plus acres, and can start with the removing of the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island. Instead of these areas, Walt Disney World introduced two all-new Vehicles points of interest and Villains Land growth at Magic Kingdom, basically behind Vehicles Land, and between/behind Large Thunder and Haunted Mansion.

As we famous when that was accredited, it was not the ultimate allow for the Villains and Vehicles Lands tasks as an entire, nevertheless it was the one which posed the best diploma of problem and scrutiny from the state. The remaining ought to largely be rubber-stamped–together with this one for the demolition Tom Sawyer Island. That SFWMD allow was the one hurdle that mattered–the final materials obstacle to the Vehicles and Villains Land tasks.

Subsequent to the SFWMD allow however previous to this, Walt Disney Imagineering started laying the groundwork for this challenge by submitting building permits to put in trailers in a backstage space behind Large Thunder Mountain Railroad and Tiana’s Bayou Journey in Magic Kingdom.

The first allow then was assigned to McGrath RentCorp, an organization specializing in building subject places of work adjoining to work websites. These have been very related permits for a trailer park and staging space behind Kali River Rapids in help of the Tropical Americas challenge final spring. In addition they repurposed the previous Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser behind Disney’s Hollywood Studios into subject places of work for the Monstropolis growth there.

There’ll probably be dozens extra demolition and building permits for the Piston Peak ‘Vehicles’ miniland within the subsequent few years. We don’t plan on masking the extra pedestrian of these (simply as we haven’t with Tropical Americas). That is solely being reported on as a result of it qualifies as a significant milestone. And since there are nonetheless some followers deeply in denial about this challenge taking place (it’s).

As a reminder, Walt Disney World formally introduced that the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and Liberty Sq. Riverboat will all shut on July 7, 2025. The final day to expertise any of those points of interest and places at Magic Kingdom might be July 6, 2025.

Together with that, “shuttle mode” operations of the Walt Disney World Railroad will start on July 7, 2025. That’s additionally when the Frontierland Station will shut on a short lived foundation for Vehicles and Villains Land building. Which means that the final date to expertise the Grand Circle Tour of the WDW Railroad (or cease at Frontierland Station) is July 6, 2025.

As soon as the rivers cease flowing and are crammed in, they may kind the inspiration of the Vehicles land (now often known as Piston Peak Nationwide Park) in Frontierland and a portion of Villains Land.

Walt Disney World has additionally shared that building partitions won’t go up in a single day on July 7, 2025 in Frontierland obstructing the challenge website. Reasonably, partitions will go up regularly over the course of a few weeks, so count on to see them by late July–simply in time for the debut of Disney Starlight: Dream the Night time Away.

That’s a joke. After we inquired, a Walt Disney World spokesperson suggested us that building partitions won’t affect viewing areas for the brand new Starlight Night time Parade in Magic Kingdom. In addition they shared that building partitions won’t affect crowd circulate or bypasses in Frontierland for individuals who do not need to ‘Dream the Night time Away.’

Which means that the waterfront promenade in Frontierland will stay open for the foreseeable future. Presumably, building partitions will go up on the opposite facet of the boardwalk. That is a minimum of a small victory for these of us who admire this Frontierland ‘shortcut’ or have been/are fearing the worst with crowdflow for Starlight.

Personally, I’m actually curious to see how this can all unfold, what sort of visible blight will exist in Frontierland, and the way the challenge website will evolve. When the Rivers of America has been drained prior to now for refurbishment and repairs to the riverbed, there haven’t been partitions in any respect (see above).

My assumption is that it was deemed to be too herculean of a process to put in partitions throughout the perimeter of the Rivers of America in Frontierland and Liberty Sq., and arguably counterproductive. Which is worse: a view of a dry riverbed with some work autos driving round and the pure atmosphere of Tom Sawyer Island past it, or building partitions that make the land really feel smaller and extra claustrophobic?

Clearly, that is a lot totally different in period, scale and scope. For one factor, it’s not only a multi-month challenge to restore the riverbed–it is a multi-year building challenge that’ll materially alter the atmosphere. For an additional, there received’t be the attractive pure vista of Tom Sawyer Island within the distance. As this allow brings into sharp aid, that play space is being demolished.

I’ve additionally been questioning what’s subsequent with the demolition of Tom Sawyer Island, razing of the Rivers of America, and Vehicles building. Particularly, whether or not this work goes to occur in phases or be a large all-at-once endeavor.

Previous to deadlines being introduced, we speculated that Walt Disney World may probably protect the Frontierland-facing half of the Rivers of America for some time–probably so long as a yr–utilizing cofferdams. That crews would possibly begin backstage and work their option to the entrance half over time.

That clearly isn’t going to occur given the deadlines (together with Frontierland Station), and in gentle of the permits which have now been filed. It’ll nonetheless be attention-grabbing to see simply how rapidly the Rivers of America stops flowing and demolition begins. It appears to be like like we in all probability have a few weeks after the points of interest shut on July 7, 2025 to benefit from the view, however I wouldn’t essentially depend on that. Except the all-stars at NorthStar are consummate professionals and plan on ferrying bulldozers over on the rafts. Now that will be a sight to behold!

Suffice to say, we must always begin to see drainage and plenty of dust transferring by Fall 2025–possibly as early as August. My guess can be there’s seen demolition of Tom Sawyer Island within the coming weeks. Whereas I used to be giddy about seeing the carnage in Dino-Rama, it’s going to be a gut-punch the day when Harper’s Mill comes down.

Throughout the final month, work has already started backstage. That’s all what’s publicly seen from Floridian Means, the part of highway to the northwest of Magic Kingdom. It’s troublesome to discern how far alongside progress is on this space nearer to on-stage areas and the guest-facing facet of the Rivers of America. It’s additionally attainable that extra is finished backstage earlier than work begins in earnest on infilling the Rivers of America.

Zooming out, there might be three gravel laydown yards in whole across the northwestern perimeter of Magic Kingdom used for building tools, heavy equipment, supplies staging, earth-moving, and so forth. Disney additionally must create a brand new retention pond for stormwater administration that’s roughly three-quarters of a mile to the northwest of Magic Kingdom. It’s probably that the bottom eliminated when digging the brand new pond might be used for filling the Rivers of America.

As heartbreaking because it’ll be to see Harper’s Mill demolished, Rivers of America drained and crammed in, my hope is that Imagineering is fast-tracking all of this and plans to do as a lot as concurrently as attainable. We’ve been towards the alternative of the Rivers of America from the beginning, and keep that perspective to this present day.

Nevertheless, now that it’s crystal clear that this challenge is occurring, we wish it to be fast-tracked. Decrease the period of time there’s building blight in Magic Kingdom, avoiding a repeat of the Big EPCOT Dust Pit fiasco. The longer any challenge drags on, the extra probably it’s that to be budget-cut or worth engineered into oblivion.

That’s what makes this bittersweet. I nonetheless don’t love this concept, nevertheless it’s going to occur and there’s nothing I can do to alter the course of this challenge. Accordingly, I might love nothing greater than for the future-former Rivers of America to be unrecognizable by January 2026, and cranes showing on website to begin vertical building. (That’s in all probability means too quickly–however the level stands that I would like this transferring full-steam forward.) Get this finished rapidly to attenuate the visitor affect and have Piston Peak open ASAP.

As mentioned in Walt Disney World’s 5-12 months Development Plan, the positioning prepwork alone for Vehicles Land and Villains Land might be a herculean endeavor that may take many months–if no more than a yr. Followers will bemoan the prolonged timeline, however Vehicles Land debuting in 2029 really appears pretty aggressive given the size and scope of labor.

On the very least, Walt Disney World will need to get transferring on the groundwork for the walkway connecting Large Thunder Mountain and Haunted Mansion, working behind Piston Peak Nationwide Park and in entrance of Villains Land, in the course of the present closure of Large Thunder Mountain Railroad.

That year-plus refurbishment is slated to wrap up someday within the first half of 2026 (probably earlier than spring break), and we’d count on progress on a pathway by then (it received’t be wherever close to able to open in 2026–simply began and to some extent the place BTMRR received’t have to shut once more later to accommodate building).

Imagineering Recordsdata Allow to Demolish Tom Sawyer Island at Disney World

As at all times on the subject of the subject of changing the Rivers of America, I’ll reiterate my view that eradicating the Rivers of America is a mistake (my small technique of ‘protesting’ this and making clear that reporting on the information shouldn’t be construed as endorsing the choices).

Whereas I’m very a lot reassured by the brand new idea artwork and what the Imagineering challenge group has shared about Piston Peak Nationwide Park, my view continues to be that it’s making lemonade out of lemons. It sounding like the most effective case situation given the circumstances continues to be not the most effective case situation, interval.

That is one thing we lined beforehand at size within the commentary to our unique put up about Vehicles Land Changing Rivers of America. In case you’re struggling to grasp why followers are upset about this, think about studying a kind of. I’m not going to fixate or belabor the purpose right here because it’s already been made repeatedly, however this waterway is a part of the center of Magic Kingdom and not only for the visitors who actively make the most of these points of interest.

Whereas Piston Peak appears to be like beautiful (assuming the completed product matches the recently-released ‘Enjoyable Map’), it nonetheless strikes me as a mistake that Disney isn’t retaining the Rivers of America waterfront whereas redeveloping the again half of Tom Sawyer Island and the world that’s really past Large Thunder.

I’m nonetheless hoping for the most effective with Piston Peak Nationwide Park. It’s going to be a tricky needle to string, nevertheless it feels like possibly Imagineering can create a Vehicles space impressed by U.S. Nationwide Parks with mountains, water, and extra that slot in Frontierland. I like what I’ve seen to date, particularly the variety of water options and the preservation of the waterfront promenade. Right here’s hoping they’re as much as the duty and might pull it off.

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Your Ideas

Ideas on Walt Disney Imagineering submitting a allow to demolish Tom Sawyer Island? Even if you happen to knew this present day was coming, does it nonetheless sting–or are you prepared to maneuver on? Dissatisfied that the Piston Peak Nationwide Park is changing Rivers of America? Provided that that is going to occur regardless at this level, do you hope it’s full steam forward so we don’t must endure a repeat of the Big EPCOT Dust Pit fiasco? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we may help you reply? Listening to your suggestions—even whenever you disagree with us—is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!

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