Latest news with #PistonPeak
The Drive
2 days ago
- Business
- The Drive
Disney Creating New 'National Park' Based on ‘Cars'
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Disney's Magic Kingdom in Florida is getting a new Cars -themed park section with a great-outdoors aesthetic. 'Piston Peak National Park' will let people play around in a land full of talking vehicles and do some Disney'ifed off-roading in the Cars universe. As pitched in the Disney Parks Blog : 'Imagine an awe-inspiring wilderness filled with towering trees, snowcapped mountains, breathtaking waterfalls, roaring rivers and impressive geysers. While fictional, Piston Peak is inspired by the Rocky Mountain area and the history and iconic sights of the American Frontier and its national parks.' Piston Peak NP is actually the setting of the Cars spinoff movie Planes: Fire & Rescue . So this trailer should give you a sense of what the set design will probably look like (though I'm sure the Magic Kingdom version will not feature a consuming wildfire). There's no official open date yet, but Disney's reportedly planning to start construction on Piston Peak on July 7, at which point Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America will close. The fan blog Pixar Post guestimates a 2027 opening. Disney Once it's done, Disney's promising that people will be able to explore a visitor lodge, Ranger HQ, 'majestic landscapes,' and an off-road ride. 'Rugged mountains with dramatic peaks will be nestled along a calming waterway across from Grizzly Hall and soaring geysers from the famed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will stretch into the trails of our off-road rally,' writes Disney. What the rally ride will actually be like remains TBA, but in March, Disney's official Instagram accounts shared the clip below showcasing some of the R&D being done to make it fun. Looks like park planners went for some UTV rides to get context on what kind of pace and level of jostling would be fun for park-goers. The amusement park company is reportedly going to have a gentler attraction for younger kids, too. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Disney Parks (@disneyparks) Concept vehicle art for the project is very cute. Maybe these rally cars will get their own show or movie at some point, too. Disney I'm not a big amusement park guy, but I did spend a weekend at Magic Kingdom last year, and I had a good time despite making myself barf. (Not from motion rides; I ate way too much junk.) There's an existing Cars experience, which is pretty tame but fun—you get to meet an enormous animatronic Lightning McQueen and watch an animated race on a wrap-around screen. Ka-chow! Got a tip? Send us a note at tips@
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Disney reveals first look at new Cars-themed land opening at the theme park
WALT Disney World Resort in Florida is opening up a brand-new land, and it's all dedicated to Cars. Called Piston Peak, the new land will allow fans to enter the fictional world of Cars with a National Park twist. 7 7 For those familiar with Walt Disney World Resort, the new area will be added to Frontierland to the right of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Disney announced that it will be the "largest expansion in the history of Magic Kingdom." Inside will be a visitor lodge, Ranger HQ, trails and, of course, there will be new attractions added to the land too. One will allow visitors to race through the mountains on wild terrain, avoiding geysers and mud holes. The creative team is also developing new race car personalities for the attraction. Each vehicle on the ride will have its own name and number, similar to real-life race cars. In order to develop the new land, Disney is set to close Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Liberty Square Riverboat beginning July 7, 2025. On the Disney Parks blog which explained more about the park, it detailed: 'From the outside, trees will provide a natural barrier between the off-road rally and other parts of Frontierland and Liberty Square. "Rugged mountains with dramatic peaks will be nestled along a calming waterway across from Grizzly Hall and soaring geysers from the famed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will stretch into the trails of our off-road rally.' Plans also reveal there are lots of water elements in the park, including a waterfall. 7 7 Disney has not yet announced an opening date for the attraction. Walt Disney World will see other new additions, like a new hotel. The Disney Lakeshore Lodge, which was formerly called Reflections Lakeside Lodge, is a nature-inspired resort being built on the former River Country water park on Bay Lake. Originally announced in October 2018, this Lakeside/Lakeshore Lodge will 'be a celebration of Walt Disney's lifelong love and respect for nature." It will have more than 900 hotel rooms and Disney Vacation Club villas. It is set to include treehouse suites and waterfront cabins and the opening date is currently 2027. In 2027, Disney World will introduce a new area called Tropical Americas in Animal Kingdom, replacing DinoLand USA. This new land will feature an Encanto -themed attraction, a re-themed Indiana Jones attraction, and a carousel. It will be inspired by Central and South America. 7 7 In Europe, Disneyland Paris is going through a transformation too. It's adding a whole new area called Disney Adventure World, which will also eventually replace Walt Disney Studios Park. One of the very first areas to open will be the World of Frozen, and the Kingdom of Arendelle will open its gates in 2026. It will include an all-new attraction called Frozen Ever After, and there will be an immersive shopping and dining experiences. Also, Disney Adventure World will feature a new "Lion King" themed area and log flume ride. In the works is Adventure Bay which is a central lake set to be built as part of the revamp. One Sun Writer went behind the scenes to take a look at the land in development. On the waters, Disney Destiny recently unveiled its newest ship to Disney's cruise ship fleet and this one will be themed around classic Disney villains and heroes. On the cruise ship, characters that are expected to a make an appearance include Marvel superheroes and traditional villains such as Maleficent, Loki, and Dr. Facilier. One right here in Europe. Disney also recently brought back its free dining plans which can save families up to £1,119. 7
Gizmodo
3 days ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
Disney Pulls Back the Curtain on Its New ‘Cars' Land
Piston Peak National Park is coming to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. If all goes according to plan, when the new Cars-inspired land opens at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, you won't even see it. Back at the D23 Expo last year, Disney announced it was adding a Cars-themed land to its signature Orlando park, and now, the company has revealed a ton of additional info. There's a map of what it'll look like, an explanation of its theming, and the news that even though it'll be sitting in the middle of the theme park, it'll be carefully designed to make sure it doesn't stand out. Oh, and it's got a name too. The land is called Piston Peak National Park (though fans are sure to just call it 'Piston Peak' or 'Cars Land'), and though it's fully set in the world of Cars, it's being conceived as a national park in that franchise. The idea being, a national park—even if it's filled with sentient talking vehicles—is a more seamless fit into the land's location, which is near Liberty Square and Frontierland. You can see the full map above, though it's just an artist's interpretation and won't be exactly that. So, unlike the decidedly city-based theming in Radiator Springs, Disney's first Cars land at California Adventure, here everything will be much more natural. More earthy. Imagineers are even calling it 'Parkitecture.' That's a key too because, as Disney explains in its news release, 'From the outside, trees will provide a natural barrier between the off-road rally and other parts of Frontierland and Liberty Square. Rugged mountains with dramatic peaks will be nestled along a calming waterway across from Grizzly Hall and soaring geysers from the famed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will stretch into the trails of our off-road rally.' Previously, it was announced that the land now known as Piston Peak will have two rides in it, one geared at families and another, more exciting 'race rally through the mountains' which will see your vehicle 'climb mountain trails, dodge geysers and… splash through mudholes.' To make this land into a reality, the park will close Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Liberty Square Riverboat beginning July 7. Plus, as we already knew, on the other side of Big Thunder, a land focused exclusively on Disney Villains is coming too. But no word on specifics for that quite yet. For more on Piston Peak check out the new post on the Disney Parks Blog and revisit that initial news right here.
Thrill Geek
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Thrill Geek
Piston Peak National Park Expands the Frontierland Story at Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom is set to expand its storytelling landscape once again, this time with a high-octane journey into the wilds of Piston Peak National Park, a new land inspired by the 'Cars' universe and set within the grandeur of the American frontier. As part of the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom's history, Piston Peak will add to the sweeping narrative arc that guests experience as they travel westward across the park, connecting the spirit of Liberty Square and Frontierland through nature, innovation, and character-driven adventure. From Liberty Square to the 'Wheelderness' Piston Peak National Park builds on a storytelling tradition that starts with colonial roots in Liberty Square and winds through the North Woods, New Orleans, and the Arizona desert. This new land continues that journey west with towering pines, geysers, rugged cliffs, and a high-speed rally race through the wilderness set in a richly themed national park inspired by the landscapes of the Rocky Mountains. Explore Piston Peak Guests will encounter iconic sights from the Disney and Pixar 'Cars' world, reimagined through the lens of national park adventures. The land's architecture will follow a rustic style known as 'Parkitecture', a design philosophy created by the National Park Service that blends man-made structures seamlessly into the surrounding environment. Attractions and landmarks will include: Piston Peak Visitor Lodge Ranger HQ Expansive trails and scenic outlooks An off-road rally race attraction that brings the Cars universe into full throttle With natural barriers like forests and waterways, the land will be tucked beautifully into the larger Frontierland ecosystem, just across the river from Grizzly Hall and adjacent to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, whose iconic geysers will spill over into the new land's backdrop. Construction Timeline and Closures Beginning July 7, the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Liberty Square Riverboat will temporarily close as work begins on this ambitious expansion. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is also set to reopen next year with refreshed magic. This update coincides with a larger transformation coming to the park, including: The debut of 'Disney Starlight' parade on July 20 The opening of The Beak and Barrel later this summer A brand-new Disney Villains-themed land beyond Big Thunder, featuring two attractions, dining, and retail With Piston Peak National Park, Disney continues to push the boundaries of immersive storytelling, and guests can soon experience a thrilling new chapter in the Magic Kingdom's legacy of adventure, imagination, and heart. Janine is a theme park and pop culture nerd from an early age. Since 1994, she's been traversing the theme park world and has enjoyed all things from Halloween events to new ride releases and beyond. When she's not at a theme park, she's probably at a concert or doing something fun with her kiddo.
