Recently, Disney has announced new lands, attractions, and entertainment headed to the theme parks, new ships coming to the Disney Cruise Line, and so much more.

The closure of Tom Sawyer Island, the Liberty Square Riverboat, and the Rivers of America is imminent. And, ahead of these attractions’ final day on July 6th, Disney has officially filed a permit for demolition.

On June 25th, 2025, Walt Disney Imagineering filed a new Notice of Commencement permit for the transformation of Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America into the new Cars-themed Piston Peak National Park.

The permit lists NorthStar Contracting Group, Inc. as the contractor performing the work, which is described as “Demo, infrastructure prep, and utility modification.” So, it sounds like Disney will be wasting no time getting demolition started and preparing for the construction of this new area.

The new Piston Peak National Park will be fully themed after the Cars franchise. The area will feature two new attractions: one will be a rally race-type attraction, while the other will be a family ride. The rally race ride will have riders racing through mountains and dodging geysers and waterfalls.

The rally race ride will also introduce guests to a new character, Ranger J. Autobahn Woodlore. The architecture throughout Piston Peak National Park — which is inspired by Rocky Mountain National Park — will include “car-ified” elements like lower windows so cars can “see” out and larger entrances so cars can fit through.

If you’ve got an upcoming Magic Kingdom trip planned after July 6th, be prepared to see some construction walls up throughout Frontierland. With the closure of Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America, in addition to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s refurbishment, you can likely expect some potential route closures throughout the construction process as well — but we’ll let you know of any updates you need to know about.

Keep in mind that wait times for other rides in Magic Kingdom could get a bit longer as well, since there will be fewer attractions for people to experience.

In the meantime, we’ll be on the hunt for new updates from Disney World and more — so stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for the latest news!

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