Walt Disney Imagineering has unveiled its scale model of Piston Peak National Park on the show floor of D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event 2026, offering a closer look at the new Cars-themed addition to Frontierland at Magic Kingdom. The new land is replacing the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island, and we found four homages to the former attractions hidden in the model.
Piston Peak National Park Model
This is the view from Tiana’s Bayou Adventure; Liberty Square is on the far side past the snow-covered mountain.
One of the new attractions is an off-road rally race ride featuring ride vehicles with different personalities and will drive mostly around the perimeter of Piston Peak. We now know the second ride will be themed to Miss Fritter, the fearsome, undefeated demolition derby queen and school bus from the movie Cars 3. Covered in mud and sporting a spinning saw blade and a razor-sharp stop sign, she hunts down opponents at the Thunder Hollow Speedway.
In the queue will be a new original car character, Ranger J. Autobahn Woodlore, inspired by Ranger J. Audubon Woodlore, a human character from 1950s Disney cartoons.
Fort Langhorn
Sitting directly behind Miss. Fritter Demolition Derby is a building that features design elements that pay tribute to Fort Langhorn, which once stood on the Island. Fort Langhorn had a rifle roost, blacksmith barn, a guard house, and a secret escape passageway.
Mike Fink Keel Boat Dock
This image of the model shows the view of the land from approximately Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Haunted Mansion can be seen in the top center, and the area to the left are new buildings with no distinct theming, but will be a new restroom. In the image on the right, taken prior to the complete draining and removal of Rivers of America, sits the building for Mike Fink Keel Boats. The attraction was named after Mike Fink, the “King of the River”. The boats were free-floating and closed in April of 2001.
The architecture of the Mike Fink Keel Boat building has very similar elements to the restroom in the model, such as the wood beams on the front, the shed dormer-style roof, and a cupola.
Many have speculated there would be something added back in this area behind the queue for the attraction, including a bar/parlor like on Disney Cruise Line ships or even an extended queue since during busy periods, the queue often overflows into Liberty Square. However, it is neither of those things.
Harper’s Mill tribute
This structure in the model has Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater underneath the awning, which could be a meet-and-greet location, and it very closely resembles Harper’s Mill.
Harper’s Mill was a water-powered gristmill on Tom Sawyer Island and paid tribute to Disney’s 1937 short film The Old Mill. The water wheel in the model is now a large brake rotor to fit the theming of the new land.
Barrel Bridge
The last homage we spotted in the model was the barrel bridge on Tom Sawyer Island. The bridge was a bouncing, floating walkway and consisted of wooden planks attached to large barrels. Imagineers told us they will construct the bridge as close to the legacy bridge as possible, actually using pieces of the original bridge if they are legally allowed.
We were also told that guests can expect to find many smaller homages throughout Piston Peak along with details that are designed to capture the general spirit of the area it is replacing.
Watch our video tour of the Walt Disney Imagineering pavilion at D23 below.
First announced at D23 2024, Piston Peak National Park will be based on real-life national parks, particularly the Rocky Mountains, Yosemite, and Yellowstone. The name comes from the Planes: Fire & Rescue spin-off.
The land will have a river, waterfalls, and geysers.
Imagineering previously shared how Cars fits into Frontierland and said they are keeping sightlines in mind so guests won’t see piston-shaped mountains from Liberty Square.
Check out our Piston Peak National Park construction updates and stay tuned for more updates from D23!
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