For Disney fans, this summer has been a roller coaster of emotions. For some, excitement around a slew of new attractions has soured after the company announced what would be shuttered to make way for the changes.
In early August, fans were thrilled to hear about plans for a long-awaited “Villains Land” and two new “Cars” rides at its Magic Kingdom park in Florida, as well as a “Monsters, Inc.” land at Hollywood Studios.
But in the wake of the announcements, excitement has dampened as Disney fans have learned about the loss of classic and atmospheric attractions in favor of franchise-driven rides that will draw huge crowds.
On Aug. 12, the Monday after D23, Disney’s annual fan convention, the company announced that it would transform the “Rivers of America” waterway, riverboat ride and Tom Sawyer-themed island in Magic Kingdom into the new “Cars” attractions. The move would replace a large original part of Disney World.
The negative reactions to the news have included complaints that Walt Disney’s vision for the park is being destroyed, that Disney is valuing crowd capacity over themed design and that a formerly calm respite from the Magic Kingdom crowds will become yet another long line for a loud, frenetic attraction.
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The evolution of reactions has largely taken place inside the thriving online community of adult Disney fans, including Disney influencers, journalists and content creators, whom the company has increasingly marketed to as repeat visitors.
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“I don’t think all people in the fandom are resistant to all change, but it’s easy to be upset when something is being taken away, even if you’re excited for something coming that is new,” said Scott Gustin, who works for media company Nexstar and posts theme park updates to his popular account on X. “Theme park fans, they kind of want it all. They want the best of all of it. They want to keep what they know, they don’t want a ‘Cars’ attraction to have to require them to pour a bunch of concrete into the river and pave it over.”
Gustin was one of the journalists live-posting at D23 throughout the Disney theme parks preview on Aug. 10. His posts on X that night were viewed over 4 million times. Gustin was provided a media credential by Disney.
The new planned attractions at Disney parks around the world were presented with great fanfare. Entertainers like John Stamos, Darren Criss, Ke Huy Quan and Meghan Trainor performed onstage throughout a presentation from Josh D’Amaro, the company’s head of parks and resorts. Gustin said the crowd at D23 was the largest and most energized he has been a part of since he started covering the event in 2022.
“I feel like I can allow myself to get excited and feel optimistic about the future of the Disney Parks again,” Gustin posted the next day. The night the convention ended, Gustin took a red-eye flight back to his home in North Carolina. Then, the mood shifted.
“I walk into the house, I set my luggage down, and then at 9 a.m. they post new concept art that shows the Rivers of America is going away,” he said.
“If you’re going to remove Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island, it better be damn good. It better be worth it,” Gustin posted on X. “You don’t hear me complain much about removals at the parks because I’m generally accepting of change — but it all comes back to the exchange. You can’t use ‘moving forward’ if the changes are not for the better.”
The “Rivers of America” space in the Magic Kingdom is a man-made river containing a steam-powered riverboat ride that circles an artificial island with paths and hideaways to explore, reached by motorized rafts. It’s a large play area themed to “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain with places to relax. The area draws far fewer visitors than other attractions and is seen by many Disney fans as a respite from large crowds at the park.
Gustin’s sentiments were echoed by other prominent members of the Disney fandom. Blogger Tom Bricker wrote, “It’s not exactly paving over paradise to put up a parking lot, but it’s kinda close.” YouTuber Jenny Nicholson, whose four-hour video about the closure of Disney’s “Star Wars” hotel went viral in May, posted, “I feel like the appeal of the river is that it creates a grand impression and makes the park feel like a big kingdom. All the stuff near the water feels cooler because of it. Even if you don’t go to the island or on the water it improves your experience.”
The “Rivers of America” aren’t the only attractions that will likely be shuttered in the coming years at Disney World. The “Dinosaur” ride and “DinoLand” at Animal Kingdom will be replaced with a “Tropical Americas” land featuring “Encanto” and “Indiana Jones” themed rides. The new “Monsters, Inc.” land is speculated to replace the “Muppets Courtyard” at Hollywood Studios, although the location of the attraction hasn’t been confirmed by Disney.
These changes aren’t unprecedented. Numerous attractions have been renovated and replaced at the Disney theme parks over their decadeslong history. But the large number of presumed changes has rankled some fans.
“Epcot: Defaced. Studios: De-Themed. DAK: Endangered. Magic Kingdom: 1/3 Destroyed,” posted one Disney content creator and former Disney employee. “My literal home for 75% of my life made unrecognizable.”
Deshawn Warr, an Orlando-based Disney content creator, said he believes many of the negative reactions come from a place of nostalgia, and that they’ve been incentivized by social media platforms that reward emotionally charged posts. He also highlighted that throughout the history of changes at Disney, ones that are intended to make the parks more inclusive of diversity are met with more backlash.
In 2023, “Splash Mountain” was closed amid controversy over featuring characters from “Song of the South,” which includes racist stereotypes. The ride reopened this year as “Tiana’s Princess Bayou,” themed to Disney’s first Black princess. In 2017, Disney removed a scene from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride that showed pirates auctioning women.
“A lot of people don’t want those changes because what changed reflects their nostalgia,” Warr said. “From nostalgia, you can unearth personal views and viewpoints on life.”
“How the parks look now isn’t so much for me but for my daughter, who’s 3,” he continued. “When she’s my age, she’ll remember a park that is different from mine, but the experiences stay the same.”
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