NEWS: Disney Shares Details on New Vehicles for Cars Ride Coming to Magic Kingdom

A new Cars-themed area is coming to an expanded Frontierland at Magic Kingdom, which as first announced last year at the D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. At The Future of World-Building at Disney panel at SXSW, Disney shared new details about one of the attractions coming to the new land. Learn more below.

Here are all the details from Disney Cast Member Rachel Paige:

Life is an off-road rally race, and Lightning McQueen, Mater, and the rest of the cars from Pixar Animation Studios’ Cars are going to ride it all night long.

First announced at last year’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, a brand-new Cars themed area is speeding in to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Here, the Cars crew leaves Radiator Springs behind and heads off into the frontier to put their wheels to the test.

Now at The Future of World-Building at Disney panel at SXSW, Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter, and Imagineer Michael Hundgen teased that guests will need to strap in because they’re in the process of creating a new type of ride vehicle for this experience.

“Our primary goal is creating an emotional experience for our guests,” Hundgen told the crowd. “For this Carsattraction, we need to invent a new type of ride vehicle. No one builds these in a factory because it has to do so much more than just carrying you from one place to another. We have to create a car that conveys a feeling when you ride in it.”

The team took a trip out to the Arizona desert to jump in a real off-road vehicle to see what it felt like driving over the rocky terrain. These are all things Lightning McQueen and Mater haven’t experienced before, like racing over rocky terrain, ascending to mountain peaks, and dodging around geysers — how do you take these real-world elements and put a Cars spin on it?

From there, the Imagineers worked with a motocross company to build a real dirt track to race around on and took that data back to begin work on creating how the ride vehicles will eventually move and race.

“We’re using a customized production vehicle,” Hundgen continued. “It has sensors all over it, and we’re taking it for test drives on our dirt track to gather data on how the vehicle responds to different terrain. This is where we turn that feeling we want into real-world engineering,” Michael explained.

But all this talk about cars, what do they look like?

That’s where the Pixar team steps in. For some show and tell to get the crowd revved up, Docter shared some early concept sketches with the audience, teasing that they’re creating “new race car personalities for this attraction. Each vehicle in the ride will have its own name and number, just like a real race.”

But do you want more Imagineering? We’ve got more Imagineering.

Come along as we pull back the curtain on the latest episode of “We Call It Imagineering,” and take you behind the scenes of the Ride Studio. What’s the Ride Studio? Great question — it’s the birthplace of many vehicles just seen in the SXSW presentation in a space dedicated to design and engineering.

Join us as we take a deeper dive into the evolution of some of the most beloved attractions, from Haunted Mansion to the upcoming Cars attraction! Catch a brand-new episode this Monday only on the Walt Disney Imagineering YouTube.

RELATED ARTICLE: Expanded Frontierland to Bring Two New Cars-Inspired Attractions to Magic Kingdom

by Chad and Cindy Nykamp

“Cars” fans got a real treat when it was announced that two attractions are coming to an expanded Frontierland in Magic Kingdom! At Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro shared details about the upcoming projects. Learn more below!

Here are all the details from Disney Cast Member Chris Beatty:

One is a quicker-than-quick racecar who eats losers for breakfast, and one is a tow truck with a heart of gold. Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater are racing into Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort!

At Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro, with the help of Tow Mater via video call, announced that a new area inspired by the Pixar Animation Studios film “Cars” will be coming to a reimagined section of Frontierland at Magic Kingdom. “The American West has always been about keeping your eyes on the horizon … believing in yourself, carving your own path, and striving toward success. That goes for miners in the mountains, bears from the country, a princess from the bayou … or a racecar from the big city,” Josh told the crowd.

Don’t get too comfortable in Radiator Springs because it’s time to leave the pit stop and head west into exciting new frontiers. On this adventure, guests will be able to experience not one but two exciting new “Cars”-themed attractions.

One attraction will invite you on a thrilling rally race through the mountains. Take on wild terrain as you race across the landscape climbing mountain trails, dodging geysers and — Mater’s favorite — splashing through mudholes.

But what about smaller racers? The second attraction will be geared towards them and will be fun for the whole family.

Get ready to start your engines! Work on this new space in Frontierland will begin in early 2025.