Former Senior VP of Concept Design for Walt Disney Imagineering, Eddie Sotto, has confirmed that Disney is fully aware of fan backlash over its plans to demolish the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom—and simply doesn’t care.
Even worse, Sotto seemed to suggest that some within Imagineering—or perhaps former Imagineers like himself—have tried and failed to talk Disney out of it.
Concept art for Disney’s unnamed Cars attraction for smaller racers at Magic Kingdom
Sotto responded to a concerned fan on X, who pleaded for Imagineers to push back against Disney’s decision to erase a piece of American and Disney history.
X user Doc Epcot asked: “Eddie, sorry to intrude on this post but is it possible you can get a group of Imagineers together and contact whoever it is in Burbank and tell them to please stop their plans to destroy ROA & TSI?”
Sotto’s response was blunt.
Others have tried and failed. As far as I know, the issue is closed. WDI is already well aware of the SM posts, issues and opinions.
— Eddie Sotto (@boss_angeles) March 3, 2025
“Others have tried and failed,” he admitted. “As far as I know, the issue is closed. WDI is already well aware of the SM posts, issues, and opinions.”
There it is in black and white. it seems as though Disney knows you’re upset and just doesn’t care.
Disney Pushing Forward With the Destruction of Its Own History
Disney has received official approval from the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) to move forward with a Cars-themed land at Magic Kingdom, which will permanently alter the Rivers of America and erase Tom Sawyer Island.
The permit, issued on February 17, 2025, grants Disney the ability to modify the 407 Basin Stormwater System, impacting 61.93 acres of wetlands and surface water. While Disney promises to offset the environmental damage, fans are more concerned with the fact that the company is bulldozing the historic heart of Frontierland to inject more intellectual property (IP) branding into the park.
An image of Tom Sawyer’s Island via DocumentDisney YouTube
For decades, Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America have provided an immersive, Americana-inspired experience, offering a peaceful break from the increasingly commercialized park landscape. These areas—originally inspired by Walt Disney’s vision for Disneyland—are some of the last remnants of Disney’s storytelling-driven approach to theme parks.
Now, Disney is tearing it all down for a Pixar expansion.
Concept art for Disney’s unnamed Cars attraction at Magic Kingdom
The new Cars Land will include two attractions:
• A high-speed rally race through mountainous terrain, complete with geysers and mudholes.
• A family-friendly Cars ride aimed at younger guests.
Sound familiar? It should. Disney already built this in California Adventure, and now they’re forcing it into Magic Kingdom by wiping out a piece of classic Disney history.
This is Splash Mountain All Over Again
This move is eerily similar to the controversial removal of Splash Mountain, which was replaced with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure—a ride that has already been plagued with operational failures and received a lukewarm reception at best.
An image of Splash Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland via WDW News Today YouTube
Fans were frustrated that Disney didn’t simply build a new Princess and the Frog ride elsewhere, but instead gutted a fan-favorite attraction to inject a new IP. Now, the same thing is happening to Frontierland, which is being sacrificed for the latest corporate-driven branding strategy.
Sotto’s apparent confirmation that Imagineering has been powerless to stop it only adds fuel to the fire.
Eroding Walt’s Legacy, One Attraction at a Time
The Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Liberty Belle riverboat have been pillars of the Magic Kingdom experience since the park’s earliest days. These attractions capture a uniquely American spirit, celebrating the country’s history and folklore in a way that no other theme park could replicate.
But that’s not enough for Disney anymore.
Walt Disney in Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color (1966), Walt Disney Productions
The company seems determined to erase classic attractions and replace them with whatever IP-driven “experience” executives believe will generate the most merchandise sales.
It’s the same mentality behind removing MuppetVision 3D, the final work of Jim Henson, to make room for a Monsters, Inc. attraction, or shutting down Dinoland U.S.A. for an Encanto and Indiana Jones expansion that no one asked for.
Instead of expanding Magic Kingdom or creating a fifth park, Disney is demolishing beloved attractions to shoehorn new properties into old spaces, possibly due to C-Suite panic over Universal’s Epic Universe park opening down the street.
And now, thanks to Eddie Sotto, fans finally have confirmation that Disney knows people hate this—and they just don’t care.
Is There Any Hope Left?
There might be a slim chance to save at least some of Frontierland’s heritage.
Disney historian Joshua Harris recently revealed that the removal of the Liberty Belle riverboat has been postponed indefinitely, with expensive repairs already underway. Some within Disney have also started backtracking, claiming that only parts of the Rivers of America will be removed, though no one knows exactly what that means yet.
YES, there is absolutely a chance.
The removal of the Liberty Belle has been postponed indefinitely & (expensive) work to repair its boiler (among other things) is going ahead.
Also, A LOT of people are backtracking/gaslighting by saying only PART of the ROA is going away. https://t.co/bLhnD1RFQ7
— Joshua L Harris (@JLHomni) February 17, 2025
Harris has urged fans to flood Disney with emails voicing their opposition to the Cars expansion, emphasizing that messages should be short, polite, and professional to have the best chance of being heard.
While the odds of Disney reversing course are slim, if fans don’t speak up now, Frontierland’s historic charm will be lost forever.
Disney Is at a Crossroads—Will Fans Accept It or Fight Back?
Eddie Sotto’s confirmation is the final nail in the coffin for anyone who still believed Disney might listen to its fans.
The company is fully aware that fans don’t want Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America destroyed. They know that people are outraged.
They just don’t care.
Concept art for Disney’s unnamed Cars attraction at Magic Kingdom
So now, the question is: Will Disney fans accept the corporate bulldozer, or will they fight to preserve what made Magic Kingdom magical in the first place?
How do you feel about Disney destroying Rivers of America? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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Disney will do whatever is stupidest.
I just don’t care at this point. Mostly because I know once execs get something in their heads, it takes an act of God to talk them out of it. Disney will burn all this money demolishing Rivers of America and building up another attraction nobody will visit, then lament how they’re losing customers without accepting responsibility or trying to change course.
This is Economic Darwinism in action.
They can’t even fix the rides they’ve changed already. They won’t be able to keep this Cars ride up and running.
I guess it doesn’t affect me because I was never going to give Disney another cent of my money anyway. But as someone who grew up watching Disney’s “American Legends” films in the classroom, and hearing their Americana albums played in music class, I hate seeing it all torn down — literally and figuratively.
Why can’t they just go beyond BTM????
[…] Frontierland to put in a new area based on the Pixar movie Cars and its sequels, something Disney knows and doesn’t care that people are angry about. Maybe disgruntled parkgoers could be persuaded by a pitch like, “For an extra twenty bucks, you […]
[…] its cuddly characters and bustling rides based on movies. WDWPro and the other expert pundits at ThatParkPlace concur and described the Rivers of America as “offering a peaceful break from the […]
[…] its cuddly characters and bustling rides based on movies. WDWPro and the other expert pundits at ThatParkPlace concur and described the Rivers of America as “offering a peaceful break from the […]
[…] its cuddly characters and bustling rides based on movies. WDWPro and the other expert pundits at ThatParkPlace concur and described the Rivers of America as “offering a peaceful break from the increasingly […]