First announced at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in 2024, a brand-new Cars-themed area is racing into Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Now, fresh details have emerged from Disney’s panel at SXSW 2025, shedding light on the ride’s groundbreaking vehicle technology, immersive setting, and the latest innovations from Walt Disney Imagineering and Pixar.
A Changing Frontier at Walt Disney World
It’s fascinating to watch Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland undergo such a massive transformation. With Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closed for refurbishment throughout 2025, it’s clear that Disney is completely reimagining this section of the park. Given this, I fully expect some adjustments to Big Thunder’s track layout, a significant refresh to its queue, and a refined storytelling approach to help it blend seamlessly with the new Cars experience. When this expansion is complete, the rugged desert mountains of the Wild West will naturally roll into the Arizona landscapes of the Cars attraction—almost as if Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island never existed and this new high-speed adventure has always been part of the frontier.
From Radiator Springs to the Frontier
The upcoming Cars attraction won’t be set in Radiator Springs but will instead take Lightning McQueen, Mater, and the crew on an all-new adventure through the rugged American frontier. This expansion will replace Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island, making way for high-speed, off-road racing excitement.
At the SXSW panel titled The Future of World-Building at Disney, Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter and Imagineer Michael Hundgen teased that guests are in for something entirely new. Unlike any previous Cars ride, this attraction will take inspiration from real-world desert racing, complete with rocky terrain, towering peaks, and unpredictable geysers. The SXSW panel gave us our first real look at how Imagineering is tackling the technical challenge of making a Cars ride that feels thrilling yet seamlessly integrated into Magic Kingdom’s reimagined Frontierland.
To fully understand how to replicate an off-road rally experience, Imagineers visited an off-road racing venue in the Arizona desert. Here, they had the chance to drive high-performance vehicles over rugged terrain, getting firsthand insight into the physics of off-road racing. This experience gave them valuable data on how the ride system should react to dips, bumps, and sharp turns, ensuring a thrilling but controlled experience for guests.
Revolutionary Ride Vehicle Technology
One of the biggest announcements at SXSW was the confirmation that Imagineering is developing an entirely new ride vehicle to bring this off-road experience to life. According to Hundgen:
“For this Cars attraction, 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.”
To achieve this, Imagineers ventured into the Arizona desert, where they drove real off-road vehicles over challenging terrain. Imagineers also partnered with a motocross company to construct a dirt track. They used the gathered data to see how vehicles react to different surfaces. That information is now fueling the design of the ride system, ensuring that each movement on the attraction feels thrillingly authentic.
“We’re using a customized production vehicle with sensors all over it, taking it for test drives on our dirt track. This is where we turn that feeling we want into real-world engineering,” Hundgen explained.
This update from SXSW expands upon what was originally revealed at D23. While we knew a Cars attraction was coming. We now have confirmation that Imagineering is designing an entirely new ride system. Not just reusing technology from existing Disney rides. The research that went into creating the sensation of off-road driving makes it clear that this experience will be unlike anything Magic Kingdom has ever seen.
New Race Car Personalities
Beyond the ride’s innovative technology, Pixar revealed another exciting element—brand-new Cars characters created exclusively for the attraction. Docter showcased early concept sketches at SXSW, teasing:
“Each vehicle in the ride will have its own name and number, just like a real race.”
This means guests won’t just be riding in generic vehicles. They will be part of a personalized race experience. Surrounded by fresh characters that expand the Cars universe.
A Glimpse Behind the Scenes
For those eager to see more of this attraction’s development, Disney Imagineering is offering an exclusive behind-the-scenes look. A new episode of We Call It Imagineering will dive into the Ride Studio. Imagineers design and test the innovative ride vehicles revealed at SXSW. The episode will explore how attractions like Haunted Mansion and the new Cars ride evolve from concept to reality.
What’s Next for the Cars Attraction?
While an official opening date hasn’t been announced, the SXSW panel made one thing clear—development is in full throttle. Imagineers and Pixar are deep into prototyping and testing. I can’t wait to hear more about the storyline. How will the reimagined Frontierland will connect to the greater story of Magic Kingdom itself.
Stay tuned to Sam’s Disney Diary for more updates as Lightning McQueen and friends race into the frontier!
➡️ Read Disney’s official announcement: Disney Parks Blog
