There are rides and attractions that are considered “lines in the sand” for Disney fans. If Disney removes those rides, Disney fans would revolt.
The usual list comes to mind: ‘it’s a small world,’ Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, Carousel of Progress, etc. However, for years, no one really considered Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island to be on that list.
It wasn’t until Disney decided to remove those two attractions from Magic Kingdom that fans realized their importance in the park’s ambiance. And as of this morning, after protests and email campaigns failed, Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island are gone for good at the Magic Kingdom. Disney even went so far as to completely erase the attractions from the MyDisneyExperience app.
While Disney World fans mourn the loss, they can look across the country and see that Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island still exist in Disneyland. Now, that raises the question of how much longer they will be there.
Disney World fans never thought this moment would come, and now, they are warning their California brethren to start a campaign now to save these attractions before Disneyland management gets any ideas.
Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island opened on July 17, 1955, with Disneyland. Much like their former counterparts at Disney World, they aren’t the most popular attractions at the park, but they add ambiance and give guests a quiet place to enjoy a few peaceful moments at the park.
However, Disneyland has a problem that Disney World doesn’t: a lack of land. Disney World is 40 square miles, with plenty of room to expand the parks, while Disneyland is only 500 acres, or two percent of the size of its Central Florida sister parks.
FWIW, I still think theirs will go eventually—maybe not soon, but it’s inevitable. They’re under far more pressure to repurpose that space than WDW. The only thing keeping it safe is the exec affinity for Disneyland Park, and once those folks leave, so does the protection. https://t.co/XZVx6mIdGB
— Disney Glimpses (@disneyglimpses) July 7, 2025
Disneyland is already working on expansion projects that include a Coco-themed attraction and an Avatar Land. However, at some point, Disneyland will run out of land to expand even further.
With that in mind, Disney World fans are warning Disneyland fans that it’s only a matter of time before the opening day attractions head into extinction to make way for another IP-based ride. You’d better start the petition now.
Would Disney remove Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island from Disneyland? Let us know in the comments.
The post After Disney World Changes, Are Disneyland’s Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island the Next To Go? appeared first on Inside the Magic.
