Walt Disney World Resort guests are raising questions about a deep pit just steps from Magic Kingdom Park.
The large hole in the ground appeared amid the early stages of construction for the biggest-ever expansion project at the Magic Kingdom. Simultaneously, crews are building a Disney Villains land in an unused area “beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad” and replacing Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America with Piston Peak National Park, a new part of Frontierland inspired by Cars (2006). Inspired by the natural beauty of America’s national parks, this new area will include a family-friendly attraction and a thrilling rally race ride.
Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat welcomed their final guests on July 6, and Walt Disney Imagineers were spotted surveying the island on foot and via boat in the days after. Construction walls went up around the Rivers of America, and construction equipment took over a dock that once held guests waiting to board the Tom Sawyer Island rafts. Red and green tags have appeared on props around the island, marking objects to destroy or send to the Disney Archives. The Rivers of America water level has noticeably gone down.
But work for both Piston Peak National Park and the Disney Villains land began months before Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat closed. After filing initial construction permits, crews bulldozed hundreds, if not thousands, of trees just outside Magic Kingdom Park. They poured gravel for an equipment staging area and office trailer lot near a canal off the Seven Seas Lagoon, which typically holds the Electrical Water Pageant floats during the day.
On Monday, Redditor u/wheelsee shared an aerial image of Magic Kingdom Park after construction began. Among the missing trees, the retired Liberty Square Riverboat, and the gravel staging lot, the Disney Parks fan spotted something unusual: a bottomless pit, partially filled with water.
What is this pit outside of the berm user for?
What is this pit outside of the berm user for?
byu/wheelsee inWaltDisneyWorld
Walt Disney World Resort hasn’t publicly shared the reason for the deep pit in the Piston Peak National Park and Disney Villains land construction site. However, Disney Parks fans had some likely theories.
“Water retention for construction runoff so it doesn’t get into the river,” read the most popular comment from u/Ghost_Turd. “They likely pump it periodically.”
“Serious answer: Probably water retention during the Villians and Cars construction,” u/2bitCity agreed. “Unserious answer: It’s the hole Walt dug spinning in his grave after hearing what they’re doing to Magic Kingdom.”
Disney has yet to announce an opening date for Piston Peak National Park or the Disney Villains land at the Magic Kingdom. Stay tuned to Inside the Magic as construction continues!
Do you agree with Walt Disney World Resort’s decision to replace Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America? Share your opinion with Inside the Magic in the comments!
The post Bottomless Pit Opens Outside the Magic Kingdom, Park Landscape in Question appeared first on Inside the Magic.
