Disney Theme Park News For the Week of June 2, 2025
The summer season is off to a busy start when it comes to Disney theme parks! The Disneyland 70th Anniversary Celebration is in full swing, and sights are already set on what’s to come at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort.
This week in particular was filled with a ton of exciting announcements from both coasts. It’s time now to catch up on the latest Disney theme park news, including important planning details regarding permanent ride closures and much more.
Name and Details Revealed For ‘Cars’ Section of Frontierland
Our lead story from this week is direct from Frontierland in Magic Kingdom, where we learned some key details about the new ‘Cars’ inspired area that will open in the coming years. It was announced this week that the new area of Frontierland will be called Piston Peak National Park.
According to Disney, Piston Peak National Park draws inspiration from national parks around the country, especially the Rocky Mountains. This new area will feature an “off-road rally race” attraction as its flagship ride.
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Closing Dates Announced For Multiple Magic Kingdom Attractions
To make way for Piston Peak National Park, significant changes will take place in Frontierland. The entire area of Rivers of America, including Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Belle, will close permanently and will transform into this new ‘Cars’ inspired section.
It was announced this week that the final day to experience the Rivers of America section of Frontierland is July 6. At that point, the area will begin work on the transformation.
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New Esplanade Area Plans Announced For Disneyland Resort
This may make me sound like a total Disney nerd, but I’m perhaps the most excited for the latest Disneyland news as it pertains to its walkways. It was revealed this week that a brand-new parking structure and transportation hub is coming to the Happiest Place on Earth. This includes plans for “6,000 parking spaces, shuttle and rideshare areas, security screening and dedicated access for traffic off of Disney Way, improving parking and traffic flow throughout the resort area,” per Disney.
The plans also include a new pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard, which, if you’ve ever entered Disneyland from that side of the esplanade, you’ll know how exciting of an announcement that is. Speaking of the esplanade, an “all-new esplanade arrival experience” is in the works.
A brand-new esplanade would be a MAJOR shift in the way we experience Disneyland Resort. As the literal heart of the resort area (the area between Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure), the esplanade getting a facelift would totally change the vibe!
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Opening Timeline Updates Announced For Muppet Takeover of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
Fans bid adieu to Muppet*Vision 3D this weekend at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but the Muppets won’t be gone for very long! It was previously announced that the Muppets are taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, which has “starred” Aerosmith since the ride first opened.
We learned this weekend that the Muppets will officially take over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster in 2026. The current version of the ride will remain open through at least the end of 2025, so you still have plenty of time to catch one final concert with Aerosmith!
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New Details Revealed For ‘Coco’ and ‘Avatar’ Attractions Coming to Disney California Adventure
There’s a lot going on at Disney California Adventure in the coming years, including several new attractions. Previously announced attractions include the first-ever ‘Coco’-themed ride as well as an Avatar experience that will more than likely include at least one ride.
We learned new details this week about those two projects. First, construction the ‘Coco’ ride is expected to begin later this fall, earlier than the original timeline that had work set to begin in 2026. The ride will be located near Paradise Gardens Park and Pixar Pier in predominantly backstage areas. The initial phase of construction will be backstage, so day-to-day guest impact will be minimal and we likely won’t notice anything major at first.
We also learned the location of the Avatar experience coming to Disney California Adventure. This destination will take over a portion of the existing Hollywood Backlot area. To prepare for this new experience, Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! will permanently close in early 2026.
Aside from the Monsters Inc. ride closure, we don’t know the details yet pertaining to Avatar’s construction timeline.
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New Spaceship Earth-Inspired Lounge, GEO-82, Opens at EPCOT
The highly anticipated Spaceship Earth-themed lounge, GEO-82, officially opened this week at EPCOT. GEO-82 is an adult-exclusive bar and lounge restricted to guests ages 21 and above.
In addition to an impressive list of featured cocktails, wine, beer, and small bites, GEO-82 offers a fireworks dessert package with views of Luminous: The Symphony of Us.
GEO-82 reservations fill up quickly as they become available, so be ready at the 60 day mark to book if this is at the top of your must-visit list at Disney World this year!
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V.I.PASSHOLDER Summer Days Character Meet and Greet Coming to EPCOT
I’ll leave you this week with a bit of a cliffhanger. It was announced this week that a new character meet-and-greet is coming exclusively to Disney World Annual Passholders as part of the V.I.PASSHOLDER Summer Days. This meet-and-greet will only be available from June 9 through July 31 from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM at Der Teddybar in the Germany Pavilion at EPCOT.
The cliffhanger is that it was not announced who this mystery character will be! Given the exclusivity and location of the meet and greet, my money’s on Duffy. But we will find out early next week when the V.I.PASSHOLDER Summer Days offering begins!