Magic Kingdom’s Cars Ride: Rugged Track, Custom Vehicles
Most Disney fans know about the Cars-themed land coming to Magic Kingdom. And most fans have strong opinions about Disney’s decision to drain Rivers of America to make way for Lightning McQueen and Mater. But it’s happening, and no matter how much I love Frontierland’s beautiful vibes, I’m hopeful Imagineers will create something special. Based on what I heard Saturday during The Future of World-Building at Disney panel at SXSW, I think they will.
Pete Docter, Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer, confirmed the land’s headline attraction will be nothing like Radiator Springs Racers.
“This isn’t Lightning McQueen on a Piston Cup speedway. It’s more like Midnight Run with Smokey through the wilderness of Cars 3. Imagineers had to figure out a way to put our characters in a space they’ve never experienced before on screen, racing over rocky terrain, ascending mountain peaks, dodging geysers. So what does that feel like?”
It was up to Imagineers to figure that out. Imagineer Michael Hundgen shared that the ride will include an all-new vehicle. I assumed as much after seeing concept ride footage last November. But I incorrectly assumed the ride would be trackless.
During Saturday’s presentation, Disney shared footage of a tracked ride vehicle model. On today’s “We Call It Imagineering” episode, Imagineer Mark White explicitly said, “…the vehicle is going to steer itself through a track system.” It makes sense. A trackless outdoor ride in Florida would be a bear to maintain and reset after ride interruptions.
No matter the ride system, Imagineers want to give riders an authentic off-road experience. So they rented four-wheelers to explore the Arizona desert. “We wanted to feel what it’s like to travel across this type of terrain — what feels fun and just as important, what doesn’t. We’re literally getting the lay of the land to bring that authenticity into the story itself,” Hundgen said.
After their excursion, Imagineers partnered with motocross experts to build a dirt track. That track isn’t what’s coming to Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland, but it includes the same types of bumps, dips, and elevation changes that riders will experience. White confirmed the challenge now is to match the track system with the free wheeling vibe of the dirt mockup.
During today’s Imagineering episode, we might have spied a model of the track that is coming to Orlando. Based on the design, guests will board their vehicles in the foreground before venturing through a tunnel to start their off-road adventure.
And what about those vehicles? Imagineers want to create an “emotional experience” for guests, and since this Cars attraction hasn’t been done before, they needed to start from scratch. Said Hundgen:
“For this Cars attraction, we need to invent a new type of ride vehicle that can create that feeling. And you can’t build these in a factory. They don’t come off a line. We have to do much more because they have to carry you from one place to another.”
Imagineers shared footage of a basic vehicle proof of concept with two rows of three seats each. You can also see the track with its built-in obstacles.
While Imagineers focus on engineering the ride vehicles, Pixar’s creative team is hard at work designing their looks. Director Pete Docter shared three concepts and said that each car will have its own name and number.
As much as I love these designs, we need to take them with a grain of salt. Remember that six-seater proof of concept model? That car is much bulkier than what’s shown in the concept art. And with two rows and six seats, I can’t imagine the final designs include roofs. Otherwise the person in the middle back seat would be miserable.
I know this ride is a tough pill to swallow for old school Disney World fans; I’ll miss Rivers of America as much as anyone. But that doesn’t mean we should write off what replaces it. Based on everything Imagineers and Pixar have revealed so far, this ride has the potential to be special.
