--- title: "Disney Creating New ‘National Park’ Based on ‘Cars’" date: "2025-06-04" modified: "2025-06-04" authors: - name: "Andrew P. Collins" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/andrew-p-collins" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/disney-creating-new-national-park-based-on-cars" categories: - "Culture" - "News" --- # Disney Creating New ‘National Park’ Based on ‘Cars’ ![Piston Peak national park]() *\Disney\* Disney's Magic Kingdom in Florida is getting a new *Cars*-themed park section with a great-outdoors aesthetic. "Piston Peak National Park" will let people play around in a land full of talking vehicles and do some Disney'ifed off-roading in the *Cars* universe. As pitched in the [*Disney Parks Blog*](): "Imagine an awe-inspiring wilderness filled with towering trees, snowcapped mountains, breathtaking waterfalls, roaring rivers and impressive geysers. While fictional, Piston Peak is inspired by the Rocky Mountain area and the history and iconic sights of the American Frontier and its national parks." Piston Peak NP is actually the setting of the *Cars* spinoff movie *Planes: Fire & Rescue*. So this trailer should give you a sense of what the set design will probably look like (though I'm sure the Magic Kingdom version will not feature a consuming wildfire). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XMJ1D7AXYQ There's no official open date yet, but Disney's reportedly planning to start construction on Piston Peak on July 7, at which point Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America will close. The fan blog [*Pixar Post*]() guestimates a 2027 opening. ![Cars racing at Disney's Piston Peak]() ![Cars racing at Disney's Piston Peak]() ![Cars-themed Disney park.]() Once it's done, Disney's promising that people will be able to explore a visitor lodge, Ranger HQ, "majestic landscapes," and an off-road ride. "Rugged mountains with dramatic peaks will be nestled along a calming waterway across from Grizzly Hall and soaring geysers from the famed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will stretch into the trails of our off-road rally," writes Disney. What the rally ride will actually be like remains TBA, but in March, [Disney's official Instagram accounts]() shared the clip below showcasing some of the R&D being done to make it fun. Looks like park planners went for some UTV rides to get context on what kind of pace and level of jostling would be fun for park-goers. The amusement park company is reportedly going to have a gentler attraction for younger kids, too. > [View this post on Instagram]() > [A post shared by Disney Parks (@disneyparks)]() Concept vehicle art for the project is very cute. Maybe these rally cars will get their own show or movie at some point, too. ![Cars movie concept art, Piston Peak cars]() ![Cars movie concept art, Piston Peak cars]() ![Cars movie concept art, Piston Peak cars]() I'm not a big amusement park guy, but I did spend a weekend at Magic Kingdom last year, and I had a good time. There's an existing *Cars* experience, which is pretty tame but fun—you get to meet an enormous animatronic Lightning McQueen and watch an animated race on a wrap-around screen. Ka-chow! *Got a tip? Send us a note at tips@thedrive.com.* ## Author As Executive Editor, Andrew touches everything on the site from daily news coverage to feature stories, sponsored content, product reviews, road testing vehicles, ecommerce, and more. He's held pretty much every role there is to have at an automotive news site and has been with The Drive's publisher Recurrent since 2020. Andrew's a lifetime gearhead and longtime writer with a particularly strong penchant for road trips, off-road adventures, and archaic vehicles. His passions outside of the automotive world include skiing, obsolete video games, and his dog Bramble who occationally helps review cars. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()