Last chance: These Disney attractions will (or might) close in 2025
The arrival of the new theme park attractions means the closure of old favorites, so we’re taking a look at which Disney attractions are closing (or might close) in 2025.
Note: This list does not include routine refurbishments. Some attractions may close temporarily for maintenance throughout 2025, with little or no noticeable differences in story or theming upon reopening. This list pertains to attractions closing forever, or otherwise being completely repurposed from their current form.
Closing permanently at Disney theme parks in 2025 (confirmed)
Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom; closing Jan. 13, 2025
Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla.
DinoLand, U.S.A. will close in phases as Disney builds new rides based on “Encanto” and Indiana Jones. Disney dismantled the Primeval Whirl roller coaster years ago, and the mini-land known as Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama! will be the next casualty.
Dino-Rama will permanently close on Jan. 13, 2025. The area’s final operating day will be Jan. 12. This includes the TriceraTop Spin ride, Fossil Fun Games midway activities, and the Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures store. The closure does not pertain to Dinosaur (for now … keep reading).
Red Car Trolley
Disney California Adventure; closing Feb. 9, 2025
Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif.
The Red Car Trolley attraction at Disney California Adventure is closing on Feb. 9, 2025; the final day to ride will be Feb. 8. The closure is due to the upcoming expansion of Avengers Campus displacing the backstage location of the Red Car Trolley’s barn.
The trolley, which opened in 2012, traverses the park’s main entrance area and adjacent Hollywood Land. Guests can catch a lift if they so choose, or simply take in the ambience of the trolley gliding by. The trolley’s route begins on Buena Vista Street, travels through Carthay Circle, and continues onto Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard before concluding its route near Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission – Breakout!
Closing permanently at Disney parks (confirmed), timeframe TBA
Tom Sawyer Island and Liberty Belle Riverboat
Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
Tom Sawyer Island and its surrounding Rivers of America (along with the Liberty Belle Riverboat gliding along the river) will permanently close at Magic Kingdom as Disney builds two new rides themed to Pixar’s “Cars.” Disney has not announced a specific closing date for Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America (or even if they’ll close in 2025, or sometime later), nor has the company revealed an opening timeframe for the “Cars” attractions.
Photo by Blake Taylor
“Work on this new space in Frontierland will begin in early 2025,” Imagineer Chris Beatty said when the “Cars” attractions were first announced in August 2024. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closed for a lengthy refurbishment on Jan. 6, 2025 (see below); the roller coaster, located adjacent to the Rivers of America, will reopen sometime in 2026.
Photo by bioreconstruct
Tom Sawyer Island — with its wooded pathways, winding caves, and semi-hidden play structures meant to be discovered rather than planned for — embodies the youthful spirit of its titular character from Mark Twain’s books. The island itself has been in place since Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, though it was not accessible to guests until 1973.
The Liberty Belle Riverboat likewise opened in 1973, initially called the Richard F. Irvine Riverboat after a Disney executive. The slow-moving paddle wheeler glides along a hidden track around Tom Sawyer Island. Tom Sawyer Island also exists at Disneyland in California, with no plans of closing there.
Muppet*Vision 3D
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla.
Muppet*Vision 3D will close at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, though Disney has not announced a closing date. The existing theater will be part of a new land themed to “Monsters, Inc.,” complete with a suspended roller coaster nearby.
Photo by Blake Taylor
“Construction on the project starts next year, and I can tell you that there is so much excitement in Imagineering for the land,” said Josh D’Amaro, chairperson of Disney Experiences, when the Monstropolis land was announced in August 2024 at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.
A “whole new theater show” will be introduced inside the building that currently houses Muppet*Vision 3D, according to the Disney Parks Blog. The Muppets, meanwhile, will star in a reimagined version of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster elsewhere in Hollywood Studios (see below).
Muppet*Vision 3D opened in 1991, and was Jim Henson’s final project before his passing.
Most of Grand Avenue
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla.
The area of Grand Avenue surrounding Muppet*Vision 3D will be repurposed to fit the theme of Monstropolis. Based on the concept art, this means the following will close and/or be repurposed:
- Muppet*Vision 3D
- Stage 1 Company Store (former Muppet shop; recently only open for special events)
- PizzeRizzo (quick-service restaurant)
- Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano (table-service restaurant)
- The Christmas space formerly known as It’s a Wonderful Shop (used in recent years for Santa meet & greets)
Here’s a look at the concept art for the future of this space, with our annotations for what’s currently in the park. Yellow boxes indicate what will change, while blue boxes indicate what will stay the same as this area transitions as part of Muppet*Vision 3D closing.
Dinosaur and the remainder of DinoLand, U.S.A.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla.
Although some areas of DinoLand, U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are closing in January 2025 (see above), Dinosaur — the Jeep-like thrill ride at Animal Kingdom that debuted with the park in 1998 — will remain open “through 2025,” as shared by Public Relations Senior Specialist Kati Gauer on the Disney Parks Blog on Dec. 3, 2024. Eventually, the ride will close, replaced by an Indiana Jones-themed ride utilizing much of the existing Dinosaur infrastructure.
The following DinoLand entities will remain open beyond Jan. 13, 2025, but will eventually permanently close at an unspecified date: The Boneyard play area; quick-service dining locations Restaurantosaurus, Trilo-Bites, Dino-Bite Snacks, and Dino Diner; and The Dino Institute Shop.
Closing for ‘reimagining’ (confirmed), timeline TBA
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster itself isn’t going anywhere, but the ride experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will change from its current version. Disney will add Muppets to the attraction and drop the “starring Aerosmith” from the ride’s formal name, with it simply becoming “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.” Notably, Disney has not specifically mentioned that Aerosmith will be removed altogether; just that Muppets will be added.
The ride’s new logline reads: “The Muppets will be taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, teaming up with some of music’s biggest stars for a rockin’ music festival!”
Disney has not announced a timeline for the transformational project, nor has the company mentioned if the closing date for the coaster’s current iteration will land in 2025 or later.
Likely to close but unconfirmed
‘It’s Tough to be a Bug!’
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla.
Come winter 2025 (as in, the end of 2025), “Zootopia: Better Zoogether!” will open as a new 3D show inside the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom.
In introducing the new “Zootopia” attraction, many news outlets — Attractions Magazine included — assumed this meant Walt Disney World would retire “It’s Tough to be a Bug!,” a 3D show based on Pixar’s “A Bug’s Life” currently performing inside the Tree of Life. The thing is … we can’t find anywhere that Disney has actually said “It’s Tough to be a Bug” is closing in 2025 — just that “Zootopia” is opening.
This stands in contrast with Disney’s frequent communication about Animal Kingdom’s upcoming Tropical Americas land (see above). When Disney shares news about that project, the company almost always reminds fans that DinoLand, U.S.A. will close permanently.
This begs the question: Is “It’s Tough to be a Bug” actually closing, or did we assume that? Could both the old and the new share the same space? We contacted Disney for clarification in December 2024 and did not receive a response back.
Already closed for lengthy (but temporary) downtime in 2025
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom closed for refurbishment on Jan. 6, 2025. The roller coaster will be closed until sometime in 2026; its exact reopening date has not been announced.
Walt Disney World management has not mentioned what will specifically change about Big Thunder Mountain Railroad during the roller coaster’s downtime.
The area surrounding Big Thunder will see major infrastructure developments in the coming years as Disney builds Villains Land “beyond Big Thunder” and “Cars” attractions in place of Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America (see above).
Test Track
Epcot
Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla.
Test Track closed in June 2024 for an extended refurbishment. When the Epcot thrill ride reopens in late summer 2025 (date TBA), it will embody a “spirit of optimism” harking back to World of Motion, the defunct Epcot attraction that Test Track replaced.
Image courtesy of Disney
Test Track opened in 1999, and focused on safety tests during cars’ manufacturing stage. Come 2012, Disney revamped the experience, adding the ability for guests to customize their ride vehicle’s imagined design.
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
Disneyland Park
Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif.
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln — located inside the Main Street Opera House at Disneyland — closed in April 2024 for an extended refurbishment, as reported by the Orange County Register.
A new show called Walt Disney – A Magical Life will debut in the same venue on May 16, 2025 with the first-ever Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney. Upon announcing Walt Disney – A Magical Life, Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald said that “after its initial run, the attraction will play in rotation with “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.”
Disney has not announced the timeframe of that “initial run,” though its opening coincides with the kickoff of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration, which will begin May 16 and continue through summer 2025 (exact end date TBA).
Do you plan on visiting any of these closing Disney attractions sometime in 2025?
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