Magic Kingdom is getting a dramatic new landscape, but Disney doesn't want guests seeing every part of it from every corner of the park.
Construction on Piston Peak National Park will bring towering rockwork, waterfalls, and attractions inspired by Cars(2006) to Frontierland. With structures of that size, Walt Disney Imagineering faces an important challenge: making the new area feel enormous without disrupting the classic views elsewhere in Magic Kingdom.
Now, Disney appears to be testing exactly how those two goals can work together.
Disney Conducts Height Test at Magic Kingdom
According to WDW News Today, a recent Disney Parks Blog photo appears to reveal a balloon height test underway at the Piston Peak construction site.
The photo features Walt Disney World Executive Creative Director Jason Grandt, but something interesting can be spotted behind him. A red balloon is floating above the construction area, with Cinderella Castle visible farther in the background.
Balloon tests are commonly used when designers need to determine how tall structures will appear from different locations.
The report suggests Disney may have raised the balloon to approximately the planned height of one of Piston Peak's mountains. Imagineers can then view or photograph it from different areas of Magic Kingdom and make adjustments before designs are finalized.
For a project this large, those sightlines matter.
Disney Doesn't Want Cars Visible Everywhere
Imagineers have previously discussed the importance of protecting views around Magic Kingdom as Piston Peak takes shape.
The goal is to prevent obvious Cars (2006) architecture from becoming visible from areas including Main Street, U.S.A. and Liberty Square.
That doesn't mean Disney intends to completely hide the enormous new landscape.
Instead, Imagineers can control what guests see depending on where they're standing. Someone inside Piston Peak could be surrounded by dramatic mountains and recognizable elements from Cars (2006). Someone looking toward the area from Liberty Square could see something completely different.
Current plans call for rockwork and a large waterfall to help create an appropriate backdrop from Liberty Square.
Disney Has Used Similar Tricks Before
Imagineers have compared the technique to Mount Prometheus at Tokyo DisneySea.
Although the massive volcano dominates certain areas, its appearance changes depending on where guests stand. From the Cape Cod area, landscaping helps the structure resemble a rolling green hillside rather than an active volcano.
Piston Peak could accomplish something similar at Magic Kingdom.
That makes the apparent balloon test particularly interesting. Even changing the height or placement of a mountain could determine whether a recognizable Cars feature appears above the trees from another land.
Piston Peak Will Transform Magic Kingdom
Piston Peak National Park is going to dramatically change this section of Magic Kingdom. There's simply no way to build mountains of this scale without altering the park's skyline.
However, Disney appears determined to make those changes carefully.
Rather than allowing Piston Peak to dominate views throughout Magic Kingdom, Imagineers are testing how the massive new landscape could coexist with areas guests have known for decades.
The mountains are coming. Disney's challenge is making sure guests only see them when Imagineers want them to.
