It’s official! Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Magic Kingdom is reopening on May 3rd!
Ahead of that reopening, Disney has shared a lot of updates and details about what will be changing on the ride, including a new track, a new scene, a new exterior, and more. Well, now, Disney is sharing a new behind-the-scenes video featuring some of the Imagineers who helped make all these new updates to the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness.
In the new video, Disney features some of the Imagineers who worked on the ride’s update. This also includes a first up-close look at some of the changes, including the brand new track on the ride. Now, we thought the rickety track from before was all part of the Big Thunder Mountain Experience, but it seems like the ride might not be at least a little bit smoother (which is all good with our aging bodies).
Disney also confirmed that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has brand new ride vehicles, which will probably also help improve the ride experience. Of course, it’s still going to be wild because that’s the way this ride rolls! The ride control system has also been upgraded.
We also recently learned that because of these new improvements, the ride’s height requirement has been changed from 40″ to 38″, so some little ones will get to experience the ride for the very first time. However, don’t worry too much about the changes. It’s still the same Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, aka the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness, but it’s been made to be more enjoyable for more people.
Imagineers say that the ride is more comfortable than it was in the past, and a lot of the ride’s fans will probably be VERY happy to hear that.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is also getting a new scene, Rainbow Caverns, which will be “shimmering and illuminating iridescent” to help bring the ride to life in a new way. The exterior is also getting an update so that it will better fit in with the Piston Peak expansion when it opens in Frontierland.
Disney also promised other “magic,” so we probably won’t even know what that is until the ride officially reopens next month. In the meantime, we’ll keep an eye out for early preview announcements, so stay tuned to DFB for more.
Why Is It Taking Disney World Over a Year to Refurbish Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?
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I am really looking forward to riding Big Thunder. Was there last February and felt like I had a gap in my list of rides I wanted to take. Am hoping you guys once the ride is open can get all the little items of interest that the Disney Imagineers come up with.
Thanks