Walt Disney Imagineering shared new concept art, early production sketches, creative guidelines, and other behind-the-scenes material for Piston Peak National Park during a presentation on the D23 expo floor.
Integrating Piston Peak Into Magic Kingdom
The presentation outlined four principal creative guidelines for the Magic Kingdom project: introducing new Frontierland attractions, creating a new adventure within the world of Cars, offering both family thrills and family fun, and balancing excitement with humor.
Imagineers looked to real national parks while developing the fictional wilderness of Piston Peak. Photos documented one research trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, where the team studied mountainous landscapes, red rock formations, trails, vegetation, and park architecture.
The team also examined wilderness settings throughout Disney history. A presentation slide paired forest and campground scenes from Disney animated films with examples from existing Disney Parks, including Frontierland architecture, landscaping, merchandise, signs, and character designs. Concept art shows two angles of the upcoming land, including thermal vents along the land’s off-road course and an artistic rendering of a sunset scene over the mountainous terrain.
Early production sketches show Imagineers developing rustic structures with steep rooflines, stonework, timber details, and park-service architecture. One elevation drawing compares the scale of a proposed attraction building with Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the Haunted Mansion.
The Characters of Piston Peak
The presentation also revealed a seemingly final 3D rendering of Ranger J. Autobahn Woodlore, an original vehicle character created for Piston Peak. The green-and-burgundy park ranger vehicle wears a broad-brimmed ranger hat and carries supplies beneath a canvas covering.
Development art shows that the character’s design was inspired partly by J. Audubon Woodlore, the Disney park ranger who appeared alongside Humphrey the Bear in classic animated shorts. Notes incorporated the animated ranger’s glasses, hat, prominent eyebrows, and smaller stature into an automotive design.
Imagineers also introduced a smaller gray tractor-like vehicle known as a Goat-Cart. Its design includes floppy ears, horns, large front teeth, and four oversized tires. As detailed in the presentation, Goat-Carts are expected to appear along the course of the area’s primary off-road racing attraction, helping populate Piston Peak with wildlife reimagined for the world of Cars.
Miss Fritter’s Demolition Derby Attraction Layout
A new overhead view provides a closer look at the secondary attraction starring Miss Fritter. Numerous ride vehicles appear spread across a large circular area surrounding a central structure, with additional rustic buildings and landscaping enclosing the course. The layout suggests a chaotic, demolition-derby-inspired experience fitting Miss Fritter’s personality, though Disney has not yet fully explained its ride system.
Piston Peak National Park will expand Frontierland with two Cars-inspired attractions and a national park environment built over the former Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island area. Disney first displayed a detailed Piston Peak National Park model during this D23 event, offering a broader look at the land’s mountains, waterways, trails, and structures.
Disney also confirmed that the project’s second attraction will star the boisterous Miss Fritter from Cars 3, complementing the larger off-road rally experience.
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