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Three major Walt Disney World attractions including Rivers of Light are now permanently closed and some upcoming projects have been indefinitely postponed.
Two major attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom received the official chop this week. The seasonal Primeval Whirl spinning roller coaster won’t reopen again. While that’s not much of a surprise to regular guests, the Rivers of Light nighttime show also won’t return. Disney World cut most live shows from its theme parks after reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic this summer.
The third permanently closed attraction is Stitch’s Great Escape at the Magic Kingdom. The ride hasn’t been open for some time now and many suspect that Disney had already demolished the interior.
Disney is also not planning its revamp of Spaceship Earth or the Mary Poppins attraction at EPCOT. Spaceship Earth was scheduled to close in May, but park closures forced the refurbishment to suspend. As Disney focuses on projections already in development, a new Spaceship Earth and Mary Poppins may not have their debut for quite some time.
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Primeval Whirl has a long history of incidents including the death of two Cast Members. The ride, set in the roadside attraction, Chester and Hester’s DinoRama, was one of two roller coasters at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (though technically this ride is two separate reversed coasters).
Rivers of Light opened in 2017 to mixed reviews. The nighttime show took place in an aquatic amphitheater but never quite found its audience. When the attraction revamped last summer with added Disney characters, guests still found it an overall bore.
At this time, we don’t have word if Disney plans to replace these attractions. Our guess is that Animal Kingdom won’t have a nighttime show for a couple of years. Perhaps as we see crowds return to US theme parks in the coming years, Disney will have a clearer idea of what audiences desire from a theme park.
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