Disney World Shares Early First Look at Ride Vehicles For Magic Kingdom ‘Cars’ Attraction

At SXSW, Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter and Imagineer Michael Hundgen shared details about a new Cars-themed area coming to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. The attraction will feature a unique off-road rally race, and the team is developing custom ride vehicles for the experience. These vehicles are being designed to simulate real-world off-road challenges like rocky terrain and mountain peaks. Hundgen explained that they use real-world data from dirt track tests to enhance the ride’s performance. Additionally, each ride vehicle will have its own personality, with names and numbers, to give guests a personalized racing experience.

The team traveled to the Arizona desert to experience driving an off-road vehicle on rocky terrain, something Lightning McQueen and Mater have never done before. They faced challenges like racing over rough ground, climbing mountains, and avoiding geysers. The challenge was to take these real-world elements and give them a “Cars” twist, incorporating the unique personalities and perspectives of the characters into these adventurous situations.

The Imagineers collaborated with a motocross company to create a real dirt track for racing. They used the data from this track to begin designing how the ride vehicles would move and race in the final attraction.