More people than ever before will be able to enjoy Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park in Florida — because the updated version has lowered its ride height requirement.
A sneak peek post on the Walt Disney World Ambassadors Instagram profile takes viewers behind the scenes of the ride’s remake. The attraction has been closed for over a year while undergoing a refurbishment. It is set to reopen on May 3, 2026.
“Imagineers” in the clip reveal that the track, vehicles and ride control system have been replaced, and that the height requirement has been reduced from 40 inches (3-feet 4-inches) to 38 inches (3-feet 2-inches).
It’s a significant change for families, and brings the ride into line with other family-friendly attractions such as Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
While the clip unveils some of the new track and cars, enhancements to the deepest sections of the interior are still under wraps.
Only artists’ impressions have been released by Disney of the “new magic” in the Rainbow Caverns section, which has been updated with “phosphorescent pools, shimmering and illuminating iridescent stalagmites (the ones on the floor) and stalactites (the ones on the ceiling),” according to the Disney Parks Blog.
The blog adds: “The Rainbow Caverns certainly are beautiful… but they ain’t as friendly as they first appear.”
These dramatic moments in the cavern — a tribute to the original Rainbow Caverns Mine Train that ran in California back in the 1950s — are intended to deepen the ride’s backstory, and will show the mountain “fighting back” against greedy gold prospector Barnabas T. Bullion, who set up the Big Thunder Mountain Company and ignored warnings that he would be upsetting the spirits.
New scenery extras also emerge in the wait line and around the ride.
The refresh will be smoother and more comfortable, but still “the wildest ride in the wilderness.”
It follows the opening of World of Frozen in Disneyland Paris, which features a boat ride in which life-like animatronic Frozen characters – including princesses Elsa and Anna, Kristoff and his reindeer Sven, rock trolls, and Olaf the snowman – sing and dance their way through some of the fantasy movie’s hits.
The architecture in World of Frozen forms a life-size recreation of the kingdom of Arendelle, where guests wander past pastel-colored storybook buildings, a snowflake-shaped fountain and around a town square with a clock tower.
Framing the square is the North Mountain – standing 118 feet in height and blanketed in snow – crowned by Elsa’s Ice Palace.
Next door is the castle she grew up in with her sister, Anna, which overlooks Arendelle Bay.
