When Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopens at Magic Kingdom next year, it will have a new opening scene.

New Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Scene

The trains enter the Rainbow Caverns, full of hundreds of bats, phosphorescent pools, and shimmering stalagmites and stalactites. It starts as a majestic, beautiful scene.

But then thunder rumbles and it changes to something menacing. Disney shared concept art of the before and after.

More “new magic” for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will be announced later.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Backstory

Here is the backstory of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, as explained by Disney Parks Blog:

The story of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad dates back to Olden Times, or rather, Golden Times, during the early days of America’s first major gold rush. When Barnabas T. Bullion struck gold in the Big Thunder region, he saw a future full of riches and hustled to start the Big Thunder Mountain Company.

However, them shiny dreams rarely come without a cost, and Bullion quickly found himself in a battle with the forces of nature and in a whole heap of trouble. One day, strange and unexplainable things started happening. Machines failed. Cave-ins shut mines down.

No matter how deep the miners dug into the heart of the mountain, the forces of Big Thunder fought back. And when the attraction reopens next year, the unsuspectin’ passengers who board the runaway trains will learn just how wild the wilderness can get.

Disney hasn’t shared a more specific reopening timeline for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It closed in January 2025 and received brand new track in approximately the same layout as before. We got a look at one of the refurbished trains a few months ago.

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