We have some unfortunate news for Disney Parks fans. According to recent reporting, existing plans for two new American theme parks designed by former Walt Disney Imagineers have been canceled. Here’s what we know.American Heartland Theme ParkThis summer, Inside the Magic reported on the strange case of “Disney of the Midwest.” The man who funded a proposed American Heartland Theme Park in Vinita, Oklahoma, Gene Bicknell, retained counsel and filed a lawsuit against three defendants: Richard Silanskas Jr., Stephen Hedrick, and Larry Wilhite. Bicknell, 92, accused the men of running a “criminal enterprise” and defrauding him of his $60 million investment in the proposed $2.5 billion theme park.Credit: Mansion Entertainment GroupLawyers say Wilhite and Silanskas impersonated God and other religious figures to manipulate the elderly Bicknell into investing millions into American Heartland Theme Park. “TRUST THEM COMPLETELY AND AVOID INSERTING ANY DISTRACTIONS OR DOUBTFUL QUESTIONS,” read one alleged message obtained by KOSU. American Heartland Theme Park was originally announced in 2023 and scheduled to open in 2026. It was set to span more than 1,100 acres and include an RV campground, amphitheatre, dinner theatre, swimming pool, clubhouse, and the proposed 125-acre theme park. Developers bragged that the project “would rival Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom Theme Park” and that at least a dozen former Disney cast members were involved in the design.Credit: Steven Miller, FlickrAmid the ongoing lawsuit, the website advertising American Heartland Theme Park was deleted.Libertyland USAIn 2023, South Dakotans were excited to hear that Storyland Studios, a team with several former creatives from Disney, Legoland, Pixar, and Universal, was developing a new theme park called Libertyland USA. The original plans promised a 300-acre theme park and entertainment destination on the Northeast side of Rapid City.Credit: Libertyland USA LLCUnfortunately, according to Sioux Falls Business, those plans have been downgraded to a 50-acre shopping and dining complex, like Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort. Darren Sloniger, managing director of Libertyland USA LLC., told the outlet that the developers wanted to focus on making the entertainment and sports complex a year-round destination that locals and visitors could enjoy.“Everyone wants this to be a year-round development, so anything I can do to increase the seasonality of the project, I wanted to do,” Sloniger explained. “We needed to take this from Disney World down to Disney Village and make it something that’s financeable and year-round and attract tourists and local residents.”Libertyland USA will retain its Americana theme, and plans are still in place to build a hotel on the property. However, Sloniger said Storyland Studios isn’t considering many traditional theme park attractions for the complex.Credit: Libertyland USA LLC“The only outdoor attractions I’m contemplating are a 150-foot high Ferris wheel and a carousel that will be outdoors, and then go-karts and putt-putt golf for summer,” he said.Storyland Studios hasn’t announced a projected grand opening date for Libertyland USA, but the team hopes to break ground on the project sometime in the next six months.Which area of the United States should get a new theme park next? Share your opinion with Inside the Magic in the comments! The post Disney Imagineers Cancel Plans To Build Two New U.S. Theme Parks appeared first on Inside the Magic.