Disney is actively working to improve existing rides and attractions to draw in more guests each hour and increase the “excellent” rating that rides receive during guest surveys. This work is refreshing existing attractions ahead of massive new rides at Walt Disney World and new rides at Disneyland. One Disney leader explicitly stated that they view the refresh projects to be just as important as the massive new rides coming to the parks.
So far we have seen this work more actively executed at Walt Disney World. The strategy is working there. I anticipate that we will hear more about what is coming to Disneyland in this area of refreshing and improving existing attractions (more on this at the bottom of the article) at the D23 Expo in August. We’ll dive into all of this in our full look at how Disney is working to improve their existing attractions and refresh them to connect with the next generation. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including an update on the massive Magic Kingdom expansion and changes to a ride’s policies.
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Disney Working on Ride Changes to Draw in New Visitors
A week before the attraction opened, I previewed the new Muppets version of the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The ride follows the same structure as the previous version, but layers in the Muppets across every aspect and with that brings new jokes, references, Audio-Animatronics, and music for the ride. It is unquestionably better than the Aerosmith version that came before it in every way. In comparison, the previous version feels bare. This new version brings whimsy and a set of classic characters, plus awesome on-ride songs. Somehow they made all those improvements during a closure that lasted less than three months. This is representative of a nimble approach that Disney is taking across the parks.
I walked the queue of the new version of the attraction with Michael Hundgen, the Portfolio Executive Creative Producer at Walt Disney Imagineering for Walt Disney World. He is one of three lead Imagineers managing projects big and small at Walt Disney World.
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He shared that on his work laptop he has a sticker of Smokey Bear. Sometimes in meetings, partners will wonder why he isn’t sporting a Disney sticker and instead repping one from the National Park Service. Hundgen shared that the Smokey sticker represents how he wants his teams to approach every project at Walt Disney World.
“Leave it better than you found it” is the ultimate ethos of Smokey Bear and the spirit Hundgen tries to bring to all projects. He wants all of the Imagineers on his teams to approach projects with this perspective and care. This is the bar that new additions replacing old attractions should be judged against.
Walt Disney World has been actively reinvesting in attractions and we expect Disneyland to soon more aggressively follow this same path. It is working at Walt Disney World and driving real results.
Mickey Visit attended a media presentation with Disney executives from Imagineering and Walt Disney World to learn more about this focus on reinvesting in classic attractions. Here’s what I learned while there.
Walt Disney World actively invests hundreds of millions of dollars each year in existing attractions and experiences to ensure that they are kept up to the standards that guests expect for their trips. The teams shared that reinvestment is planned with the same rigor as new development. They look far into the future when planning any work and look at the entire menu of options for guests so that there is enough for guests to experience across the four theme parks at all times.
The Imagineering representative on the panel shared that while they are super excited for the massive new ride additions with Cars, Villains, Tropical Americas, and Monsters, the reinvestment is seen as equally critical. He shared that while it is awesome to get on Slinky Dog Dash or Rise of the Resistance, you need to have some other enjoyable experiences in between. That’s why the reinvestment in existing attractions is so important. In that instance he pointed to the new version of Animation Courtyard (new details just released) and adding Muppets to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
This recognition of building out the entire theme park day feels unique to Walt Disney World right now and if it proves out could impact Disney’s broader approach to how they manage refurbishments and investments in existing attractions across all of their theme parks.
He spoke about how the relationship between the President of Walt Disney World and the Imagineering teams has never been stronger and closer than it is today. There is a new Walt Disney World president incoming and we expect that he will only build upon this closer relationship. The Imagineer stated that Disney trades on emotion and they know that rather than any one ride, the Disney experience is about how it makes you feel when you are with loved ones visiting the parks. The refreshed attractions tie into this.
The Imagineers think about how to engage multiple generations in the theme parks. They want to maintain nostalgia while also reaching new generations. He pointed to the changes at Country Bears Jamboree and the change from Splash Mountain to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure as examples of this. They aim to keep what guests love, while bringing in new stories to connect with new generations and create new memories.
They shared more information on how they decide whether to reinvest in a ride or completely reconcept that space and use it for something else. We’ll dive more deeply into how they approach that aspect of the process in an article next week so make sure you are on the Mickey Visit newsletter.
In addition to the Imagineering teams, there is also a huge facilities asset management team that consists of over 4,000 cast members working across 15 different trades who are dedicated to maintaining and refreshing attractions and resorts. Much of that work happens on an ongoing basis overnight and behind the scenes, but they also lead many of the overhaul projects. They said that precision, safety, and care guide every decision and work that is completed by the team.
This team handles big projects like the Big Thunder Mountain overhaul or a resort renovation and thousands of smaller projects that might go unnoticed. These are all part of broader efforts to have classic and newer attractions both get the same care and attention that guests expect.
During the presentation the team reflected on some of the strong response to the attractions that recently reopened and looked ahead to another big overhaul coming.
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Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin was the first of this style of shooting attraction to open anywhere in the world when it opened in 1998. Disney saw that there was real value in this ride and they wanted to double down on the ride system and game play. They refreshed the ride from top to bottom with new targets, vehicle fleet, new blasters, and added technology this year. They added things like haptics into the blaster so that it buzzes when you hit a target. The Imagineers on the project wanted it to be a great experience for people who love Buzz Lightyear and new guests.
The Imagineers delivered a substantial update from the 1998 version to the 2026 version that makes this ride far more enjoyable than it was previously and arguably the best version of this shooter ride in the world. It blends the flat sets and new technology to keep what was special about the original Buzz ride while updating it for modern audiences. Last year I wrote about my experience trying one of the international theme park versions of this Buzz ride that was substantially more fun. Now, this version of the ride has that level of tech while maintaining the nostalgia for the old ride.
A Disney leader shared that guests in Magic Kingdom have had an equally strong feeling about the changes to the attraction. Guests have described the attraction as “much improved” and “modernized” in surveys, with upgrades making the experience more immersive and intuitive for all ages. Disney is also seeing a material lift in guest ratings for the attraction in post-trip surveys. The percentage of guests who give the highest rating of “excellent” has gone up 15 points compared to pre-refurbishment.
Note that we’ve now ridden the attraction over a dozen times since it reopened and have all the top tips on how to beat your family and get a high score here.
The next recent attraction that they spoke about was the recent refurbishment of Big Thunder Mountain. The attraction was due for an upgrade from top to bottom to ensure that it could run smoothly for years to come. They replaced the track, vehicles, control system, and other infrastructure elements that are necessary to support a ride of this magnitude. They maintained what guests know and love about the ride, like the speed, energy, and excitement.
They also saw an opportunity to lower the height requirement for the attraction during the work. See details on that change here.
While the facilities team focused on the important infrastructure work, the Imagineers took the opportunity to get back into the attraction to upgrade some of the show scenes. While the improvements to the ride vehicles and infrastructure seem to have dictated the project, Imagineering had the chance to make the ride better in that moment.
They brought to life rainbow caverns in the opening cave scene of the ride that are an homage to the Disneyland ride. They highlighted a massive gold nugget in the finale scene. They then focused on making sure that the show scenes that are in place look better than ever. The flooded town for instance looks fresh. One element of the show went missing at the reopening, but Imagineers have assured us that it is returning soon.
Also on the panel, they broke news about a complete overhaul to the Carousel of Progress coming to Magic Kingdom. The classic ride will shift timelines forward and update all of the show scenes. They are also going to add an Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney. This complete overhaul will be approached with the same care that the Imagineers have used for the other recent additions. We have details on all the specific changes coming here.
These three projects at Magic Kingdom are in addition to the other ongoing work at Walt Disney World to deliver what Imagineering has referred to as “singles” and “doubles”. These are meant to fill gaps in the day between the headline offerings and flesh out the full park experience.
We can look to the entire slate of new openings at Walt Disney World this summer ranging from the temporary offerings like Jessie’s Roundup and GoofyCore to the updated Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster as varying versions of this approach. Walt Disney World seems to understand that they need to build out diverse sets of offerings for the entire family to deliver full days and longer stays. You can see all of the big 13 additions and changes that just launched.
In a way, the new Monsters, Inc. land coming to Hollywood Studios is a version of this as well, but on the other end of the reinvest vs reconcept equation. They chose to utilize the existing Muppets courtyard space to build out an entire land around the upcoming door coaster so that they could save money on building a new cityscape and spread out the budget to complete more offerings.
To wrap it up, the Imagineer on the panel hit on the point of it all coming back to how they can deliver the most creative value within the set constraints of a project. They aim to deliver an excellent guest and creative experience in everything that they do.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is a great example of having an existing solid ride profile. Then, take a story that is fresh and deliver it in a brand new way. Imagineers came in with a strong creative perspective for the ride and made sure that they were using the physical assets they have in the most value-enhancing way possible. This of course means taking advantage of the existing ride vehicles and queue, but can also mean smaller additions. For instance, the Statler and Waldorf old men from the Muppets that are in the new attraction are confirmed to be repurposed from the MuppetVision 3D attraction at Hollywood Studios.
Disney’s approach to improve attractions and make many offerings incrementally better across the resort has been working at Walt Disney World and now I am hopeful that we will see Disneyland follow this same approach. This D23 will mark two years since the Imagineering leadership team of Daniel Jue and Emily O’Brien arrived from Tokyo Disney to oversee Disneyland Resort in California. We have not yet seen comparable refreshes revealed by these two leaders at Disneyland.
My hope and expectation is that Disneyland is watching the success of the Walt Disney World Imagineering team led by Michael Hundgen and Chris Beatty. They have figured out how a successful partnership with the President of Walt Disney World, Jeff Vahle, can allow them to deliver more projects. I hope that Disneyland is getting ready to unveil a similar slate of upgrades that will come ahead of the planned new rides for Disney California Adventure.
From everything I know about the changes that Thomas Mazloum made while he was President of Disneyland Resort, the Imagineers and Disneyland leadership team are following a similar integration of the creatives and business leaders. This is a great sign of things to come in Anaheim. We’ll dive more into this in a future look at what we might expect at D23 and how we could see this manifest at the resort.
What do you think of Disney’s plans to reinvest in existing attractions to make them better? Is there any specific attraction on either coast that you hope is next on their list?
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