Walt Disney Imagineers know that the secret to maintaining an old theme park ride is to make it new again. This approach has allowed Disney classics to retain their classic status and consistently renew their lease on life time and again across Disney’s seven-decade history in the theme park business. This philosophy of change is especially true for the attraction that, at its heart, is about change itself: Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, which is about to receive the most changes it’s seen since 1994.
Disney revealed how it will replace every scene in Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, a classic Magic Kingdom ride, for the next generation of theme park-goers. We have the closing date for the current version of the ride, a scene-by-scene breakdown of what’s coming and what’s being removed, and how the revamped ride will introduce Florida’s first Audio-Animatronics figure depicting Walt Disney himself. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including 11 new Disney rides opening in 2027 and a price increase for Disney World’s fanciest restaurant. We also just got news about a missing ride effect returning.
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Classic Magic Kingdom Ride Closing Date Revealed for Major Refurbishment
Mickey Visit attended an executive media panel last week at Walt Disney World, where we heard from leadership at Walt Disney Imagineering and Magic Kingdom. They shared context on how they take the utmost care in approaching updates to classic rides. Their goal is always to leave the attraction better than it was when they first worked on it.
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The executives pointed to the recent refurbishments of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as examples of artists and cast members working across disciplines to restore generations-old attractions to ensure their are ready to run for years into the future while also implementing new story elements.
Next up is Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress. As the ride’s song lyrics proclaim, “There’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrow” as the attraction prepares for its most significant changes in more than 30 years.
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress will close on July 6, 2026, for a major refurbishment. The final day to experience the current version of the ride is July 5. This seems appropriate given that one of the ride’s sequences takes place on Independence Day, “the hottest Fourth of July we’ve had in years!”
Disney shared a first look at the attraction’s new poster, displaying the ride’s updated finale sequence, which we have all the details on below, along with every new scene.
Currently, the 21-minute ride showcases a romanticized history of the 20th century’s technological milestones through the lens of a middle-class American family, depicted as Audio-Animatronics figures.
Guests sit in an auditorium that physically moves into each new scene every four minutes. Each turn focuses on a different era of technology. The auditorium completes a circle by the end of the ride, hence the Carousel name.
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The ride’s full, formal title includes Walt Disney’s possessive name at the beginning, as the attraction was incredibly personal to him. To that end, Disney executives stressed during the panel how getting this attraction right is important to them. It first debuted at the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair before migrating to Disneyland in 1967 and finally to Walt Disney World in 1975.
Here’s how it’s changing.
Walt Disney as an Audio-Animatronics Figure
Disney previously revealed that Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress would receive a makeover in the near future. In 2025, the company revealed the first breadcrumb, sharing that the opening scene of a reimagined version of the ride will star an Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney.
This will mark Walt’s first Audio-Animatronics likeness in Florida, following the debut of a similar figure at Disneyland in California in 2025 as part of the biographical presentation Walt Disney – A Magical Life, pictured above.
In Carousel of Progress, Walt will appear dressed in a blue cardigan and slacks, just as he did on his weekly television series, Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, during a 1964 episode titled Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair. In that episode, Walt teases Disney’s involvement in the Fair, including the Carousel of Progress. In fact, clips from that episode currently play on TV monitors while guests wait to board the ride.
In the opening scene of the updated Carousel of Progress, guests will see Walt in the offices of WED Enterprises, the division of the company today known as Walt Disney Imagineering. Just as he did on television six decades ago, Walt will provide guests with context for what they’re about to see, with his signature showmanship.
This scene will feature replica and real props like the prototype Tiki bird, the Tower of the Four winds model, a doll from “it’s a small world”, and more.
From there, the ride will begin moving, and it won’t take long for fans to spot what’s been removed.
What’s Being Removed from the Current Attraction
The current version of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress depicts four historical eras. Almost all of them will be removed for the 2027 update.
Notably, the current version of Carousel of Progress is not the original. Disney has been through all this before, with various iterations of the script leading to its current form, which was last updated in 1994. There have been four different versions of the attraction over the years.
Here’s what the attraction currently consists of, but not for long. After describing all the current scenes, we’ll share what’s coming in their place.
In the 1900s scene, which takes place on Valentine’s Day, John regales the audience about the advent of automobiles and news of “some kind of flying contraption.” His wife, Sarah, is seen ironing and comments on how the wash only takes five hours now.
Next, in the 1940s, on the Fourth of July, John and his family marvel at how fast they receive news via radio. The following sequence takes riders to the 1960s on a Halloween night, when John can’t believe how household appliances, like dishwashers, make life easier.
The current version of the finale depicts the near future as seen through the eyes of 1994. Some of the technology on display in the scene, which takes place on Christmas Day, was fairly accurate in predicting its eventual mainstream use, such as VR headsets for video games. Other references are outdated now, such as the family mentioning how impressed they are by car phones, voice activated ovens, and laser discs.
In the updated ride, Disney will completely remove the 1900s, 1940s, and 1994 scenes. There will be a version of the 1960s scene, but it will be very different, as we describe below.
Scene-by-Scene Breakdown of New Carousel of Progress
Following the introduction, with the Walt Disney Audio-Animatronics figure, the updated Carousel of Progress will segue into its first main scene, depicting the 1960s, where Walt left off. From the jump, this is already a big change, as the ’60s are currently the penultimate decade in the ride’s journey. Now it’s where we start!
In the story, John just returned from visiting the New York World’s Fair and is inspired by its spirit of optimism. John’s son, Jimmy, watches the moon landing on television. Just like in the current attraction, the family marvels in awe at “modern” progress.
The next scene takes guests to Halloween 1985 with big hair and neon. Sarah is taking center stage for the first time as she shares how appliances and gadgets are making life easier for the whole family. Meanwhile, Uncle Orville is investing in Apple, an endeavor John doesn’t have much faith in. He has the same frustration about a lack of privacy and uses clap on lights to have it go dark for him to enjoy his bath.
After that, it’s onward to New Year’s Eve 1999. John, Sarah, Patty, and Jimmy are ringing in the new year with an entire wall of single-use appliances like their popcorn maker and bread maker. They’re excited about how the internet can bring them and the world closer together than ever before. Grandma just wants to watch pro wrestling instead of the countdown to 2000.
The finale concludes the story in the distant future, taking place in a world that may be a little bit off-planet. A robot aids the family in their daily chores in a home inspired by sketches from the late John Hench for the original 1964 version of the ride’s finale.
During the media panel Mickey Visit attended, Disney executives remarked how Carousel of Progress is quintessentially Disney, and that they take the opportunity to refresh it seriously.
Guests can expect Easter eggs to pop culture and Disney history, as well as a continued commitment to practical special effects that honor the original attraction.
More Changes Coming to Disney World in 2027
The updated Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress will open sometime in 2027. Disney has not revealed an exact opening date or estimated time of year.
It will be a busy year across Walt Disney World. Disney’s Animal Kingdom will open its new Tropical Americas land featuring Encanto and Indiana Jones rides.
Disney Lakeshore Lodge, a new hotel themed to nature, will open near Magic Kingdom.
Also under construction and expected to open beyond 2027 are a Monsters, Inc. land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as well as Cars rides and Villains Land at Magic Kingdom.
This comes after the debut of 13 new changes and additions that just debuted at Walt Disney World.
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