May 28, 2026
More changes are coming to the Magic Kingdom. The next attraction on Walt Disney World’s overhaul list is the Carousel of Progress, a welcome rest stop for many visitors seeking a comfortable seat and air conditioning in the middle of a hot Florida day, as well as one of the attractions most associated with founder Walt Disney.
The Carousel of Progress will be closed on July 5 and is scheduled to reopen some time in 2027. It will undergo a substantial refresh, with new scenes and an introduction by an animatronic of Walt himself. Fans of the attraction will sigh with relief, however, that the signature song — “It’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” — will remain. And the family they’ve come to know for the past 51 years, including John, Sarah, Rover and, yes, Uncle Orville, is sticking around also.
What’s changing?
The new ride will kick off with an animatronic Walt introducing the attraction and likely giving a little information on its history. That’s fitting as he was very hands-on with the show when it debuted at the 1964-1965 World’s Fair in New York, where it was one of the most-visited pavilions. In 1967, Carousel of Progress opened at Disneyland (ultimately closing in 1973), and in 1975, it was made part of the Magic Kingdom, where it has resided ever since.
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While the current attraction’s first act takes place at the turn of the 20th Century, the new Carousel of Progress will kick off in the 1960s, with the family just back from the World’s Fair, where they will discuss what they saw and witness the marvels of the time, such as the moon landing.
Act two will jump 15 years in the future to the 1980s. Disney Imagineers say they plan to load this section with Easter Eggs and are in the process of scanning Ebay for pop culture items. (Some executives, Imagineers said, had very strong feelings about which band posters should be hanging on the walls of the teenage children.) Uncle Orville, meanwhile, will remain in his bath, except this time he’ll have sunk all of his money into a company called Apple.
Expect John to utter his infamous line “It’ll never work.”
Act three takes visitors to the dawn of a new millennium, where the family is marveling over a newfangled thing called “the Internet.”
And Act four will be set in the far-distant future. The family, Imagineers hinted, might even be living off planet. (It’s a big jump from the woefully outdated VR game son James and his grandmother are playing in the current rendition of the show).
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The march of time
The Carousel of Progress is one of Walt Disney World’s longest running attractions, so any changes to it are likely to encounter some skepticism from long-time parkgoers. That said, the ride’s story has been showing its age for some time — and it has been refreshed several times throughout its history, with the most recent major overhaul in 1994.
Quick quiz
When is the Carousel of Progress scheduled to reopen after its closure?
A lot of the attention on Disney surrounds the $60 billion expansion of the parks and experiences division. But the company has also been steadily updating many of its classic rides, largely to positive reception. The Country Bear Jamboree unveiled a new program in 2024, which saw the bears singing versions of popular Disney songs instead of old country music standards. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad received a new track and some ride enhancements and began welcoming guests again earlier this month. And a rebrand of the Rock & Roller Coaster swapped out Aerosmith for the Muppets. Early feedback on both coasters has been overwhelmingly positive.
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Chris Morris is a veteran journalist with more than 35 years of experience at many of the internet's biggest news outlets. In addition to his activities as a writer, reporter and editor, Chris is also a frequent panel moderator and speaker at major conferences, including CES and South by Southwest.
