Walt Disney World has just announced that the Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin attraction in Tomorrowland will be closing this Summer for a significant update to the ride. The 26-year-old attraction will be closed starting in August, and remain closed into 2026 as updates are made to the ride. Keep reading for more details, including the official announcement from Walt Disney World!
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin Closing for Updates
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will be closed starting in August to allow for upgrades to be made to the attraction. The ride is expected to open in 2026.
A permit filed late last year got social media buzzing about a ride update, and while that permit wasn’t indicative of a larger ride overhaul, significant updates are now on the way!
The updates to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin include updated ride vehicles with new blasters and a new scoring screen. The ride will also receive updates, including new targets to shoot at with animated effects. Here’s the announcement from Walt Disney World!
Calling all Space Rangers! Exciting updates are on the horizon for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, including a new show scene, updated ride vehicles and gameplay enhancements. Here’s what you can expect from this iconic Tomorrowland attraction next year.
Brand New Scene
As their adventure begins, guests will now be greeted by an all-new character! This friendly robot — aptly named “Buddy” — was created by Walt Disney Imagineering and Pixar Animation Studios to play a key role on the Star Command team.
As a support-bot, Buddy makes sure departing Space Rangers are fully prepared for their mission, enthusiastically providing encouragement, final system checks on their Star Cruisers and a chance to hone their blaster aim. This will be a great time for guests to check out some of the new, interactive target features before blasting off to defeat the Evil Emperor Zurg and save the galaxy.
New Ride Vehicles
Star cruisers will also receive a face lift with a new design inspired by the colors of Buzz Lightyear and Star Command. Each enhanced vehicle will also now come equipped with video monitors that provide real-time scoring updates and other exciting features.
Handheld Blasters
Each ride vehicle will now include handheld blasters for better aim, helping guests to score even more points. These new blasters will be perfect for our younger riders, allowing them to participate more in the experience.
And, if you’ve ever wondered where you’re aiming (don’t worry, you’re not alone), these enhanced blasters will now include an always-on laser and come in two different colors per star cruiser, in addition to new lighting, sound and vibration effects, so players know where they’re aiming throughout the mission.
Interactive Targets
The static Z targets found in the attraction today will be upgraded with new technology that will allow them to react and light up when hit. It also opens the door for a few other ideas Imagineers have in mind.
Work on these updates recently passed an important milestone, as fellow Imagineers were invited to participate in a playtest of the new targets, blasters and gameplay ideas. Playtests are a critical part of the design process, where the project team is able to try out variations of a concept in a real-world setting, gaining critical insights into which ideas work best and how the experience can be improved. It’s all part of delivering an out-of-this-world experience for our guests.
“Everyone had a great time, and our team learned a lot,” project creative director Justin DeTolla said. “We’ve been working on this project for quite some time now, so it was exciting to see it all come to life for the first time in the field.”
To prepare for these updates, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will temporarily close in August and reopen next year. Star Command, over and out!
It’s interesting to see Walt Disney World continue to stick with the Toy Story IP for this ride when Tokyo Disneyland is currently in the process of changing its Tomorrowland blasting ride to a Wreck-It Ralph theme. In Hong Kong Disneyland, the Buzz Lightyear attraction was changed to an Ant-Man theme years ago.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
