Walt Disney World has officially revealed details on a major reimagining of the Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom. Disney will update every scene in the ride, shifting the story into entirely new decades, as well as adding the first-ever Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic to a Walt Disney World attraction. The current version of the attraction will have its final operating day on July 5, 2026, with the closure beginning July 6. Disney expects the updated attraction to reopen in 2027. Here’s everything we know!
Major Reimagining of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress: Everything We Know
In This Article
- Carousel of Progress closing date and reopening timeline
- A brief history of the attraction
- The Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic opening scene
- Updated acts and new decades covered in the reimagining
- What stays the same: the family, the song, and the heart
Closing Date and Reopening Timeline
The current version of the Carousel of Progress will operate for the final time on July 5, 2026. The attraction closure begins July 6, 2026. Disney has not announced a specific reopening date but has confirmed the attraction will return sometime in 2027.
A Brief History of the Carousel of Progress
The roots of the Carousel of Progress stretch back to the 1950s, when Walt Disney envisioned an extension of Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland called Edison Square. It would have been anchored by a walkthrough called Harnessing the Lightning, exploring how electricity and technology transformed the American family’s way of life. Edison Square was never built, but the core idea survived: technology would continue to evolve, but people would stay the same.
That concept was reworked into the Carousel of Progress for the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair, where it served as the centerpiece of the Progressland pavilion. The fair marked the debut of the attraction’s iconic rotating theater system, as well as its equally iconic anthem by Disney Legends Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. It was a project deeply personal to Walt, who was involved down to the smallest details, including how Uncle Orville’s toes should wiggle in the bathtub. The show was an enormous success and went on to become the most performed stage show in the history of American theater.
Following the fair, Walt brought the show to Disneyland, where it opened in 1967 with several updates, including a refreshed finale set in Progress City, a community of tomorrow based on Walt’s vision for EPCOT. The attraction moved to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in 1975, where it has operated ever since.
In Florida, the show continued to evolve through new scripts, voice actors, and other updates. For its first two decades at Walt Disney World, the attraction featured a different theme song entirely, “The Best Time of Your Life,” standing in for the Sherman Brothers’ original. You can still hear it playing as background music throughout Tomorrowland today. The attraction’s last major update came in 1993, which brought an updated finale scene and the return of “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.”
Now, it’s time for the attraction to change again, this time to connect to a new generation of fans.
The Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic Opening
Before the rotating theater experience begins, guests will encounter a Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic making its Walt Disney World debut in the opening scene. The scene is inspired by the 1964 television special “Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair,” in which Walt first introduced the idea of Carousel of Progress and shared his enduring belief in the power of progress to shape a better tomorrow.
The Imagineering team has been scouring original source material to recreate the props seen in that special, including a prototype Tiki Bird, a Tower of the Four Winds model, a doll from “it’s a small world,” and more. The scene floats somewhat outside of time, functioning as a thematic prologue that establishes the spirit of the show before the family’s story begins. According to Chris Beatty, Walt Disney Imagineering Portfolio Executive Creative Director, the opening moment will “set the stage for the next era of storytelling for our American family and their lovable dog.”
Disney previously announced the Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic as part of an earlier update.
Carousel of Progress Changes | The Scenes and the Decades
The biggest change in this reimagining is the shift in time periods. Disney is moving away from the attraction’s long-running late 19th and early 20th century framing, instead anchoring the story in decades that guests visiting the park now have personal connections to.
One of our main goals for this update was to keep the attraction relatable for today’s audiences by featuring eras in which our guests have personal connections. Lots of our team grew up during these decades themselves, so it’s been a real trip down memory lane to revisit the music, fashion, technology and experiences that helped shape our history all reflected in this family’s story.
One of the most important points to highlight here is that this update essentially replicates the timeframe established in the attraction’s 1964-65 World’s Fair iteration. That version of the ride looked into the past some 60 years, progressing through the decades. This refreshed version mirrors that same timeframe, but for a new audience. Much like the original ride, the updated 2027 version looks back approximately 60 years to begin the experience, this time opening in the 1960s rather than the 1900s.
The 1960s | Act 1
The first act is set in the summer of 1969 – July 20, 1969, to be exact. John and his family, along with millions around the world, gather around the television to watch the historic moon landing. Beatty said the moment is “filled with awe” and captures “the spirit of innovation and possibility that has always been, and always will be, at the heart of Carousel of Progress.” Concept art showed John in a mid-century modern kitchen with Rover at his side, while the family’s son sits at a table with a model rocket nearby, watching the moon landing.
The 1980s | Act 2
A 15-year jump brings the family to Halloween Night, 1985. For the first time in the attraction’s history, Sarah takes center stage in the main scene instead of John, who has always anchored the central scenes outside of the finale. She holds court at the kitchen table surrounded by the era’s gadgets and appliances, with Rover on the ground nearby. She’ll share how all the new appliances and gadgets are making life easier for the whole family.
Meanwhile, John can be spotted on the porch distributing candy to trick-or-treaters. The daughter’s bedroom is a wonderfully chaotic ’80s space, featuring a Polaroid camera, an elaborate radio setup, and band posters covering the walls. She’s in the process of getting ready to leave for work.
Nearby, Uncle Orville has retreated back to the bathroom, still desperately seeking some solitude. Concept art shown to media depicted him lounging in the bathtub, reading the Wall Street Journal, with an Apple coffee mug sitting close by. He poured his entire life savings into the company, and predictably, John remains skeptical that it will pan out. A groundbreaking invention of the era ultimately resolves Orville’s desire for some privacy: simply clap your hands, and the lights switch off!
The New Millennium | Act 3
The family celebrates New Year’s Eve, 1999. A new thing known as the Internet has come along to bring John, Sarah, Jimmy, and Patty – and the rest of the world – closer together than ever before. The kitchen is crowded with the single-purpose gadgets of the time: the popcorn machine, the bread maker, and other appliances.
Concept art depicted John seated at the kitchen table with a laptop (a Mickey head logo swapped in place of an Apple logo in the artwork), and Rover is joined by a robotic dog. In another room, Grandma and Grandpa are counting down to the new year, though Grandma has quietly flipped the channel to catch her wrestling match after Grandpa drifted off to sleep – some things never change.
The Possible Future | Act 4
The finale places the family in the distant future, in a home that is on a different planet entirely. A helpful robot assists with everyday tasks, and space travel has become part of ordinary life. To bring this scene to life, Imagineers looked back at original concept sketches by Disney Legend John Hench, drawing inspiration from his imaginative vision of the future.
Disney set this finale intentionally far ahead so that no single decade can claim it. That’s by design: the goal is to future-proof the attraction so it can run for a long time without the finale ever feeling dated. While Disney privately showed off concept art to the media for scenes from every decade, the only concept art released to the public is the finale scene as depicted in the concept art above.
Some Things Never Change
While there is certainly a lot of change on the horizon, some things never change for the Carousel of Progress. John, Sarah, and the rest of the family are all returning. Disney confirmed the animatronics are being refreshed, but the core characters are not being replaced.
The iconic song stays, too. “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” will continue to play at the end of every scene. The new show will also carry forward fun practical effects that have long defined the attraction. Disney showed the media a video of behind-the-scenes testing of various household items that come to life throughout the scenes, including an overflowing top-loading washing machine with suds spilling out of the top.
Easter Eggs and Behind-the-Scenes Details
The Imagineering team seems to have been having a lot of fun with the small details. Beyond the prop recreations in the Walt opening scene, the team has been scouring eBay for era-appropriate memorabilia to fill each scene. Several personal items from team members have made their way into the attraction too, including a K’nex Roller Coaster Building Set from the ’90s and a Disney pin collection, all pulled from Imagineers’ own homes.
New Carousel of Progress Attraction Poster Revealed
Disney also revealed a first look at the new Carousel of Progress attraction poster. The design pays homage to the original poster created for the attraction’s Magic Kingdom debut in 1975, reflecting both where the attraction has been and where it’s going.
Just like the 1975 version of the attraction poster, the updated 2027 attraction poster features “the good old days” on the left side of the image. However, the new poster features “the possible future” instead of the 1975 version’s tagline of “the possible present”.
The 2027 version of the attraction poster also includes a monorail and a city skyline that reminds us of Walt Disney’s Progress City model seen in the Tomorrowland PeopleMover attraction.
The Bigger Picture
This reimagining is the latest in a broader push by Walt Disney World to reinvest in classic attractions and experiences. As we’ve covered, recent projects include the reopening of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the updated Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, both of which have received strong guest feedback since reopening.
Beatty described the responsibility clearly: Imagineers now have “the great responsibility of keeping Walt’s ideas of innovation and forward-looking spirit alive” as they continue building the attraction’s future. The goal, as the team has framed it, is to honor the show’s humor, heart, and optimism while making it resonate with guests who may be experiencing it for the first time. We’ll continue to share updates as the reimagining progresses!
OUR TAKE: Anytime Disney touches a classic, fans get anxious. A reimagining of the Carousel of Progress will certainly invite some…reactions…on social media. I have a lot of hope for this update to Carousel of Progress, but let’s take a step back for a minute.
As Magic Kingdom continues to age, so too do the attractions. Let’s take a look at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as an example. That attraction recently received a mountain-to-caverns refresh that included a massive effort to completely rebuild the roller coaster track. As attractions age, Disney is faced with a decision: reinvest in the classics, or create something brand new. In some cases, it makes sense for Disney to demolish what was and create something brand new. Every year, it seems like someone’s favorite thing at Disney is removed. Disney knows that, and I’m sure the calculus isn’t always easy.
From the outside looking in, it seems like the Carousel of Progress could’ve been a coin flip on whether it stayed or was put out to pasture.
Let me be clear: I am overjoyed that Disney is choosing to reinvest in the classic Carousel of Progress attraction and not demolish it. By reimagining the decades, Disney is keeping the attraction relevant for years (decades?) to come, and ensuring that the Carousel of Progress truly has a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.
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!