The Carousel of Progress reimagining looks bigger than just new scenes. Five new permits from Walt Disney Imagineering cover work that reaches past the show and into the building itself. Notice of Commencement permit filings paint a fuller picture than the new acts alone. Here is what the paperwork shows.
New Carousel of Progress Permits Point to a Full Theater Overhaul
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- The five permits Disney filed, from HVAC to set elements
- Why an HVAC install signals more than a scene refresh
- The five contractors named in the filings
- How the work fits a 2027 reopening window
Five Filings Cover Studs to Scenery
Walt Disney Imagineering filed five Notices of Commencement for 1205 Monorail Way, the Magic Kingdom address tied to the Carousel of Progress. The filings were recorded between mid and late June, with signature dates running back to April.
The scope is what stands out here. The permits cover general construction, an HVAC system install, electrical work, and two contractors working on set element installation. All told, they cover the structure, the climate systems, the power and show systems, and the scenery. These are the types of major trades you would bring to a theater you mean to substantially rebuild, not just reimagine.
The HVAC filing is the one that stands out to me. An HVAC system install is not what you file for a scene swap, but what you file when you are replacing the climate systems that keep a theater running. Paired with a general construction permit, the scope points to a structural pass rather than a relatively simple set redressing. This is critical because the Carousel theater dates to the attraction’s 1975 Magic Kingdom debut. It is more than 50 years old at this point, and likely in need of some work.
As Disney continues to pump hundreds of millions of dollars per year into its Walt Disney World attractions and their upkeep, we expect that the Carousel of Progress reimagining will go far beyond the new scenes. Walt Disney World has not commented on the planned scope of the work. That said, we hope to learn more as the reimagining progresses this Summer and through to 2027.
The Contractors on the Job
Disney named a separate contractor on each filing. Southeastern Construction & Maintenance, Inc. holds the general construction permit, signed in late April. Lo-Temp Engineering Inc. is listed on the HVAC install.
Elite AV Systems handles the electrical work. Two set element contractors round out the list: Icarus Exhibits, Inc. and ThemeWorks, Inc., both filed June 24. The set element filings point most directly to the new show scenes, while the other three point to the building around them.
On the set dressing side, ThemeWorks brings a long themed-entertainment resume to the job. The High Springs firm has won Themed Entertainment Association THEA awards for a number of Disney projects, including Star Tours, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Shanghai Disney Resort, Pandora – The World of Avatar, Flight of Passage, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Its award shelf also holds Universal projects such as Diagon Alley, Volcano Bay, and Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. A fabricator with that record on the Carousel project bodes well for the final product.
Icarus carries its own deep Disney history. The Orlando firm has been featured on the Disney Parks Blog as a local business with ties to Walt Disney World, and its partnership with Imagineering dates to the 1990s and a Magic Kingdom project. Since then, Icarus has worked on TRON Lightcycle Run, Toy Story Land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, Monstropolis, and the set elements for Soarin’ Across America we covered earlier this year. Two contractors with this much Disney pedigree on the scenery points to a set build Disney intends to get right.
What the Work Means for 2027
Disney has announced that the final day to enjoy the current version of the Carousel of Progress will be July 5th. Disney is targeting a 2027 reopening, and a broader systems overhaul fits that window. While there are four scenes to reimagine, and that takes time, a full systems refresh would need a lot more runway. Disney has given itself that runway. It’s too early to say how long the work will take, but if there is more here than just the scenes, we’d imagine that a Summer 2027 opening would be the soonest the attraction could return.
Story So Far
- February 2026: A new Imagineering permit hinted at work to add the Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic to the attraction’s opening scene.
- May 2026: Disney revealed a full reimagining, updating every scene to new decades, with a July 5 final day and a 2027 reopening.
- June 2026: We placed Carousel of Progress within a broader Tomorrowland refresh.
- June 2026: Five new Notices of Commencement posted, this article’s news, covering general construction, HVAC, electrical, and set elements across two contractors.
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!