Carousel of Progress Getting Major Refurbishment with All News Scenes and Walt Disney Animatronic

In a big surprise, Disney has announced a major refurbishment to “Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress,” at the Magic Kingdom, including 4 brand-new scenes completely replacing the current ones, plus a brand new, life-like animatronic figure of Walt Disney himself!

That’s right, the current version of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress is being completely overhauled and it a much more extensive refurbishment than we originally imagined.

It’s been confirmed that Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress at Disney’s Magic Kingdom will close on July 6, 2026 when the work will begin. It’s not expected to open again until sometime in 2027.

So what exactly is changing?

New Opening Scene

The opening scene will be completely new and instead of just a sign and monologue from the narrator, there will be a fresh scene complete with an audio animatronic of Walt Disney himself.

Walt is in a scene inspired by the 1964 special “Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair,” which is where he first introduced the idea of Carousel of Progress and shared his enduring belief in the power of progress to shape a better tomorrow.

The team is having a lot of fun sourcing and replicating many of the props seen in that special, like the prototype Tiki bird, the Tower of the Four Winds model, a doll from “it’s a small world,” and so much more.

This once unimaginable opening moment will set the stage for the next era of storytelling for our American family and their lovable dog.

4 All New Scenes

In addition to the new opening scene, all of the current 4 time period scenes showing the progression of the American family will be replaced with new time periods closer to our own time and more relatable to today’s audience.

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. That includes the iconic “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow,” which will continue to play as guests transition between scenes.

The Imagineers working on this refresh grew up during these decades, 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 thing that I think makes the Carousel of Progress so special is that physical props, painted backdrops, and practical effects everywhere. And the team is working tirelessly to make sure things like appliances and artwork are true to that decade.

Act 1 – The 1960s

The new version of the show starts its first scene in the 1960s, the same time period that the original show first opened at the World’s Fair. Ironically, when that version opened, it showed America 60 years earlier (in 1900 at the turn of the century). Now once again this version of the Carousel of Progress will look back 60 years from the present.

In the summer of 1969, our Carousel family, along with millions around the world, gather around the television to witness one of humanity’s greatest achievements: the historic moon landing. Filled with awe, the moment captures the spirit of innovation and possibility that has always been — and always will be — at the heart of Carousel of Progress.

Act 2 – The 1980s

Act 2 picks up right in the middle of the 1980s, on Halloween Night of 1985 to be exact. For the first time ever, Sarah is taking center stage. She’ll share how all the new appliances and gadgets are making life easier for the whole family.

Speaking of John, we’ll find him out on the porch handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, and poor Uncle Orville can be found in the bathroom with “no privacy around here!”

Act 3 – The New Millennium

The next scene picks up with the ‘90s drawing to a close, and the Carousel family is preparing to ring in the new millennium on New Year’s Eve 1999. Amid the excitement of the countdown to 2000, a new thing called the Internet is bringing John, Sarah, Jimmy and Patty – and the world – closer together than ever before.

And if you’re anything like my family, not everyone is making it to midnight. Grandpa has already nodded off before the big countdown, while Grandma sneaks the TV over to wrestling when no one’s looking.

Act 4 – The Possible Future

The final scene shows the family one last time in the distant future, in an out-of-this-world home. From a helpful robot assisting with everyday tasks to space travel, the scene imagines a future where extraordinary innovation has become part of life and proves that a beautiful tomorrow is just a dream away.

To help bring this new finale to life, Imagineers looked back at original concept sketches by Disney Legend John Hench, drawing inspiration from his imaginative vision of the future.

My Thoughts

We knew some big changes were coming to the Carousel of Progress when Disney had already announced about the Walt Disney animatronic figure back in September 2025. The exciting announcement was made during the “Creating the Happiest Place on Earth” panel at Destination D23.

Walt Disney Imagineer Chris Beatty revealed that you will soon be able to see Walt Disney through the magic of Audio-Animatronics technology in “Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress” at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World Resort.

“We are grateful to The Walt Disney Company and Walt Disney Imagineering for their continued collaboration and ongoing partnership with The Walt Disney Family Museum. The introduction of a new Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney in ‘Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress’ marks an exciting milestone in our shared mission to celebrate the story of the man behind the magic and inspire new generations with his innovations and vision for the future.”

“We appreciate the continued efforts and meticulous care that Imagineering has taken to keep Walt’s legacy alive,” Kirsten Komoroske, Executive Director of the Walt Disney Family Museum said.

The fact that we will now see Walt Disney as a major part of the attraction he worked so hard to bring to the world is a great decision by Disney. It’s only fitting that this comes around full circle and Walt himself will now be a part of it.

The Walt Disney animatronic figure will be the center-point of a new introductory scene before guests are introduced to the familiar American family we all know and love.

Walt’s own idea from beginning to end, the Carousel of Progress made its debut at the New York World’s Fair in 1964, where it was an immediate smash hit for millions of people visiting from around the world. Since then, the show has had more performances than any other stage show in the history of American theater and has found a comfortable home as a tribute to the original version of the show inside Magic Kingdom since 1975. 

Progress and innovation were two of Walt’s cornerstone passions, which is as evident in the show today as it was when it first debuted. Before you follow an American family (and Rover!) over four generations of progress as technology transforms their lives and paves the way for once-unimaginable innovations, you’ll be able to catch a brand-new introductory scene and hear from the legendary man who never stood in the way of progress — Walt Disney.

Making Walt Disney more a presence in the theme parks is nothing new. In recent years, Disney Imagineers have made a big effort to increase his visibility in EPCOT, Disneyland, and now the Magic Kingdom. It’s nice to see the man who started everything get some attention and introduce him to a whole generation of guests who may not know him very well.

As for the brand new scenes. I’m really torn on this one. On one hand, I understand Imagineer’s desire to bring the attraction up to date and make it more relevant with today’s audience. We have to admit that it is currently a favorite nap location for many members of the family (yours truly definitely not included in that group), and it certainly isn’t getting enough foot traffic given it’s prime location.

So wanting it to be more relatable to visitors in the park today is certainly understandable.

On the other hand, I LOVE Walt Disney’s Carousel of progress in its current form and I think it is a timeless classic that gives people today a sneak peak into a world they have never known.

Sure, getting grandparents to be nostalgic about their youth in the 60s or when they were raising children in the 80s is great and all. But it’s also equally as interesting learning about a time and point in history that you never experienced. Maybe it’s more interesting actually.

I always have trepidation when Imagineers start touching classic Disney attractions, and though the current version is not exactly the same one as what played at the 1964 World’s Fair, but it’s much closer than what we are getting. Throughout the years, some of the music, narration and props have changed, but the first 3 acts have basically remained the same.

Only the final scene has gone through major overhauls since the original version of the attraction. So the fact that I’m now worried that all 4 scenes are changing is not completely out of place imo.

And actually in the case of the final scene, I don’t mind that changes are made there as I want to see the last scene represent our present/future.

I’m ok with change in classic Disney attractions, but it has to be done right and treated with the greatest care. And until I see the new version, I’m going to be skeptical Disney can stick the landing.

Again, that’s not to say it should never change, but for an attraction that I hold as being almost perfect, it’s going to be very hard to improve on the current version, and you have to wonder if it’s worth attempting in this case.

I hope Disney Imagineers prove me wrong, but this remains to be determined.

When is it Closing and Reopening?

In the meantime, if you want to see the current classic version of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, then you need to get to the Magic Kingdom before July 6, 2026. That is when it’s closing forever.

As for opening dates, it’s still too early to tell except we know it will reopen sometime in 2027. My guess is that Spring 2027 will be the target opening as that gives Imagineers at least 9-10 months to do their work. To me, the very worst case scenario would be Summer 2027, I seriously can’t imagine it taking more than one year for them to make these changes, but refurbishments are always tricky so you never know.

In any case, whether you agree with the updates or not, it’s exciting news as it’s been years since we’ve seen any changes to the scenes so it will be interesting to see what Imagineers come up with.

As soon as we know any more info on this story we will update you so keep tuned for more soon…

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Your Thoughts

I want to know what you think about all the changes coming to Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress…

• Are you happy with this announcement?
• What would you like to see included in the attraction?

Let us know in the comments section below!

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