Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress is currently undergoing a major refurbishment and the announced changes keep getting better! The Magic Kingdom attraction closed on July 6th and will reopen late spring of 2027. The updated version will include an introduction from an Audio Animatronic Walt Disney and then follow the American family experiencing different decades of human innovation. The new scenes will feature the 1969 moon landing, Halloween in the 1980s, New Year’s Eve in 1999, and a new look at the possible future.
At the D23 Parks Panel, we learned Bryan Cranston and Disney Legend, Jamie Lee Curtis will be the new voices of mother and father. And now we have learned Debi Derryberry, the previous voice of daughter Sarah, will now voice the grandmother in the new show! Walt Disney Imagineering shared a look inside the recording studio as Debi lends her familiar voice to a different Carousel family member.
For many Carousel of Progress fans (myself included), it’s exciting to see the Carousel of Progress getting the love and attention it deserves! Just as Disney promised, it seems the new version will accomplish both paying homage to the original Carousel while adding new life to one of Walt Disney’s original projects.
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress originally debuted at the 1964 – 1965 New York World’s Fair. The rotating theater attraction was sponsored by General Electric and included “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” written by the Sherman Brothers. After the World’s Fair, the attraction moved to Disneyland from 1967 to 1973 and then to the Magic Kingdom in 1975. Carousel of Progress’ last major update was in 1994 when the futuristic scene was added.
You can read more details in our previous article about the new scenes coming to this classic attraction. And if you’re headed to Hollywood Studios soon, you can see the new costumes for mother and father plus concept art at Walt Disney Presents.
