There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow! Walt Disney Imagineering just shared a detailed look at what’s ahead for Carousel of Progress, sharing new information about the upcoming Magic Kingdom attraction overhaul — and it’s much more than the addition of the Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic!
The attraction will close on July 6th, 2026 (meaning the last day to experience the current version is July 5th!) and is expected to reopen sometime in 2027, bringing with it updated scenes, reimagined time periods, and a brand-new finale.
The update was first teased at Destination D23 last year, when Disney confirmed a major refresh was coming, including the addition of a Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic figure.
Here’s a look at the brand new attraction poster alongside the original from the attraction’s earliest days:
What’s Changing?
The core of the show isn’t going anywhere. The same family, the same humor, the same basic arc is all intact. What’s changing is which decades they’re living through, with the newly chosen eras selected specifically because they’re ones today’s guests actually remember. As Chris Beatty, Portfolio Executive Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering, put it:
“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.”
Two things were confirmed as untouchable: the theme song There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow stays, and the original family (Rover included) remains front and center.
The Opening Scene
The show now begins in the 1960s, a callback to where Carousel of Progress was born: the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair. And the Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic will appear here at the very start. Disney’s describes the scene:
“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.”
Looking at the concept art, the scene includes nods to the original city idea for EPCOT, the original Disneyland Alweg monorail, the Tower of the Four Winds, Enchanted Tiki Room, and more pieces of Disney history from the 1960s.
Act 1: Late 1960s
The original show looked back roughly 60 years when it debuted at the World’s Fair, grounding its story in the turn of the 20th century. This update mirrors that, stepping back 60 years from today to start the family’s journey in the 1960s. Disney’s description of the scene:
“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
It’s the ‘80s, where everything bigger is better, and things keep on getting bigger! Disney says:
“We pick up with the family on Halloween Night of 1985, and 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
Y2K anxiety and the early internet: this scene will have a lot of late-90s/early-2000s nostalgia baked in. Disney’s description of the scene:
“With the ’90s drawing to a close, our 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
Disney is calling the big finale scene “the possible future” in the distant future, inside an out-of-this-world home. The aesthetic draws from the work of legendary Imagineer John Hench, blending retro-futurism with the optimistic spirit the show has always possessed. Disney says:
“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.”
What do you think of the changes in store? It’s great to see another long-standing Disney attraction get the TLC it deserves. Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress is here to stay!
