Drastic changes — time-shifting ones — are coming to the Carousel of Progress, the longtime through-the-years attraction at Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World has announced.
Scenes in the rounded Tomorrowland theater will be updated, upending folky stories set in the early 1900s, the 1920s and the 1940s. They’ll be replaced with scenarios of the 1960s, 1980s and the Y2K era.
A new fourth act will represent “the possible future,” Disney says.
Carousel of Progress’ animatronic family — headed by John and Sarah — will remain, including Uncle Orville and Rover, the dog with the ever-wagging tail. Also staying: Dad jokes and Sherman Brothers song “There’s A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow,” Disney World officials confirmed at a media preview event last week.
The last day to catch the current Carousel version will be July 5. Its update is expected to debut in 2027, officials said.
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In August, Disney announced that an animatronic version of Walt Disney would be installed in the attraction for a new opening scene. The revised Carousel of Progress will pick up in the years following the 1964 New York World’s Fair, site of Disney’s introduction of the show and sister attractions “it’s a small world” and “Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln.”
After the fair closed, Carousel of Progress was taken from New York to Disneyland in California, where it opened in 1967. It was moved to the Magic Kingdom theme park in 1975, four years after Walt Disney World debuted.
Inside the attraction, referred to as a rotating theater, audiences sit in curved rows that move from scene to scene, decade to decade, while the stage remains stationary. It’s low-thrill — but air-conditioned.
“There’s not usually a big line for it. It’s a nice way to cool off for a half-hour,” said Matt Roseboom, owner of Orlando-based Attractions Magazine.
John, the father figure of the Carousel of Progress family, sits in the 1940s setting of the Magic Kingdom attraction. (Dewayne Bevil/Orlando Sentinel)
“I think people who have an opinion on it now, love it. … It’s still a classic attraction,” he said. “On the other hand, I’ve heard people say it needs an update, especially, I guess, the last scene.”
The current finale, dubbed “Christmas in the House of 2000,” was installed in 1994, the attraction’s most recent renovation. The progress showcased there includes virtual-reality games and a voice-activated oven — which humorously leads to an overcooked turkey. Since this script was written in the early ’90s it does not mention, of course, 21st-century developments such as electric cars, streaming television or artificial intelligence.
The new scene that features future life will take place “off planet,” Disney said, in an unspecified time. Original concept sketches by the late John Hench, longtime artist and official Disney Legend, gave retro-future vibes and inspiration.
“Styles come back, so that’s not totally unrealistic,” Roseboom said. “Then the future might look retro a little bit.”
Walt Disney World created an attraction poster for a revamped Carousel of Progress, which will debut with new scenes from different decades sometime in 2027. (Walt Disney Co.)
In a perhaps-jarring piece of math, the time elapsed between 1900 and the New York World’s Fair is about the same as the time between the fair and today.
Molly McCormack, co-founder of Mammoth Club travel and theme-park media company, said she was “cautiously optimistic” about the update, partly because of the stories of creators uncovering old toys and appliances to use as props and partly because practical effects are being used.
“There seems like a genuine creative excitement behind it,” McCormack said. “And I’m always pro practical effect over screens.”
But losing a connection between Walt Disney World and Walt Disney the man is disappointing, she said.
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom originally premiered at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. It was moved to Disneyland, where it ran in Tomorrowland there until 1974. Then it moved to Disney World, where it opened in 1975. (Walt Disney Co.)
“What gives me pause is we at Magic Kingdom, and Walt Disney World in general, we get very little historical Disney things. That’s more of a Disneyland perk,” McCormack said.
“They have all the original attractions. They have the park that Walt walked through. And this was kind of Walt Disney World’s one like that, you know? Walt Disney actually saw this attraction,” she said.
“But then I do remember it’s called the Carousel of Progress, and I understand it’s not a super-popular attraction, so in Walt’s spirit, I’ll always keep moving forward,” she said.
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Lately, Disney World has rolled out revamped projects that enhance the originals. Recent examples include Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and Country Bear Musical Jamboree at Magic Kingdom, although the trend dates back at least through to upgrades at Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean.
The company just completed the transition of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, putting the Muppets in the starring role instead of the longtime frontmen of Aerosmith. New Mandalorian-themed missions have been added to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Hollywood Studios.
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“They kept what people love about those attractions, but made them better and made them feel fresh, but they didn’t lose the original charm,’ McCormack said.
“I think they’re on a roll of updating attractions, and I don’t think people were upset about it,” Roseboom said. “If it’s done well, they’re happy about it.”
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