Big changes are coming to the Carousel of Progress at the Magic Kingdom! Disney has announced that a brand new scene featuring an audio-animatronic of Walt Disney will be added to introduce the iconic attraction. Disney also teased that more updates are coming to the scenes with John and family.
The new scene with the Walt Disney figure is set to replace the current intro before guests follow a family through the decades.
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.
Disney Parks Blog
This will be the second Walt Disney audio-animatronic Disney has created. The first debuted at Disneyland Park in the Walt Disney – A Magical Life show this summer. That first attempt was met with mixed reviews, and most agreed the figure had room for improvement. Disney now has a second attempt to improve on bringing Walt Disney to life.
In addition to the new introductory scene, Disney teased more updates coming to the Carousel of Progress. And, perhaps best of all, they reiterated how important it is to have the ride running for years to come.
There are still plenty of additional details to be revealed, including what John, Sarah, and the rest of the family are up to. Disney Imagineers love this attraction and the heart of it will stay the same while introducing the Carousel of Progress to an entirely new generation of fans, showing them that a great big, beautiful tomorrow is just a dream away.
Disney Parks Blog
Currently, the Carousel of Progress travels to the 1900s, 1920s, 1940s, before finally ending in the 21st century. Updates have been made over the years to modernize the final 21st century scene, but this sounds like it’ll be a much more significant change across the entire ride.
We’re big fans of the Carousel of Progress because it’s perfectly classic Disney. Walt Disney himself created the concept for the ride, and its debut at the 1964 World’s Fair is a great piece of real-world history. Add in a tremendous theme song by the legendary Sherman Brothers (There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow!) and you have an attraction that deserves to grow for generations to come.
No timeline for the Carousel of Progress update has been announced at this time.
