Fans of Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress might want to visit the Magic Kingdom in Florida soon, as the company announced it will close the attraction in July for a major overhaul. The current show takes audiences on a tour of a typical American home at various points in the 20th century, featuring an animatronic family demonstrating the progress of each era. The journey begins at the turn of the 20th century, moves to the 1920s, then the late 1940s, and finally jumps to the turn of the newest century. That final scene includes elements that have aged well, such as voice-activated appliances, and others that have not, like references to car phones, laser discs, and a virtual reality video game with rudimentary graphics.
Revamped Attraction Details
The company stated in a news release that the revamped show will start with an animatronic of Walt Disney himself introducing the attraction he originally developed for the 1964 World's Fair in New York. Disney already features another animatronic of its founder at the Walt Disney -- A Magical Life attraction in Disneyland, California.
The Carousel family will return in the following scenes, which will now be set in summer 1969 as they gather to watch the moon landing, Halloween 1985, New Year's Eve 1999, and a finale in the distant future, in an out-of-this-world home. The company released a teaser image of that final scene.
Callbacks and Closure Date
The revamped attraction will include callbacks to the original, such as the song There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow playing between scenes and Uncle Orville in the bathroom complaining that there's no privacy around here. The final day for the current version of Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress is July 5. The attraction is scheduled to reopen at some point in 2027.
