Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress Runs Its Final Day July 5 Before a 2027 Reimagining
One of the last attractions Walt Disney personally had a hand in is about to spin into its biggest change in more than 30 years. Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress will run its current show for the final time on Sunday, July 5, then close the next day for a top to bottom reimagining that has been described as its biggest overhaul since 1994.
Concept art for the reimagined Carousel of Progress. Image: Disney Parks Blog
The last day is Sunday, July 5
Disney has confirmed the current version of the show closes on July 6, with July 5 as the final day to ride before the refurbishment. The attraction is expected to reopen in 2027, though Disney has not announced a specific month or season yet. If you want one more spin through the Sherman Brothers classic as it exists today, this is the week to do it.
A new intro scene with a Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic
The headline of the makeover, first revealed at Destination D23 in August 2025, is a brand new opening scene built around an Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney himself. It marks the Walt Disney World debut of a Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic figure, and it is widely reported as the first such figure of Walt at a Walt Disney World attraction. The new intro takes inspiration from the 1964 television special "Disneyland Goes to the World's Fair," and Imagineers have been recreating period props from that broadcast, including a prototype Tiki bird, a model of the Tower of the Four Winds, and an "it's a small world" doll.
"The introduction of a new Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney in Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress marks an exciting milestone." Kirsten Komoroske, Executive Director of the Walt Disney Family Museum
Every scene is jumping forward in time
Beyond the new opening, the show's time hopping structure is getting a rework. Disney is retiring the current scenes set in the early 1900s, the 1920s, and the 1940s and replacing them with scenes set in the 1960s, 1980s, and 2000s, capped by a redesigned look at the distant future. Some outlets have reported specific beats for the new scenes, such as a 1969 moon landing moment and a Y2K New Year celebration, but Disney has not itemized those officially, so treat the exact years as reported rather than confirmed.
The Walt Disney animatronic and scene overhaul were first revealed at Destination D23. Image: Disney Parks Blog
Why this one hits different
Carousel of Progress is not just another refurbishment. It debuted as Progressland at the 1964 New York World's Fair and moved to Magic Kingdom in 1975, opening the same day as Space Mountain. It is billed as the longest running stage show in American theater history, and it is the oldest Walt Disney World attraction that Walt Disney personally worked on before his death in 1966. Its theme song, "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow," written by Disney Legends Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman, is one of the most hummable tunes in the entire resort. For a lot of fans, July 5 is a genuine goodbye to a version of the show that has run essentially unchanged since 1994.
The good news for sentimental types: a great big beautiful tomorrow is literally the whole point of the attraction, so a forward looking refresh is very on brand. We will be watching for that 2027 reopening date.
Sources
- Disney Parks Blog
- Disney Parks Blog: Carousel of Progress history
- Disney Food Blog
- Blog Mickey
- TouringPlans
Image credits: Disney Parks Blog.
