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Walt's Carousel of Progress Has 34 Days Left Before a Major Reimagining Through 2027
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Walt's Carousel of Progress Has 34 Days Left Before a Major Reimagining Through 2027

Michael Travels
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Published

Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom has 34 days left before its July 5 final performance and a multi-year reimagining that runs through 2027. Walt Disney Imagineering announced the closing date and the reimagining direction in a May 28 Disney Parks Blog post.

Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom, closing July 5, 2026 for a major reimagining that runs through 2027.
Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom. Photo: Dani Meyering, poster courtesy of Disney, via Attractions Magazine.

The headlines:

  • Final performance: Sunday, July 5, 2026. Closure begins July 6.
  • Reimagining runs through 2027. Disney has not given a specific reopening date.
  • Four new acts are coming: a 1960s Apollo 11 scene, a 1980s Halloween 1985 scene, a New Year's Eve 1999 scene, and an off-planet future scene.
  • The first Walt Disney audio-animatronic at Walt Disney World will be added.
  • The original family stays. The Sherman Brothers' "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" anthem also stays.

What Imagineering said

Per the May 28 Disney Parks Blog announcement, Chris Beatty, Portfolio Executive Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering, said the team is treating the project as both a preservation of what works and an expansion of what the show can do. The four new eras (1960s Apollo 11, 1980s Halloween 1985, NYE 1999, off-planet future) sit alongside the preserved original family scenes, with the new Walt animatronic anchoring the reimagined opening.

The Sherman Brothers' anthem "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" stays as the connective tissue between acts, which is the change that most signals Disney's intent: the new show is being framed as a continuation of Walt's original vision rather than a replacement.

The "34 days left" timing

Today is June 1. Carousel of Progress runs through Sunday July 5. That's 35 days of remaining performances counting today, or 34 days after today, if Magic Kingdom hits standard operating hours. That makes the next five weeks the only window to ride the current version of the show, which has run in essentially its post-1994-refresh form (with "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" restored as the anthem). The attraction itself originated at the 1964 New York World's Fair, moved to Disneyland in 1967, and arrived at Magic Kingdom in 1975.

The timing pairs with EPCOT's International Flower & Garden Festival, which ends today June 1. For Disney visitors planning early-June trips, Carousel of Progress moves from "I'll get to it next time" to "this is the last reasonable window." For visitors planning July 6 and later, the show will be closed.

The Walt audio-animatronic angle

The Walt animatronic is the headline addition. It will be the first Walt Disney audio-animatronic at Walt Disney World. Disneyland's Walt Disney - A Magical Life debuted in 2025 as the first-ever Walt animatronic at any Disney park. Bringing the technology cross-country to the Carousel of Progress slot positions Magic Kingdom's reimagined attraction as the East Coast counterpart in the Walt-centered storytelling Disney has been building since the 100th anniversary.

Quick planner notes

  • If you're visiting Magic Kingdom before July 5, Carousel of Progress is the priority "before it changes" ride. Tomorrowland's Astro Orbiter, the PeopleMover, and the original Carousel show together make a coherent Tomorrowland morning.
  • Lower-impact rope drop strategy. Carousel rarely has a wait. A 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. ride works on most days. You don't need to chase a virtual queue or Lightning Lane Premier Pass.
  • If you're going after July 5, the show is closed and the building is dark. Plan Tomorrowland time around Astro Orbiter and the PeopleMover instead.
  • For holdouts on the reimagining, Disney has preserved the original family and the Sherman Brothers' anthem, but the four new acts and the Walt animatronic are substantial structural changes worth seeing the current show against before they land.
  • Watch for ticket-sale spikes. The May 28 announcement gives about five and a half weeks of lead time, which is short for a Magic Kingdom closure of this profile. The next five weekends are the last chances. Expect crowds.

Sources

Image credit: Dani Meyering, poster courtesy of Disney / Attractions Magazine.

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Magic Kingdom Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress Astro Orbiter

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