When visiting the Magic Kingdom one ride that Mr Disney and I love to ride is the Carousel of Progress. However from tomorrow, 6 July, the doors close for the biggest reimagining the attraction has had in decades, and it is not due to reopen until 2027.
For anyone who has never squeezed into that slowly rotating theatre, here is a brief history. The Carousel began life as the star of the General Electric Pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair, dreamed up by Walt Disney himself. It spun its way to Disneyland from 1967 before settling into its long term home in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom in 1975. It has been gently updated here and there over the years, but the heart of it has never changed: one cheerful American family living through the march of technology, and that impossibly hummable song promising a great big beautiful tomorrow.
So what is changing? One thing I'm looking forward to seeing when it opens is the brand new scene featuring an Audio-Animatronic of Walt Disney himself. The scene apparently draws on the 1964 television special Disneyland Goes to the World's Fair, the very moment Walt first shared his idea for the Carousel and his belief in progress shaping a better tomorrow. Early word is that the set will be full of lovely period details and little nods to Disney history.
As well as the new opening, all four acts are being refreshed with new time periods, shifting the whole timeline forward so the eras feel a little closer to home for today's guests, with the finale getting a completely reimagined vision of the future with a new robot assistant character, which sounds like it will be interesting.
The Carousel for us has always been a go to attraction and we cannot wait to take our seats again in 2027 to see what a great big beautiful tomorrow looks like next.
