Overview
- The long‑running Carousel of Progress is closed for its largest overhaul since moving to Florida and Walt Disney Imagineering says the attraction is expected to reopen in 2027.
- At D23 in mid‑August 2026 Imagineering displayed two new character costumes, two maquettes, a new attraction poster and the family dog Rover to show how the figures and look will change.
- The company confirmed an Audio‑Animatronics Walt will introduce the show and announced a new four‑act structure that moves from Summer 1969 to Halloween 1985 to New Year’s Eve 1999 and then to a speculative future scene.
- Fan response to the sneak peek was mixed, with many relieved the ride will be preserved and others worried the overhaul could alter the attraction’s original charm and tone.
- The update leans on the ride’s heritage — using maquettes scaled like the original television models and a poster styled after the Disneyland design — and the project will be watched for how it balances preservation, new staging and storytelling when it reopens.