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Disney Sets Spring 2026 Reopenings for Big Thunder Mountain and Buzz Lightyear at Magic Kingdom

The seasonal window follows extensive overhauls that pair engineering upgrades with refreshed storytelling.

Overview

  • Disney officially announced that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will return in spring 2026, with exact dates still to come.
  • Big Thunder’s yearlong project includes a full track replacement and a new Rainbow Caverns scene featuring phosphorescent pools, iridescent formations, and a foreboding rumble.
  • The Frontierland coaster’s narrative refresh further spotlights Barnabas T. Bullion, with Disney describing cave-ins and failing machinery as the mountain “pushes back.”
  • Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will relaunch with an all-new Buddy support-bot scene, Star Command–styled vehicles with real-time scoring monitors, and handheld blasters with always-on lasers, color differentiation, lighting, sound, and haptics.
  • Targets throughout the Buzz attraction are being upgraded to react and light up when hit, and the reopenings align with a wider 2026 slate that includes Frozen Ever After animatronics in February and a Muppets retheme of Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster in summer.