Carousel of Progress Closes Tonight Ahead of Disney Imagineering’s Update
Magic Kingdom’s Carousel of Progress is closing in just a few hours. Starting tomorrow, Imagineers will begin updating the quintessential Walt Disney attraction for the first time in more than three decades.
When it reopens in 2027, Walt Disney himself will introduce the attraction via a new Audio-Animatronic. After that, the Carousel will take us through all-new scenes: the moon landing in 1969, Halloween night in 1985, New Year’s Eve 1999, and a look at our possible future. Gone is the turn-of-the-20th-century nostalgia, including John’s thoughts on horseless trolleys and the hottest Fourth of July he can remember.
Carousel of Progress through the years
This is a tough one for many Disney fans. Carousel of Progress has deep ties to Walt himself. He and his Imagineers created the attraction for General Electric’s Progressland pavilion at the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair. They used it to show how electricity – GE appliances, in particular – improved everyday life. It moved to Disneyland in 1967 before heading back east, where it has called Magic Kingdom home since 1975.
The current version begins in the early 1900s, then covers the 1920s and 1940s before arriving in the 1990s. That last scene, added in 1994, was once a glimpse at the modern home. But snapshots of “modern” technology never age well. What was meant to look futuristic in 1994, including voice-controlled appliances and a virtual-reality game, quickly became a period piece.
A possible future
The updated ride’s finale, what Disney is calling “The Possible Future,” shouldn’t have those issues. Imagineers are designing an “out-of-this-world” home in the distant future.
Still, I had initially hoped Imagineers would take an altogether different approach. Instead of trying to compete with changing tech, no matter how distant the future, I wanted Imagineers to take the finale back to the 1960s. Having Walt as an integral part of the attraction seemed like an opportunity to build a frozen-in-time tribute around the technological advances he saw during his lifetime.
Imagineers obviously had other plans, but after sitting with the new concept for a while, I think I’m on board. Sure, I’ll miss reminiscing about very old things with John. But the name on the building does include the word “progress.” Moving the family forward in time feels like a natural evolution, even if it means losing so many iconic moments in the current version.
Sarah takes center stage
No matter the era, Sarah getting an expanded role is a big win. The original show was John’s story. Sarah was often heard more than seen in the first three scenes, though she was more visible in the finale. In the reimagined attraction, she’ll take center stage in the 1985 scene, explaining how the family’s newest appliances and gadgets are making life easier.
John will be on the front porch handing out candy to trick-or-treaters. Sounds like my house.
Who will voice the updated carousel?
Jean Shepherd has been John’s voice since the 1994 update. Many people know him as the narrator of A Christmas Story. Shepherd died in 1999, so Disney will need a new voice for John’s updated dialogue. B.J. Ward voiced Sarah in the 1994 update.
New storylines and expanded roles got Aahs and me thinking about who will replace those actors. We came up with a list of names. Probably too many. Some fit the attraction’s existing vibe, while others bring an entirely different style to the roles. Disney could always turn to lesser-known voice actors. But if it wants familiar names, its Rolodex is full of performers with deep ties to the company.
John
- Tim Allen
- Jack Black
- Wayne Brady
- Albert Brooks
- Harry Connick, Jr.
- Bryan Cranston
- Billy Crystal
- John Goodman
- Jonathan Groff
- Tom Hanks
- Samuel L. Jackson
- Matthew McConaughey
- Craig T. Nelson
- J.K. Simmons
- Patrick Warburton
Sarah
- Morena Baccarin
- Angela Bassett
- Kristen Bell
- Jodi Benson
- Cate Blanchett
- Patricia Clarkson
- Jody Foster
- Bonnie Hunt
- Mindy Kaling
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus
- Anika Noni Rose
- Taraji P. Henson
- Mandy Moore
- Maya Rudolph
- Sarah Silverman
- Octavia Spencer
- Emma Thompson
- Meryl Streep
- Ming-Na Wen
Saying goodbye to the current version
No matter who ends up voicing the family, Imagineers have a difficult task: moving Carousel of Progress forward while preserving its nostalgia. The attraction has changed before, but tonight’s final performances will still be tough for fans who have spent the last 32 years learning its history lesson.
So before Carousel of Progress begins its next great big, beautiful tomorrow, let’s enjoy a few photos of the show we’re about to lose.
