The Carousel of Progress Keeps Spinning

I’m biased since this is one of my favorite Disney attractions, but I’m thrilled we got more information about the updates coming to Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress. It makes sense since the entire panel was partially named after the ride, but still.

The Carousel of Progress is currently undergoing a complete refresh to include new scenes, new eras, and new ways that the latest technology will “never work.” After an introduction featuring a brand new Walt Disney animatronic, the ride will cover the years 1969, Halloween 1985, New Year’s Eve 1999, and the exciting and unpredictable future.

One thing I was really keeping an eye on was who will voice the characters on this new version of the attraction. They announced that the mom and dad of this version will be played by Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, Freaky Friday) and Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle, Breaking Bad). 

I think they knocked that casting out of the park. Also, having Curtis be the main character during the Halloween segment of the show is a nice, subtle touch!

All in all, there’s a lot to be excited about with the newest version of this classic attraction. Also, as a wrestling fan, I’m thrilled the Grandma still gets to change the channel to watch pro wrestling. Since that happens in the 1999 scene, I guess we’ll find out whether she was a WWF or WCW fan during the “Monday Night Wars”!

The updated version of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress is currently planned to open in Late Spring 2027.

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Bye Bye Disco Yeti

This was a piece of news that I wasn’t expecting, but I’m so happy about it! It was announced that they are “bringing the Yeti back to life” on Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain.

For anyone not in the know, Expedition Everest opened at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park in 2006. This fun and thrilling roller coaster is the highlight of most people’s day at the park. The climax of the ride is an encounter with the gigantic, menacing Yeti at the attraction’s end.

The Yeti screams, lunges, and swipes at your vehicle, just slow enough for you to escape its grasp. Or, that’s how the ride worked when it opened. Famously, about a year after opening, they had to turn off the Yeti animatronic due to various issues. It’s operated in B-Mode since then, where they flash strobe lights on it to make it look like it’s moving (hence…Disco Yeti).

Now it seems they’re invested in making the animatronic work again! Not much detail was provided about how they’re going to achieve that. It’s a little unclear if they’re refurbishing the current broken animatronic, or if they’re replacing it.

However they decide to get it done, I’m excited for this monstrous beast to get back to its original form!

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Tropical Americas looks fantastic!

We got plenty of new information about the new Tropical Americas land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Specifically, we finally learned what we can call the three attractions coming to this area of the park.

Starting with two things for everyone, I’m very intrigued about the carousel coming to this section, now known as El Carrusel de los Animalitos. I love that the carousel is getting hand-carved animals to ride. The fact that they’re themed to various Disney and Pixar characters is just a bonus for me.

Next, we have a name for the new Encanto-themed attraction, Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto! Joining Antonio and the rest of the Madrigal family, you tag along for Antonio’s gift day celebration, wandering through the magical Madrigal house. This enchanting new dark ride will be fun for the entire family!

Finally, for the thrill-seekers, we got a name for the new Indiana Jones attraction at the park. Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent will take you on a thrilling ride through a mythical temple. You’ll encounter various dangers, creatures, and the Jade Serpent itself! Since a serpent is basically just another word for snake, I’m sure Indiana Jones will be thrilled to encounter that with you!

Tropical Americas is rumored to open (potentially in phases) sometime in 2027.

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Monstropolis makes HR fun!

We got a monstrous amount of information regarding the new Monstropolis land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! While it seems the currently unnamed door roller coaster will be coming later, most of this new land will open soon with plenty to see and do.

First, let’s talk food. Harryhausen’s Restaurant is coming, and that’s all I really need to know! Being able to eat sushi with the multi-tentacle sushi chef from the movie is going to be deliciously fun. Archie’s Scare Pig Pizza will also serve up some slices of every university student’s favorite food.

There’s also going to be a brand new show called “Welcome to Monstropolis”, with music written by Randy Newman. It will be opening in the Glob Theater, which is a perfect name, by the way. The idea behind the show is that the monsters are introducing themselves to the humans visiting Monstropolis without causing too much chaos.

I also love the story behind this land! The Monsters are celebrating H.U.M.A.N. Day, short for Humans Understanding Monsters Are Nice. They also created their own HR department, or The Department of Human Relations, to help us humans interact with these funny creatures. It should be a blast interacting with these lovable and not-too-scary monsters.

Monstropolis will be opening in phases starting in 2027.

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The Future of EPCOT

I’m going to try to keep my cool for this part, but there’s a reason why I saved this for last.

There were a few announcements for EPCOT, but they were all a little vague. Given that this park has received a lot of love recently, though, what they announced makes a lot of sense.

One thing to be thankful for is that we’re getting a major refurbishment for Spaceship Earth! While I love this attraction, it does need a bit of a refresh. Given that they announced a previous re-do for this ride a few D23’s ago and weren’t able to go through with it, knowing that this is coming now makes me very happy.

There was something else that they announced related to EPCOT. I’m having trouble remembering what it was, though. It couldn’t have been a really cool thing that people have been clamoring for for decades.

Oh, now I remember…

Dreamfinder and Figment are coming back! I can’t believe that it’s finally happening. For context for anyone reading this who isn’t as old as I am, Figment and Dreamfinder were the two main characters from the original version of Journey Into Imagination. That ride closed in 1998 to be replaced by Journey Into YOUR Imagination, and then Journey Into Imagination with Figment.

While Figment has remained a central figure in EPCOT, the absence of Dreamfinder has been a glaring omission for fans of the ride’s original version. This announcement was a little vague regarding whether we’re getting a brand new version of Journey Into Imagination (hopefully!) or if they’re adding Dreamfinder some other way.

For now though, I’m going to hope for the best!

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Final Thoughts

There’s plenty to be excited about besides what I’ve already mentioned! More information was announced regarding the Piston Peak area of Frontierland being themed to the Cars franchise. We also learned that Villains Land is now the official name for the under-construction area of Magic Kingdom Park themed to all things nefarious.

The important thing is there’s a lot to look forward to over the next few years at the Walt Disney World Resort!