D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event is here, and anyone who has spent time in this fandom knows what that means.
This is the weekend it all comes out. Months of speculation, rumor threads, permit watching, and prediction lists get settled in about seventy-two hours. Fans build wish lists going in. Some get granted, some get ignored, and every year, something lands that nobody predicted.
This year’s event runs August 14 through 16 in Anaheim, California, and news is flying.
But one question has been hanging over this event harder than any other.
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress closed July 5, 2026, for a sweeping reimagining, and fans took it personally. Some called the overhaul gutting one of the last attractions tied directly to Walt Disney. Others feared Disney would strip out the charm and humor that kept generations coming back.
We finally saw it.
Credit: Anna Fox, Flickr
Where the Reveal Happened at D23
Inside the Disney Experiences pavilion, back again this year as one of the most popular exhibits at the whole event.
Within it, Imagineering: Horizons invites fans through the largest pavilion the department has ever assembled, showcasing progress across Disney parks worldwide and offering a close look at the people, processes, and possibilities Imagineers are building.
The first real look at the new Carousel of Progress coming to Magic Kingdom was sitting inside.
What Was on Display at D23
Costumes and design work for the different acts.
Act 1 is set in the 1960s, and the costume design makes that unmistakable. Outfits and home styling are period-accurate in ways the old version was not always precise about.
Stage designs were also shown, along with how the set changes between acts.
Longtime fans should focus here.
Based on the designs shown, the stage changes significantly between acts.
That is a real departure. In the old version, the kitchen largely stayed the same through the first three acts with small theming swaps layered on. The bones stayed recognizable the whole way.
The new approach appears to rebuild the environment for each era, which is a far larger production lift and explains why this project involves scenic installation and structural steel work instead of a routine refresh.
One image raised eyebrows. Hard to say what is happening, but it appears to show a fireplace inside a tree. No explanation offered.
For anyone worried about how much is being lost, this matters.
The Sherman Brothers’ anthem “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” stays at the heart of the experience. For a lot of fans, that song is as essential as the theater itself.
The same basic ride system stays. The rotating theater stays.
The central family stays the focus, and the optimistic message about innovation stays.
The world around them is what changes.
Credit: Joe Penniston, Flickr
Walt Is in the Ride Now
The biggest addition comes before the show starts.
Instead of moving straight into the first scene, guests will encounter an Audio-Animatronic version of Walt Disney himself. Disney confirmed an all-new introduction featuring Walt, making it one of the company’s most significant tributes to its founder in years.
For an attraction that traces straight back to Walt and the 1964 New York World’s Fair, that is a deliberate choice.
Inside Each Act
Disney previously detailed what happens.
Act one shows the family gathered around their television, watching the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing.
Then Act Two jumps to Halloween 1985, with Sarah taking center stage to explain how fast-changing technology is simplifying daily routines.
And then, Act Three lands in 1999, digging into the excitement and unease around the internet boom and Y2K.
The finale closes in a completely reimagined futuristic home.
Why People Panicked
The worry was never unreasonable.
Carousel of Progress is one of the few experiences tracing directly to Walt Disney. Built for the 1964 World’s Fair before moving to Florida, the rotating theater outlasted decades of trends, expansions, and countless attraction replacements.
For many guests, every scene and every joke became part of a vacation ritual. Changing that invites criticism, fairly.
The counterargument holds up, too. Walt did not build a time capsule in 1964. He built something celebrating the future, and the future keeps moving.
Credit: Disney
When It Comes Back
No exact date beyond sometime in 2027.
Construction continues behind the walls at Magic Kingdom, with Walt Disney Imagineering having brought on scenic design company Mecca Productions, as well as additional contractors for scenic installation and structural steel work.
Based on D23, this is a rebuild, not a refresh. Whether fans embrace it comes down to execution, and nobody knows that until 2027.
For now, the song stays, the theater stays, the family stays, and Walt is greeting people at the door.
