Disney has a pretty good week – Disney+ finally lets you remove the content from the list ‘Continue to see’, we’ll have a look behind the curtain on how the RobotbDX droids became, and Marvel announced the role crew of Avengers: Doomsday.
However, not to be overshadowed and potentially timed to Toy Story‘p 30 -Year anniversary, Disney’s Imagineering has announced some major changes, which will result in a technological infusion to a cornerstone attraction – Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin – at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.
The Space Ranger Spin attraction is updated with a whole range of technology, all in the search for a more immersive and fun experience while driving. While the changes only arrive before 2026 after a closure, there are several improvements to be excited about.
The leading package is brand new riding vehicles with screens, redesigned blasters shooting targets that boast colorful lasers, and a new animatronic debut in a new scene about the attraction. It is a complicated balance that keeps what fans of the trip have come to know and infuse improvements to smooth out.
In the attraction, two guests board a riding vehicle and help Buzz Lightyear and colleague Space Rangers shoot goals with the evil ‘Emperor Zurgs’ Z on them. As a person who has been on it, the current lasers can get pretty tiring, with what feels like a need for constant team and release on the trigger and not exactly knowing the goal you are shooting.
How Disney uses technology to smooth out a trip
The same story will be the case, but each new blaster has a unique laser color that will help you identify which goal you are on. The upgraded goals will “react and turn on when affected”, though Disney did not share exactly what technology activated this. It still made it clear that there was a development in technology that is driving this change.
Disney promises that the upgraded Ride will arrive in 2026, which means the current trip will close in August 2025 to allow updates and improvements to be made. Playtests have started, so the design team works on the trip to try the enchantments and a concept phase.
While Disney did not give an accurate time frame to develop the updates to the Space Ranger spin, the Project Creative Director Justin Detolla said in a statement, “We have been working on this project for quite a long time now, so it was exciting to see it all come to life for the first time in the field.”
The shared photos from the test show the new blasters that boast a probable LED-filled, flowing front circular bubble and a more compact design, although the target looks pretty similar. When the tour reopens, the on-board screen will give scoring updates in real time rather than a classic LED display showing your score via Red LEDs.
All-in-all, an exciting drill in the week of the 30th anniversary of Toy Story -As you can now stream on one of the best streaming services, Disney+and teeing up some more technical-infused attractions at Disney Parks, this time at Disney World.
It is an exciting period of changes for the company’s amusement parks with multiple extensions already advertised for Disney World, including a villain area in Magic Kingdom and a Cars land. Hollywood Studio gets a Monsters Inc. Land and the animal kingdom get the first ever Encanto ride. There is a lot on the horizon, but so far we know at least that a new update for a fan favorite trip will come in 2026.
