- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin Reopens April 8
- Renovated attraction kicks off Disney World’s “Cool Kid Summer”
- It’s just the beginning, with more renewed trips and new experiences in no time.
Walt Disney World is gearing up for a few big months (and ultimately several big years) with multiple new lands on the horizon. In the short term, though, one of my all-time favorite attractions finally has a reopening date, and Disney is bringing back ‘Cool Kid Summer’ in a massive way.
While the summer event kicks off on May 26 with new family-friendly experiences and special ticket deals, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is starting to gear up, perhaps sending it to infinity and beyond, when it reopens at Magic Kingdom on April 8, 2026.
The attraction has been closed for several months and will return with a major infusion of technology, including an all-new animatronic to assist with training, redesigned blasters with improved haptics and LEDs, and all-new targets.
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Space Ranger Spin is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a dark ride where you sit in pairs (two per vehicle) and collect blasters to hit “Z” shaped targets as you team up with the Space Rangers to help defeat Zurg. it’s a classic toy story – either star command – adventure.
And I had a chance to preview the new Blaster experience and see the updated ride vehicles at an event in August 2025, and it’s a big improvement. The blasters are no longer bolted to the vehicle and can instead be picked up, making them much more ergonomic to hold. That change, along with improved haptics and LEDs, helps make the experience more immersive and should make it easier to rack up points.
The blasters will glow and vibrate in different ways when you hit a target, while the targets themselves will react with built-in LEDs and rotating elements.
Speaking to TechRadar, Kimberly Alison, producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, shared: “It’s exciting to take a classic attraction that has been a hit for nearly 30 years and incorporate today’s technology, like our reactive targets and detonators with haptics, lighting and sound cues, to elevate the guest experience while immersing super fans and new guests in a story we all know and love.”
All in all, it’s a significant update that should make long-time fans feel at home while also enticing new riders to give it a try. It might even give Disney World’s version of Space Ranger Spin an edge over Disneyland’s.
The screens built into the ride vehicles are also being updated, allowing you to see your score in real time and show what Galactic Hero level you reach. The PhotoPass experience (the on-ride photo captured in the middle of the action) is also being updated and your score is displayed below the image.
In true Disney style, everything is connected behind the scenes and will automatically link to your account after the trip.
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Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin reopens on April 8, 2026 and is really just the beginning of several future experiences at Walt Disney World. The timing also coincides nicely for Disney, as the revamped attraction arrives before Toy Story 5 hits theaters.
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, a pair of new offerings arrive on May 26, 2026: “The Walt Disney Studios” courtyard, which will serve as a precursor to Magic of Disney Animation with Olaf Draws opening later in 2026, and Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live!.
Both are likely to be family hits and showcase the latest works from Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Live Entertainment. They also arrive shortly after a major update to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios.
That attraction will feature all-new missions inspired by The Mandalorian and Grogu when it reopens on May 22, 2026, the same day the film hits theaters. The update will launch simultaneously at Galaxy’s Edge West at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
There’s still more on the way, including the revamped Soarin’ Across America, which reopens May 28, 2026 at EPCOT as part of a broader celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. Once again, the ride will lift guests into the air in a specialized vehicle, using a huge immersive screen and other elements to simulate flying over iconic locations across the country.
This updated version will include freshly recorded footage captured with specialized camera equipment mounted on helicopters and planes, which will then be stitched together to create the extensive ride scenes.
And those are just some of the confirmed reopening dates. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Magic Kingdom will also reopen in early May 2026 following its refurbishment, while Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster’s move to The Muppets is expected to debut later this year. In the meantime, you can pass the time watching The Electric Mayhem on Muppet Mayhem on Disney+.
Beyond the attractions, Walt Disney World will officially launch Cool Kid Summer on May 26, 2026, through September 8. The seasonal event will feature new family-focused experiences across the parks, including GoofyCore at EPCOT, Jessie’s Roundup: A Rip-Roarin’ Revue coming to Magic Kingdom, and Bluey’s Wild World at the Conservation Station at Animal Kingdom.
The latter marks Bluey’s highly anticipated arrival at Walt Disney World, where guests can meet Australian animals, take photos with Bluey and Bingo and experience scenes inspired by the show.
Visitors can also see the Better Zoogether shows at Animal Kingdom and see the impressive Clawhauser animatronic while they are there.
Disney is also combining the summer release with new holiday offerings. A 4-day, 4-park Magic ticket will start at $109 per day (about $436 total before taxes) and will grant guests access to all four Walt Disney World theme parks, with one park per day, between May 26 and October 3, 2026.
On top of that, Disney is offering up to 30% off select Disney hotel rooms for stays of five nights or more for arrivals most nights between July 30 and October 3, 2026, giving families another incentive to plan a visit during the resort’s packed summer season and a chance to make the visit a little more affordable.
And while all of this makes the next few months at Walt Disney World seem busy, it’s really just the beginning. Between the revamped Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, returning classics like Big Thunder Mountain, and a wave of new shows and experiences, the parks are clearly gearing up for a much bigger transformation, including the Villains Land and Piston Peak expansion at Magic Kingdom, and the upcoming Monsters, Inc. at Hollywood Studios.
For now, though, we’ll happily start out aiming for some “Z” targets when Buzz returns, because if this is the opening act, the next few years at Disney World are going to be pretty awesome.
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