- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin Reopens April 8
- Refreshed ride kicks off Disney World’s ‘Cool Kid Summer’
- This is just the beginning, with more refreshed rides and new experiences to follow shortly.
Walt Disney World is gearing up for a big few months – and ultimately several years – with several 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 big 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 begins construction – perhaps sending it to infinity and beyond – when it reopens at the Magic Kingdom on April 8, 2026.
The attraction has been closed for several months and will return with a major technological infusion, including an all-new animatronic for easier training, redesigned blasters with improved haptics and LEDs, and entirely new targets.
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Space Ranger Spin is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a dark ride in which you sit in pairs (two per vehicle) and collect blasters to hit “Z”-shaped targets while you join the Space Rangers to help defeat Zurg. It’s a classic Toy story – Or Star Command – adventure.
And I had the chance to preview the new blaster experience and see the updated driving vehicles during an event in August 2025, and it’s a big improvement. Blasters are no longer bolted to the transport vehicle and can be picked up, making them much more ergonomic to hold. This change, combined with improved haptics and LEDs, helps make the experience more immersive – and should make it easier to accumulate points.
The blasters will glow and vibrate distinctly when you hit a target, while the targets themselves react with built-in LEDs and rotating elements.
Speaking to TechRadar, Kimberly Alison, producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, said: “It’s exciting to take a classic attraction that has been successful for almost 30 years and be able to infuse it with today’s technology – like our reactive targets and blasters with haptics, lighting and sound cues – to enhance the guest experience while immersing super fans and new guests in a story we all know and love.”
Overall, this is a significant upgrade that should make longtime fans feel right at home while also enticing new drivers to try it out. This could even give Disney World’s version of Space Ranger Spin an advantage over Disneyland’s.
The in-vehicle screens also get a modern refresh, allowing you to see your score in real time and indicate which Galactic Hero level you’ve reached. The PhotoPass experience – the photo taken along the way in the middle of the action – is also being upgraded, with your score displayed below the image.
In true Disney fashion, everything is connected behind the scenes and will automatically be linked to your account after the ride.
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Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will reopen on April 8, 2026, and it’s actually just the beginning of several experiences coming to Walt Disney World. The timing also aligns well for Disney, as the refreshed attraction arrives before Toy Story 5’s theatrical release.
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, two 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 hits with families and will feature 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 at Hollywood Studios.
This attraction will offer brand new missions inspired by The Mandalorian and Grogu when it reopens on May 22, 2026, the same day the film is released in theaters. The update will launch simultaneously at Galaxy’s Edge West at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
There are more still on the way, including the refreshed Soarin’ Across America, which will reopen on May 28, 2026 at EPCOT as part of a broader celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary. The ride will once again transport guests into the air in a specialized vehicle, using a massive immersive screen and other elements to simulate flying over iconic landmarks across the country.
This updated version will feature newly recorded footage, captured with specialist cameras mounted on helicopters and planes, then stitched together to create the journey’s panoramic scenes.
And these are just some of the confirmed reopening dates. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom is also expected to reopen in early May 2026 following its renovation, while the theme change from Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster to The Muppets is expected to debut later this year. In the meantime, you can pass the time by watching The Electric Mayhem in Muppets mayhem on Disney+.
Beyond the rides, Walt Disney World will officially launch Cool Kid Summer on May 26, 2026, running through September 8. The seasonal event will introduce new family-oriented experiences at the parks, including GoofyCore at EPCOT, Jessie’s Roundup: A Rip-Roarin’ Revue coming to Magic Kingdom and Bluey’s Wild World at Conservation Station at Animal Kingdom.
The latter marks Bluey’s highly anticipated arrival at Walt Disney World, where guests will be able to meet Australian animals, take photos with Bluey and Bingo and experience scenes inspired by the series.
Guests can also attend the Better Zoogether shows at Animal Kingdom and catch a glimpse of the impressive Clawhauser animatronic during their stay.
Disney is also pairing the summer rollout with new vacation deals. A 4-day, 4-park Magic ticket will start at $109 per day (approximately $436 total before taxes) and will give guests access to all four Walt Disney World theme parks, 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 busy summer season, and the opportunity to make visiting a little more affordable.
And while all of this makes for a busy few months at Walt Disney World, it’s really just the beginning. Between the refreshed Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, the return of 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 long-teased Villains Land and Piston Peak expansion at Magic Kingdom, and the upcoming Monsters, Inc. landing at Hollywood Studios.
For now, though, we’ll happily start by aiming for some “Z” targets when Buzz returns – because if that’s the opening act, the next few years at Disney World are going to be pretty amazing.
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