Magic Kingdom’s Buzz Lightyear Ride will be updated and strengthened, according to officials at Walt Disney World.
Changes to the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin Attraction include a scoring update that fires color-tuned beams and a new ride vehicle with a handheld blaster video monitor. The current targets of the attraction will be upgraded to respond after being attacked by passengers.
“Blasters will be more responsive,” said Michael Handing, creative portfolio executive producer at Walt Disney Imagelling, in his program for media members on Tuesday.
“The target will brighten up. So, knowing, ‘Oh, I shot it with my coloured blaster’, it’s very clear that you’ll win or lose badly,” Hundgen said.
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Tomorrowland Ride also has a new character, a robot named Buddy.
“The buddy will be your kind of trainer at first, so you can learn how to use the blaster,” says Hundgen.
The ride will close in August and resume in 2026, Disney says.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin opened in 1998 in the one-off “If You Sake Wings” building. The Dark Ride, which uses “Toy Story” characters, including the evil Emperor Zoog, has a carnival theme, with passengers sliding on the target. Visitors are ranked by score. Levels range from Starcadets to Galactic Heroes.
“This is what we’re going back and saying, ‘What you know, this experience requires love,'” Hangen said. “It’s not just OG we’re sitting in glory and saying, ‘Well, let’s keep it running.’ ”
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Magic Kingdom features several new attractions in the work, including two “car” vehicles for villain-based land and frontierland. However, Disney also recycled and rethinked some classics.
Last year, the country carried the musical Jamboree, which debuted at the theme park in 1971, and reopened with new music, jokes, costumes and refreshed animatronics.
“It felt a little longer in my teeth back then,” Hundgen said.
But there was a payoff, said Jason Kirk, senior vice president of operations.
“What our guests are telling us is, before that refresh, it was the 27th place attraction at Magic Kingdom. After refresh, it was the 6th place attraction at Magic Kingdom,” Kirk said. “So when we saw it, we knew we had a home run in our hands.”
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Original issue: March 26, 2025 8am Edt
