Walt Disney World has filed a brand new building allow for a location corresponding with Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom. This publish covers particulars of the undertaking and certain experience refurbishment, together with our want record for enhancements to the outdated blaster attraction.
Let’s begin with phrases of warning, of types. In Great Moves Made by Walt Disney World, we documented the highest 10 selections this 12 months, one in every of which was “Resuming Routine Refurbishments.” As famous in that entry, there was numerous deferred upkeep and proportionately fewer closures in the previous couple of years attributable to pent-up demand and funds cuts. Walt Disney World additionally misplaced numerous seasoned upkeep Cast Members through the closure, a lot of whom took early retirement or just didn’t return.
That is exactly why “Maintenance & Unexpected Downtime” made our earlier record of Top 10 Guest Complaints About Walt Disney World! Ride breakdowns stay a problem and, in our view, these sudden closures are worse than routine refurbishments as a result of you’ll be able to’t plan round them. However, we count on this to get higher all through 2025 and 2026, largely as a result of (and right here’s the place the ‘warning’ comes into play) Walt Disney World goes to be scheduling much more experience refurbishments over the subsequent couple years.
Several points of interest are overdue for refurbishments and can in all probability get them in 2025 or 2026–the difficult factor will probably be timing to keep away from having too many “big” rides down in every park. It’ll assist that pent-up demand is exhausted, staffing has improved, and the cash spigot in Burbank has been turned on for Parks & Resorts, permitting for extra tasks of this nature to (lastly!) occur.
Conversely, a lot of it’s possible you’ll lament extra rides being closed throughout your trip, which in all probability is going to be the case within the subsequent couple years. However, refurbishments are very a lot a necessity for sustaining acceptable attraction requirements and making certain that breakdowns don’t proceed to occur at a extra frequent price.
No one is “excited” for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to be closed for over a 12 months, and miss that on their subsequent journey or two, but it surely’s an unequivocal constructive within the long-term. It’s additionally inevitable that BTMRR received’t be the one marquee Magic Kingdom attraction that closes for upkeep throughout that timeframe. We’re anticipating a number of different smaller-scale tasks, most probably timed to the lead-up to Epic Universe and Disney Starlight Night Parade or achieved through the low season, added to the 2025 Walt Disney World Refurbishment Calendar.
Although not but official, it’s doubtless that Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will probably be a type of closures…
Walt Disney Imagineering has filed a brand new Notice of Commencement building allow for 1305 Monorail Way, which is the deal with that corresponds with the situation of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin in Tomorrowland. The new allow lists Maddox Electric Company, Inc. because the contractor and describes the scope of labor as merely “install projectors.”
Maddox Electric is a frequent contractor at Walt Disney World, engaged on a spread of tasks within the parks and on the resorts. Most of their work has routine refurbishments, with current tasks together with Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Splash Mountain/Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Spaceship Earth, and numerous places that wanted random electrical work.
This allow for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin doesn’t provide any clues as to what else this undertaking may entail or when it may happen. There shouldn’t be a timeline specified; the expiration is solely the default 1-year window. (It’s notable when the expiration is prolonged or shortened, however meaningless when it’s the default.) However, Walt Disney World sometimes doesn’t file permits like this till work is imminent–normally slated to start out in 1-2 months.
As such, all the things that follows is our greatest guesses in regards to the Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin undertaking.
The first is that the obvious candidate for brand spanking new projectors are within the Zurg wind tunnel earlier than the climactic battle sequence within the grand finale. The present projectors on this space are in regards to the high quality of a webcam working on AOL dial-up web again in 1998. It’s like they’re each misaligned and the bottom decision doable. Not 4K, extra like 4 pixels.
That’s merely hypothesis, although. Nothing would shock me with this attraction. Perhaps Imagineering goes to utterly overlook the dozen-plus drawback factors with Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, and set up some fancy new impact within the queue or a scene that doesn’t want it. I doubt it, although. That Zurg tunnel is simply downright embarrassing, and has been for some time. It’s less than Walt Disney World present requirements.
Honestly, the entire experience may use assist. When refreshing our record of Top 10 Underrated Rides to NOT Skip at Walt Disney World this week, I eliminated Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.
It pained me to do, however the truth is that the final half-dozen instances I’ve ridden it, I’ve had a non-working blaster twice, and on each single different events, there have been a number of targets that have been damaged or my blaster had intermittent points. (No, it’s not a ‘skill issue’ or me blaming poor efficiency on the experience. It’s in sorry form!)
Beyond that, the entire attraction may use an influence wash and recent coat of paint. There is a thick layer of filth and grime on all the things, and it’s been that manner for some time. Every time I experience on the finish of the night time (when the queue is wanting rougher than regular), I spot a few dozen Four Keys violations on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.
The greatest query with the Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin projector allow is whether or not it’ll necessitate a experience closure or will be capable to be achieved through the in a single day hours so the attraction can stay operational. The latter will probably be Disney’s sturdy desire if in any respect doable with Big Thunder already down. It actually will depend on whether or not it’s doable–how lengthy will these upgrades take to perform?
It additionally will depend on whether or not that is the primary of a number of permits as a part of a bigger-picture experience refurbishment of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. This goes to be an unpopular opinion amongst Walt Disney World trip planners who need as many rides up as doable throughout upcoming journeys, however I’d love to see Space Ranger Spin go down for ~6 months to repair what’s damaged and provides it a correct replace and reimagining.
Suffice to say, there’s a cause why Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin made our Ride Reimagining Wish List for Walt Disney World. I really like the concept of the gamified attraction–much more so than Toy Story Mania–however the execution is so dangerous now that it’s nearly unplayable.
Speaking of experience reimaginings, there are believable choices right here. The attraction may grow to be one thing completely different totally, a la Ant-Man and the Wasp: Nano Battle at Hong Kong Disneyland. Walt Disney World already has one other Toy Story interactive sport experience–and heck, a complete land. Make this Stitch’s Slimers (or Plasma Blasters) or retheme it to some obscure Marvel character to whom Universal doesn’t have the rights in Florida.
Another choice is ready to see how the Wreck-It-Ralph shooter that’s changing Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters at Tokyo Disneyland seems. Cloning that might make sense! In truth, there was a reputable rumor ~5 years in the past {that a} Wreck-It Ralph Sugar Rush attraction could be coming to Stitch’s Great Escape. Obviously, that didn’t occur and the venue sits dormant, save for backstage space for storing. Tokyo is clearly getting a special experience reimagining, and it’s doable that’s how the idea advanced. And perhaps the plan is for that experience to be replicated elsewhere.
Equally as believable, if no more so, is that Walt Disney World will inherit OLC’s hand me downs. Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters at Tokyo Disneyland was fashionable and in actually nice form when it closed. Far higher than another model of that attraction, save for Shanghai. This might sound far-fetched, but it surely’s really widespread for the home parks to obtain belongings from Tokyo Disneyland. This additionally lately occurred with the autos at Tomorrowland Speedway. Heck, they might put the stuff from Astro Blasters on the identical ship as parade floats for Disney Starlight Dream the Night Away Parade!
Ultimately, it’s good that Imagineering goes to present Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin some TLC. Replacing the projectors within the Zurg room is smart, as that scene’s visuals are an eyesore. Quite actually–it makes you are feeling such as you want your eyesight checked! But it’s removed from the one apparent problem with this blaster experience, which wants extra than simply “some TLC.”
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is a few decade previous its prime and already overdue for alternative. That strikes me as unlikely till Walt Disney World is able to overhaul Tomorrowland in its totality, which in all probability places the undertaking within the early 2030s. Frankly, that’s manner too lengthy to attend–Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin wants a refresh now if it’s going to be round for an additional 5+ years, and inheriting belongings from Tokyo Disneyland as a brief time period band-aid is the very best case situation.
Of course, that’s an enormous leap based mostly on the submitting of a single allow for putting in projectors–so all of this needs to be handled as purely speculative and never even rumor, not to mention official information. But I actually hope it occurs. I’d reasonably have Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin down for ~6 months this 12 months than keep away from it for the subsequent 5 or nevertheless lengthy till it’s changed as a result of the blasters and targets are too hit and miss, rendering the experience unrideable.
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Your Thoughts
What do you concentrate on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom? Would you “sacrifice” using this in your subsequent Walt Disney World trip if it meant a experience reimagining that modernized the attraction and made the blasters really work (and many others.), or are you high quality with the experience, as-is? Would you prefer to see this changed by a Stitch or Wreck-It Ralph blaster experience? Do you agree or disagree with my evaluation? Any questions we may also help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!