Disney still officially says "late spring 2027" for the reimagined Magic Kingdom show. Its new dad, Bryan Cranston, told a group of EPCOT guests May, then glanced at his team, who seemed to agree.
Disney World's Carousel of Progress may have its opening month, and it came from the show's new dad, not Disney.
Bryan Cranston, who voices John, the father, in the reimagined Magic Kingdom attraction, made a surprise stop at EPCOT's Mexico pavilion this week. In a video posted to Instagram on Thursday, Nov. 12, by the account theenchantedesquire, he told a group of guests the show opens in May 2027.
Disney Tourist Blog reported that Cranston hesitated after saying "May" and looked to the people with him, who appeared to confirm it. Call it a soft launch of a launch date.
Disney hasn't announced a date. Its official window is still "late spring 2027," which it first shared at D23 in August. WDW News Today said it asked Disney about the May timing and hadn't heard back.
May does fit inside "late spring." It's also the narrowest timing anyone has floated yet, BlogMickey noted. Disney Tourist Blog cautioned that a single comment could reflect an internal target that might still shift.
When does the new Carousel of Progress open?
Officially, late spring 2027. Unofficially, if Cranston is right, May.
The 1993 version of the show closed for good in July 2026. Construction walls went up right after, and permits point to a top-to-bottom overhaul that includes the aging turntable, Disney Tourist Blog reported.
Disney usually announces an exact opening date closer to the debut. We'll update when it does.
Why did Bryan Cranston almost pass on Carousel of Progress?
His agents told him to. Disney Tourist Blog reported that Cranston's agents first recommended he turn down the Walt Disney World offer. Then he heard it was for the Carousel of Progress. "I'm in!" he said.
His connection goes way back. Cranston told guests he first saw the show as a kid at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair, then again at Disneyland and later at Disney World. He called it "a nice sentimental attraction."
Imagineers have said he was all in on the project. They even shared a photo of him wearing a vintage "Meet Me at the Smoke Ring" button from the World's Fair.
He also said he hopes to come back to Orlando around the reopening, on a Monday or Tuesday when his play isn't running.
Who voices the new Carousel of Progress?
Disney named the new voice cast at D23 on Aug. 15:
Bryan Cranston: John, the father
Jamie Lee Curtis: Sarah, the mother
Debi Derryberry: Grandma. She voiced daughter Patricia in the old version, so she got a promotion.
What changes in the reimagined Carousel of Progress?
A lot. All four scenes move to new decades, and a new opening scene features the first Walt Disney Audio-Animatronics figure in Florida, according to Disney. Here's the lineup, per Disney Tourist Blog:
Opening: Walt himself, with props like a prototype Tiki bird and an "it's a small world" doll.
1960s: The family watches the 1969 moon landing.
1980s: Halloween night in 1985. John hands out candy, and Uncle Orville is selling personal computers at a fruit stand.
1999: New Year's Eve and the internet. Grandpa naps, and Grandma watches pro wrestling.
The future: An off-planet home with robots, inspired by John Hench's original concept sketches.
The family, Uncle Orville's bathtub gag and the classic song all stay.
How old is Carousel of Progress?
The show debuted at General Electric's Progressland at the 1964-65 World's Fair. The Sherman Brothers wrote "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow," and Rex Allen voiced the first dad.
It moved to Disneyland in 1967 and to Magic Kingdom in 1975. Disney has updated it five times since, most recently in 1993, TheWrap reported. Jean Shepherd and B.J. Ward voiced the parents in that version.
So the kid who watched the original in Queens in 1964 is now the voice of the dad, 63 years later.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
Disney Tourist Blog (Nov. 12, 2026), Cranston's comments, his agents' advice, his history with the show, and details of the new scenes
WDW News Today (Nov. 12, 2026), the Instagram video, Disney's lack of response and the show's history
BlogMickey (Nov. 12, 2026), the narrowed timing and the show's closure
Walt Disney World News (Aug. 16, 2026), the official late spring 2027 window, the voice cast and the Walt Disney figure
TheWrap (Aug. 15, 2026), the D23 announcement and past updates to the show
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