Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is getting some pretty substantial updates! The updates announced today will see the attraction get a new show scene, updated ride vehicles, and gameplay enhancements. The updates are expected to go online sometime in 2026. Because of this, Space Ranger Spin will be closing temporarily in August so that the updates can be installed.
A New Scene With a New Robot
At the beginning of the attraction, guests will be greeted by a brand new character named “Buddy”, this friendly robot will play a key role on the Star Command team. Buddy was created by Walt Disney Imagineering and Pixar Animation Studios.
Buddy is a support bot who is tasked with making sure departing Space Rangers are fully prepared for their mission. Buddy provides encouragement, the final system checks on their Star Cruisers, and also a chance to hone their blaster aim. This will also give guests the opportunity to check out some of the new, interactive target features before they blast off to defeat the Evil Emperor Zurt and save the galaxy!
New Ride Vehicles
The star cruisers will also be getting updated with a new design. The facelift will be inspired by the colors of Buzz Lightyear and Star Command. Each enhanced vehicle will now also come equipped with video monitors that will provide real-time scoring updates along with some other exciting features.
Blasters
The new star cruisers will also now have handheld blasters. These will allow for better aim to help guests score even more points. The new blasters will be ideal for younger riders and allow them to participate more in the experience.
The new blasters will also have a new always-on laser, so guests will be able to see where they are aiming. Each star cruiser will have two different colors. They will also have new lighting, sound, and vibration effects to help players know where they are aiming throughout the mission.
Interactive Targets
When the attraction reopens next year, guests will discover that there is a lot more interactivity. The static Z targets that are found in the attraction today are going to be upgraded. The new technology will allow them to react and light up when hit. This new technology opens the door for a few other ideas that Imagineers have in mind.
Disney shared that the work on these updates recently passed an important milestone. Imagineers were invited to participate in the playtest of new targets, blasters, and gameplay ideas. The playtests are a critical part of the design process. This allows the project team to try out variations of a concept in a real-world setting. This then provides critical insights into what works best and maybe what doesn’t work. All of this is so that the guest experience can be improved to make the best experience possible.
“Everyone had a great time, and our team learned a lot,” project creative director Justin DeTolla said. “We’ve been working on this project for quite some time now, so it was exciting to see it all come to life for the first time in the field.”
What do you think about the updates coming to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin? What are you most looking forward to? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
