Good Morning America featured a first detailed look at the refurbished Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin today, offering new insight into changes coming to the Magic Kingdom attraction.
The segment included footage from inside the ride and an interview with Wyatt Winter, Executive Producer at Walt Disney Imagineering.
Winter highlighted the reworked opening sequence, which sets up the mission before you head into space.
"What is new here today is actually the scene that's right here behind me, and you see our alien friends opening that airlock so we can head out into space and start our battle with Emperor Zurg," Winter said. "Thankfully, we won't have to face Zurg alone. We're going to see Buzz Lightyear for the first time, join you in that battle."
The updated opening introduces Buddy, a new support robot created by Walt Disney Imagineering and Pixar. Buddy prepares Space Rangers with system checks and encouragement before the mission begins.
Shay, Visual Effects Designer at Walt Disney Imagineering, discussed the new projection technology in the hyperspace tunnel sequence.
"We are in a scene called hyperspace, but we are installing brand new media for this refreshed version of Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin," Shay said. "We are adding so many new elements to this scene. We're introducing Buzz for the first time. Zurg is out there in hyperspace, releasing all of these space mines, which we get to score more points by firing on."
Tasha from Pixar explained the technical challenge of animating for the tunnel environment.
"When I first started at Pixar, I was an animator on the films, and one of the first was Toy Story 2, and so I have a real fondness for the Toy Story characters," Taska said. "It's kind of like coming back to old friends every time we get to animate them again. We're actually projecting onto a tunnel. We're not used to animating something in a tunnel, so we actually created a grid that we could animate on that's all flattened out, but then when we get it projected, it all looks normal."
The refurbishment also brings redesigned vehicles with Star Command styling and onboard screens showing real-time scoring. Handheld blasters replace the original fixed versions, offering better aim with vibration, sound effects, and an always-on laser to help track your shots.
Interactive targets throughout the ride now react and light up when hit, giving clearer feedback during gameplay.
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin closed in August 2025 and will reopen in spring 2026. Disney has not announced a specific date.
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