It's Time. Disney Adults Officially Declare This 1998 Magic Kingdom Ride "Needs a Refurb"

Hey Disney World fans, we’ve gotta talk.

Magic Kingdom

I know how much we love the attractions at Disney World (and who doesn’t?). They’re consistently some of the best in the world, but no matter how great they are, the hands of time stop for no one. That means not every attraction, even our favorites, can last forever, and this 1998 Magic Kingdom Ride could definitely use a refurb!

As we were saying, there’s a certain attraction in Tomorrowland that’s starting to show its age — Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at Magic Kingdom.

If you’ve been to Magic Kingdom recently, you may have heard the buzz (pun intended) about how this classic ride could use a little TLC, and after reading some of the latest reviews about it here on AllEars, it definitely seems like Disney adults everywhere are officially declaring that it’s time for a refurb.

Let’s Talk Reviews

Sure, Space Ranger Spin still has its fans, but more and more guests are pointing out that it’s just not living up to what it used to be. Let’s dive into what some of you are saying.

First up, we’ve got AE reader TaraMartin who gave the ride a respectable 7 out of 10 but had some constructive criticism: “Fun target shooting type attraction that the whole family can enjoy. Needs a bit of a refurb as it is becoming quite dated.” She also felt that the ride could use an upgrade, especially to the projection-style animatronics and target system. “Similar rides in other Disney parks have better technology,” she added.

Then there’s an anonymous reader who also rated it a 7 but made a pretty valid point: “I absolutely love this ride! However, it definitely is outdated and is not as good as the Disneyland version!” We all know the “Disneyland vs. Disney World” debate is eternal, but when one version of a ride is noticeably superior, yeah, something’s gotta change.

Meanwhile, PlanetNoah wasn’t feeling the love quite as much. He gave it a 3 out of 10 and didn’t hold back: “This ride is always broken down so wait times will be higher than is warranted for this ride…The ride itself is a little outdated. Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios is much better.”

Even haleymm12, who also rated the ride a 7, admits it’s in desperate need of some love: “Worth riding if you haven’t done it in a while, but not worth it if you need to skip out on other fun rides. Still a lot of fun, just needs a wee bit of updating.”

Are we beginning to sense a theme here? Everyone seems to agree that Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is fun, but it’s far from perfect, and in 2024, we’re all expecting even more from Disney’s attractions.

Now, before we go into too much more, let’s talk about the history of the ride and what could be next for it.

The History and What’s Next

When it originally opened back in 1998, Space Ranger Spin was a groundbreaking ride for its time.

It combined interactive gameplay with a dark ride experience, and really was a hit among park-goers, especially after the success of Toy Story in theaters. Now, fast forward over 25 years, and the ride is starting to feel like it’s stuck in, well, the late ’90s.

Disney has clearly noticed this issue, too because over at Tokyo Disneyland, the ride’s counterpart, Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters, is closing in October 2024 to make way for a brand-new, Wreck-It Ralph-themed attraction.

If Tokyo’s ride is getting a glow-up, could Magic Kingdom be next in line?

While we haven’t heard any official word from Disney about a similar re-theme for Magic Kingdom’s Space Ranger Spin, it’s hard for us not to imagine that changes could be on the horizon especially with all the new work that is going to be happening over the next few years at park like the new Cars Land and Villains Land.