Construction will be full steam ahead when it’s time to overhaul the Carousel of Progress attraction at Magic Kingdom in Tomorrowland. With new scenes and more coming, a new permit might have just confirmed that even more changes are on the way for this iconic and historic ride.Here’s what the new permit says about the future of this classic.Credit: Paul Brennan, FlickrDisney World Files Explosive New Carousel of Progress Permit as Historic Overhaul EscalatesWalt Disney World’s transformation of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress is moving deeper into the technical phase. Walt Disney Imagineering has filed another Carousel of Progress permit tied to the Magic Kingdom attraction, this time for electrical work involving Solotech Sales and Integration USA, Inc., an audiovisual technology company whose work includes audio, video, lighting and theme-park systems.The filing does not reveal exactly what equipment will be installed, so it is not confirmation of specific speakers, lighting, projection systems or show effects. Still, it adds another piece to the Carousel of Progress reimagining underway in Tomorrowland. says the attraction, temporarily unavailable since July 6, 2026, is expected to reopen in 2027.Credit: Joe Penniston, FlickrNew Carousel of Progress Permit Points to Technical WorkThe new permit lists Walt Disney Imagineering and contracts Solotech for electrical work at the Carousel of Progress site. as a global audiovisual technology company, with services spanning audio systems, projection and video, lighting, systems integration and work for theme parks and attractions.That background makes the filing noteworthy, but an electrical-work permit does not establish which show systems Solotech will touch or whether guests will see — or hear — a particular new effect. Disney has not publicly detailed the scope represented by this filing.It follows earlier construction paperwork connected to the project, which Inside the Magic previously covered as additional permits were filed.Credit: DisneyDisney Is Replacing the Familiar Carousel of Progress TimelineThe construction supports an overhaul far beyond a routine refurbishment. Disney has announced that the show’s eras will move forward, replacing the early-20th-century progression with decades closer to today’s audience.According to , the revised show will begin in the 1960s. The first act takes place in summer 1969, with the family gathering around the television during the moon landing. Act two jumps to Halloween night in 1985, with Sarah taking a more prominent role.The next portion moves the family toward the turn of the millennium, while the finale pushes Carousel of Progress back into the business of imagining tomorrow rather than presenting a once-futuristic scene that real technology has largely overtaken. Disney has said “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” will continue to accompany guests between scenes.This is not simply a cosmetic refresh; Disney is rebuilding the show around a different chronology while preserving its central idea of following one family through technological change. Inside the Magic has previously detailed what the overhaul means for the attraction’s existing scenes.Credit: DisneyWalt Disney Will Become Part of the AttractionPerhaps the most symbolically important addition arrives before the family’s new story begins. Disney previously confirmed that an Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney will appear in a new introductory scene.Imagineering says the scene draws inspiration from the 1964 television special “Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair,” in which Walt introduced the Carousel of Progress concept. Disney has also shown that the setting will incorporate recreated period details connected to that era and the company’s World’s Fair projects.The overhaul removes scenes descended from the version Walt helped create while putting Walt himself into the Magic Kingdom presentation. Disney has framed the project as preserving the attraction’s heart while making its eras more relatable.The attraction’s history makes that tension especially sensitive. Carousel of Progress debuted as part of General Electric’s Progressland pavilion at the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair, moved to Disneyland in 1967, and arrived at Magic Kingdom in 1975. Its last major update came in 1994, according to Disney.Credit: DisneyWhy the Overhaul Is Sensitive for Longtime Disney FansFor some longtime fans, changing Carousel of Progress carries unusual weight. Its connection to Walt, rotating theater, Sherman brothers’ music and decades-old scenes have made preservation part of its appeal.Inside the Magic has previously documented the divide surrounding the 2027 reimagining, including concerns about losing the older scenes alongside support for Disney reinvesting in the attraction rather than replacing it entirely.Those reactions are important context, but the new Solotech permit itself does not prove that Disney is making additional story changes beyond what Imagineering has already announced. The permit confirms electrical work by a contractor with extensive audiovisual capabilities; it does not disclose a new creative concept.Meanwhile, Tomorrowland is changing around the construction site. Inside the Magic reported that the PeopleMover narration changed when Carousel of Progress closed, another operational sign of the attraction’s extended absence.Credit: Video Screenshot, YouTube, Carousel ClubWhat Happens Before Carousel of Progress Reopens in 2027Disney’s official attraction page currently lists Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress as temporarily unavailable and says the company expects it to reopen in 2027. Disney has not provided a specific reopening date on that page.That leaves plenty still unknown: the exact technical scope of Solotech’s work, how extensively the show’s audiovisual infrastructure will change, and when guests will first experience the completed version.What is clear is that the reimagining is progressing on multiple fronts. Inside the Magic has tracked the broader modernization of Magic Kingdom’s classic attractions, and Carousel of Progress is among the most extensive projects.New decades, redesigned scenes, a Walt Disney Audio-Animatronics introduction and a future-focused finale are already confirmed. The latest electrical permit adds another contractor and another technical layer to a project that will determine how one of Magic Kingdom’s most closely watched classics enters its next era.The post Disney World Drops Bombshell: Major New Permit Signals Massive Carousel of Progress Overhaul appeared first on Inside the Magic.