Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin does not open until April 8, 2026, at Magic Kingdom, but we got an early look during a Cast Member preview. A big thank you to our family Cast Member for bringing us along. After nearly seven months closed for its biggest overhaul since 1998, we were ready to be wowed. We were not wowed. But we were not disappointed either. And honestly? That feeling has been following us out of a lot of Disney rides lately.
We covered every announced feature in detail when Disney Imagineers first revealed what was new and again when the April 8th opening date was confirmed. Here is the honest take from actually riding it.
What Actually Got Better
Start with the wins because there are real ones. The new marquee at the attraction entrance is the best thing to come out of this refurbishment. It gives Tomorrowland a cohesion it has been missing for years and makes the whole land feel more intentional when you walk by. That part genuinely lands.
Inside, the show scenes are noticeably brighter. The lighting upgrades are real, and the ride looks cleaner and more vibrant than it has in a long time. The new showpieces pop. If you have not been on the ride in a few years, the visual improvement will be obvious the moment you pull away from the loading dock.
The new handheld blasters feel good to hold. The weight, the grip, and the always-on laser that shows you exactly where you are aiming all work. When you hit a target cleanly, the haptic feedback is a satisfying detail that adds something real to the experience. The lasers split between red and green, so riders sharing a vehicle can tell their shots apart, and the new targets light up in your corresponding color when you connect. That system is clever and looks great.
The Problem with the New Targets
Here is where the honest conversation starts. The new reactive targets look great in concept. In practice, they do not always register a direct hit. You will fire at a target, your laser will land exactly on it, and nothing happens. Then it happens again.
The hit detection feels like the targets have a narrower sweet spot than the originals, and that difference matters more than it sounds. The old ride was forgiving. Families with young kids could swing the cannon around and still rack up a reasonable score. That accessibility was part of why the ride worked for nearly three decades. The new version asks for more precision and does not always reward it when you deliver.
If you have a competitive child with you, prepare for frustration. The gap between firing and registering a hit is inconsistent, and inconsistency in a scoring game is not a fun challenge. Adults with any kind of hand tremor are going to have a genuinely harder time than before. That is a real accessibility concern for a ride marketed to all ages.
And Then There Is the Buzz Animatronic
One thing that stood out after riding is what did not get updated. The Buzz Lightyear animatronic at the end of the attraction was not part of this refurbishment. After riding through brighter scenes, new digital targets, and updated vehicles, you reach the finale and find the same animatronic that has been there for years. If this was the most significant overhaul since 1998, why was the flagship character left untouched at the finish line? It does not ruin the ride, but it is hard not to notice when everything around it looks so visibly refreshed.
Our Verdict: It’s Fine
We have been saying this a lot lately, and here we are again. It’s fine. Not great, but nothing about it is bad. We walked off the ride with no real feeling about the upgrade in either direction. Not excited, not let down. Just kind of neutral in a way that is its own kind of disappointing when you consider how long this has been closed and how hard Disney has pushed it as a major moment for Cool Kids’ Summer and a companion to Toy Story 5 this summer.
The honest comparison is the animatronic upgrades at Frozen Ever After. The ride looks better. Some new details are genuinely fun. But the core reason this attraction has worked for generations of families is shakier now than it was before. Nobody was asking for a harder version of Buzz Lightyear. And nobody should walk off a newly refreshed Disney ride feeling nothing.
Ride it when it opens on April 8th. Enjoy the brighter show scenes and appreciate the haptic blasters. If the targets feel like they are not registering, they are not just you. Keep it locked to Fantasy Land News for everything coming to Magic Kingdom this summer.
Disney’s Big Buzz Lightyear Upgrade Opens April 8th. Our Honest Review Is: It’s Fine.
