26 years after the ride opened, Disney has replaced the old film projectors in the Speed Tunnel scene of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin with modern digital projectors.

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

In December, Disney filed a permit to install new projectors at the Magic Kingdom ride. They contracted Maddox Electric Company, a frequent collaborator. It looks like the new projectors have now been installed. The climactic Speed Tunnel scene has never looked so good, with Emperor Zurg’s ship and celestial objects standing out against the blackness of space. It’s hard to show through photos and video, but the image is definitely brighter and crisper.

The Speed Tunnel goes back to the original Tomorrowland ride If You Had Wings. The travel-themed ride sponsored by Eastern Air Lines opened in 1972. After Eastern withdrew their sponsorship in 1987, Disney removed all references to the airline and renamed the attraction If You Could Fly. It closed in 1989 and became Delta Dreamflight sponsored by Delta Air Lines.

Delta withdrew their sponsorship in 1995 and the ride was simply called Dreamflight for six months. It was then renamed Take Flight, before closing permanently in 1998. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin opened later that year, using the same 1970s omnimover ride track.

There was also a Speed Tunnel at Disneyland on the now-defunct PeopleMover, called the Super Speed Tunnel.

Versions of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin ultimately opened at every Disney castle park, albeit under different names. It’s Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters at Disneyland, Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast at Disneyland Paris, and Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue at Shanghai Disneyland.

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters at Hong Kong Disneyland closed in 2017 to make way for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle! Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters at Tokyo Disneyland closed permanently last year to be replaced by a Wreck-It Ralph shooting attraction.

See the updated tunnel scene visuals in our video below:

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Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin Gets New Digital Projectors! • 26 years after the ride opened, Disney has seemingly replaced the old film projectors in the tunnel scene of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin with modern digital projectors. • The climactic tunnel scene has never looked so good, with Emperor Zurg’s ship and celestial objects standing out against the blackness of space. It’s hard to show through photos and video, but the image is definitely brighter and crisper. • Are you glad to see this attraction getting some modern updates? Let us know in the comments! • For more information on this story and more, visit WDWNT.com! • #disneyparks #waltdisneyworld #disney #disneyworld #wdw #magickingdom #tomorrowland #buzzlightyear #toystory #buzzkightyearspacerangerspin

♬ We Belong Together (From “Toy Story 3”) – Karaoke Version – Urock Karaoke

Watch our 2006 ride video of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin below, including how the tunnel scene used to look:

What do you think of the updated visuals in the tunnel scene? Share your thoughts with us in the comments and on social media.

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Shannen Ace