Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin in Magic Kingdom is closing for its lengthy overhaul, and we have a last look at the existing attraction prior to its upcoming enhancements.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Upcoming Overhaul Announcement
As first announced by Disney earlier this year, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is set to receive a major overhaul with scene updates, technical improvements, and more. A new scene at the beginning of the ride will feature an attraction-specific character named Buddy the robot. The scene will give guests a chance to test out their blasters with some target practice.
Disney also confirmed the attraction will be receiving completely new ride vehicles. The new vehicles are said to have a Star Command-inspired look, video monitors with real-time scores, and “other exciting features.” The current vehicles on the ride are originally from 1972, even though Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin opened in 1998, because they were originally from Delta Dreamflight.
As part of the more technological-based updates, the blasters for the attraction will all be replaced. The new devices will be handheld, instead of mounted to the vehicle, and feature an always-on laser to help with aiming. The new blasters will have light, sound, and haptic effects. Disney has shared photos of Cast Members play-testing the new blasters on the current attraction after hours.
Likewise, the old Z-targets are being updated to coincide with the new blasters. The new targets will have lighting effects that are triggered each time one is successfully hit. Further interactivity was teased as part of the announcement, saying that these new targets “open the door for a few other ideas Imagineers have in mind.”
The new blasters also come in two colors, making it easier to tell your laser apart from some of the others nearby. If you want to see more of the new blasters and targets, check out our in-person play test.
Exterior
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is located in Tomorrowland, to the right of the Astro Orbiter. The exterior of the attraction is part of the longer white building that also houses Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. Guests enter under the PeopleMover track.
A nearby silver spire has a “Star Command Headquarters” sign. Safety information is posted atop a column made of giant cartoon batteries.
On the back of the sign and on the ride’s sliding glass entry doors are “SR” rocket symbols.
A marquee features a large painted mural of Buzz and Zurg facing off around the ride’s name.
The entryway is a geometric green archway with button decals. At night, this archway has glowing green lights
3D lightning rods with fake electricity stick out of the archway. The bulbs inside the lightning rods flash with white light once the skies get dark.
Signage for the attraction, including the different queues for standby and Lightning Lane, hangs overhead.
Cast Members set up stanchions outside if an extended queue is necessary.
Indoor Queue
Upon entering the sliding glass doors, art on the left wall says “Star Command – Home of the Universe Protection Unit.” Below the words are Buzz and several of the Little Green Men flying through space. The walls themselves are gray on the upper half, blue on the lower half, with a stripe of neon green between the two.
The beams across the ceiling are also neon green. There are red flashing lights, representing the “emergency” that Star Command has called.
Additional art along the side walls looks like large power wires and a map of the galaxy.
The main room of the interior queue is a wide space designed to look like Star Command Headquarters. Faux “computer screens” on the walls show some of the nearby planets and include warnings of an “Unidentified Object” flying through Sector 9.
The danger level is “critical.” There are flat decals resembling buttons.
Buzz stands in the front of the room as a full-size animatronic with a screen-based face. He explains the details of guests’ mission with the help of some images, projected via a large-scale Viewfinder.
The Viewfinder shows some imagery of the ride, a “Battle Stations” graphic, and Zurg.
Buzz is calling everyone to battle stations, commanding them to rendezvous at Planet Z. He explains that Emperor Zurg, sworn enemy of the Galactic Alliance, is stealing Crystolic Fusion power cells (batteries). Without the cells, everyone but Zurg would be powerless.
To the right is an illuminated Emperor Zurg wanted poster.
To board the attraction, guests enter one final room with a mural covering the back wall of Buzz and Zurg locked in a fierce battle. This mural was updated in 2022 to include Space Mountain as a space station.
This room has the beginnings of the blacklight effect that makes the rest of the attraction appear to glow, so the lasers and characters in the art appear brighter than the rest of the room.
A sign above the ride track shows the “Z” targets, blasters, and score counter — all of which will be replaced.
Ride Vehicles and Blasters
As mentioned previously, the old vehicles for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin were repurposed from Delta Dreamflight, making them over 50 years old.
The vehicles are part of a single Omnimover, which is the ride system developed by Disney Imagineers that has all the vehicles connected as part of one continuous chain. Guests load into the attraction by stepping onto a moving conveyor belt that matches the speed of the vehicles.
The vehicles themselves are somewhat circular in shape. The front and sides are painted mostly blue, with neon green and orange detailing along the sides.
The interior of the vehicles includes a blue bench seat, which can hold two guests in front of their respective blasters. A lap bar pulls down from the front, and the green console that holds the blasters latches into place.
The blasters for this older version of Space Ranger Spin are attached directly to the vehicle, so guests can only aim them so far in any direction. The blasters match the colors from the vehicles, with a blue handle, green stripes, and orange detailing.
Small digital windows display each guest’s points as they shoot the targets on the attraction. The numbers glow red, and a decal says “Score” underneath. Also in the middle of the panel is the joystick for rotating the vehicle.
Decals on the sides of the panels show fake buttons and maps.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin Ride Experience
The attraction begins with guests spiraling around a disco ball atop an Astro Accelerator, transporting them to Sector 9. This room, based on the concept art, is where we expect Buddy the robot to appear in the updated attraction.
Guests launch into Sector 9, arriving in the middle of a robot battle. On the left is a giant orange Box-O-Bot, based on a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robot. Mattel originally sponsored the attraction, but direct references to the company were removed after the sponsorship ended in 1999.
Other robots include the Gigantobot, Battery Bot, and Dog Bot. Around the bots are spaceships. Glowing stars and planets are on the spacey walls. Batteries “float” through the space.
The enemy bots and satellites are covered in Z targets. Different targets are harder to hit and offer more points.
Guests then land on Planet Z, entering a colorful alien environment full of strange creatures. The ride uses a mix of flat and 3D elements, some doing simple movements like spinning or moving up and down. They are also designed to look like toys. Some are more obviously toys than others, like the tubs of “Play Clay” in this scene.
When guests go behind a cliff, they can turn their vehicle around to shoot at creatures on the wall.
Throughout the attraction are little green men, fighting alongside guests.
This scene also includes a volcano and an Alien-N-A-Box. Guests riding the PeopleMover get a look down into this room.
After successfully making it past the aliens, guests enter Zurg’s fortress. He commands guards to seize guests as they pass a room full of power cells. They then see Zurg in his “spider-bot” spaceship as it powers up. Around the corner, a spinning “window” shows Zurg and the spider-bot escaping into space.
The little green men collect power cells as they direct guests into an emergency escape hatch.
Red lights shine around guests, then they enter a projection tunnel, which has Zurg’s spaceship flying around them in space.
Buzz Lightyear arrives to help guests complete the mission and destroy the spider-bot. He tells riders (“Space Rangers”) to concentrate their firepower on Zurg’s weapon. The little green men also help dismantle the ship and secure the power cells. Lights flash, hiding the flash of the camera taking guests’ on-ride photos.
In the final room, Zurg is seen caught in a claw machine at Space Command Headquarters.
Buzz thanks guests and declares, “To infinity and beyond!” Before unloading, each guest’s final score flashes on their display, and they pass a sign listing titles for each point range. Disney has not confirmed if the new blasters or targets will have an effect on the old score system.
Exit & Gift Shop
Alongside the conveyor belt at the exit is another space mural featuring little green men.
Guests pass through an area with screens on the walls showing their photos. The photos should connect automatically to anyone with a MagicBand, but guests can also tap their band or ticket on Mickey icons below each screen.
Entering the gift shop, guests pass a mural with a crowd of green men and Buzz saluting them. Two of the aliens hold up a medal.
The gift shop has colorful units similar to the architecture of the queue and ride. There is a wall of batteries.
A Zurg statue is near the exit behind bars.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin Closing
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin officially had its last day of operation on August 3, with the attraction remaining closed for refurbishment starting on August 4. The updated version of the attraction is expected to reopen sometime in 2026, but no exact date has been shared yet.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin Video
Watch our full ride POV video, filmed prior to the closure, below:
Are you excited for the updated Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin to debut next year? Let us know in the comments and on social media.
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