Disney has announced that Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin in the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland will close for a big refurbishment in August. They will be upgrading and adding a new character, Buddy, to the attraction.
According to Disney, the attraction will get a new scene featuring this new robot, “Buddy.” Buddy will “play a key role on the Star Command team.”
“As a support-bot, Buddy makes sure departing Space Rangers are fully prepared for their mission, enthusiastically providing encouragement, final system checks on their Star Cruisers and a chance to hone their blaster aim. This will be a great time for guests to check out some of the new, interactive target features before blasting off to defeat the Evil Emperor Zurg and save the galaxy.”
I wonder if this is so they can feature more robotics since Bob Iger keeps pushing the new droids and AI. I also know they have deals in play with Nvidia and Google Deepmind to develop next-level robotics for Disney parks.
The attraction will also get new ride vehicles.
Each of the vehicles will get a new look and design along with video monitors for real-time scoring and “other features.”
New Blasters will be added.
The new ride vehicles will also be equipped with handheld blasters instead of the anchored ones. This will help guests aim better and will be easier for younger riders to participate.
Each of these blasters will have a laser to help make sure you lock on your target easier. The lasers will be in two colors per vehicle so guests don’t get confused as to which light is theirs.
New Interactive Targets.
The “Z” targets will be redone to light up and react to being struck. Imagineers hope this will make the ride more engaging and entertaining.
Imagineering tested some of the ideas out in the field. Project Creative director Justin DeTolla said,
“Everyone had a great time, and our team learned a lot. We’ve been working on this project for quite some time now, so it was exciting to see it all come to life for the first time in the field.”
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Disney must plan on keeping the attraction for a while to go to all this trouble. It makes sense because it is very popular. However, many are asking “What took them so long?”
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin will shut down in August, but we don’t yet know how long the refurbishment will take.
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
Source: Disney Parks Blog
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