The voice of Patricia, the daughter in Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, is coming back to the show as Grandmother. Debi Derryberry’s new role was announced Sunday, October 4, at D23’s “55 Magical Years of Storytelling” event at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, which also confirmed that the family’s jack-o’-lantern is staying.
Carousel of Progress closed at Magic Kingdom on July 6 for its reimagining and is aiming to reopen in late spring 2027. Derryberry, also known as the voice of Jimmy Neutron, joins Bryan Cranston and Jamie Lee Curtis, who were named as Father and Mother at D23 in August.
The full show above was recorded in 2023, with Derryberry as Patricia.
From Daughter To Grandmother
Derryberry goes from the family’s daughter to its grandmother. Concept art shown to the media puts Grandma in the New Year’s Eve 1999 act, where she flips the TV over to her wrestling match once Grandpa nods off, and in the reimagined finale. John, Sarah and the rest of the family are coming back too, with their Audio-Animatronics figures refreshed instead of replaced.
Each act is jumping to a new decade, and the second one now lands on Halloween night in 1985. That is good news for one of the show’s most popular props: the pumpkin head is coming back.
A Toucan For Walt
The new opening scene will star an Audio-Animatronics figure of Walt Disney, and he will have company. Imagineers showed off an Audio-Animatronics toucan that will interact with Walt in that scene. It is a recreation of the bird from “Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair,” a 1964 episode of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color.
Props From The Old Show
D23 members also got a close look at props pulled from the closed show. A doll that has been in the attraction since 1964 is thought to be a likeness of Mary Blair made by her Imagineering friends. The stereoscope goes back to 1964 too, when it was just set dressing. Some pieces were much newer. The reindeer slippers in the Christmas scene only showed up in 2022, and a hand fan added in the mid-1990s turned out to be a store-bought item. An envelope that spent the show’s whole run tucked in a desk is signed by the woman who designed the Haunted Mansion’s wallpaper.
Fans who want an early look can already see some of the new costumes at Hollywood Studios, where John and Sarah’s outfits and new scene models went on display in Walt Disney Presents last month. Disney has not set an exact reopening date.
For the latest news and updates make sure to follow us on social media! Facebook | Twitter | Threads | Instagram | TikTok
