Debi Derryberry, once Patricia, returns as Grandmother in Magic Kingdom's reimagined Carousel of Progress
Debi Derryberry, who voiced the daughter Patricia in Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress, will voice Grandmother in the reimagined show, Walt Disney Imagineering says. The Magic Kingdom attraction closed July 6 and is targeting a late spring 2027 reopening.
Debi Derryberry, who voiced Patricia, the family's daughter, in Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress, is coming back to the show as Grandmother. Walt Disney Imagineering says Derryberry "is taking on a new role as Grandmother next year at Walt Disney World," in the reimagined Magic Kingdom attraction.
Key Details
- Who: Debi Derryberry, the new voice of Grandmother
- Where: Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress, Tomorrowland, Magic Kingdom
- Reopening target: Late spring 2027, no exact date yet
The Buzz
The casting landed with longtime fans because it keeps a familiar voice in a show that is changing almost everything else: new decades, a new opening scene and new voices for Mom and Dad.
From the family's daughter to its Grandmother
The same performer will now voice an older generation of the family at the center of the show.
- Her original role. Derryberry voiced Patricia, the daughter in the family the show follows from act to act.
- Her new role. In the reimagined show she takes over as Grandmother, so one voice now spans two generations of the same family.
- In the studio. Photos released with the news show Derryberry recording in the studio.
- Scenes not named. Disney has not said which scenes include Grandmother's lines.
Grandmother already appears in Imagineering's concept art for the new show. In the New Year's Eve 1999 act, Grandma and Grandpa count down in another room, and once Grandpa dozes off, Grandma quietly switches the channel to catch her wrestling match. She also turns up in the art for the reimagined finale.
A voice cast led by Jamie Lee Curtis and Bryan Cranston
Derryberry joins a voice cast Disney began announcing at D23, alongside big changes to the show itself.
- Mom and Dad. At D23 in August, Disney named Disney Legend Jamie Lee Curtis and Emmy-winning actor Bryan Cranston as the voices of Mom and Dad.
- Same family. John, Sarah and the rest of the family return, and Disney is refreshing the existing animatronics rather than replacing the characters.
- New decades. The acts jump forward to the 1960s, the 1980s and New Year's Eve 1999, then end in an off-planet finale.
- Walt in the opening. A Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic figure will greet guests in a new opening scene.
Disney is keeping the original family and moving the decades around them, and a returning voice from the old show fits that approach.
Late spring 2027 is the target, with no exact date yet
Carousel of Progress stays dark in Tomorrowland until the reimagined show is ready.
- Closed since July. The attraction closed on July 6, 2026, to make way for the reimagining.
- Walls up. Construction walls surround the building while Imagineers build the new version.
Our take. Anyone planning a Magic Kingdom trip for spring 2027 should not count on the show yet: late spring is a target, not a date. When it does open, listen for Grandmother in the 1999 act, where the concept art puts her at the wrestling match.
