Disney Stops MagicBand Feature After 8 Years

Disney has seemingly ditched a popular and “magical” feature in its theme parks.

Three animatronic dolls. — Credit: Disney

The Walt Disney Company prides itself on its vast collection of theme parks, advertising places like Walt Disney World as “The Most Magical Place on Earth.” While this claim could likely be refuted, it’s hard to deny just how many magical rides, attractions, and experiences await at places like the Magic Kingdom or the original Disneyland Resort.

Incredible dining opportunities, live shows, and a wide range of shopping experiences can all be found at the Disney parks, though the rides themselves are arguably the biggest draw, with Disney creating and opening some of the world’s most advanced and thrilling amusement park attractions.

It can also be fun to take a step back and enjoy some of Disney’s oldest and most iconic rides, with “it’s a small world” continuing to be a classic all these years later.

This is not to say that “it’s a small world” has not received updates over the years. Several years ago, the ride was equipped with MagicBand integration, which greatly enhanced the attraction’s magic.

However, guests hoping to see this feature in action are out of luck, as Disney has seemingly abandoned the idea altogether.

Disney Theme Park Stops MagicBand Integration

it's a small world holiday — Credit: Disney

For the uninitiated, “it’s a small world” is equipped with scanners and other technology that tracks guests’ names and displays them on screens at the end of the ride.

As guests approach the final scene of the ride, they’ll see a slew of signs with the phrase “goodbye” written in various languages. Several screens display the names of guests as they pass by in their boats.

This small yet incredibly magical feature never fails to light up guests’ faces as they exit “it’s a small world,” though Disney has seemingly dropped the feature.

A guest snapped a photo of the screens in their updated form and shared the news on social media.

THEY GOT RID OF THE MAGICBAND SCREENS WE WON!!!!

THEY GOT RID OF THE MAGICBAND SCREENS WE WON!!!! pic.twitter.com/Vzk2LjW3bJ

— brook, bubbles, & beulah (@energydinos) August 20, 2024

It’s unknown why Disney decided to put a stop to this feature. It’s also unknown if this change is temporary or permanent.

While unspecified, this appears to be the Magic Kingdom version of “it’s a small world.”

Disney launched MagicBand in 2013, envisioning the wearable plastic RFID bracelets as a way to revolutionize its theme parks. Fast forward over a decade later, and guests can be seen wearing these bracelets all over both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Not only do these bracelets let guests perform various tasks, such as paying for items or entering Lightning Lane queues, but MagicBands are also extremely fashionable, coming in a plethora of fun designs. MagicBands offer efficiency and are also a status symbol once inside the Disney parks.

As stated earlier, other rides also feature this same technology, tracking and displaying guests’ names as they make their way through attractions. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a great example, showing off the names of guests as they make their way through the fictional G-Force recording studio.

What do you think about this new change to the Disney theme parks?