several household appliances throughout the attraction, such as the refrigerator in Act 3. On August 16, 1993, the attraction closed and many blueprints at the time showed a new "Flying Saucers" ride inside the show building. It was eventually decided to update the Carousel of Progress to better reflect the theme of the New Tomorrowland: "The Future that Never Was." Gears and other mechanical symbols were prominently featured throughout New Tomorrowland, so the Carousel of Progress theater was redesigned to feature them. The attraction and show were renamed Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress. A giant cog-design sign, "Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress", replaced the blueprint sign in the load and unload theaters, and the final scene was updated to "Christmas in the House of 2000" as it was envisioned in 1993. A new voice cast was hired, with American writer, raconteur and radio personality Jean Shepherd as John, the family's father, as well as the ride's narrator. Additionally, Rex Allen, the voice of the father at the original Disneyland attraction, played Grandfather in Act 4. A four-minute pre-show about the attraction's creation played on monitors while guests waited in line. A contemporary version of "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" returned as the attraction's theme song. The attraction reopened on November 23, 1993, and was the first updated attraction for the New Tomorrowland, which was unveiled in phases. Since then, it has undergone many slight mechanical and cosmetic changes. Due to a decrease in attendance following the September 11 attacks, Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress closed in October 2001. It reopened soon afterwards on a seasonal basis, causing fans to become concerned for its future. Although numerous "permanent closure" rumors still plague the attraction, Disney has consistently said that there are no plans for permanent closure or any closure at all. It has had minor refurbishments in recent years, but has remained open nearly every day of the Magic Kingdom's regular operations since 2003. The Sherman Brothers write in their joint autobiography regarding the history of the pavilion: , the gears-and-cogs paint scheme was replaced by futuristic "strikes" of various different colors. The attraction's name is now painted on the rotating part of the building. In 2022, the animatronics in the final act got an updated wardrobe, with a few Easter eggs. For example, Trish, the daughter now wears a collegiate sweater for "Progress Tech School of Urban Planning", in