Carousel of Progress

[DisneyGuy]

According to the following list, Carousel of Progress is being closed in September. I already having problems with the Haunted Mansion being closed for our trip in December, I couldn't handle both of them being closed.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/rehab.htm#magickingdom

I agrees, the HM closure is enough! Lol. I'm still recovering from my initial dissapointment.

 

[Josh Hendy]

In the last scene, if they're not going to update it regularly to show what actually might be going on in a family home in the near future then they should make it into an intentionally ironic, humorous parody of what people in the 80s THOUGHT that we'd be doing in the 2010s.

You could have a lot of fun with it ... mobile phones the size of table lamps ... really, really big CRT (tube) televisions ... talking vacuum robots ... whole family going on "vacation" with virtual-reality goggles pretending to surf, try on new shoes, etc ... at some point the family gives up, takes off their goggles, laughing, and sings "There's a great big beautiful tomorrow" one last time ...

The trouble is right now it's unintentionally ironic and kind of lame and embarrassing to watch. It makes me think about WDW's budget and finances and their "people eating" attraction strategy more than about technology and the future, or about what Walt wanted.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Anyone clamoring for this classic attraction to be modernized, please take a ride to Epcot to see the new Figment.

New Figment is funny.

 

[Robo]

-as one of the classic 64' World's Fair showpieces, I would hope that they would leave the majority alone and the way Walt wanted it.

The current CoP is not altogether like the one Walt created.
Even the first three acts have already been changed quite a bit.

But, I do like it.
I like it a LOT!

 

[Disney Frenhines]

Anyone clamoring for this classic attraction to be modernized, please take a ride to Epcot to see the new Figment.

So true.

 

[Vivianne]

I agrees, the HM closure is enough! Lol. I'm still recovering from my initial dissapointment.

I'm dealing with the railroad closure for October. Oh well.

 

[Eastern]

CoP is a MUST DO for us.

It was especially magical to get a Surprise Fastpass for it from the FP machines. Got to save those We would usually get it with our BuzzLightyear paper FPs.

The best thing about it is the song.

 

[tinkerbella16]

Seriously???

Definitely does not come off snarky, sarcastic or anything. Sheesh!!

OP.. This is one of my must dos! Actually, a must do at least 10 times during the trip and thats not for taking a nap. I truly love this classic attraction.

 

[tim781996]

December? Do you have the dates?

Got it mixed up with the Haunted Mansion. My bad.

 

[DisneyGuy]

Got it mixed up with the Haunted Mansion. My bad.

No problem...but I'm glad it was a mistake!

 

[Lynn2205]

it is still there and thank god. hubby and I love that attraction. Could do with a bit of updating but i still love it the way it is. it reminds me so much of my childhood when i first visitied WDW. it would be sad if they decide to close it

 

[Lynn2205]

I'm dealing with the railroad closure for October. Oh well.

me too. i was hoping hubby and i could ride that but its not to be

 

[wallrock]

Agreed. It was supposed to be about how technology changed American life throughout the 20th century. Beginning in 1940 or later would defeat the purpose of the attraction.

The purpose of the attraction was to help sell electric appliances for GE. The periods covered in the attraction (from the 1890s to the 1960s) represented the founding of GE in 1892 all the way what was current for the day.

 

[ttintagel]

Sure, the large gap between the 1940’s and the final scene is a bit awkward, but I really like that the ride now encapsulates the 20th century and all its huge developments in home technology. Since I’d hate to see the iconic 1900’s, 1920’s, or 1940’s scenes disappear, and it would take a major structural overhaul to add a 1960’s-1980’s scene in between the final two, I’m happy with the scenes as they are. I’d just like to see some sprucing up to both the theater and the show scenes.

Of course, the time may come when ridership goes down enough that they decide the real estate would be better spent on something else, but I hope that’s a long way off.

 

[MouseyMin]

The problem with updating the last scene to the present time is that technology changes so fast. By the time the scene change is designed, approved, constructed, and tested, it will already be somewhat out of date. That's what happened with the current version - it wasn't long after it opened that people were no longer talking about "car phones"!!

I was lucky enough to first see COP at the World's Fair, and so I've seen every version. Maybe the best thing to do would be to have the last scene somewhat generic in that it doesn't showcase the very latest technology.

 

[disneyfan55]

CoP is a must do for us every trip! We hope it is always there.

Yes, I just remember it from the World's Fair! I was very young and the CoP and Small World were 2 I really remember!

 

[disneyfan55]

Sure, the large gap between the 1940’s and the final scene is a bit awkward, but I really like that the ride now encapsulates the 20th century and all its huge developments in home technology. Since I’d hate to see the iconic 1900’s, 1920’s, or 1940’s scenes disappear, and it would take a major structural overhaul to add a 1960’s-1980’s scene in between the final two, I’m happy with the scenes as they are. I’d just like to see some sprucing up to both the theater and the show scenes.

Of course, the time may come when ridership goes down enough that they decide the real estate would be better spent on something else, but I hope that’s a long way off.

Yes, that's because basically the first 3 scenes are the same as first presented in the World's Fair in 1964, thus the timeframe. Disney has changed them a little but really has just updated the last scene.

 

[PeterPanic]

If anything, CoP is more relevant now then it was years ago. It's called the Carousel of Progress for a reason. When it was originally built it was supposed to show how far we had progressed over a set number of years. The ending scene was supposed to poke into the future, but not much.

As far as relating to the audience, that again, should not be the intent. The intent is to show what life was like just a little over a hundred years ago. It was stated that the people that were alive during that era are no longer with us. That is correct, but, that doesn't mean that the children of today have any idea what life was like back then. They need to be shown that life was not always iPads and Wii's. They have no way of graphically knowing that unless someone shows them.

With that in mind there is no longer a need to update the last scene. That was in the recent past. We don't really know what the future holds, but, we need to be reminded of what it was like at one time. That means that the focus of CoP is slightly different then intended, but, will never be irrelevant as long as there are people out there that didn't know about the past. We know what life is now, no need to show that to us, we live it everyday.

It is a great historical attraction, it is still interesting, if people give it the chance, and important to our children even if they don't know it yet. My children were born in the 70's and the first time they saw a black and white show on TV they made attempts to adjust the color on the TV and even told me the TV was broken. We always need to know were we came from to even have a clue as to where we are going or what progress we are currently making based on the past.

 

[LBIJim]

The purpose of the attraction was to help sell electric appliances for GE. The periods covered in the attraction (from the 1890s to the 1960s) represented the founding of GE in 1892 all the way what was current for the day.

Yep, a fun, and for the times, a cutting-edge attraction, but it was basically a commercial for GE at the NY World's Fair.

Of course, the time may come when ridership goes down enough that they decide the real estate would be better spent on something else, but I hope that’s a long way off.

There were often hour plus waits for it back in 1964-65.

 

[LaurLaur04]

I hope the refurb only does one thing. FIXES the attraction. Every time I go on it, it repeats or gets stuck. Personally I think they should leave it as is simply because it was Walt himself who designed it. If they mess with it I'm sure they will screw it up!