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Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
Location: Tomorrowland
Opening Date: January 15, 1975
NOTE:
closed Fall 2001 as a daily attraction. Currently operates seasonally - please refer to MAGIC KINGDOM® Park Times Guide.
Originally called Carousel of Progress. Renamed to Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress following refurbishment in 1994.
Ride System: Sit-down revolving theater
Show Time: 20:45 minutes
Description: Trace 100 years of Progress for People as an Audio- Animatronics® family demonstrates the many conveniences made possible in American life by a century of innovations in electricity.
Through a rotating carousel, this attraction carries seated Guests into the homes of four generations of the same family from the days before electricity to the present day.
Participant: None
General Electric served as the corporate sponsor from 1964 until March 10, 1985.
Attraction Statistics:
Audio-Animatronics®: 8 characters, 4 scenes (total 32 figures)
Designed and Manufactured by: WED (now known as Walt Disney Imagineering or WDI) and MAPO (previously known as the manufacturing division of WDI)
Number of Animated Acts: 4
Number of Stages: 6
Theater Capacity: 240 guests
Theaters: 6
Weight of Carousel: 375 tons
POINTS OF INTEREST:
Building Exterior: At both DISNEYLAND® Park in California and at the MAGIC KINGDOM® Park at the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort, the exterior was originally painted in white and deep blue stripes that grew larger and then smaller as the carousel rotated. There were 276 stripes of each color. In 1993, with the rejuvenation of Tomorrowland, Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress was given a covering of large and colorful sprockets and bolts to fit in with the theming of Tomorrowland.
Hidden Mickeys: There are four Hidden Mickeys in the final scene. Mickey appears as a nutcracker on the fireplace mantle, a plush peeking from a present, a white peppermill on the kitchen counter, and an abstract painting on the dining room wall.
History: Walt Disney's original concept for the World's Fair was "a show that would interpret, in an educational and entertaining way, the role electricity has played in bettering man's living conditions."By 1959, General Electric was sponsor of the proposed attraction, which would consist of a series of stages depicting electrical history through which people would walk.
1964-65 New York World's Fair: The result of the collaboration with GE was "Progressland,"one of the most successful and exciting exhibits at the 1964 World's Fair. At the New York World's Fair in 1964, as many as 4,500 people per day enjoyed the Progressland show. The widespread enthusiasm for it was astounding, for almost 16 million visitors saw the show.
· After viewing the show inside, Guests went upstairs to view Progress City. This 160 foot, scaled model was built at 1/8 inch to the foot. It occupied 6,900 square feet of space, using 22,000 scale trees and shrubs, 4,500 structures lit from within, and 1,400 working streetlights about one inch tall each. Progress City was Walt Disney's model for EPCOT (renamed to Epcot®). Progress City can be viewed from the Tomorrowland Transit Authority at the MAGIC KINGDOM® Park.
DISNEYLAND® Park: In order to extend and preserve the show permanently, GE brought it to DISNEYLAND® Park. The first year of operation for the attraction in its Anaheim location was 1967. The G.E. Carousel of Progress in DISNEYLAND® Park was a two-level pavilion which could be seen by up to 3,600 people per hour. The first level contained the same basic acts. However, at the end of Act IV, guests stepped onto a "speedramp"that carried them to the pavilion's second level. There they viewed Progress City, Walt's model of EPCOT (renamed to Epcot®). During its six year run at DISNEYLAND® Park, over thirty-one million people saw the show.
Timeline History:
1964 Created for the 1964-65 New York World's Fair, as General Electric's "Progressland"
July, 1967-1973 Relocated to DISNEYLAND® Park and named "Carousel of Progress"
January 15, 1975 Opens at the MAGIC KINGDOM® Park, with new final scene and new song, "The Best Time of Your Life"
March 10, 1985 General Electric's last day as corporate sponsor of the attraction
1994 The attraction was refurbished to its original state and renamed "Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress."At this time, it was redone as a tribute to the original attraction. The theme song was changed back to "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow,"and the story recreated as a tribute to the nostalgia of the past.
Music: The following two theme songs were featured in the attraction and were both written by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman, who composed the music for many favorite Disney films such as Mary Poppins.
"The Best Time of Your Life"- Featured as the theme song with the opening of the attraction at the MAGIC KINGDOM® Park in 1975.
"There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow"- Current attraction theme song at the MAGIC KINGDOM® Park (Featured as the theme song for the original attraction at the 1964 World's Fair and the DISNEYLAND® Park attraction).
(See also Timeline History)
Rover (dog): "Man's best friend"has gone through many changes in the history of the attraction. His color has changed from white (at the World's Fair) to light brown and dark brown. His name has even changed, and has been Buster, Sport, Queenie, and Rover. When the attraction reopened at the MAGIC KINGDOM® Park at the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort, his name was different for every scene. Today, the dog's name is Rover throughout the entire show. In this most recent version, Rover has been given new life and is the most realistic version ever seen.
Scenes from the current show:
Introduction
Act I: Turn of the Century -- Valentine's Day
Act II: Twenties -- Fourth of July
Act III: Fabulous Forties -- Halloween
Act IV: Nineties -- Christmas Day
Finale
Sign: The sign outside the attraction, is constructed of three large cogs and features a spinning year. The year is constantly changing, to represent the different eras depicted inside the attraction.
Voices: The following Audio-Animatronics® characters, along with their voice credits, appear in Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress attraction:
Audio- Animatronics® characters Current Cast
Father - Jean Shepherd *
Mother - B.J. Ward
Daughter - Debbi Deryberry
Young son - Peter Nelson
Teenage son - Paul Osterhout
Grandfather - Rex Allen *
Grandmother - Mary Cervantes
Grandmother (Act IV) - Janet Waldo *
Cousin Orville - Mel Blanc *
Radio Personalities - Noel Blanc *
* NOTE:
Jean Shepherd, Father's current voice, is a contemporary American humorist. Guests may recognize him as the narrator from "A Christmas Story." Shepherd also provides the opening and closing remarks of the current attraction.
Rex Allen, the current voice of Grandpa, was the original voice of Father in the 1964 World's Fair version.
Janet Waldo, Grandma in Act IV, previously served as the voice of Judy Jetson on the popular 1960s television cartoon, "The Jetsons."
Mel Blanc is also known as the voice of Warner Brothers' cartoon character Bugs Bunny.
Noel Blanc is the son of Mel Blanc
Location: Tomorrowland
Opening Date: January 15, 1975
NOTE:
closed Fall 2001 as a daily attraction. Currently operates seasonally - please refer to MAGIC KINGDOM® Park Times Guide.
Originally called Carousel of Progress. Renamed to Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress following refurbishment in 1994.
Ride System: Sit-down revolving theater
Show Time: 20:45 minutes
Description: Trace 100 years of Progress for People as an Audio- Animatronics® family demonstrates the many conveniences made possible in American life by a century of innovations in electricity.
Through a rotating carousel, this attraction carries seated Guests into the homes of four generations of the same family from the days before electricity to the present day.
Participant: None
General Electric served as the corporate sponsor from 1964 until March 10, 1985.
Attraction Statistics:
Audio-Animatronics®: 8 characters, 4 scenes (total 32 figures)
Designed and Manufactured by: WED (now known as Walt Disney Imagineering or WDI) and MAPO (previously known as the manufacturing division of WDI)
Number of Animated Acts: 4
Number of Stages: 6
Theater Capacity: 240 guests
Theaters: 6
Weight of Carousel: 375 tons
POINTS OF INTEREST:
Building Exterior: At both DISNEYLAND® Park in California and at the MAGIC KINGDOM® Park at the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort, the exterior was originally painted in white and deep blue stripes that grew larger and then smaller as the carousel rotated. There were 276 stripes of each color. In 1993, with the rejuvenation of Tomorrowland, Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress was given a covering of large and colorful sprockets and bolts to fit in with the theming of Tomorrowland.
Hidden Mickeys: There are four Hidden Mickeys in the final scene. Mickey appears as a nutcracker on the fireplace mantle, a plush peeking from a present, a white peppermill on the kitchen counter, and an abstract painting on the dining room wall.
History: Walt Disney's original concept for the World's Fair was "a show that would interpret, in an educational and entertaining way, the role electricity has played in bettering man's living conditions."By 1959, General Electric was sponsor of the proposed attraction, which would consist of a series of stages depicting electrical history through which people would walk.
1964-65 New York World's Fair: The result of the collaboration with GE was "Progressland,"one of the most successful and exciting exhibits at the 1964 World's Fair. At the New York World's Fair in 1964, as many as 4,500 people per day enjoyed the Progressland show. The widespread enthusiasm for it was astounding, for almost 16 million visitors saw the show.
· After viewing the show inside, Guests went upstairs to view Progress City. This 160 foot, scaled model was built at 1/8 inch to the foot. It occupied 6,900 square feet of space, using 22,000 scale trees and shrubs, 4,500 structures lit from within, and 1,400 working streetlights about one inch tall each. Progress City was Walt Disney's model for EPCOT (renamed to Epcot®). Progress City can be viewed from the Tomorrowland Transit Authority at the MAGIC KINGDOM® Park.
DISNEYLAND® Park: In order to extend and preserve the show permanently, GE brought it to DISNEYLAND® Park. The first year of operation for the attraction in its Anaheim location was 1967. The G.E. Carousel of Progress in DISNEYLAND® Park was a two-level pavilion which could be seen by up to 3,600 people per hour. The first level contained the same basic acts. However, at the end of Act IV, guests stepped onto a "speedramp"that carried them to the pavilion's second level. There they viewed Progress City, Walt's model of EPCOT (renamed to Epcot®). During its six year run at DISNEYLAND® Park, over thirty-one million people saw the show.
Timeline History:
1964 Created for the 1964-65 New York World's Fair, as General Electric's "Progressland"
July, 1967-1973 Relocated to DISNEYLAND® Park and named "Carousel of Progress"
January 15, 1975 Opens at the MAGIC KINGDOM® Park, with new final scene and new song, "The Best Time of Your Life"
March 10, 1985 General Electric's last day as corporate sponsor of the attraction
1994 The attraction was refurbished to its original state and renamed "Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress."At this time, it was redone as a tribute to the original attraction. The theme song was changed back to "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow,"and the story recreated as a tribute to the nostalgia of the past.
Music: The following two theme songs were featured in the attraction and were both written by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman, who composed the music for many favorite Disney films such as Mary Poppins.
"The Best Time of Your Life"- Featured as the theme song with the opening of the attraction at the MAGIC KINGDOM® Park in 1975.
"There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow"- Current attraction theme song at the MAGIC KINGDOM® Park (Featured as the theme song for the original attraction at the 1964 World's Fair and the DISNEYLAND® Park attraction).
(See also Timeline History)
Rover (dog): "Man's best friend"has gone through many changes in the history of the attraction. His color has changed from white (at the World's Fair) to light brown and dark brown. His name has even changed, and has been Buster, Sport, Queenie, and Rover. When the attraction reopened at the MAGIC KINGDOM® Park at the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort, his name was different for every scene. Today, the dog's name is Rover throughout the entire show. In this most recent version, Rover has been given new life and is the most realistic version ever seen.
Scenes from the current show:
Introduction
Act I: Turn of the Century -- Valentine's Day
Act II: Twenties -- Fourth of July
Act III: Fabulous Forties -- Halloween
Act IV: Nineties -- Christmas Day
Finale
Sign: The sign outside the attraction, is constructed of three large cogs and features a spinning year. The year is constantly changing, to represent the different eras depicted inside the attraction.
Voices: The following Audio-Animatronics® characters, along with their voice credits, appear in Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress attraction:
Audio- Animatronics® characters Current Cast
Father - Jean Shepherd *
Mother - B.J. Ward
Daughter - Debbi Deryberry
Young son - Peter Nelson
Teenage son - Paul Osterhout
Grandfather - Rex Allen *
Grandmother - Mary Cervantes
Grandmother (Act IV) - Janet Waldo *
Cousin Orville - Mel Blanc *
Radio Personalities - Noel Blanc *
* NOTE:
Jean Shepherd, Father's current voice, is a contemporary American humorist. Guests may recognize him as the narrator from "A Christmas Story." Shepherd also provides the opening and closing remarks of the current attraction.
Rex Allen, the current voice of Grandpa, was the original voice of Father in the 1964 World's Fair version.
Janet Waldo, Grandma in Act IV, previously served as the voice of Judy Jetson on the popular 1960s television cartoon, "The Jetsons."
Mel Blanc is also known as the voice of Warner Brothers' cartoon character Bugs Bunny.
Noel Blanc is the son of Mel Blanc
A young girl from the country on her first trip to the city. I fell in love with COP the very first time I saw it!! I went back out and got back in line to see it again!!! I believe the wait was 2 hours but it didn't matter to me. (Got me in practice for later trips to WDW! 
COP and it BETTER be OPEN when we are there in Dec!
