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Time to Change the Carousel of Progress!
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- Опубликовано: 22 дек 2016
- Some people aren't going to want to hear this, but I think it's time to completely change the Carousel of Progress! While most talk about changing the final scene in the ride, I think ALL FOUR need to be replaced!
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I rode Carousel for the first time this year (along with everything else in Florida). Absolutely loved it, dare I say highlight of the park but that's partly because I could appreciate its history. I saw the ride less as a journey through time but the journey through Walts lifetime, what it was like for him to grow up as technology first bloomed.
This is why I think the solution is to move the Carousel either behind main street or out of the park entirely. Make it a truly historical ride which tells the same story but highlights how that part of history is the foundation for today and Disney as a company.
I like the idea and agree that for it to work with the theme that has taken over the attraction, it would need to be moved again. There's a good argument that the ride is now more of a historical look back, which is fine. That's just a poor ride theme for an area called Tomorrowland. I'd love to see it as part of a larger Walt museum somewhere in Disney Springs or something.
Rob Plays That Game I'm glad you liked the idea. It's worth noting I think the whole of Tomorowland is in dire need of an overhaul. Maybe it's because I'm from the UK and spoilt by Discoveryland (which recently has also become a bit confused) but Tomorowland simply wasn't up to the standards I expected.
ProjectNightfall Totally agree! I believe there's talk of a tommorowland overhaul in the 2020's but that's quite a while off...
GoobersGaming probably once they finish toy story and star wars.
I'm not sure if it's even possible, but what about the Walt Disney Family museum, with the final scene refurbished to better match the spirit of the Progress City version? (Not an exact Replica, since it was originally shilling for GE, but something in that spirit.) While we would be loosing our only direct connection with Walt, and I would certainly miss it, moving it there makes sense to me. It's quintessential Walt, and probably embodies who he was better than any other attraction. (So much so, that the Shermans actually wrote Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow about him!)
This is the only ride/attraction left that Disney actually touched, worked countless hours on... I think it' appears to be informative regarding history, and it can be educational to children on how we've progressed from the 1920's, it's a shame more scenes can't be squeezed in, but to me what Walt loved I love... I'm hoping to visit Florida next year and I definitely need to see this ride.
To me, I absolutely adore the Carousel of Progress and think although it's outdated, looking at the advancements in animatronics at such an early stage is amazing. I go on it every single time I go to Magic Kingdom, no exceptions. It's one of the few rides I'd be genuinely heartbroken to see go.
It's called the "Carousel of Progress" not the "Carousel of Nostalgia". The purpose of the ride is to demonstrate how American society had progressed from the turn of the last century. For a lot of younger riders, it may be their first or only introduction to the technological development of the last century. It's still useful.
I'm all for refurbishing it, and adding in additional scenes covering the 60's, the 80's, the 2000's, and an updated future, but to do away with the history that's already there would be pointless and counter-productive.
You cant add more scenes without taking out the current ones. Geometry...
While I do agree that Carousel of Progress is dated I could not stomach the idea of removing it or making the changes you are proposing. First, the final is not supposed to be the future, it is supposed to be now. Second what you are proposing would destroy a classic attraction. Finally, I have another idea. Rebuild the Horizons attraction from EPCOT in Tomorrowland. This would give the area a new major attraction. Horizons was meant to be a continuation of CofP and would present a look into a more distant future.
Fair points. I would argue this though: While the original ending at the World's Fair did in-fact show us the present at the time (1960s), the current final scene doesn't even come close to doing that anymore. The current final scene was made in 93. It isn't now anymore. It's nearly 25 years ago at this point. That's a quarter of a century!
As for changing it destroying a classic, I'd argue that it's already changed enough that it wouldn't matter. Three different locations. Back and forth between theme songs. New voice cast. New script. New final scene. It's far off from the classic it was, and that's a good thing. A ride like this only stands to improve with evolution.
Arguably, the only scene that really needs completely overhauled is the Finale, since the other ones work just fine. It's incredibly dated, and always came off as the weakest part of the show to me. So to solve that, I would actually set it in Walt's EPCOT Center. The scene would be completely redone, to reflect imagination, optimism, and idea that there will always be a great big beautiful tomorrow.
The format would also be changed as well. Instead of the family Waxing poetic about the Nature of Household appliances, like they do in the other scenes (since remember, this was originally supposed to teach you about the Wonders of GE appliances), it would instead focus on how science, technology, education, and sustainability, can help us build a, bigger, brighter, and more sustainable, Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.
I think it's ironic that people don't want to change the Carousel of Progress.
imberribored 😂😂 the irony!
Yes!!
Flocc Msitua ex: "an event happening in the opposite way to what is expected". This is a perfect example of irony to not want to progress and change a ride about progression.
Flocc Msitua come on man. I shouldn't have to explain obvious humor. Geez. 😑
You can say they don't want the carousel To "Progress"
youre killing me rob. the carousel of progress is awesome because its a 25 minute show that shows us what life WAS like. I'm 15 and i always ride it when i go to disney, so the notion of updating i is ridiculous
chuck Suter I love reading comments like this from the younger generation. I totally get Rob's reasoning, but the fact remains that the attraction is very nostalgic for many and this obviously includes the "now" generation. If changed, it would take away the nostalgia. I'm really torn on this.
why don't they just make it an 8 sector ride? the theatre is barely ever full they could do away with all half of each stage and shorten each monologue and it would be fine
Yep, I would leave it nearly as is, but just add the 1980s and the update the "near future" last one.
RollOnToVictory or they could make a sequel attraction like Rob describes.
The could honestly put the 1960s/70s back in. Enough time has gone by that jumping from the 40s to present day is too much.
When you think about it
The Nostalgia Factor is that it lasted so Long
As someone who loves this ride, this is a great idea. Plus considering Disney has greatly improved on their animatronics, it would only be necessary to replace the old ones and make it more immersive.
RandomEd787 no
I think it is a marvelous history lesson for kids to see what life was like back in the day.
As someone who isn't 125 years old I don't need to remember what life was like then. This ride will give me a small glimpse of what it was like and so it will forever be timeless
Hey Rob I totally agree with you, although the ride to me as an 11 year older feel the ride is meant to be educational, to teach people about the past and the Americans progress. It is the Carousel of Progress to show us our PROGRESS!
In a fun Carousal ride for kids of today to wonder how they would feel if they were living then.
Yes, that's how it seems to me. Carousel shows times and places where people cannot entirely imagine how life might have been in a way that feels more immersive than a movie can manage. Actually the song and attitude is from that past too. Its good to update many things but I like Carousel as it is, as long as the air conditioning works
Yeah yeah it felt more like a history lesson, a very fun history lesson but still a history lesson
@@susanmcgaw5327 id g g
No way. This is my favorite ride. I love watching the animatronics and the history of the 20th century. It's about watching our progress, not relating to how things were when someone was a kid or lived during that time...I guess it would be a nice trip down memory lane for that person but it's not the point of the ride IMO. Just because I'm not old enough to remember the 1900s, 1920s, 1940s etc doesn't mean I don't want to have a little glimpse into how life was back then.
It's fascinating to me how fast technology moved once the industrial age started. We went from taking weeks and months to communicate with people to days then hours then mere seconds to communicate with anyone anywhere in the world. Then traveling it would take again weeks sometimes months to travel then days and hours.
Amazing when you really think about it. Sure the last scene can be updated a bit but nothing in the last scene is really out-dated technology wise, yeah they can upgrade the graphics on the game, update the wife's laptop prop, re-record the daughters line and change car phone to mobile phone or smartphone and that's pretty much all that needs to be done. Home automation is still in it's infancy even 20 years later and voice activation regularly gets it wrong so the whole temperature gap is spot on still. Maybe work in some social media example into the scene as well, maybe instead of the father doing the temperature gap have him accidentally share something embarrassing on social media.
I saw this as a kid in the 70s - thought the animatronics were real people.
No one touch the Tiki Room and I'll be fine.
I'm Not Chase agreed
Remember when it was under new Management?
SEJ 101 I've been trying to forget... I was soooo angry when they did that!
I will touch the tiki room and make it a restaurant but the plot will still be the same like the birds and yeah
that would actually be a pretty cool idea.
Just as long as they keep “Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.”
YEAH!
i prefer "now is the time" slightly better
I wish history class was taught like the Carousel of Progress. Heck, I wish the Carousel of Progress was the introduction to history, because it's actually captivating and interesting.
I like the carousel of progress just does not inflict nostalgia i like to see it as a glimpse into the past and just how far we've come as people.
Well I don't see the ride as something with nostalgic impact, rather than educational. I as a teenager love to see what it would be like to live in times I was not alive for. Redoing the ride rather than updating it would mean we lose the opportunity to learn about American history.
the only thing that needs rehabbed is the final scene. The other scenes are about the past, which is what they are.
"take that you nimcompoop" Grandma's best line in the ride and the last scene could be 2055 or 2030 as you said.
You're lucky to live near Disney park. I live in Texas, thousands of miles away from either of them. I have been to a Disney park only once: Disney Land in 1972 when I was 7. I remember the Carousel of Progress, and the Haunted Mansion, and It's a Small World, and some submarines, and a big boat (at least it looked big to a 7-year-old), and seeing a Disney cartoon in a small theater on Main Street. According to the paper map that I pored over for years after, Space Mountain was under construction at the time.
I personally believe that Walt Disney’s carousel of progress was given Walt’s namesake because this is what Walt thought the future would look like and what he remembered throughout his life. This is Walt’s vision and I believe we shouldn’t change it.
I guess they should change Spaceship Earth as well. Nobody left to feel nostalgic about prehistoric times.
Two different rides with two different purposes.
CoP doesn't rely on nostalgia to keep it's charm. People of all ages find its first 3 scenes interesting and informative. The problem is and always will be until it changes, is the final scene. I love seeing what life was like before me.
Though most people will not remember the first few scenes, it still shows how people lived, and plus it has a special place in many people's hearts. It is a piece of Walt's vision and love for progress. This is one of the few things that shows how Walt thought of progress and it shows his pure genius entirely and what he thought of other than films, Mickey, and shows a more personal side of a man with a vision!!!!!
I always thought of the first three scenes as being a cool way to show what the past was like and how things have changed. Not nostalgia. Though I do think it is getting a bit outdated. A couple years ago I thought of an idea to improve the ride.
The 20s scene would be taken out, and the 40s scene would be made the second scene in the ride instead of the third. Then the third scene would be made to be life in the 80s maybe a bit later to show computers and stuff. Then the 2000s would be updated to be the 2020s.
Carousel of progress is amazing
I wonder if they could find space for the CoP with the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. If so, they could restore it to its original version and then that would free up the Magic Kingdom to create the updated version you are discussing. The ages of the characters could maybe then be made more realistic (of course that means maybe letting the Father "die" between the two versions).
I also would hate to see the CoP go away. In it's current incarnation, it is a history lesson that has shown me what life looked like before my time. That is as revealing a time travel experience as traveling into the future would be. However, you do make some good points about why and how it should change. Daffy Stardust suggested relocating it to somewhere else and putting something new in that real estate. I quite like that idea, but in case a preservation of the original does not occur, I would like to propose a compromise.
Leave the first scene (early 1900's) as it is so that we can really get a sense of where we came from. The second scene should be the 1950's to show how fast things have changed in only 50 years. The third scene is from the early 2000s (contemporary to today) to show us where we are now. And the fourth scene should show what life could be like in 2050. Spreading the time intervals out from 20 years to 50 years is a way to see what your grandparent's grandparents lived like compared to life today.
Of course, most people today are not interested in a history lesson unless it includes only their own personal histories (aka. nostalgia). Therefore, I have to admit that the idea you propose in this video is probably the best solution. I would like to add that if Disney does this, I think it would be in their best interest if they commit to updating the attraction every 20 years after that by removing the oldest diorama, shifting everything else back one spot (turning 2 into 1 and 3 into 2), replacing the former "future" diorama (number 4) with a brand new contemporary scene in the third spot, and creating a whole new vision of the future for the fourth scene. If they commit to making this update every two decades, they should be able to keep this ride fresh, new and interesting for future generations while really only revising HALF of the ride. It might even generate a periodic buzz that is highly anticipated by the public (like the release of a new iPhone does, but slower), if they market it properly.
@@Cadmandu2000 crash
I like the concept but it’s literally my favorite ride and a lot of people have the same feelings about it and I am east coast so I’d never be able to see it again.
Rob, how could you do that? Its sacred!
Ohana Means Disney Agreed!
Ohana Means Disney you're so true I want to follow you
you guys can sub to my channel 😅
Ohana Means Disney I was gonna sub until you begged for subs ( just so you know, love the name)
Yeah, but nobody freaking goes on it!
We just rode this ride and I love it! It brings back nostalgia, as well as gets my son to ask questions on how things were back then. It shows how far we’ve come in Progress.
Just because I didn't witness progress doesn't mean it never happened
How can you say that Carousel of Progress has got to go?
"did I rope you in with that intro?" *wildly sharpening whole knife collection and foaming at the mouth* "I was being a little extreme with that" *pause* "100% refurb" *goes and finds guns and ammo instead*
I'm not actually against a refreshing refurb for carousel of progress. It deserves a lot of love and affection and it's not getting it. They've tried to close it like 800 times now and every time they're met with near murder from the fans. I say move the 20's to the front of the line, push along to the 60's, do the 90's, then do 2030-something. Goodness knows Imagineering has the capability of imagining a great big beautiful tomorrow. I'd miss that turn of the century scene, but it is -super- irrelevant now. The general population cannot imagine no indoor plumbing and just blindly shrugs through that, but electricity being finicky is a much bigger impact.
I agree the ending needs to be changed but the earlier parts are historical, there's no room to change them.
I only remember up to the 70's after my DOB and the 70's is when I first went to Disney World. There is no 70's Carousel of Progress showcase, they skip from the 50's to the present day yet I still enjoy the ones before my time. I think the Carousel of Progress has changed. In the late 70's the last stage had a projection tv and the grandmother was watching the fireworks. Today it has a thin tv panel and she is instead playing video games with her grandson. There has not been a lot of change other than on the internet for a while. The one change I hated was the music used today instead of the older, "Now is the time, now is the best time, now is the best time of your life" it was much catchier and people would instinctively sing along.
I think it’s a great attraction. Then again, it shows us history in the context of futurism and I feel like that alone is worth noting because you need to remember or at least know about the past in order to progress in the future.
They should just change the ending of CoP to reflect Wall-E, just a bunch of people staring at iPhones, while food and water gets shoved down their throats, while Wall-E just stares and cries.
Crazed Link 😂
Crazed Link 🖕
Honestly how I would reorganize the ride is to do 1900's - 1940's - 1980's - 2020's. They could refurbished the future scene into the 1980's and probably reuse the 1920's animatronics for the 2020's. (we'd get to keep a lot of the original ride while still getting to look into the future)
I disagree completely, we need to be able to remember and appreciate history
This is my without a doubt favorite ride in wdw
I agree except it’s in Tomorrowland. This is why I’m open to the idea of having it moved to a different part of the park or to Epcot.
socope17 maybe they could make another part of it that covers like the 2000s 2010s and then every 5 years in the future because of how fast technology is created today.
Amen!!! Thank you!! And stop with all the attractions based on movies!! It has an original story idea!!
Until it breaks down so much that it won’t operate anymore? Nah, you gotta fix what’s broken
Disney already made a "History of the Future" ride. It was called Horizons and was my favorite ride at EPCOT before they closed it. I was lucky in that while honeymooning in 2009, Space Mt. was closed so they reopened the carousel of progress, my other favorite. Not because of the nostalgia of remebering the 1920's etc, but the nostalgia of re-experiencing a ride that represents the history of Disney theme parks having been the first of a kind. The Nostalgia is the ride itself, not just what it presents. Do another carousel sure, but keep the first one as well, and preserve it please!
They should never get rid of the carousel of progress ... It's great the way it is..
I totally support these ideas! And I think that Walt would feel the same way. Key word here is “progress”
I like the current Carousel of Progress; however, this kind of change does sound like something Walt would do.
You're looking at this through the eyes of someone who has been on the ride, I'd imagine, many times. Your time with the ride has jaded your outlook on it as an experience. As someone who has never been but have always wanted to and will be in the near(ish) future, if this was taken down or changed before I got to experience Walt's original ride, I'd be upset. I'm not saying it can never be changed or removed but as it stands now, it has historical significance for both the time it represents (when it was built) and the importance of the ride itself to the park's history.
You sound bored with the ride but that's no reason to say it should be taken away from everyone else. Just because it's old doesn't mean it inherently lacks value.
I enjoy your videos and am open to opinions of others but I can't disagree with you more here.
I actually still like the ride quite a bit. I'm one of the only ones in our group who insists that we ride it every time we're there. That said, I recognize that it's my nostalgia that drives that, and not because the ride itself is exciting. The dependably sparse crowds on the ride show that much.
Respectfully, my argument isn't that the ride lacks value because it's old. There are plenty of old rides at Disney that are still plenty valuable. My argument is that the ride was built upon this foundation of progress and change, in a park inspired by progress and change, and while Disney USED to update and change this attraction to keep with those themes, they randomly stopped almost 25 years ago.
That's the thing. This ride isn't Walt's original ride. Hasn't been for a couple of decades now. It's a ride that has seen an entire script re-write, a whole new voice cast, a completely replacement of 1/4th of the scenes, changing songs and changing locations. It's nothing but a shadow of Walt's ride. So to that end, it doesn't even have that "Walt's touch" aspect to it that might at least give reason to preserve it.
It's in this bizarre limbo where it's changed enough that it's not a historical timepiece, and yet it hasn't changed enough to be desirable for the larger majority of park guests. To that end if the plan is preserve history, they need to get it out of a theme park (which is no place for a museum exhibit), and restore it to it's original 1964 World's Fair state, or they need to further update it so that it's a worthwhile theme park attraction again. As it exists now it's just kind of this middling ghost-town most days.
I think it should be an ACE landmark but that only for coasters but it should at least have an equivalent so it isn't changed to drastically.
Went to the ride for the first time just last week, it was sad... the end scene was almost laughable. As tech nerds, wife and I liked the first 3 scenes, the last scene ruined it. I specially liked the out-of-control external electrical wiring; we indeed have come a long way. This needs to change to a multi-generational ride, where the last narrator was probably the offspring for the previous one.
SOOOO much nostalgic anger in here! Walt was all for evolving rides and attractions constantly; that's what he would want!
I 100% understand all of your points but for my family and I, this ride is very important to us. While none of us may be able to relate to the scenes contained in the ride we still loved it. On our first and second trip to Disney this was the ride we went on the most. We would sing along to the song and we would go on it over and over again. While I do agree that the ride is very out dated and that most people enjoying the ride can not relate to it anymore, changing it could ruin many great memories of that ride.
They should rebuild it at Epcot, with new animatronics and scenes. The space at Tomorrow Land could be used for something else more interesting.
As someone who actually lived through the ‘80s, as my coming of age, I can tell you computers were NOT a major shift for every-day life. We all knew about it and tried to have them, but few were actually out there and really used by individuals. That major shift started for business, government, but not families. It wasn’t until 1990 that many had them and we started having really useful programs/executables/applications. Not until the late ‘90s did that all really take off with the distribution of the Internet.
I really like your ideas for a new carousel of progress. And you make a good point that no ride should be too sacred to touch. Walt Disney himself said that Disneyland is not a museum, but rather something that will continue to grow and evolve as long as there is imagination left in the world.
Plus, I think we all can agree that updating the carousel of progress is much better than just getting rid of it and putting something else in it's place like they did at Disneyland.
This was my favorite attraction at DW. I found it charming, and a most engaging historical artifact. I agree that it's out of place in Tomorrowland, but argue that it should remain open. Instead of viewing it as a ride, it should be seen as something historical: a testament to Walt and his vision. Perhaps it would be better in another part of the resort; maybe MGM?
A GREAT POIN!!!! And the song certainly isnt progressive, no critiscism at all there!
I was seven years old when this attraction debuted and as such, have no personal knowledge of the first 3 scenes in the COP, and I still love them. I love getting to see a 3-D representation of how life was before I was born. LEAVE THEM!!! Change the last scene if you must. But I would argue that history has a charm of its own regardless of the age of those watching it (in this case). I stand with those who don't agree with you on this, sorry.
Once I was stuck and trapped on the Carousel of Progress for nearly an hour (late 80s) and it is still the very definition of IRONY that I use to this day.
I disagree, I'm 15 so I have no way of remembering the first scenes but I do find them interesting on how much we've changed and progressed, I also think it's sacred and would be disrespectful to totally get rid of it after watching Walt Disney explain the ride, but I do think they should add a scene on what they think will happen in the future. :)
I like the way it is because kids these days don't know what life was like 100 years ago so people can look and see how maybe your grand or great grand parents have lived and what they didn't have what you had
I stand strongly against this: this is a classic, it was truly Walt's first ride. This would be a sin to change this, and is honestly one of my top 5 Disney favorites. This honestly would destroy my love for this ride if it was completely redone.
A few counter-points though. For one, this was designed for the 1965 World's Fair, meaning Disneyland was already open for a decade before this came around, meaning it was far from his first ride.
Secondly, it's already undergone a significant change in the early 90s when the entire script was re-written, the entire voice cast replaced, and the whole last scene scrapped and re-done. To that end, it's already a big change from Walt's original version, so why not change it further so that it's at least entertaining to the general public again?
Rob Plays That Game I understand the first part, but in the part about the 90's the script was rewritten closer to the original, because after they moved the ride from Disneyland to Disney World, they had the "Now is the time" version which was (in my opinion) terrible. When the nineties came around, they rewrote the script to be more like the original, and put the original song back. Yes the had new voice actors and changed the final scene, but from the original, it wasn't that big of a change, except the final scene.
I think it is precisely because you get to see a piece of history as it was that makes the Carousel of Progress so interesting and cool! I would prefer they left it alone and only changed the last section.
Boy_of_the_Cones i agree with you im very nostalgic myself
Boy_of_the_Cones I like both ideas. I do like the history that's presented but I also really love the idea of bringing it up to closer to current. Both have really strong arguments. Updating it might even bring guests in to see how it was updated with it being such an iconic ride.
The Carousel itself is a time capsule. It is something Walt touched and there are very few of those things left. I like seeing it as they did in 1964 (and I know some things have been adjusted). It is a sentimental favorite. Build a second carousel if you want an update.
You don't have to be old to appreciate the history and get a look at a scene from a life IN that historical context...sheesh
Walt Disney World should have a museum. Where all of their "sacred" things stay. Lol but I actually love this idea!!
At fiiiiiirst I was like, dude, you're nuts. But you make a pretty compelling argument with the idea that the first three scenes were meant to be nostalgic. I always viewed them as being educational, in the way that kids today could see what life was like before the progress we have today. I mean, I still kind of view it that way, but I think your version makes a lot of sense.
Either way, I've thought for years that the last scene needed to be updated. Good God, please update that one at the very least. But an all around overhaul would be fine, too. The biggest thing I'd miss is Jean Shepherd as the narrator/father. He practically MAKES the show!
We need to remember that the ride was originally supposed to show the development of electricity in people's lives. You have to keep the 1800's part as a starting point. The other theaters need to be spread out based on the historic baseline of electrifying the nation. Can be done....but with loooong steps between times portrayed in each "scene".
It's not about personal remembrance, it's about seeing into the 1900s and what it was like. I don't ride it to look back upon my experiences, I ride it to see into the past
The nostalgia is part of the charm. It's not called The Carousel of Personal Computing Progress.
Just because you personally don't remember kitchens in 1910 does not mean it's without value.
I didn't argue that it's without value.
The Carousel of Progress is a classic dating back to the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. After the NY World's Fair closed, the Carousel of Progress was moved to Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. After a while, the concept was changed to "America Sings" which was not quite the same. When Disneyworld in FL opened, they built a new Carousel of Progress with the same theme and format as the original NY World's Fair Carousel of Progress. GE was still sponsoring it but wanted the theme song changed from "It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" to "Now Is the Time". That lasted for a while until GE withdrew their support for the Carousel and the theme reverted back to the original "It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow".
It is unfortunate that the final scene never kept pace with the preceding scenes. The first scene was just before the turn of the century (1900), second was around the 1920's, third was the 1940's, and the fifth and final scene was the 1960's. As time went by, they updated the final scene to reflect more current and relevant technology. Unfortunately, the gap between the third scene in the 1940's and the final scene in the present day grew tremendously, and is now almost 80 years later than scene three from the 40's.
Other than completely rewriting the story line, and scene sequence, keep it as is. As I said, The Carousel of Progress is a classic from 66 years ago. And you don't mess with classics...unless, of course, you're talking about Carol Burnett recreating Gone With the Wind as "Went With the Wind" in 1976. LOL
I actually agree with you Rob! The last time we rode this ride (August), it was just for an air conditioned rest from walking in 90-degree humid weather. That being said, what happens every 30 years? WDW is also a business and cost matters too sometimes. :-)
"the carousel of progress has got to go" me: * unsubscribes * (kidding, but sorry Rob you're crazy)
But that's not progress
I love the Carousel of progress, I'm 60, but I think its good for children of today to see how it was back in the day.
I visited the Carousel of Progress in WDW three years ago, and it was an utter joy for me. I had not been on this thing since 1972 when it was at Disneyland in Anaheim. Over the years I had been depressed that it had been dismantled, and kept locked in a storage bin somewhere in Florida. It was quite beautiful to see it again, even though I belly-ached that the Carousel was rotating in the wrong direction, and I was hearing the voice of Jean Shepard instead of Rex Allen. Alas, Alack!
But I have to agree that the house of the future scene, when I first saw it in 1968, was a lot more exciting then than now. (Wall sized color TV!? Wow!)
Yes, you are right. The CoP needs a major refresh. I makes no sense for the scene to go from 1940 to 2020 with no look back at the innovations of the past sixty years.
But here is a suggestion: the original CoP building is still in Disneyland housing god-knows what techno nonsense. (There was an excellent "America Sings" bicentennial attraction there in the 1970s, but totally inappropriate for Tomorrowland.)
Move the Florida CoP back to Anaheim, just as it is. It will be a big hit there. Then update the WDW version to your heart's content. It will keep the old guys like me who remember the show fondly happy, but keep it moving forward.
I think the point now is not that people can specifically remember being there but understanding how far we've come as people.
I say you're *sort* of right, but what I'd like to see is this: restore the last scene of the ride to its 1960s version, move the whole thing to "Frontierland", and create a brand new ride very similar to Carousel of Progress along the lines you're suggesting. Frontierland could morph into a kind of living museum (which it *sort of* already is). I mean, there's only about 20 years difference between the themes of Frontierland (Old West) and the first scene of Carousel.
At first I was like "Oh ffs" and then I was like "Yeah that actually makes sense". I'm going to Disney World in July and one of the things I said to my girlfriend was "I can't wait to see the Carousel of Progress it's so outdated it's funny"
Carousel of progress is literally my favorite thing in all of disney
when I was a kid seeing the carousel for the first time I liked to see how much things changed....the golden age of innovation...going from hand washers and ice boxes to the things in the 40s.
think about what has changed in the last 40 years in a living room...flat screens and wood paneling?
the wonder and inspiration of the carousel of progress was how people could go so far in such a short time. the advent of computers and Internet is a smaller life change.
I love the carousel of progress, I love when they talking about the old-timey stuff and they talk about how convenient stuff was back then. I do think that they need to update some stuff.
Came here from DSNY Newscast. Quite an interesting idea. I never quite thought about changing the whole attraction. The current ride is nostalgia to me - it brings me back to being 7-1/2 years old and seeing Progressland (C O P) on 6/1/64. I think you may be right. The 1890's were nostalgic to me back then. I think I would change the years though. Scene 1: 1964, the family is planning their World's Fair visit in a Mid-Century Modern view of the future. Scene 2: 1988, PC's were appearing in more homes, cable was king. Scene 3: 2012, Smart Phones were becoming the norm, video streaming starting out to change where and how we watched content. Scene 4, 2035 - What does the future hold?
No, I like how Carousel of Progress is one of those rides that has been barely touched since it first opened, almost literally bringing you into the past. I know its unrealistic to expect rides not to be refurbished from time to time, I mean rides do wear out and need to be updated for safety reasons, but this is one ride that I think should remain a time capsule.
My family calls the carousel of progress "the circle of things that have already happened" XD
I completely believe that it is to sacred to be removed, but because of that same reason I believe it needs to be upgraded. I've loved it since the first time, and I've been on it more times than I can remember. What I feel is they need to find a way to maybe expand it by a couple of scenes, and make it so that the first two highlight the early and mid twentieth century showing where we started. Then the last three could pick up, and be exactly as you described it. The only change I would make is have the third act starting in roughly the late 70s to 80s. The reason I say that is even the youngest of Gen Xers are now old enough to be Grandparents now.
What if they turned Carousel of Progress into a Horizons show?
I never saw it so much as a ride for people to remember what it was like, as I did a testament to just how far we came and how much progress we made over such a short span of time. Things changed more from 1900 to now then for most of human history, which is really impressive. I do wish they'd update that last scene though.
NOOOOO I RIDE THE CAROUSEL OF PROGRESS AT LEAST 15 TIMES EVERYTIME I GO TO DISNEY!!!! ITS MY FAVORITE RIDE I BASICALLY KNOW ALL THE LINES
In a perfect world, we'd have a ride that encompasses all of the decades, past, present, and future. It could evolve from a lesson in history and insight into the past to a nostalgic look back to a peek into the future. But, as of now, I think it's a pretty cool chunk of history, and yes... Sacred.
I LOVE this ride. Like out of all the rides, this one it is my favorite! It's nice to see what life WAS like. Many children, have no clue what life was like before electricity or the internet.
Feeling nostalgic, at least for me, applies to timeframes in our history that I wasn’t alive to see. I love seeing the Disney take on what a “day in the life” was like at the turn of the 20th century, 1920s, etc. I also like knowing the decades that are represented were the decades that meant a lot to Walt Disney. I enjoy taking my kids to see attractions that I enjoyed when I was a kid; if we change out every ride in the park to keep things relatable to the younger generation, then the parks lose a good bit of what makes them appealing. Walking through the Space Mountain ride queue is neat for me, mostly because of nostalgia...this is a ride that I remember from a very special trip my family took when I was eight. I think Disney has to balance bringing in new technologies and updating things with keeping the attractions that have a special place in the hearts of guests. My idea of a good mix of attractions includes ones that are original and part of Disney history. Just because an attraction doesn’t serve the same “purpose” as it did in the 1960s, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t serve an equally (if not) greater purpose now, which would be keeping alive the history of that time. I love it and definitely consider it sacred.
I actually think this is how you could do it and respect the original intent of the attraction. Between Small World and the railroad, neither of which would be touched in any meaningful way you have rides that represent Walt's park. Conversely, changing the last scene to be rooted in a time in the past where there was a major paradigm shift (either the onset of computers or the internet) and never having to touch it again could also fix it, while still keeping the fanboys happy
Nooooo!!!! Change the last scene but not the other scenes!!!! This is my frickin childhood!!!! And my my children who are 3,4, 13, and 15 love it!!!!!! It’s timeless!
Rob, I think you're missing the point here. To me, a 90's kid, when I saw those scenes I was seeing what life was like before I was born, and that's why I loved it. Now, the update you are sugesting could be really cool also, after all, the ride IS called Carousel of PROGRESS. The possibilities are endless.
I know this is an old video, but you actually made me agree with you about this attraction. CoP has always been one of my family's "sacred attractions" that's a must visit every time we're in WDW just because it was one of Walt's babies. I didn't want it to change beyond that last scene, but now I actually agree with you: update the whole thing while keeping the same theme/message/point, being progress. If Walt were still around he'd absolutely have updated it by now, probably at *least* a decade ago. I really do hope they do exactly as you suggested now, especially with how advanced Disney's animatronics have become.
...so long as they keep the song. That's non-negotiable. Just record an updated version of it. That right there would keep Walt's original influence in the attraction by itself while at the same time paying homage to the original. Additionally, have the history video that plays outside in the queue area cover what the original attraction looked like, along with the original recording of Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.
I can sing the song from memory: oh there’s a great big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of every day, oh there’s a great big beautiful tomorrow and tomorrow is just another dream away.
My late grandfather was an electrician and he did some wiring in some of the original control panels on the carousel of progress during the worlds fair.
I am not PERSONALLY nostalgic about the turn of the century or the 50s, but I am in love with tower days gone by and early Disney history. I especially love various "speculative fiction," most especially the 1800s sci-fi (ie:Steampunk) and the "DooWop" Space Race inspired 50s and 60s when all of these "futures" were imagined. So I would love to have the Carousel keep that old stuff. I don't believe it needs to reflect what we can remember, but rather celebrate what we have forgotten... while showing our "progress" much updated. In other words, I want the scenes you said ADDED, but not to replace it. Alternatively (and, yes, this is a pipe dream) I wish they'd be make a YesterdayLand, complete with rides they retired long ago (but obviously updated for safety and comfort.). Sure, maybe people would go to some of it to nap, but that part would be hopping on Dapper Days!
If they are going to change it. They are going to have to keep that super catchy song.
I disagree from the idea of 'nostalgia'. Main Street is a snapshot of turn-of-the-century America. Should it be updated, too? 'Nostalgia' doesn't have to be relatable, it just has to be old. The Carosel of Progress is educational; a look at a time in America that none of us have experienced. We learn something every time we see it. It has to stay
What you're suggesting actually sounds a lot like Horizons at Epcot. Or even Spaceship earth.
Great video, Rob. I think the scenes should be 1960’s, 1980’s, 2010 (shift from desktop computing and internet, to iPhone/tablets and apps), and end with the predictions of humans and technology at 2035. Then have the guests exit through a gift shop (Disney is known to do that) that sells the idea of human progress from Jules Vern/Edison/Tesla, to the scientists and engineers in school today. Tie the history and future together in classic Disney storytelling.
That last scene may be meant to be the 2000s but a lot of it is still pretty relevant to what the near future may be like. Internet of things and all.
In Disneyland the Carousel of Progress was removed and replaced by, “America Sings.”
What's so great and unique about CoP is that it requires and almost demands updating. it's a classic ride and a great way to escape the FL heat.
At first I thought I was going to hate this video, but at the end I actually changed my mind and agree with Rob that it should be updated. Good job Rob!