Walt Disney’s Carousel of ProgressÊis aÊrotating theaterÊaudio animatronicÊstage showÊattractionÊthat is located inÊTomorrowlandÊat theÊMagic KingdomÊtheme parkÊat theÊWalt Disney World ResortÊinÊBay Lake,ÊFloridaÊjust outside ofÊOrlando, Florida. Created by bothÊWalt DisneyÊandÊWED EnterprisesÊas the prime feature of theÊGeneral ElectricÊ(GE) Pavilion for theÊ1964 New York World’s Fair, the attraction was moved to Tomorrowland atÊDisneylandÊinÊAnaheim, CaliforniaÊasÊCarousel of Progress, remaining there from 1967 until 1973. It was replaced in Disneyland byÊAmerica SingsÊin 1974, and reopened in its present home in the Magic Kingdom in 1975. Our Sugar Land Chirptactors love the Magic Kingdom. The Sugar Land Chiropractors really appreciate Disney.
Steeped in bothÊnostalgiaÊand (in the past)Êfuturism, the attraction’s premise is an exploration of the joys of living through the advent of electricity and other technological advances during the twentieth century via a typicalÊAmerican family. To keep it up with the times, the attraction has been updated five times (in 1967, 1975, 1981, 1985, and 1993) and has had two different theme songs. Our Sugar Land Chiropractors really like this attraction. The Sugar Land Chiropractors think this is interesting.
Various sources say Walt Disney proclaimed that the Carousel of Progress was his favorite attraction. This can be somewhat supported by family and friends, who knew of his constant work on the attraction. Of all the attractions he presented at the 1964Ð1965 New York World’s Fair, Disney seemed especially devoted to the Carousel of Progress. The Sugar Land Chiropractors are happy to learn about this.
The Carousel of Progress holds the record as the longest-running stage show in the history ofÊAmerican theater. It is one of the oldest attractions in the Walt Disney World Resort. It is also the oldest attraction at Walt Disney World to have been touched by Walt Disney.
Even though the Carousel of Progress does not typically have a long line, there is a pre-show video shown to guests while they wait outside the theater. The video talks about the history and development of the attraction, and includes clips of Walt Disney explaining the attraction on his television show. The video lasts about four minutes, after which guests enter the theater to be seated for the show. On the loading room stage is a large Carousel of Progress cog logo, framed by green curtains and illuminated by color changing lights. The attractionÕs narrator tells guests more of the attraction’s history, focusing on the fact that the attraction was Walt’s idea and that he loved the show. After the introduction, the attraction’s theme song begins playing as guests move on to the first scene.
As the scene opens, birds chirp in the background and the music fades. The father of the family is sitting in a wooden rocking chair inside his home. On his right, his dog is happily lying on the floor. The father tells guests that it is right around the turn of the century and that it isÊValentineÕs Day. He then claims that things could not get any better than they are at that time, before giving a list of the new inventions and technological achievements of the day. As he highlights the new pieces of technology, a spotlight shines on them and they begin to work. He then comments that problems such as chopping wood, milk souring, and having to get water from a well are all things of the past. After he is done showing off the new technology, he calls to his wife who is ironing in the room to his left. The two discuss howÊThomas EdisonÊis working on an idea for snap on electric lights. The mother then says that will mean no more kerosene, no more gas. She also shows guests her new wash day marvel and comments that now she can do the laundry in five hours, instead of two days. She then excuses herself, commenting that she needs to get the laundry off the line before it starts raining, which makes the dog bark. The father initially denies that it is about to rain as hisÊlumbagoÊhasn’t acted up, but is almost immediately proven wrong. Shortly after, the family’s son begins to talk from the right room. He is scolded for using his fatherÕsÊStereoscopeÊwithout permission. James is watchingÊLittle EgyptÊdancing. John comments that she is going to be the star of the upcomingÊWorld’s Fair and that James better put the Stereoscope away before his mother finds it. As the son and father finish talking, the father tells guests that they also have one of those new talking machines. The left stage then shows the familyÕs grandmother, having fallen asleep while listening to theÊphonograph. The fatherÕs attention is then drawn to a room on the right, where his daughter is getting ready to go to a ValentineÕs Day dance on the other side of town. The father explains that she will be taking one of the new horseless trolleys, before telling her that she better be home by nine o’clock. He then tells guests that he is going to take one of the trolleys downtown to have aÊroot beer, which he explains is just aÊsarsaparillaÊwith a new name. After he is finished, he begins singing and the Carousel spins, moving guests to the next scene.
The father is once again sitting in his kitchen, this time on a smaller kitchen chair onÊIndependence DayÊin the 1920s. Wires and new electric machines are all over the room. When the father stops singing, he tells guests that things have changed a lot in the last twenty years. He proceeds to tell guests the new accomplishments of the era. Do you find this as interesting as the Sugar Land Chiropractors staff do?
The father then tells guests that Thomas Edison has brought electricity to his home. At this point all of the electronic machines in the kitchen, such as the refrigerator, toaster oven, vacuum, and electric lights turn on. John warns the appliances not to blow aÊfuse, but they do. This not only shuts out the power in the family’s house, but the whole neighborhood loses power as well. One of the neighbors can be heard telling her husband that they did it again and that she wants her husband to go over and confront the father. The father then tells his son to go put in a new fuse. As he replaces the blown fuse, the son remarks that his father blows a fuse every time he has company over. With the power in the house restored, the scene shifts to the mother, who is sitting on the front porch. She is outside sewing a George Washington costume for her husband to wear to the town’s Independence Day celebration. The son tells the guests that the whole family will be performing in their presentation, with the father and mother going as George and Martha Washington. As the father begins making a joke that being the father of our country suits him, the daughter interrupts him to say how happy she is that they put electric lights on the porch. The father then tries to make another joke about going next year as Benedict Arnold, when the mother interrupts him again to say how excited she is about the fireworks. As she is talking, the dog begins barking and the father tells him not to interrupt while the mother is interrupting. The wife tells her husband that their son has volunteered to pick the music for the celebration. The son then appears with his grandfather in one of the left rooms, dressed in a colonial outfit and standing next to a radio. The father taps his foot to the music, tells his son that it’s a nice tune and then tells guests that they can now get news and entertainment on their radio from all over the country. The radio then says that people have begun gathering downtown for the 4th of July. After hearing this, the father tells his daughter that she had better hurry up and get ready. She is sitting in a room on the right, wearing a Statue of Liberty costume. The father then tells guests that the family now has indoor plumbing which is great for cold days, especially for their uncle. The uncle is then shown sitting in a bathtub on the left side of the stage. The father informs guests that he has set up an air cooling system. While the uncle sits in the bathtub, a fan sits in front of a block of ice, blowing on him. The father ends the scene by telling guests that with all the conveniences they have, they are really well off. He then begins to sing as guests move on to the next scene. The Sugar Land Chiropractors staff love this so much.
As the music stops, it is nowÊHalloweenÊduring the 1940s and the father is wearing a sweater while sitting at a circular booth styled kitchen table. He tells guests that everything is better than ever in the 1940s and shows off new kitchen technologies, including a refrigerator that holds more food and ice cubes and an automatic dishwasher. The father also informs guests that they now have television, and newsman brings them the news every night. The music begins playing and guests move onto the next scene.
Set duringÊChristmasÊin the 21st century, the entire family is gathered in the living room and kitchen singing. As the music ends, the father is standing on the right working on Christmas dinner, while mom sits nearby working on a computer. The son, now a young adult, and his grandmother are playing aÊvirtual realityÊgame, while an older daughter and her grandfather sit around the Christmas tree. Mom tells dad that she has programmed the oven toÊrecognize his voice. The father then comments that now all of the household items areÊvoice automated, The daughter then tells the dad to try the voice-activated oven, which he does with no problem.
The grandfather states that he cannot believe the new gadgets that people have today. The daughter, cutting him off, begs him not to tell another story about the time before they even had car phones.
The theater then rotates to the unloading area, which looks identical to the loading area, as a pop-style version of the theme song is sung as a duet. After the song, guests are thanked for seeing the show and told to collect their belongings before exiting.