Carousel of Progress

The Carousel of Progress is a theme park ride, originally created by Walt Disney himself, that follows the journey of an ordinary family through the 20th century and beyond.

History

The Carousel of Progress, originally called the Progressland Carousel Theater, was created by Walt Disney for the General Electric company as their exhibit in the 1964 New York World's Fair.

Related Topics:
General Electric - 1964 New York World's Fair

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At the end of the fair, the carousel's Audio-Animatronics components were moved to Disneyland, where they would form the Carousel of Progress. There they remained until 1973, when it was moved to Walt Disney World, where it remains today. When it opened there in 1975, it had received a new theme song from composers Richard and Robert Sherman, "The Best Time of Your Life", replacing the original theme song of the World's Fair and Disneyland version they had composed, "There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow."

Related Topics:
Audio-Animatronics - Disneyland - Walt Disney World - 1975

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Throughout the 1980s, the show was slightly revised to keep it up to date, but received a more substantial revision in 1993, with the restoration of "There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" as the theme song, and a new narration track featuring Jean Shepherd. With its continuous showings, the Carousel of Progress has become the most performed show in the history of American theater, as well as the most-seen stage show in America.

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The show itself has been threatened by closing for a few years now, having been on seasonal operation for a few years, though as of now, is back on regular operation. It is rumored that the show would be gutted and replaced with a reworked version of the Flying Saucers attraction that used to be at Disneyland in the '60's. Disney fans object to this and there have been a few petitions online in a attempt to save it. Interestingly, Walt Disney himself said this was his absolute favorite attraction and always wanted it in the parks for the rest of their operation.

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