Walt’s four new and exciting attractions from the 1964/1965 New York World’s Fair were a smash hit. All four attractions were considered part of the top exhibits at the fair. As a result, after the fair came to end, he moved all four attractions to Disneyland in California. Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln found a new home on Main Street; ‘it’s a small world’ received a new show building facade designed by Rolly Crump. Although Ford’s Magic Skyway didn’t move intact, the dinosaurs found a new home along the Disneyland Railroad and General Electric renewed their sponsorship of The Carousel of Progress. The show would find a new home as the centerpiece attraction for the New Tomorrowland expansion of 1967. Unfortunately, Walt died seven months before the new land opened, but he would have been proud. The new slogan for Tomorrowland became ‘A World on the Move’. The expansion included the openings of Adventure Thru Inner Space, the WEDway People Mover, Rocket Jets and of course Carousel of Progress. This concept of the future constantly in motion, progressing forward was truly apparent around the lagoon area by Submarine Voyage. There was a great combination of kinetic energy in this area; the Monorail zigzagged the PeopleMover above both the cars of Autopia and the submarines in the lagoon. Above all these modes of transportation, you also had the Skyway flying above. But The Carousel of Progress show was truly the heart and soul of all this progress.
The show moved relatively intact. The show received a new show building that did not include a dome similar to the fair. However there were still two levels, with a post show on the second level. Guests would enter the show from the ground level and once again during Act VI there was a speed ramp up to the second level. The first minor changed was in the set for the final scene with the family in the present/future. In this version, mother and father are seated in the living room enjoying a quiet Christmas. Mother constantly interrupts Father excited to show her latest in kitchen appliances and their entertainment center. They talk about the new and exciting community they live in, and in the window guests could see a familiar model city of the future.
The major difference to the Carousel of Progress at Disneyland was that it incorporated Walt’s final dream for the E.P.C.O.T. that never was. Out the window of mother and father’s living room was a mural of the futuristic city. In the final act guests would then ascend to the second level of the building where they could see the complete model for the community of tomorrow that is now famous from Walt’s Florida Project television show. But by 1973, G.E. wanted a change of scenery and it was time to move on.
Once the Magic Kingdom and Walt Disney World opened to major success in Florida, G.E. wanted to move their presence to the newest piece of Disney real estate. The company insisted on moving the show to Tomorrowland in Florida and renewed their sponsorship. But this renewal came with demands. Executives from G.E. realized that they didn’t want guests to wait until ‘a great big beautiful tomorrow’ to purchase the latest G.E. products. They wanted guests to buy products now; the future was now. So one of the first demands was to rewrite the beloved theme song. The Sherman Brothers were once again called upon to work their magic. Although they did produce a new catchy song, ‘Now is the Best Time of Your Life’, they’ve always admitted that it didn’t have the same spirit of Walt as their original song. The good thing was that the new Florida guests had no clue that this was a new song.
Now is the best time.
Now is the best time of your life.
Life is a prize, live every minute.
Open your eyes and watch how you win it!
Yesterday’s memories may sparkle and gleam,
tomorrow is still but a dream.
Right here and now,
you’ve got it made.
The world’s forward marching and you’re in the parade!
Now is the time.
Now is the best time.
Be it a time of joy or strife.
There’s so much to cheer for, be glad you’re here.
For it’s the best time of your life.
Since the future was now, and some of the products mentioned in the final scene were no longer the latest line of products from G.E., the final act had to be updated, too. The script was tinkered with throughout and there was a new cast of voice actors recorded. The loading scene was the same, however the kaleidoscopic mural was removed and replaced with a simple curtain and the G.E. logo. The following three scenes with the family were pretty much the same; it was the final act that received some updates. First the whole family was now included in the final scene. Sadly the mural featuring the community of tomorrow in the window was removed. Instead of it being Christmas, the scene took place on New Year’s Eve and father was in the kitchen cooking chili (Walt’s favorite). What’s interesting about this version, is that the final scene focused more on mother being an activist instead of any new and exciting products. Mother points out a new television in passing, but that’s it. This new scene of the future is more about gender roles with father in the kitchen and mother working than new products.
The Carousel of Progress opened with this new version on January 15th, 1975 on the same day as Space Mountain. The show had a new audience and was once again a hit. But sadly there was no second level to this version with any post show. The E.P.C.O.T. model still made it’s way to Florida and even today, sits along the PeopleMover track. But before we rush ahead to the future in 2016, the show would still undergo some changes.
By the end of 1983, G.E. was already sponsoring another attraction at Epcot, Horizons. (The unofficial sequel to Carousel of Progress) Executives felt that the focus was no longer in the Magic Kingdom and decided to pull their sponsorship from the show by 1985. At the same time, the future caught up to the show again so it was time for some updates. Since G.E. pulled out of sponsorship, Imagineers removed any references of the company in the show’s dialogue. The first three scenes remained the same, with the exception of these small script changes. The final act had changes to the set and clothing, but the layout was similar. Mother now sat behind a computer of some sort and the family now watched New Year’s Eve on the tv from around the world.
By 1993, Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom needed an revamp it’s look. The stark white buildings looked dated by the early 1990s. This was when Disney finally decided to stop chasing the future, and designed a New Tomorrowland from a fantastical perspective. The 1993 update had a touch of a Jules Verne style similar to the Tomorrowland at Disneyland Paris. The Carousel of Progress stop moving ahead, and began to only look backwards. The show reverted back to Walt’s original show, brining back the ‘Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow’ theme song, and it was just in time for the show’s 30th birthday. And guess what, the original voice of father, Rex Allen, came back as Grandpa in the final scene.
The current version of the show opened on August 16th, 1993. The final scene was once again updated to look at a future the resembled the year 2000. This included grandma playing a virtual reality game. The setting changed back to Christmas day, and each scene now took place on a specific holiday. The first scene now takes place on Valentine’s Day, the second scene is on Independence Day, and the 1940s scene specifically takes place on Thanksgiving.
Now I would like to think that by the year 2000, Imagineers began thinking about updating the show, yet again, but tragic struck. The attacks of September 11th caused a significant drop in park attendance and The Carousel of Progress became the least visited attraction at the Magic Kingdom. There were many talks of shutting it down. The show began to run seasonally and die hard fans worried about the future of the show. By 2003, it was clear there were going to be no more updates, but the show began running daily again. Now the Carousel of Progress is now longer a journey turning towards the future; it is complete nostalgic look the past. However, it is the only attraction that keeps the spirit of Walt’s original concept for the E.P.C.O.T that never was in Florida. Although some park young park guests may take a nap on this attraction, it is still an essential part of Disney history that I hope never leaves the park.
