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Carousel Of ProgressThe Carousel of Progress is a theme park ride, origninally 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. 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 1974, the name was changed to Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress. Every few years, the show is slightly revised to keep it up to date, but otherwise has remained virtually unchanged. With its continuous showings, the Carousel of Progress has become the most performed show in the history of American theater. 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. The Show The Carousel of Progress show is divided into five scenes, each seen via the revolution of the theater's seating section around the circular stage area in the center. The purpose is to show the technological progression of the average family over the last 100 years. Each scene takes place in the family's kitchen/living room. The first section is the loading/unloading section, as well as the area where a short, introductory recording is given, recounting the history of the ride. The first actual scene takes place around the turn of the 20th century, with the family amazed by such things as a manual pump in the kitchen and a coal burning stove. The second scene takes viewers to the 1920s, where the family is beginning to bring electricity into their home. Cords can be seen draped across the ceiling and an electric stove is visible. In the third scene, the 1940s, electricity is everywhere. There is a television in the kitchen, the mother mixes paint with a cake mixer and the daughter experiments with some of the latest "exercise" equipment. In the final scene, set just in the future, the family is gathered for Christmas. Grandma and her grandson play video games and the father (narrator) attempts to operate a talking oven. The show ends with the mother commenting that there is also room for technology to improve, followed by one final reprise of the show's song, "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow". Precursors The show did not spring into being as from a blank slate. It is an elaboration and trivialization of some industrial films that American appliance manufacturers funded to show how their products would change the pattern of domestic chores and improve life. The desire to sell during the Great Depression and the rural electrification projects of the New Deal were two of the motivating forces behind these films. Also, there are the remnants of an exhibition from the 1933 Century of Progress exposition in the Chicago Museum of Science that feature four typical rooms of Chicago houses in various decades prior to the exhibition.
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