5 Mind-Blowing Facts About The Carousel of Progress Every True Disney Fan Should Know
The Carousel of Progress was one of Disney’s most groundbreaking attractions – not only because it used audio-animatronics (relatively new at the time of its debut!), but also because it managed to do something miraculous: it merged past and future, fantasy and reality.
Unlike a traditional carousel, the Carousel of Progress had a revolving auditorium that traveled around a stage. A complete revolution around the stage revealed the course of technology, starting in 1899 and making pitstops in the 1920s, 1940s, and ending with a glimpse, a prediction, of the future (somewhat rooted in the 1960s). The transition through the decades was described by an animatronic family (and their dog) who benefitted from the advent of the washing machine and refrigerator. These machines came to life when a spotlight fell on them, making a realistic scene magical.
The history of the Carousel of Progress itself is just as real and enchanting as the story conveyed with every turn. The Carousel had four scenes, but in the name of progress, I’m going to keep counting and give you five facts about the Carousel you need to know if you’re a true fan of Disney.
1 – A Remnant of What Never Was
Everyone knows Disney World is a kingdom, and like any real kingdom, it has a map sprawling with mountains, a wild frontier, and civilized suburbs with their very own Main Street, Liberty Square, cafés, and castles. Although the Magic Kingdom has changed over the years, there was a change to the map before construction ever began. A section called “Edison Square” was an extension to Main Street planned in the 1950s, but it was never built.1
Edison Square would have provided the tourist with a delightful stroll through the gas-lit Victorian era to the brilliantly illuminated, electric twentieth century. “Old” technology would have faced off against “new” technology before the eyes of the audience, showcasing just how far it had advanced – particularly in the home. (Shoutout to dishwashers – best invention ever, and special thank you to the inventor for hating dishes as much as me, circa 1886.)
Edison Square was meant to supplement Main Street, and its absence left a gap in the narrative Disney had planned. Main Street evoked the past, but Edison Square emphasized the progress of the past and inspired thoughts of great things to come.
The Carousel of Progress rose from the ashes of this disused project, carrying on the ember of the idea: to show man’s progress through a century and to display the beating heart of progress – technology.
2 – From General Electric to the General Public
Although it was an authentic Disney production, the Carousel of Progress was not originally part of the Magic Kingdom. It was originally designed for General Electric’s pavilion at the New York World’s Fair in 1964-65. That’s right – the quintessential Disney attraction actually promoted another company. The original script sounded like a GE commercial, and all of the appliances just happened to be GE appliances. A GE employee once proclaimed the Carousel “sold a heck of a lot of refrigerators!”2
In 1967 the Carousel of Progress was moved to Disneyland with a lightly revised script that probably didn’t sell as many refrigerators. The Carousel would spin its technological tale in sunny California until 1973. It finally found its forever home in the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, in 1975.
Today it continues to circumnavigate the worlds of past and future in Tomorrowland. Most carousels spin around in circles, going nowhere, but Disney’s Carousel can boast travel from coast to coast! It makes one wonder if Frontierland wouldn’t have been better suited for such a pioneering nomad!
3 – Composers of Some Note
(Musical pun intended.)
The Carousel of Progress has its own theme song called “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.” The Academy Award-winning Sherman Brothers composed it. The name of this dynamic duo might not ring a bell until you hear what else they’ve written:
- “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”
- “Chim Chim Cher-ee”
- “It’s a Small World (After All)”
- …and the list goes on.
Only the best and brightest composers were put to work on the Carousel!
In a video tour of the Carousel of Progress given by Walt Disney himself, the adorable animatronic dog, Rover, happily whaps his tail in time to the music, robot robins twitter along, and a fake parrot actually sings the words!3 After all, it’s not a true Disney song until animals are singing along!
However, this song was changed when the Carousel of Progress was moved in 1975. The new song was called “The Best Time of Your Life,” also written by the Sherman Brothers. Even though it had the same composers, the second song lacked the theme the original song captured so well – the meshing of dreams and reality through progress. But, luckily, as carousels tend to do, the attraction came full-circle and returned to its original theme song in 1994. A good choice, considering its lofty lyrics and (almost annoyingly) catchy tune!
Tomorrow’s just a dream away…
Sherman Brothers
4 – Walt’s Own Wonder
It’s certainly worth mentioning that the man himself, Walt Disney, “imagineered” the Carousel of Progress. “It was Walt’s idea from beginning to end,” explains the narrator at the beginning of the ride. Marty Sklar, a Disney creative executive, adds this insight about Walt: “[He] had one foot in the past, because he loved the nostalgia, and one foot in the future because he loved new technology.”4 In addition to the idea of progress, Walt also loved the American family. The Carousel was the ultimate manifestation of his passions. Unsurprisingly, the Carousel is said to have been Walt’s favorite attraction.
Fittingly, then, it is the only attraction left at Disney World that Walt physically touched.5 In the video tour Walt gave, he beamed proudly as he spoke to the camera about the Carousel premiering at the World’s Fair. He joked with the “Father” robot, who was holding a pipe, “Hey, you’re not allowed to smoke on stage!”6 His laughter, albeit at his own joke, is infectious all these years later. Walt’s joy in discussing the Carousel feels genuine – it’s not just an act for the camera that’s recording him. His pleasure is palpable, and you can’t help but feel as excited as Walt for the Carousel to start turning.
5 – Still in Progress
The Carousel of Progress is still spinning today, racking up more performances than any other stage show in American theatre!7 But we must remember today’s Carousel is a regeneration of the original. That first World’s Fair version, and even the Disneyland version, are extinct. Just as the Carousel had predicted, time and technology kept moving, and thanks to Disney Imagineers, the Carousel has kept moving, too. For example, the voice acting for the animatronic family was re-done in the 1990s.
However, in the true spirit of Carousel, past, and future were united again as “Father’s” original voice actor, Rex Allen, was hired to become “Grandfather.”8 Instead of ending in a futuristic 1960s, the Carousel now ends in a futuristic 1990-something. However, the “future” portrayed here has primarily become the present with virtual reality, voice-activated assistants like Alexa, and HD TV actually in our homes. (Still waiting on a talking oven, though.)
Rumor has it there may be a great, big, beautiful, updated tomorrow for the Carousel of Progress coming in 2023, just after Disney World’s 50th anniversary.9 Although changing such a beloved and iconic attraction is a scary thing, without it, this regeneration of the Carousel could be its last. With the latest update over 25 years old, a revamp is needed to maintain the attraction’s theme of progress.
There is some danger in losing the spirit of the original in an update, but so far, the “Imagineers” have kept the integrity of Carousel’s heart intact all these years, and I have faith they’ll continue to do so. Whatever updates occur on Carousel, one thing will undoubtedly remain the same: Rover’s status as a good doggo and true star of the show.
Although the name “Disney” invokes images of fantasy and fairy dust, the Carousel of Progress was anchored in reality – and yet there is an undeniable touch of that Disney magic floating in the air. This favorite of Walt’s is a paradox, a paradigm of past and future.
What made Carousel of Progress rise above even the Magic Kingdom‘s tallest castle in the eyes of its creator? And how can we make sense of its perplexing paradox?
My working hypothesis is that on very rare occasions (probably when the clock strikes midnight), the realms of reality and fantasy merge so that real life, too, can become a fairy tale.
Cover Image
Photo: Jeremy Thompson via Flickr
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Additional Resources in Print
Allen, David. “Disneyland: Another Kind of Reality.” European Journal of American Culture 33 (1): 33–47 (2014). doi:10.1386/ejac.33.1.33_1.
Anderson, P. F. “General Electric,” Persistence of Vision, 6–7, pp. 59–82 (1995).
Lelekis, Debbie, and Madelaine Elam. “Blurring Fantasy and Reality: Disney’s EPCOT Dream and Tomorrowland.” Americana (1553-8931) 16 (1): 1 (2017).
