Originally Posted By DVC_dad Okay so I am sitting in one of my favorite attractions at WDW and I am remembering some thread that I read a while back about it should either be updated or taken out. This is an issue I have wondered about myself, as I love this attraction and I am amazed that year after year its still in operation. Anyway, in spite of the fact that it was made for the World's Fair, and in spite of the fact that it's terribly dated, it now makes perfect sense to me. At the start the narrator says that Walt wanted to follow progress of the average American Family through the 20th century. Well that's what it does, it stops in the 1990's. By the way I was overjoyed to see the seats had all been recently reupholstered, guess it's gonna stay a while. What do you LP'ers think? Don't you think knowing that was Walt's desire to just track progress in the 20th century that it should now stay the way it is?
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I love the Carousel of Progress and would hate to see it change. I first saw the CoP at the New York World's Fair as a twelve-year-old. I was at the fair with my grandparents, and a while after the show started my grandpa leaned over to me and said "I think those are some kind of puppets". I was amazed... at the time it never occurred to me that I was seeing anything other than live action. I'm still amazed when I see the attraction. People will talk about feeling the spirit of Walt Disney at Disneyland, but I think the spirit is felt at least as strongly in the CoP. I don't think the combination of Walt's creativity and his love of American life is evidenced anywhere as strongly as it is at the Carousel of Progress. I would hate to see the story changed to "update" it. I even think the final scene now seems forced and rather out of place. I wish they had kept the original final from the NY World's Fair. I would not mind upgrades to the animatronics and other changes to take advantage of effects that are available today that were not available during the 60's. But I would hate to see the basic story or characters changed in any way. I may be an old fart, but some young people also feel a great affinity for the Carousel. It is my 22-year-old daughter's favorite attraction in not just the MK, but in all of Disney World. During our recent WDW trip the Carousel was open and attracting a fair number of people. At the end of the show more people applauded than I remember hearing in a long time. I think people are starting to realize what they have in the CoP and hope that they never lose it.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Sorry, DVC_Dad. Put me in the category that it needs to be updated or shipped out. Somehow, change the time frames -- maybe start it at 1905 and move more quickly -- or have two eras in one stage -- something. If no one can figure out how to create a new show, it should leave.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Somehow, change the time frames -- maybe start it at 1905 and move more quickly -- or have two eras in one stage -- something.>> Why?? It is the older time frames that are interesting. Almost everyone today is aware of what life was like in the 50's through the 90's. Even if they didn't experience it personally, those years are covered so thoroughly in television that even the young people today have a fairly good idea of what they were like. It is the older scenes that I find the most interesting... those years that I (and most others) don't have much knowledge about, either through personal experience or via the media.
Originally Posted By Fe Maiden I'm with Jim. Update it or move it out. I'd rather see them move it out. To me it's a museum piece. And I think the company should present it that way.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom I really enjoy the CoP. I got to ride the attraction back in January of this year. I thought it was incredible! I was actaully a little teary eyed at the end. I found the last scene to be kinda 90s ish. The ride had hardly anyone on it. Perhaps it would be better suited for EPCOT as I think it really is more of an "adult" ride that children would find excrusiating to spend some time on. It definately is not for the flashing lights and buzzers crowd. Personally I don't care where they put it. I'm still going to hunt down CoP and ride is anywhere they place it in the World.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <<Somehow, change the time frames -- maybe start it at 1905 and move more quickly -- or have two eras in one stage -- something.>> <Why??> Because, not matter how hard they try to update it, the final scene seems like the 1990s. Doesn't Grandma still put on her virtual reality mask to play video games? And they need to find a way to bring it on home, or move it out. It's dated, roadtrip.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer There's a great big beautiful yesterday... They need to keep this updated, at least in the last scene.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<It's dated, roadtrip.>> That may be. But when dated attractions are reworked, how many times is the result an improvement? WDW's Tikis? Hall of Presidents? DL's Swiss Family Treehouse? Spaceship Earth? Journey into Imagination? People complain about an attraction being outdated, then complain even more when it is changed or replaced. I would agree that many attractions should just be taken down when they become obsolete. I just can't see doing that with the Carousel of Progress though... to me it would be like tearing down Pirates.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<They need to keep this updated, at least in the last scene.>> I agree that the last scene is poor. That is an example of what can happen when you try to update an attraction. Pretty soon the update is also dated, and now it doesn't even have the nostalgia factor of being "Classic Disney" going for it. I think the Carousel would be better if they had just left the final scene as it was. I think trying to keep a final animatronic scene up to date would be way too costly and would never happen. The future always comes too quickly... that was the problem with Tomorrowland until they went to the classic Buck Rodgers/Jules Verne version of the future. If you need to update the last scene I think it should be done with a film touching on changes in the American home during the each decade beginning with the 50's. A film is less costly to change than an animatronic scene... there might be half a chance that the attraction would stay current.
Originally Posted By Mouskateer I've always loved the COP, but my husband hates it... If it was up to him, it would be gone.. It's still one of my favorites...
Originally Posted By FenwayGirl Never miss the opportunity to go to COP!We had the chance to ride in January and even my young grandchildren loved it
Originally Posted By BlazesOfFire It is an old family favorite for many, and it should not be changed or closed for that reason. It is a classic, and you have to leave SOME classics!!
Originally Posted By DVC_dad naysayers: If you don't like grits, should they be taken off the menu at Chef Mickey's?
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <naysayers: If you don't like grits, should they be taken off the menu at Chef Mickey's?> Carousel of Progress is the equivalent of grits?
Originally Posted By wedroy1923 I also love the Carousel of Progress but certainly understand the "dated" factor. What would you all think about returning the EPCOT model to the Carousel of Progress as a kind of post-show? (How they would do this, I don't know, but a fella can dream, can't he?) Granted, this would still be make the Carousel of Progress a museum piece, but it would also further the story of Walt Disney's vision for the future, the continued role of the family, the meaning of the "good life" . . . using models, concept art, and design plans to tell the story. This would also have the potential of making the PeopleMover more than just another ride - you could actually see how it might have fit in with the larger EPCOT plan. I don't know about you, but I still find the EPCOT concept inspiring - unlikely to ever happen but still . . . wow! And you know what? We need some visionary "wow" in Tomorrowland. In my mind - and this is perhaps naive of me - I see some kid looking at that model and thinking, "yeah, I'm going to make something like that a reality some day." The Carousel of Progress has the potential to tell an inspiring story, but the most recent version does a lousy job of it.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper When should it be updated? "Now is the time...now is the best time..." Times change too fast these days. That is why "Tomorrowland" is the most complicated part of the park. I like the Discoveryland concepts better.
Originally Posted By Fe Maiden <<naysayers: If you don't like grits, should they be taken off the menu at Chef Mickey's?>> Well if the same batch of grits have been sitting out in the serving tray for years then I'd say they should take them off the menu.
