July 1967 – September 1973
LOCATION
Tomorrowland – When entering from Main Street USA, guests followed the main path to the center of Tomorrowland. The Carousel of Progress sat right in the middle of the path, in the building that now houses Innoventions.
BACKGROUND
In Disneyland’s first few years of operation, Walt and his Imagineers were interested in expanding Main Street USA as part of a partnership with General Electric. The team envisioned two new districts, International Street and Edison Square. Edison Square would showcase GE technology and appliances, with electrical shows and displays of GE’s development over the years. But the technology available for Edison Square was not advanced enough for the show Disney envisioned, so the Edison Square project eventually stalled.
However, Disney and GE were still very interested in building a partnership. After helping Disney develop a show for the 1964-1965 World’s Fair in New York, Walt pitched an idea for a new show in Disneyland that would showcase GE technology. This show debuted at the World’s Fair as “Progressland”, and was met with overwhelming popularity. GE and Disney immediately began plans to bring the show to Disneyland, and the General Electric Carousel of Progress opened in the park in 1967.
EXPERIENCE
The Carousel of progress had six different scenes, each depicting the development of technology in the American household. The opening and closing scenes were not as detailed as the middle scenes, since they played as guests loaded and offloaded from the theater.
The first intermediate scene, set on Valentine’s Day in the early 20th century, shows a family using technology of the time, which included gas lamps and a gramophone. The next scene, a 1920’s 4th of July, showed major changes, including a radio and electric appliances. The third scene, Halloween in the 1940’s, had even more modern appliances ranging from a television to a dishwasher. And the final scene, the modern day (which was the late 60’s-early 70’s), had a color television and up-to-date land line phone.
Each scene on the carousel served as both a nostalgic look at the past and a reminder of how quickly technology has developed. Guests left the ride with a new appreciation for the amazing power of technology and how that technology impacts the American household.
CLOSURE
By the 1970s, the popularity of the carousel steadily declined. Most of the visitors to the attraction had already seen the show multiple times, and new audiences were just not coming. To stir up new interest, GE and Disney decided to move the show to Walt Disney World in Florida, and the Carousel had its last Disneyland show in 1973.
TRIVIA
The modern day scene in Walt Disney World has been updated regularly to keep up with changing technology. Today, it includes a high-definition television, video games, and voice-activated appliances.
The Carousel of Progress has its own theme song: “There’s A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow”.
I had the pleasure of working at Disneyland, and the first attraction I was trained on was General Electric’s Carousel of Progress. That first summer was really fun (1970), and I couldn’t believe I was paid for being nice and helpful to the guests. I have fond memories of that ride, especially since my future husband (Monorail man) came up to me and introduced himself to me when I was out front, closing the attraction. It was a magical time!
What wonderful memories – thank you for sharing your experience!
I go to Disney World so I’m glad it left Disneyland. Just so I can see it when I visit! haha
This is my favorite ride in Disney World. Disneyland never should’ve gotten rid of it!
I love it too, Lisette! I wish Disneyland had kept it :/