Disney is preparing to make some of the biggest changes ever to an attraction with direct ties to Walt Disney, and not every fan is immediately comfortable with the idea.
Carousel of Progress has remained a rare connection to Walt's own era of theme park development. While the attraction has changed considerably since its debut, its basic concept has survived for decades.
Now, Disney is preparing another major overhaul.
The updated attraction will move through entirely different periods of American life, eventually reaching a new vision of the future. Disney will also introduce an Audio-Animatronic figure of Walt Disney himself.
With such a major transformation ahead, Imagineering is addressing concerns about what happens when Disney changes something so closely associated with its founder.
Carousel of Progress Is Getting a New Timeline
One of the biggest problems facing Carousel of Progress has been hiding in plain sight for years.
A show built around technological progress eventually caught up with itself.
The attraction's final scene was intended to represent the future, but the passage of time gradually turned that imagined tomorrow into another period piece. Rather than simply updating that scene again, Disney is taking a much broader approach.
The reimagined attraction will begin during the space-race era of the 1960s before moving into Halloween during the 1980s.
From there, the family will reach the Y2K turn of the millennium.
The show will ultimately jump beyond the present day and into an “out-of-this-world” future, giving Imagineers another opportunity to imagine what could come next.
But changing the timeline isn't the only major addition coming.
Walt Disney Will Become Part of the Experience
Disney is also creating a new Audio-Animatronic figure of Walt Disney for the attraction.
That's especially notable because of Walt's personal connection to Carousel of Progress.
The show originated as part of the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair, where Disney developed the attraction for General Electric. It later moved to Disneyland before eventually making its way to Walt Disney World.
That history has helped Carousel of Progress remain one of the most significant Walt-era attractions still operating at a Disney theme park.
It also explains why changing it can become such a sensitive subject.
Some Disney fans welcome updates that could keep the attraction relevant for another generation. Others believe Disney should be extremely cautious when altering attractions that Walt personally helped create.
Imagineering appears to understand those concerns.
Disney Addresses Concerns Over the Changes
Imagineer Michael Hundgen recently spoke about the responsibility involved with updating Carousel of Progress.
“Know that when we touch a classic like Carousel of Progress, our Imagineers take the utmost care in thinking about how we approach that,” Hundgen said.
His comments suggest Disney knows this project will receive considerably more scrutiny than an ordinary refurbishment.
Hundgen also emphasized the team's respect for the attraction's history.
“The team on this project is phenomenal. They care a lot about the legacy of the attraction and plan on infusing some great new optimism into it for future generations to enjoy.”
That optimism could become one of the most important parts of the overhaul.
Carousel of Progress has always been about more than appliances and technological inventions. At its core, the attraction presents an optimistic view of progress and what tomorrow might bring.
Disney now has to preserve that idea while changing much of the show surrounding it.
Imagineering Says It Must Make the Attraction Better
Hundgen also offered a standard that could ultimately determine how fans judge the finished project.
“I think we should always be held accountable to a standard that is, ‘if you're going to touch something that is beloved, then you must leave it better than you found it.'”
That's a difficult standard for any Disney classic.
Carousel of Progress carries decades of history, and many longtime guests don't necessarily want Disney to reinvent attractions simply because they're old.
At the same time, keeping a show about the future frozen in the past creates its own problem.
Disney's solution is to rethink the timeline while attempting to preserve the attraction's central message.
Fans Will Ultimately Decide
For now, Disney can explain its intentions, but the finished attraction will have to speak for itself.
Some fans will likely embrace the new scenes, especially if they give Carousel of Progress another opportunity to feel forward-looking. Others may question whether Disney needed to make such substantial changes to an attraction connected so closely with Walt.
The addition of Walt's Audio-Animatronic figure will likely generate another debate of its own.
There isn't a clear answer yet about whether Disney has struck the right balance.
Imagineering says it understands the responsibility that comes with changing a beloved attraction and wants to leave Carousel of Progress better than it found it.
Fans won't know whether Disney succeeded until they finally experience the reimagined show themselves.
