New Carousel of Progress Attraction Poster Highlights Changes Coming

Is there's a great big beautiful tomorrow coming? Let's hope so! Disney has just announced a major upgrade coming to Tomorrowland's classic Carousel of Progress. The attraction poster is a nod to the past, but the storyline has shifted significantly. According to the press release, once an Audio-Animatronic version of Walt Disney opens the show, the show scenes are as follows:

Act 1 — The 1960s Set in the summer of 1969, the family gathers around the television to watch the Apollo moon landing.

Act 2 — The 1980s It's Halloween night, 1985. For the first time in the attraction's history, Sarah takes center stage, showing off new appliances and gadgets. John is on the porch handing out candy, while Uncle Orville returns — this time in the bathroom complaining about the lack of privacy.

Act 3 — New Year's Eve, 1999 The family rings in the new millennium as the internet begins connecting the world. Grandpa falls asleep before midnight, while Grandma quietly switches the TV to wrestling.

Act 4 — The Future The finale moves to a distant future home, featuring a helpful robot and space travel. Imagineers drew on original concept sketches by Disney Legend John Hench to shape this new scene.

The concept art for the final Act seems nice if not a bit bland. That said, it is nice to see some love given to the show that originated at the 1964 World's Fair before making its way to Disneyland and eventually the Magic Kingdom. 

Even nicer is seeing the suits honoring the World's park history! What a switch from the money grab move of tearing down the iconic Rivers of America!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Disneyland's Dirty Secret in 2026

Walt Disney's original kingdom holds a big dirty secret that they don't want let out to the public. It's one that's hidden in most all promotional materials but talked about within the halls of the Company's suits as well as in Imagineering. What is it? The park's Tomorrowland is an embarrassment and no longer worthy of the Disney name. Yes, the land of the future was barely finished in time at opening. Yes, the "new" Tomorrowland of 1998 was not an improvement over the 1967 version, and yes, Disney's been teasing a new entry is coming ever since, well, forever. 

Disneyland may be the original and the one with the most charming Fantasyland as well as a beautiful New Orleans Square and Rivers of America, but on the other side of the park, it's a mess.

The skeleton of the beloved Peoplemover hangs as a grim reminder of previous greatness and innovation. Or if you're younger, it's a reminder of the short lived Rocket Rods, a great attraction killed by budget cuts and short-sightedness. The useless Carousel of Progress building is a huge wasteland. Star Tours belongs somewhere else- if only they had a land dedicated to the Star Wars franchise. The centerpiece  Rocket Jets are uselessly grounded, making Dumbo more appealing. As beautiful as the land's lagoon is, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage has run its course.

Space Mountain is the land's only redeeming factor. It's time to get ride of everything else and start fresh. Imagineering could have some great ideas. Will we see something at the 2026 D23? I doubt it, but I'd love to be wrong.

(Top photograph from DocumentDisney.)

Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic Coming to The Magic Kingdom's Carousel of Progress

During Destination D23, Imagineer Chris Beaty announced that Walt in robotic form would be coming to the Magic Kingdom's Carousel of Progress. Instead of Walt being in his office as he is on Main Street in Disneyland's "Walt Disney- A Magic Life", here it seems as if he is in the Imagineering offices. This piece of concept art shows Walt on stage as the opening act for the beloved show. When this will happen is anyone's guess. But it seems that if you are a fan of the attraction in Tomorrowland, the show will be staying around awhile. What good news!

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

The Sparkle of Disneyland's Tomorrowland 1967

The Submarine Voyage and the Peoplemover. What more can you say? Plenty! Add in the Carousel of Progress, the late and great Adventure Thru Inner Space and a refreshed entrance to Tomorrowland.  The year 1967 would remain one for the books in the annals of Disneyland history. 

Walt's park seemed better than ever under the guidance of those first generation Imagineers. And, boy, they were on a roll! It's a Small World was first, then Pirates of the Caribbean in the Spring of '67 and the Haunted Mansion a couple of years later. Let's not forget Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln coming hot off the World's Fair. 

Things would slow down for awhile, but as this photograph from the late and great Vintage Disneyland Tickets shows, the future was also moving at Disneyland- unless you look at Tomorrowland. That revision in 1998 was a dud- Rocket Rods aside-, and it was the last time that area of the park had even the slightest bit of cohesion. Will the Imagineering team bring a great new person of the future for the park's 75th Anniversary? Your guess is as good as mine!

(Photograph copyright Vintage Disneyland Tickets.)

There's A Great Big Beautiful Yesterday

Sing along with me, "There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day..." Those simply wonderful lines from long time Disney songwriters Robert and Richard Sherman convey the optimism and hope of the 1960's Disneyland. Walt Disney knew what he was doing to get these brothers involved in creating memorable tunes for his stellar attractions! 

The Carousel of Progress was one such incredible fan favorite. Found in the brand New Tomorrowland of 1967, the attraction's cast grew the Audio-Animatronic family at Walt's park.  With the Peoplemover and the great Adventures Thru Inner Space, this land of the future just had to be experienced. For those who came shortly before, Pirates of the Caribbean had just debuted and the Haunted Mansion would come in 1969. 

It was a season when the park's expanded because of the love of the art and not the love of the dollar. But the dollars came in quantities unexpected, because Walt respected his guests and treated them well. What today's Disney leadership could learn by looking backwards!

(Photograph copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Stunning and Sleek Tomorrowland

When Disney Imagineers are at the top of their game, they can be pretty tough to beat. In the early days of Disneyland, Imagineering pulled out all the stops, and their pieces of concept art for the new park certainly pleased Walt Disney. They were forward thinking when it came to the land of the future. In 1955, Tomorrowland was full of corporate exhibits and not much else. That changed when a 1967 version was revealed. The Carousel of Progress, right from the 1964 World's Fair, an amazing Adventure Thru Inner Space attraction, and of course, the fan favorite Peoplemover made their debut. The thrills were still to come. Space Mountain took a bit longer, but it was well worth the wait. 

Just for fun, here's a pretty rare piece of art for Walt Disney World's Space Mountain, before Tron's Lightcycles came in.

I might have more concept art on the world wide Tomorrowlands than any other parts of the parks. Explore on! You've only scratched the surface with this post, but this article might be the best place to start...

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow: Carousel of Progress Comes Home

Walt Disney and the New York World's Fair. What a combination! The success of the four Disney shows impacted the future of the Company in big ways. It's success paved the way for Walt Disney World, proving that regardless of the naysayers, East Coast audiences were not immune to the charms of Disney attractions. 

The World's Fair was also a boon to Disneyland as Walt and company had procured agreement with attraction sponsors that these experiences would find their way back to California once the fair was over. 

Imagineer Colin Campbell's beautiful concept art for this theater in the round Audio-Animatronic show represents the grand finale: a modern family living with all the latest technologies created by General Electric. (I've included this art in the biggest form possible- just click on it.) The attraction was so popular that it became the centerpiece of a brand new Tomorrowland. The beloved 1967 version that remains the best ever created for California. Along with the Peoplemover and Adventure Thru Inner Space, Disneyland's home of the future became a fresh and inspiring look at what life could be- something far beyond the disjointed, character-filled mess it is today.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

The Disneyland Tomorrowland We Almost Got

I've never seen this piece of concept art for Disneyland before! A brand New Tomorrowland of EPCOT Center influence. It's one with smooth wide walkways of glistening white, multiple flags, elegant fountains, and streamlined curved wing roofs. Imagine a land on the move where the chain of cars in the Peoplemover are a variety of different colors instead of one individual color per train. Instead of a glowing Spaceship Earth, the Rocket Jets take center stage high above it all. Although I love her work, there wasn't a Mary Blair mural in sight. Very different than what was built, but both versions looked inviting. 

When those iconic Disney Imagineers of old began to dream up what could replace the pennant filled early and temporary land of the future, the final result was just astounding. It's true Disney park fans still speak of Adventure Thru Inner Space fondly, but it is so much more than nostalgia. This was a land of optimism and discovery! A living Carousel fo Progress. Under the watchful eye of Walt Disney who never got to see it open, the land was executed to perfection. How the Company that bears his name needs someone that visionary more than ever!

Tomorrowland 1967 at Disneyland remains the best version of the Land of the Future ever built in California! 

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

A Golden Tomorrowland and a Revamped Space Mountain

Tomorrowland 1967- an iconic, much beloved, incarnation of the Land of the Future. And Disneyland was all the richer for it! This piece of concept art by the Imagineers reveals a new profile for Space Mountain than we've seen, a look at the Peoplemover and the Carousel of Progress, and a view of the entrance to Mission to Mars. 

The plan oozed ambition and a determination to give guests more than just an experience they deserved. It was to be an immersive journey into the future- and beyond. It worked...until it didn't. And then the land had to be revamped to keep up with an ever growing future. Then we mourned the loss of Adventure Thru Inner Space and the innocence of the age. Never to be seen again.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Rare Concept Art for Disneyland's 1967 Tomorrowland?

It took a visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum to see this piece of concept art! I had never seen this before, which was kind of a surprise as I am just a huge fan of the work created for Disneyland's 1967 re-envisioned Tomorrowland. The best of Disneyland's Land of the Future. Adventure Thru Inner Space? Check. Peoplemover? Check. Carousel of Progress? Check again. What a line up! 

This blog is stuffed with some of Imagineering's best renderings of it all. Say what you will about the newer attractions like Rise of the Resistance. They may be great, but they lack the charm, optimism, and innocence of an era where the future was seen as a great, big, beautiful, tomorrow.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company. Photograph by Mark Taft.)

Rare Imagineering Art from the Disney Parks Blog

Back before the official Disney blog changed, fans of Imagineering concept art would do well to keep an eye on it. Years back, the Disney Parks blog ran a series of pieces celebrating their participation in the 1964 World's Fair fifty years ago. All the pieces posted today, sans one, are that individual day's website banners- which I quickly saved to my hard drive. (The above piece is my favorite of the bunch.) I am sure full sized art exists and that these are only slices to fit the web. Not that I mind. I'll take what I can get! Disney park concept art is one of my favorite Imagineering things!

Historians correctly note that the public's response to Disney at the fair was the proving grounds to see if a Disneyland styled park and resort would be a hit should one be built on the East Coast. Of course, we know the results spoke for themselves, as Disney's work on four pavilion's were among the most popular. All setting the stage for Walt Disney World to move from dream to reality.

EPCOT Center's CenterCore or the 1964 World's Fair?

Ford's "Magic Skyway" was one of the most popular attractions. Guests cruised in automobiles back in time to the world of dinosaurs. If the concept seems much like EPCOT Center's beloved World of Motion, well it is. The Future World attraction, sponsored by General Motors (and with an incredibly good voiceover tour by Gary Owens) used several variations on the same theme. If you look at the concept piece directly above, you may see the inspiration the ending of the attraction as guests cruised into CenterCore, the city of the future.

Sharp eyed viewers will find a number of similarities between the entrance to the EPCOT attraction and what was built for the Fair. In each, the cars were shown to guests as a draw into the attraction, moving in a circular path. Not only was it innovative, it was charming! If something works, there's no need to reinvent the wheel. It's Fun to Be Free!

Each of these attractions would return from the fair back to Disneyland in one form or another, making "Walt's park" even better than it was before. Magic Skyway was represented as part of the now Grand Canyon /Primeval World diorama (dinorama?) bringing a whole slew of prehistoric creatures as a dazzling finale to the grand circle tour.

Unfortunately, for most of the art shown on the Disney blog, there is no artist information made available for any of these pieces. (Imagineer Mary Blair's pieces-below- are instantly recognizable for It's a Small World collection, however!) Regardless, they do make a nice addition to my collection! She was a genius, and her color styling never quite duplicated in any other Small World. 

Love it or hate it, It's A Small World was a fan favorite from day one when it made its debut at the fair. The Pepsi show had it all- charm, warmth, and great atmosphere- not to mention the iconic song. I'm particularly fond of the forward looking color scheme in the second piece. Pundits suggest the attraction should be moved or removed. May they never go this route! Part of the Disney park experience is this taste of innocence and friendship. Something so sorely needed in our world.

When it came to designing the attraction for Florida's Magic Kingdom, could it be the Imagineers looked at the piece above as inspiration for the new ending? The carousel and ferris wheel make the perfect setting for a playful conclusion- but not for a theme park. Sorry, Pixar Pier!

Third on today's list: Carousel of Progress or Progressland as it was called at the fair. The innovative attraction also traveled from the fair to California and landed in Tomorrowland in 1967. It was a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow for the extensive re-Imagineering of the Land of the Future. Perhaps the best of all versions of Tomorrowland in Anaheim.

Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln. The State of Illinois hired Disney to bring this remarkable one man show for visitors from all over the world. After a few problems, he performed perfectly, proving to Imagineering that they could in fact pull off human characters so convincingly. In the last couple of decades, the Disney suits thought about removing Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln more than once- including replacing this patriotic masterpiece with a new home for the Muppets. I'm sure Walt Disney was turning over in his grave! Wiser heads prevailed, and after a strange attempt at renovation, Tony Baxter was given the job to update the show. True to form, he handled it with his usual impeccable style and restraint. 

As I said at the beginning, keep your eyes on the Disney blog. In the meantime, if you want to hear and see more about Disney at the Fair, order the boxed set. It's well worth the money if you can find it!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

The Tomorrowland 2055 Post that Started Insights and Sounds and the Missing Dinosaur from Hong Kong Disneyland

What a title, huh? It's worth the story that follows! I remember it so well: The year was 1990, and I was strolling Disneyland one afternoon with my young family. It was another perfect Disney day in Southern California. We had walked into Tomorrowland to take in the Autopia and let the kiddos try their hands behind the wheel. But something stopped me in my tracks.

Next to the Carousel Theater, once home of the Carousel of Progress and America Sings, was a billboard for a new attraction called Plectu's Intergalactic Revue showing the piece above. For some strange reason, I snapped this photo of the concept art, never expecting it to be anything but a photo of what was coming... and I held on to it for many years.

When I began the Insights and Sounds blog, I knew local Disneyland fans would find this piece of unbuilt history of interest, but I didn't expect anyone else to. I was so wrong! Fans of Walt Disney World found it of interest as well! Within days of first posting it in March of 2008, my humble photograph showed on on blogs and websites all over the world. And it's still being  reposted to this day. Glad I took the photo!

(Much like the same thing that happened with the art I unearthed for Dubai Disneyland! Even my late friend Alain Littaye from the Disney and More blog was surprised I'd finally hunted it down. ) 

Hong Kong Disneyland's Missing Dinosaur

Then, there was this piece of dinosaur concept art that caused quite a stir! Long, long, ago, around 2009, I was "gifted" with this piece of concept art for an attraction at the then soon to open Hong Kong Disneyland. But with a smaller mindset of what the park should be, the ride never materialized. This was the case with major portions of the small little park, earning it the poor reputation it deserved at opening.

Looking at the art closely, this was clearly a coaster or troop transport type attraction. With that thought came the questions. What exactly it was for? Was it intended for a hybrid of a couple of attractions that never made it past the drawing boards of the Imagineers? To my eyes, it seemed to be Raging Spirits from Tokyo DisneySea - which in itself is a remix on the Indiana Jones coaster at Disneyland Paris - meets the infamous ferocious Carnatour from Countdown to Extinction/ Dinosaur from Disney's Animal Kingdom.  

More questions. Was the attraction scheduled to go into the lush, dense outdoor jungles of Adventureland or was it meant for an indoor weather-proofed warehouse a la Indiana Jones Adventure? Maybe a combination like what was originally proposed for the dinosaur area at Animal Kingdom? (Found in my "Disney's Animal Kingdom: A True Life Adventure" series. Eight parts and growing!)

Was it just too expensive to build? Was it too ambitious? But what was it?

Then sharp eyed reader Randy Savage had the definitive answer. The art for this dinosaur was part of the original plan for Hong Kong Disneyland in an Adventureland that contained an outdoor attraction with Audio-Animatronic beasts. The image was eventually found on the concept art map for the park in the book "More Making the Magic Real", published mid-year 2010. 

As you can tell, I've been blessed with a lot of interesting images and stories to go with them! More to come- and I can't wait to unearth anything else as folks keep sending me concept art.

 

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company. Top photo copyright Mark Taft.)

Disneyland Without Space Mountain?

Disneyland without Space Mountain? Don't be so sure it could not happen. Shanghai Disneyland opened with Tron Lightcycle Run in its place- and not a single person seems to have expressed outrage they did not get to ride one of Imagineering's iconic attractions. But that is exactly what happened in 1967. The plans were clearly in the works to add Space Mountain to the brand New Tomorrowland, and you can see it in this page from the Disneyland Guide book. The concept art is right there front and center. When the revision of the land did open, Adventure Thru Inner Space made its debut and Carousel of Progress opened up on the West Coast after a great response to the show at the World's Fair. The Peoplemover covered the land in style. There was excitement everywhere! Except Space Mountain would not make its debut. That had to come later. Much later. A decade in fact.

Love Space Mountain and want to learn more about its history? Check out this mega-post with all the history and concept art you could want!

More of Tomorrowland's Past

Continuing this year's seeming emphasis on the future... Imagineer Herb Ryman's work on Walt Disney's projects continues to be among my favorite pieces of concept art. From Disneyland to EPCOT Center, there's an elegance that is distinctively his. Even so, this piece for the Carousel of Progress  / Progressland at Disneyland is pretty impressive. 

Look closer and you'll see an extended queue into Tomorrowland next to the greenery on the lower levels. Due to crowd flow and minimal space, I'd guess this was removed in the final version. Will the building survive the next incarnation of the land? Who knows? I can't imagine that Disney themselves has even settled on what it all looks like.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

America Sings Once More

Disneyland was once the home of charming, old school musicals- except with the Audio-Animatronic cast of characters. Imagineer Marc Davis brought his America Sings to the carousel theater in California. A look at this rare piece of concept art shows a gentle and humorous approach to America's rich musical history. 

From Gospel to Country Western classics to good old Rock and Roll, this theater show thrilled audiences until guests became too sophisticated and needed more. Long before, the Carousel of Progress then this show filled the space. Unfortunately, nothing of interest has inhabited the place since. The figures from the musical show now inhabit another music filled space- a mountain known for its splash. But America Sings lives on in the memories of those who loved the park and the glory days of Tomorrowland past.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Meet the World in Japan

Time for another attraction poster from the Tokyo Disney Resort. Meet the World was a Carousel of Progress type revolving theater attraction that was also planned to be duplicated at Epcot's Japan World Showcase pavilion. Interestingly, the Imagineers glossed over the nation's involvement in World War II. I'm sure they have also overlooked some sensitive pieces of our nation's history as well, so no offense taken. 

If you're curious to see more of what was planned for Japan in Epcot, take a look at this amazing article full of Imagineering art for attractions built and those left unrealized.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Horizons Poster and Century 3

Vintage EPCOT Center is certainly popular these days! Even the park itself is still selling 35th anniversary merchandise and they keep pumping out anything that seems its original or retro as long as the cash rolls in.

Here's one of the few attraction posters for EPCOT Center. A rough draft for one when the pavilion was planned to be named "Century 3". Certainly is eye catching!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Colorful Alien Encounter Art

Let's start off the New Year with this very colorful version of the proposed Alien Encounter attraction for Disneyland. Lord knows, this dismal land needs some help! Tomorrowland is a shadow of its former glory, hitting its peak in the 1967 incarnation.

Imagine this version of Tomorrowland coming to Disneyland.

The Imagineers had plans to scrap at all in the late 80's and bring guests a version that immersed them into another world, an interplanetary version of the future that wasn't at all reliant on keeping up with trends in science and technology. This move toward science fiction fantasy would have been a good one in place of the cartoon version we now have.

I took this photo of the proposed

Plectu's Intergalactic Revue- 

and it's been all over the world.

The Carousel of Progress would have been transformed once again. This time America Sings, the Marc Davis musical classic, would have given way to Plectu's Intergalactic Revue. In reality, it was probably wise to scrap this idea as Audio-Animatronic musical attractions were losing popularity among the crowds. (More about that in this article. Will they ever make a resurgence? Possibly.)

The original black and white version.

Nonetheless, each area of Tomorrowland would have been rethought, reimagined to provide a better guest experience- and less need for constant updating. It was not a good plan. The next version of the Land of the Future would fall flat.

Copper Space Mountain and all.

The suits held off. Opting for the version of Tomorrowland 1998, a much cheaper and far less successful Discoveryland take on the future, it was a major misstep. Even the great Imagineer Tony Baxter couldn't pull it off with a reduced budget and incredibly short sighted engineering cuts on projects such as the Rocket Rods. 

What will they do next? It better be good with Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge coming soon, Tomorrowland will look even more out of touch than it does now. What would you suggest if you were in charge?

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company. Color Alien Encounter art from the Dan Alexander collection.)

Looking Back at a New Tomorrowland

If you nose around the internet a bit, it seems that Walt Disney World's fairly refreshed Tomorrowland may be in for a bit of an Imagineering remake. New shades of paint are appearing just about everywhere, from the space styled rocks at the entrance to the Carousel of Progress building an it's striking new sign.

The great folks at WDWMagic share in some speculation that so much of the land is due to change, but Space Mountain won't be touched. (You'll have to go there yourself to pick up on the rumors gaining steam.) It may get a new neighbor, but the iconic building will remain. It's a good thing, too! Not only is it one of my favorite attractions in the World, it's one kids of all ages look forward to conquering! I've got tons of Imagineering concept art on it (and a piece on Space Mountains all over the world that may need some updates). Now for some art.

Disney Imagineer Clem Hall was the man responsible for some of the earliest concept paintings of Space Mountain. There's not much known about he guy, but you can see he was a forward thinker and some of his concepts had a profound affect on the design of Florida's Tomorrowland. On the piece above and below, you can see the Grand Prix Raceway to the left, and the Skyway building to the right.

This nighttime look at Space Mountain intrigues me even more- as most dark skied bright light pieces do. In fact, so does nighttime at any Disney park. The lighting designers are incredibly talented, making even the most mundane lands feel special.

Here's one last piece for this post. By an (unknown to me) Imagineer, showing yet another different potential design for the world's first coaster in the dark. I'm partial to the final result however- and I bet many others share that opinion. Hopefully the changes to come honor the genius of the past artists.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Treasure Trove of Rare Imagineering Art

Note: I ran the piece below a couple of years ago. Now that the official Disney Parks Blog has changed its structure, it's harder to get such great pieces of Imagineering art. Thought I'd repost just for fun. Enjoy while it lasts!
---------

Fans of Imagineering concept art would do well to keep an eye on the official Disney blog. Earlier this week, the blog ran a series of pieces celebrating their participation in the 1964 World's Fair fifty years ago. All the pieces posted today, sans one, are that individual day's website banners. (The above piece is my favorite of the bunch.) I am sure full sized art exists and that these are only slices to fit the web. Not that I mind. I'll take what I can get!

Historians correctly note that the public's response to Disney at the fair was the proving grounds to see if a Disneyland styled park and resort would be a hit should one be built on the East Coast. The results spoke for themselves, as Disney's work on four pavilion's were among the most popular.

EPCOT Center's CenterCore or the 1964 World's Fair?

Ford's "Magic Skyway" was one of the most popular attractions. Guests cruised in automobiles back in time to the world of dinosaurs. If the concept seems much like EPCOT Center's beloved World of Motion, well it is. The Future World attraction, sponsored by General Motors (and with an incredibly good voiceover tour by Gary Owens) used several variations on the same theme. If you look at the concept piece directly above, you may see the inspiration the ending of the attraction as guests cruised into CenterCore, the city of the future.

You can even see some similarities between the entrance to the EPCOT attraction and what was built for the Fair. In each, the cars were shown to guests as a draw into the attraction, moving in a circular path. If something works, there's no need to reinvent the wheel.

Each of these attractions would return from the fair back to Disneyland in one form or another. Magic Skyway was represented as part of the now Grand Canyon /Primeval World diorama (dinorama?)

Unfortunately, for most of the art shown on the Disney blog, there is no artist information made available for any of these pieces. (Imagineer Mary Blair's pieces-below- are instantly recognizable for It's a Small World collection, however!) Regardless, they do make a nice addition to my collection!

Love it or hate it, It's A Small World was a fan favorite from day one when it made its debut at the fair. The Pepsi show had it all- charm, warmth, and great atmosphere- not to mention the iconic song. I'm particularly fond of the forward looking color scheme in the second piece.

When it came to designing the attraction for Florida's Magic Kingdom, could it be the Imagineers looked at the piece above as inspiration for the new ending? The carousel and ferris wheel make the perfect setting for a playful conclusion- but not for a theme park.

Third on today's list: Carousel of Progress or Progressland as it was called at the fair. The innovative attraction traveled to California and landed in Tomorrowland in 1967. It was a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow for the extensive re-Imagineering of the Land of the Future.

Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln. The State of Illinois hired Disney to bring this remarkable one man show for visitors from all over the world. After a few problems, he performed perfectly, proving to Imagineering that they could in fact pull off human characters so convincingly. In the last couple of decades, the Disney suits thought about removing Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln more than once- including replacing this patriotic masterpiece with a new home for the Muppets. I'm sure Walt Disney was turning over in his grave! Wiser heads prevailed, and after a strange attempt at renovation, Tony Baxter was given the job to update the show. True to form, he handled it with impeccable style and restraint. 

As I said at the beginning, keep your eyes on the Disney blog. In the meantime, if you want to hear and see more about Disney at the Fair, order the boxed set. It's well worth the money!

Lastly, make sure you come back May 1st as the Insights and Sounds blog celebrates the 25th Anniversary of Disney's Hollywood Studios. I was there opening month, so this post is filled with photos, concept art, and a history of the park- with a few trip reports along the way through in for good measure. It's the longest, largest post I think I've ever written.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)