Is Carousel of Progress closing?

[danlb_2000]

So we shouldn't expect it to be added to the American History Smithsonian within the next six months? As was rumored 18 months ago?

and 3 years ago....

1/21/2009: "Rumor that I heard when I was at the park (from a guy who's cousin is a CM) is that they are moving the ENTIRE building to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC. Since it is a landmark building. "

and 4 years ago...

1/31/2008: "While in line for SSE this past weekend, I overheard some people talking that next year they are dismantling the COP and moving it to the Smithsonian. The guy who said it claimed to be a cast member."

and 5 years ago...
4/12/2007: "a friend of mine who is very much into keeping up on disney happeneing told me a few days ago that they're going to close carousel of progress and put it in the Smithsonian"
3/26/2007: "Also, unconfirmed rumors are circulating that Carousel of Progress will be entering the Smithsonian in 2009 along with the Enchanted Tiki Room but you didn't hear it from me."

and 9 years ago....
5/11/2004: "Has anybody heard anything about Carousel of Progress being donated to the Smithsonian? It's probably just a rumor, but on the other hand, its something that I haven't heard before. "

 

[Magenta Panther]

I don't think so. It is a huge pain in the and time consuming getting to and from the island and it's time has passed. We only went over once and it was a waste of time. Even our DD of 7 at the time was bored with it. Nice piece of real estate that could be better utilized IMO.

I very reluctantly have to agree with this. Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, etc,. are not well-known anymore among the current generation. As Walt said: "Disneyland is not a museum", and I think perhaps he would have found something else to do with that land by now. The question is...WHAT should be done? I'm leaning towards more Pirates myself, since it is an original, Walt-inspired creation that has, happily, stood the test of time a bit better than Tom Sawyer. But I'm certainly open to other ideas as well. The one thing I would hate is if the Liberty Belle were permanently docked. That is an enjoyable little water ride that has none of the cheeziness of Jungle Cruise. I'd be sad if it were ended.

 

[copcarguyp71]

I very reluctantly have to agree with this. Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, etc,. are not well-known anymore among the current generation. As Walt said: "Disneyland is not a museum", and I think perhaps he would have found something else to do with that land by now. The question is...WHAT should be done? I'm leaning towards more Pirates myself, since it is an original, Walt-inspired creation that has, happily, stood the test of time a bit better than Tom Sawyer. But I'm certainly open to other ideas as well. The one thing I would hate is if the Liberty Belle were permanently docked. That is an enjoyable little water ride that has none of the cheeziness of Jungle Cruise. I'd be sad if it were ended.

Started a thread on this. Please participate if you like. Would love to open some good discussion on this!
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/tsi-what-would-you-do.856840/#post-5234858

 

[Darth Sidious]

CoP originated as a GE Pavilion at the 1964 New York Worlds Fair. Walt Disney Productions was asked to build an attraction for the Fair for GE. That's what he came up with. When the Fair ended it was moved to Disneyland, just like Small World was. At the same time that WDW opened CoP was moved from DL to WDW, with a new theme (now is the time) but still sponsored by GE. While in Disneyland it was located in the building where the current Innovations is housed.

Now to address the "Walt would have scrapped it a long time ago" thought. You know what, you are probably correct and that would have been OK because it didn't represent then what it does today. Walt Disney died in December of 1966, 46 years ago. We wouldn't have any of what we have there today if he hadn't existed. Slowly, they are pushing him and his name out of the scene. Why? Because it is no longer relevant to many people. There are a couple of generations that don't even know who he was! The current purpose of CoP, along with a couple of others, is to maintain that connection. It's not so much nostalgia now as it is a tribute to a man that was able to bring so much happiness to so many people. He shouldn't be forgotten. Part of the legacy that he created should be saved and maintained in working condition, as a way of saying...Thanks Walt, what you did is admired and appreciated. It's like saying, "Trash, Orville and Wilbur's plane, it's outdated, cannot fly and is a joke compared to today's aircraft". Or "Take that first Light-bulb created by Thomas Edison, smash it into pieces and sell it for recycling. LED's make that thing look silly". You get the idea, it is history, it is what started all that we currently see. With so much of our past disappearing to make way for parking garages, do we really want to see it go just because it doesn't pump up ones adrenalin?

They didn't move it to Epcot originally because Epcot didn't exist until 12 years later. Don't even think it had been really seriously thought about at the time. It had only exited in Walt's mind and not in the form that we see today. But you probably already know that!

I think people will always know who Walt Disney was... You know a few guys named Henry Ford, Mark Twain and Thomas Edison right? Whether you agree with me or not Walt is on that level in American history. I believe outside the US the number one symbolism of western culture besides the US flag is Mickey Mouse. That speaks volume to his impact in American culture. If he is pushed aside by TWDC... It isn't because they don't see him as relevant anymore but rather because they want their own legacy. I don't actually believe Disney is looking to out him from their work... Despite the 'evidence' discussed here (Disney logo etc.). Go lookup what Steve Jobs said to Tim Cook in regards to his time on the board of TWDC... It tells more than some outsider assumptions based upon some logo modifications.

 

[WDWKelly]

I would pay good money for that sweater

its from the limited, she said lol!!!

 

[WDWKelly]

I very reluctantly have to agree with this. Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, etc,. are not well-known anymore among the current generation. As Walt said: "Disneyland is not a museum", and I think perhaps he would have found something else to do with that land by now. The question is...WHAT should be done? I'm leaning towards more Pirates myself, since it is an original, Walt-inspired creation that has, happily, stood the test of time a bit better than Tom Sawyer. But I'm certainly open to other ideas as well. The one thing I would hate is if the Liberty Belle were permanently docked. That is an enjoyable little water ride that has none of the cheeziness of Jungle Cruise. I'd be sad if it were ended.

honestly, tom and huck ARE still well-known amoung my middle school. they may not know the characters too well, but they all know where they came from

 

[BenSmith]

Teachers will always make kids read books the kids don't want to read, such as Tom Sawyer , so kids know them only by the websites that give book summaries

 

[WDWKelly]

Teachers will always make kids read books the kids don't want to read, such as Tom Sawyer , so kids know them only by the websites that give book summaries

but they are still getting exposure to the characters, arent they?

 

[BenSmith]

Yes, But not in an enjoyable way(for most kids). It's the same thing as Oliver Twist, A great Story, but the Book is in Old English and is difficult to read, so kids are getting interaction to the story, just not a positive one

This has Nothing to do with COP though

 

[Goofyernmost]

I think people will always know who Walt Disney was... You know a few guys named Henry Ford, Mark Twain and Thomas Edison right? Whether you agree with me or not Walt is on that level in American history. I believe outside the US the number one symbolism of western culture besides the US flag is Mickey Mouse. That speaks volume to his impact in American culture. If he is pushed aside by TWDC... It isn't because they don't see him as relevant anymore but rather because they want their own legacy. I don't actually believe Disney is looking to out him from their work... Despite the 'evidence' discussed here (Disney logo etc.). Go lookup what Steve Jobs said to Tim Cook in regards to his time on the board of TWDC... It tells more than some outsider assumptions based upon some logo modifications.

I understand what you are saying, but I differ in the distinction of Walt Disney as opposed to Ford, Twain, Edison, etc. Mickey Mouse is recognizable world wide because he still has exposure world wide. Disney was the hidden man behind the creation and hasn't been seen animated for 46 years. His name is on the Resort, but for most younger folks it has no real meaning besides what they have gleaned from their parents, sorta second hand. Many of us remember Walt from TV, etc. but that generation that actually had some degree of live contact, whether it be in person or via the TV, is starting to thin out. There will be no history books talking about Walt Disney other then in casual passing unlike those previously mentioned. His impact was huge to those of us that are involved in things Disney, but we are not the majority of the world. We are not even the majority of this country, a thing we sometimes fail to recognize in our personal obsession.

 

[Lil Fort]

I think the confusion stems from the fact that the internal web site is showing in big bold red lettering that it is permanently closed. And the calendar for Jan does not show any operating hours.
What is confusing is that it is open and it does show hours of operation for all of Dec., so it's not permanently closed as of now.
It could be just a mistake or a lag in updating the calendar or it could be closing in Jan.

Nooooooo!!! You still owe me a trip to CoP! We were going to sing and everything!

 

[nytimez]

The discussion on remembering Walt Disney reminds me of the story often told about Roy Disney changing the name of the project under construction in Florida.

The way the story goes, after Walt died, Roy began asking people who started the Ford Motor Co and was surprised at how few people could answer "Henry Ford." And that's when he decided that the "Disney" name alone wouldn't be enough for the new park... so "Disney World" became "Walt Disney World" to ensure his brother would never be forgotten.

So many of these stories are apocryphal that I don't know how true it is. But it's a nice story anyway.

 

[coachwnh]

for us, its a must do each trip!!!

 

[Darth Sidious]

The discussion on remembering Walt Disney reminds me of the story often told about Roy Disney changing the name of the project under construction in Florida.

The way the story goes, after Walt died, Roy began asking people who started the Ford Motor Co and was surprised at how few people could answer "Henry Ford." And that's when he decided that the "Disney" name alone wouldn't be enough for the new park... so "Disney World" became "Walt Disney World" to ensure his brother would never be forgotten.

So many of these stories are apocryphal that I don't know how true it is. But it's a nice story anyway.

He just said he wanted to ensure Walt Disney was remembered as the guy who started it all. He mentioned Ford and he didn't have any empirical evidence but he noted that everyone knows Ford but it wasn't a guarantee they knew Henry Ford started it.

 

[nytimez]

He just said he wanted to ensure Walt Disney was remembered as the guy who started it all. He mentioned Ford and he didn't have any empirical evidence but he noted that everyone knows Ford but it wasn't a guarantee they knew Henry Ford started it.

Apologies. I didn't realize you were there. I stand corrected. In my defense, I did begin by saying I wasn't sure how true the story is.

 

[GoofGoof]

I think the confusion stems from the fact that the internal web site is showing in big bold red lettering that it is permanently closed. And the calendar for Jan does not show any operating hours.
What is confusing is that it is open and it does show hours of operation for all of Dec., so it's not permanently closed as of now.
It could be just a mistake or a lag in updating the calendar or it could be closing in Jan.

So by internal web site you mean for CMs? Are you saying that COP is showing as permanently closed in January on an internal web site?

 

[Darth Sidious]

Apologies. I didn't realize you were there. I stand corrected. In my defense, I did begin by saying I wasn't sure how true the story is.

I wasn't challenging your point... Rather adding to it/clarifying... I went and researched it as I read your disclaimer. Overall my point from earlier is that Walt Disney will continue to be an American legend that is still relevant because of his legacy.

 

[PalisadesPkteer]

The CoP is a must do and multiple times on each trip. if they just updated the last scene every so often to reflect the near or far future i feel the attraction would be fine. Just need a little tweak in the dialogue and even a new futuristic family in last scene. "Hey Dad, Mom just got back from gravity games. Boy was it exciting! Yes Son - Daughter saw it on interac-tv, reminds me of those days when we were small when we would watch Football on HD TV. Imagine! all those inoventions from the past that led to the way we live Today in (insert date). We owe a lot to the ideas - imagination -inspiration- and inovations that our Fathers and Grand Fathers left to us as a legacy to build on!" Etc.

 

[Wojciehowicz]

Nooooooo!!! You still owe me a trip to CoP! We were going to sing and everything!

Haven't I been telling you all along that it needs a serious makeover.

Are you saying that COP is showing as permanently closed in January on an internal web site?

No, I'm saying that the calendar currently does not show any operating hours after Dec.
It could simply be that they haven't updated yet or it could mean that it is closing.
My point is that it could be creating some confusion with other people who have access to the info and are interpreting it as being closed down in Jan. I wouldn't interpret it that way. I haven't heard anything official and I would think that I would have heard something by now.
Besides, Lil Fort and I have to experience it together before it disappears.

 

[Lil Fort]

Haven't I been telling you all along that it needs a serious makeover.

I think it is perfect, just the way it is. Dirty faces and everything. Ok... maybe not the dirty faces.

Besides, Lil Fort and I have to experience it together before it disappears.

You betcha!