I was watching the Carousel of Progress on youtube (trying to figure out if we should take our 20 month old girls on it in two weeks), and noticed that the characters look much more articulate than I remember, much like the newer ones on spaceship earth, pirates of the caribbean, etc. My last visit was December of 2008, and I don't remember it being that way then. So if they were updated, when was it done?
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
When was the last time the Carousel of Progress animatronics were updated?
- Thread starter musketeer
- Start date
Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
As they say in the show "Somewhere around the turn of the century"
JustInTime
Well-Known Member
I wish they would have kept the format of the other 3 rooms for the last one. Him and rover at the kitchen table and two mini turning stages to the sides. What was the original like?
wolf359
Well-Known Member
You'll have to blame that one on Walt Disney. Act four has had essentially the same layout since 1964.
Is everyone sure about this? Because the video on youtube really looks like they are moving much more fluidly and more like the modern animatronics in other rides. And i really don't remember that on my last visit 2 years ago. It's entirely possible that I'm crazy, but I swear they are different.
flavious27
Well-Known Member
i don't remember reading of any refurbs for it.
Vince3
New Member
You're right about that. It would have been cool if they kept the same theme.
RonAnnArbor
Well-Known Member
The responses are correct -- it has not be refurbished since 1994.
It is exactly the same today as it was two years ago, 10 years ago, 16 years ago. The animatronics are identical.
As to the last room, Walt Disney had a little to do with the layout being different. This entire ride was originally an advertisement for GE created for the worlds fair. The last room used to feature the most up to date GE products from 1964 and it was opened up so that for the entire time that the audience is exposed to the last room they could gaze at the most modern up-to-date GE products while the final act of the story played out.
The update replaced the old outdated GE products with modern electric generic products since GE no longer sponsors the ride. It would have been cost prohibitive to put in revolving side stages because of the ride infrastructure. BUt keep in mind, this was NOT designed to be a Disney attraction -- it was designed to be a fancy advertisement for GE.
It is exactly the same today as it was two years ago, 10 years ago, 16 years ago. The animatronics are identical.
As to the last room, Walt Disney had a little to do with the layout being different. This entire ride was originally an advertisement for GE created for the worlds fair. The last room used to feature the most up to date GE products from 1964 and it was opened up so that for the entire time that the audience is exposed to the last room they could gaze at the most modern up-to-date GE products while the final act of the story played out.
The update replaced the old outdated GE products with modern electric generic products since GE no longer sponsors the ride. It would have been cost prohibitive to put in revolving side stages because of the ride infrastructure. BUt keep in mind, this was NOT designed to be a Disney attraction -- it was designed to be a fancy advertisement for GE.
ZipADeeSarah
Member
Ugh. It DOES look like rubber.
Is Jane's skin (in the Tarzan section of GMR) the same kind? I noticed on our visit in October of last year that it seemed like her mouth barely moved. Maybe too much Botox? Are there facelifts in the jungle?
