Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress (New York version)

(An instrumental of "There's a Great Big, Beautiful Tomorrow" plays as guests enter. The kaleidophonic screen flashes in different colors as the music plays. A giant cog sign saying, "Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress" stands at the center of the stage. The cog sign is darkened. Simba, Nala, Kovu, Kiara, Jelani, Mufasa, Sarabi, Ahadi, Uru, Balto, Jenna, Kodi, and Aleu are all sitting at one side of the stage while James sits at another.)


(The theatre lights dim, lights illuminate the cog logo, and the kaleidophonic screen's lights shine beautifully.)


James: Welcome to Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress. You're in for a real treat.


Uru: So, James, what is the Carousel of Progress?


James: Well, Uru, the Carousel of Progress is Walt Disney's own idea from beginning to end. He loved this show. He introduced the show here in New York for the 1964 World's Fair and it was an immediate smash hit. Millions of people have passed through the doors of this carousel theatre to see the family and hear the voices of the Carousel of Progress. And since then, this show is the longest running show in the history of American Theatre.


Kiara: So, what is the storyline of the show?


James: This show is about an American family traveling through the 20th Century, experiencing all the new innovations of each era. And so, that is the story of the Carousel of Progress. And now, let's go on through history, and meet the family on Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress!


(They begin to sing as the audience begins rotating clockwise into Act 1.)


All: There's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day. There's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, and tomorrow's just a dream away. Man has a dream and that's the start. He follows his dream with mind and heart. And when it becomes a reality, it's a dream come true for you and me. So there's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day! There's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, just a dream away!


Act 1: Spring


(John sits decked out in his dressing gown reading his newspaper and holding his pipe. James sits on a table next to John. Simba, Nala, Kovu, Kiara, Jelani, Mufasa, Sarabi, Ahadi, Uru, Balto, Jenna, Kodi, and Aleu sit on the floor next to Rover.)


John: Well, the robins are back. That's a sure sign of Spring.


James: What year is it? Oh, just before the turn of the century. And things can't be any better than they are today.


Mufasa: Yes, we have all the latest things. Gas lamps, a telephone, and the latest design in cast-iron stoves.


Kiara: That reservoir keeps 5 gallons of water hot all day on just 3 buckets of coal. It sure beats cutting wood.


Aleu: And isn't our new ice box a beauty? Holds 50 pounds of ice. Milk doesn't sour as quick as it used to.


John: Our dog Rover keeps the water in the drip pan from overflowing. You know, it wasn't too long ago we had to carry water from a well. But thanks to progress, we have a pump right here in the kitchen. (handpump makes noise as it pumps water) Of course we keep a bucket of water handy to prime it with.


Simba: Yes sir, we've got everything to make life easier.


John: Mother, I was reading about a fella named Tom Edison, who's working on an idea for snap-on electric lights.


Sarah: I'll believe that when I see it.


John: (laughs) That's my wife, Sarah.


Sarah: But with my new wash day marvel, it takes only 5 hours to do the wash. Imagine!


Uru: That's right folks. Now, Sarah has time for other things like-


Sarah: Like canning and polishing the stove?


James: Okay, Mother.


John: You just iron the wrinkles out of my shirts.


Sarah: Yes, dear.


Ahadi: But no one can improve on nature for drying clothes. (thunders and starts raining) Oh well, the cistern was low on rain water anyway.


(Rover growls)


John: Rover, mind your manners. You know, our home entertainment is improving too. With this amazing new stereoscope, my son can now see and learn all about the latest events in the world, like the World's Fair in St. Louis.


Jim: Wow! That's amazing!


John: (laughs) Get back to your homework, son.


Nala: Well, we also have one of those new gramophones. It plays music right here in our home. ("There's a Great Big, Beautiful Tomorrow" plays on gramophone)


Sarabi: Well, the young folks have their own ideas about entertainment too.


Balto: For instance, Jane, our teenage daughter, is getting ready to go to a trolley party on one of those new electric streetcars.


Jenna: She says that hayrides are old fashioned.


Jane: Thanks for letting me go, Papa.


John: Be home by 9:00, daughter.


Jane: Yes, Papa.


Kodi: It's hard to imagine that life can get any better than this.


Simba: That's true. But there's a new company, working on bringing the same power that runs those streetcars into our homes.


Mufasa: Because those folks are working that out, one thing is certain.


(Everyone begins singing again as the audience rotates into Act 2.)


All: There's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day. There's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, and tomorrow's just a dream away. Man has a dream, and that's the start. He follows his dream with mind and heart. And when it becomes a reality, it's a dream come true for you and me. So there's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day! There's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, just a dream away.


Act 2: Summer


(John sits in a chair fanning himself with a fan labeled "Niagra Falls." James stands on a chair near Buster and the others. It is evening outside.)


John: Whew! Hottest summer we've had in years. Well, we've progressed a long way since the turn of the century 20 years ago. But no one realized then that this would be the age of electricity.


Simba: Everyone's using it. Farmers, factories, whole towns!


(Cars and trolleys make noise outside. Lights from city outside light up.)


Nala: With electric streetlights, we don't worry so much about the youngsters being out after dark. And what a difference in our home. (Lights dim and wires glow in bright colors.)


James: We can run as many wires as we need in any direction for Mother's new electrical servants: Electric sewing machine, coffee percolator, toaster, waffle iron, refrigerator.


Mufasa: And they all go to work at the click of a switch. (A sudden burst of music is heard and the appliances all come to life and turn on.) Whoa! Take it easy! You'll blow a fuse! (Appliances stop.) (Buster barks) Down, Buster.


James: Well, the days of heavy irons, cast-iron stoves, and ironing boards are gone forever. With an electric iron and electric lights, Sarah has something to do to fill in her evenings. Right, Mother?


Sarah: Yes, dear.


Jelani: By the way, we have a phonograph now. And there's a new kind of music called jazz, that all the kids go for. ("There's a Great Big, Beautiful Tomorrow" plays on phonograph)


Jelani: With his crystal set, Grandpa can get bigtime entertainment from distances up to a hundred miles away.


(Radio makes noise and static is heard)


Simba: Now that's called static. There's something progress can't improve on. It's called romance.


Sarah: Jane, it's after 9:30.


Jane: Yes, Mother.


Ahadi: (laughs) Mother broadcasted time signals long before radio ever got the idea. (Buster growls) Cut that out, Buster! Well, we've got indoor plumbing now. It saves a lot of walking. In our new bathroom, we have a houseguest, Cousin Orville.


Kovu: As usual, he's taken over the most comfortable spot in the house. Well, I'll say one thing for him though. He's rigged up something very clever. He calls it "air cooling." Not a bad idea at all. That's an invention that may be perfected in the near future. But maybe that's hoping for too much.


Jelani: Well, considering all the conveniences we have today, I think we have made real progress in making our lives better.


Mufasa: But when we read about the things those research people are working on, we can be sure of one thing.


(everyone sings as the audience rotates into Act 3)


All: There's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day. There's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, and tomorrow's just a dream away. Man has a dream and that's the start. He follows his dream with mind and heart. And when it becomes a reality, it's a dream come true for you and me. So there's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day! There's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, just a dream away!


Act 3: Autumn


(John sits on a kitchen nook bench behind a table with a sandwich on the table. James sits on a comfortable barstool. Simba and the lions sit in front of the table. Balto, Jenna, Kodi, and Aleu sit near Sport.)


John: Well, it's Autumn again and the kids are back in school. Thank goodness!


Simba: Here we are in the Frantic 40's and we have a lot of new appliances here in the kitchen. For instance, we have a new electric washing machine. It does about everything except hang up the clothes.


Kiara: Electric ranges are a big improvement over the early models of the 1920's. And refrigerators are bigger and better than ever.


Balto: It keeps vegetables garden fresh for days. There's a meat compartment and it holds much more ice than before.


Jenna: Dishwashing has also gone electric too. And that's real progress!


Ahadi: Kitchens are places to relax in now. We spend a lot of time here. Have to. Now that television is here, Grandma and Grandpa have taken over our den.


(televsion turns on and shows black and white images)


Mufasa: Well, it's very primitive now. But I predict that there will be bigger screens, better visibility, and maybe even some color and the kids will learn a lot from it.


John: But right now, my son Jim is more interested in models. Airplane models, more specifically.


(model plane makes noise)


Jim: Hey, guys! It works!


James: We hear it! Good work, Jim! (Sport barks) Cut that out, Sport!


Simba: Remember back in the 20's when young people got their exercise dancing the Charleston? Now, John's daughter Jane keeps in shape with electricity.


(electric weight-reducing machine makes noise)


John: We're having another phone put in next week.


(Sport growls)


James: Quiet, Sport. You can never underestimate the power of a woman. Speaking of women doing things, Mother is caught up in the new do-it-yourself craze. She's remodeling our basement into something called a rumpus room.


Uru: Mother's pretty ingenious like using her food mixer for stirring paint?!


John: Well, that's my wife, Sarah.


Sarah: Uh, fellas?


John: Yes, Sarah?


Sarah: I was just wondering, if you hired someone to do this, wouldn't you pay that person?


Simba: Sure. Why do you ask?


Sarah: I'm thinking that I should get equal pay.


Ahadi: We might work something out later on.


Sarah: When?


(cuckoo clock chimes)


Cuckoo bird: There's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day!


James: You stay out of this! Well, if there will be a great big, beautiful tomorrow, it's time to move on now.


Jelani: It's also time to sing the song again. Come on, everybody!


(Everyone begins to sing again as the audience rotates into Act 4.)


All: There's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day. There's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow's just a dream away. Man has a dream and that's the start. He follows his dream with mind and heart. And when it becomes a reality, it's an dream come true for you and me. So there's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day! There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, just a dream away!


Act 4: Christmas


John: Well, it sure is nice to have the whole family home for the holidays.


Simba: Of course it is, John. By the way, it's a very wonderful holiday.


Ahadi: So, what's new around the house?


James: Well, there's a new voice-activation system. Now, the electric appliances will activate at the sound of any of the family's voices. For example, the new electric range will automatically set the time and temperature controls when commanded to.


Simba: Now, we have laserdiscs and High-Definition TV too.


But for real progress, we also have new virtual reality video games.


Jelani: Also, we have new innovative transportation. We have jet airplanes which fly even faster than before.


Kovu: That's right, son. We have electronic computers. They can show us lots of information on the world.


Simba: We can create new color schemes by simply flicking a switch. The air conditioning can switch from heating to cooling automatically as the outside weather suggests.


Grandma: There are so many wonders the new century has to offer.


Grandpa: Well, you're right about that.


Jane: Of course, for seniors like Grandpa and Grandma, there are retirement homes.


John: But it sure is good to have them live here with us.


Jane: Sure is, Dad.


James: And for communication, we have a new iPhone.


Simba: This model actually uses videophone. There's also the new iPad. It's like a computer, but it does so much more.


Jim: Yes. But we haven't said anything about our community.


James: That's changed in a great big, beautiful way.


Mufasa: I would like to say something. Progress is something we can't take for granted. It takes a lot of people wanting it and willing to work for it. And for all you folks out there, we invite you to see and learn more about Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress and Walt Disney's Progress City.


(everyone begins to sing as the audience rotates into the unloading theatre)


All: There's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day. There's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, and tomorrow's just a dream away. Man has a dream, and that's the start. He follows his dream with mind amd heart. And when it becomes a reality, it's a dream come true for you and me. So there's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day! There's a great big, beautiful tomorrow, just a dream away!


The unloading theatre kaleidophonic screen flashes in synch to a marching band version of "There's A Great Big, Beautiful Tomorrow". The animals are all standing in front of the giant wall of flashing lights.


Jelani: Is that all?


James: Of course not, Jelani. There's a lot more to see on the second floor of this building. Now folks, please gather your personal belongings and pass through the doors which you entered and move up the moving ramp. Walt Disney's EPCOT lies ahead. We'll all be up there to tell you more about EPCOT. Please keep moving. Don't stand in the way of progress!


Guests move up the ramp to the second floor to the model of EPCOT.


Act 5: EPCOT


James: Welcome to Walt Disney's EPCOT. This model you see here is a vision for a city which Walt dubbed the Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow. At the center of the city is a proposed design for the Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.


Uru: Moving in and out of the hotel are monorails which go outside EPCOT and to the Transportation and Ticket Center.


Simba: Also there is another transportation system dubbed the WEDWay PeopleMover. Powered by electric motors embedded in the track, the PeopleMover takes guests to and from the suburbian areas in the city. All the homes have all the latest conveniences, like the homes in the Carousel of Progress. There are so many things here in Walt Disney's Progress City. Now, EPCOT has become EPCOT Center in Walt Disney World, or simply Epcot. Now, it's time to go. Thank you for coming. Now, feel free to view and explore the rest of the exhibits about Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress. Have a great big, beautiful tomorrow.