Carousel Of Progress Debate

wjd8260 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-10-2005, 11:34 PM

Our family has always loved Carousel Of Progress. It's such a great and entertaining attraction, no matter how many times you've seen it. And what better a place to cool off on a hot day!! COP has it all - air conditioning, comfortable seating, volume at just the right pitch. I think I'm probably about 50-50 between actually seeing the show and dozing.

As anyone who has ever seen it knows Carousel Of Progress opens in the spring of the early 1900's. The next scene is summer about 20 years later. The third is fall in the 1940's. The last scene depicted is winter of more modern times.

After seeing Carousel Of Progress this past weekend for the ump-teenth time I posed the following to my family for debate:

Who are the people in each scene in relation to everyone else? What I mean is: the father in the opening scene, while he generally looks like the father in the third and fourth scenes, cannot be the same man.

Let's say he's in his late twenties to early thirties in the first scene and he has the two children around their early teenage years. By the time we get to the third scene that man would be in his seventies. Not to mention that the father in the scene still has the two early teenage years. And by the time we get to the final scene, since it's approximately 80 or 90 years later, he'd be well over 100!! If this is true that would make the father in the final scene the son from the third scene (he'd be somewhere around fifty to sixty).

I suggested that the grandfather in the final scene is actually the son from the second scene. If he were say 12 in the second scene he'd be in his eighties or nineties.

Confused yet??

My family scoffed at the notion. They really didn't have any age-vs.-timeline explanation either. Math is just sooooo hard to do when the temperature goes above 90 degrees!!

What does everyone else think??

Pete Fan · #2 (**permalink**) 07-10-2005, 11:42 PM

i think it is meant to be timeless. the same family in many time periods. with he same family dynamic just different "progress". i went on it twice last week to beat the heat. still a great attraction!

DisneyDriver · #3 (**permalink**) 07-10-2005, 11:43 PM

I believe that it is the identical show that originally was in Disneyland. I saw it then, and loved it!

I do think that the Father figure is the same person from scene to scene. the may update his hair or clothing, but the same character. This also applies tot he rest of the characters in the scenes.

dmand13 · #4 (**permalink**) 07-11-2005, 02:26 AM

I can honestly say that I never thought of that. I would guess that it is timeless, or that it's the same family, just at different times throughout the century.

wjd8260 · #5 (**permalink**) 07-11-2005, 02:31 AM

Oh c'mon!! Where's everyone's sense of debate??!!

I, personally, also think it's meant to be timeless. But you have to admit, such debates are a better way to pass time in line than just standing there sweltering!!

galaga_girl · #6 (**permalink**) 07-11-2005, 05:49 AM

I LOVE this attraction. I've only ever been to see it once, but am hoping it will be open again this September and I can't wait to see it again (although I still wish there was an 80's era)!

RachaelK · #7 (**permalink**) 07-11-2005, 05:53 AM

We find this attraction a great way to get out of the heat + sit down . It's good to have the old classics , I find them fun

momh · #8 (**permalink**) 07-11-2005, 07:56 AM

After visiting WDW 3 times, last year was my first time doing Carousel of Progress. It was wonderful !

Yes it is a great way to cool off. After the show we all sang that song on the way back to the resort.

CrashPQ · #9 (**permalink**) 07-11-2005, 10:00 AM

The main character in the Carousel of Progress is not the same man aging, he a likeness of the man in the previous setting. He may even be the same man appearing as he would in a given era. As the main character and narrator it's best to maintain a sense of familiarity throughout the show. I suspect, that initially, he would have been the same person, except that concept had to be changed with each change of the final scene. When it first appeared, the lapse between scenes was surely consistant, but in keeping with the past to present theme, the last scene needs to be current.

sefrali · #10 (**permalink**) 07-11-2005, 01:03 PM

It's definately on my families list of must-dos. It's a classic that shouldn't be missed.

Oo-de-lally · #11 (**permalink**) 07-12-2005, 01:33 PM

I thought about that myself once after seeing the show. I absolutely love the Carousel of Progress, but it really never made sense that the father would still be in the last scene. But maybe it happened that way when they reopened the ride to update it. In the 60's it would have worked, but since technology has changed they had to keep up with the times and continue the storyline as well. But I see your point, and it could be the son- but I really don't think so. And like others have said, it just shows that the family is timeless. I'm glad so many others love COP as much as I do!

Autodoc · #12 (**permalink**) 07-12-2005, 04:33 PM

I first saw this in 1967 as a kid and have always wanted to see it again. Can't wait for the WDW trip in Sept. to see it again!

LiamMcKay · #13 (**permalink**) 07-12-2005, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wjd8260

Oh c'mon!! Where's everyone's sense of debate??!!

I, personally, also think it's meant to be timeless. But you have to admit, such debates are a better way to pass time in line than just standing there sweltering!!

Ok....I'd like to look at it from a perspective that involves quantum physics. The father leaps from time zone to time zone. , but for some reason and possibly due to a slight rift in the sapce/time continuum, he cannot advance beyond the year 1979. Now, I believe that the carousel itself and the rate of speed at which it travels may have some effect on the number of children that he has in each scene. Further more I alledge that.......

Actually.... I never thought about it. It's just fun!

Autodoc · #14 (**permalink**) 07-12-2005, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiamMcKay

Ok....I'd like to look at it from a perspective that involves quantum physics. The father leaps from time zone to time zone. , but for some reason and possibly due to a slight rift in the sapce/time continuum, he cannot advance beyond the year 1979. Now, I believe that the carousel itself and the rate of speed at which it travels may have some effect on the number of children that he has in each scene. Further more I alledge that.......

Actually.... I never thought about it. It's just fun!

Due to the spinning motion of the ride, and a known rift in the time/space continum that is always above WDW he is able to exist in all time zones at the same time! This is a little known problem at WDW, just look at the CM's they never change and they neer get any older~~~

Dizneyfreek · #15 (**permalink**) 07-23-2005, 11:28 PM

I probably would have a better opinion about this attractions, if it didn't brake down last time i was on it. It was great up until it broke