Wednesday was a nutty day at Magic Kingdom as a squirrel snuck itself onto Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress and crashed the 1940s Halloween show scene. Watch our video of the squirrel in our embedded Tweet below or by clicking here.
The squirrel got on stage and seemed to be enjoying the show, watching Sarah work on her rumpus room as that scene lit up. When John said it was “time to move on,” the squirrel even ran across the stage towards the next scene, before jumping off and out of sight.
It’s not uncommon for guests to see small animals like squirrels running around Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, especially near dining locations. Birds sometimes even fly through open doors and find themselves temporarily trapped inside. But a squirrel on stage at Carousel of Progress is a rarer sight (at this point, you’re more likely to see a guest invading the scene).
Have you ever seen an animal lost on a Walt Disney World attraction? Let us know in the comments.
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
This classic Disney attraction premiered at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair at the General Electric (GE) Pavilion. The fair was notable for also featuring the debut of “it’s a small world.” After the fair, both attractions moved to Disneyland. The Carousel of Progress operated at Disneyland from 1967 until 1973, after which it was replaced by America Sings (which itself later closed and replaced by Innoventions and Star Wars Launch Bay).
But Carousel of Progress lived on at Magic Kingdom, where it opened in 1975 and remains today. The attraction sees guests seated in a round, rotating theater, that takes them through four different scenes featuring the same American family in different eras of history. The first scene is Valentine’s Day at the “turn of the century,” the second is the 4th of July in the 1920s, the third is Halloween in the 1940s, and the fourth is Christmas in the 21st century.
The ride focuses on technology, as well as other elements of American family life, and how things have changed over the course of (now well over) a century. As the opening narration states, “Although our Carousel family has experienced a few changes over the years, our show still revolves around the same theme — and that’s progress.”
There have been multiple iterations of the finale scene in particular, but it has been mostly unchanged since the 1990s. In 2022, the family received new outfits and hair, but the set and dialogue remained the same. Halloween decorations were updated later that same year.
Carousel of Progress is known for its theme song, composed by the Sherman Brothers, “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.” Many also remember “The Best Time of Your Life,” which was the theme song from 1974 to 1994.
Jamie Lee Curtis said during a “Haunted Mansion” movie interview that she would like to make a Carousel of Progress movie.
What is your favorite part of the Carousel of Progress? Let us know in the comments.
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