Another Carousel of Progress audio-animatronic lost a hand mid-show at Magic Kingdom this week. John, the father of the progress family, previously lost a hand in February 2020 and again in August 2023. Now Grandpa went handless during the Christmas finale scene.
Carousel of Progress Grandpa Loses a Hand
TikTok user @anywayitsamy shared a video of the Grandpa’s hand on the ground next to him, among the presents below the Christmas tree. Amy wrote in the video that “grandpa really wanted to lend a hand at Christmas” and added in the caption that they were evacuated from the attraction, possibly because of the hand.
This scene was updated last summer, with the animatronics getting new hair and outfits, while the dialogue remained the same.
Carousel of Progress has also seen at least two squirrel invasions this year. In March, we shared a rare glimpse of generational progress as the ride broke down mid-rotation, showing two scenes at once.
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
This classic Disney attraction premiered at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair in the General Electric (GE) Pavilion. The fair was notable for also featuring the debut of “it’s a small world” and other pioneering efforts from Walt. After the fair ended, both attractions moved to Disneyland. The Carousel of Progress operated in California from 1967 until 1973, after which it was replaced by America Sings (which itself later closed and was replaced by Innoventions and Star Wars Launch Bay).
Progress lived on at Magic Kingdom, though, where it opened in 1975 and remains to this day. 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 at the dawn of the 21st century.
The carousel 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, though it has remained mostly unchanged since the 1990s. In addition to the Christmas scene updates, Halloween decorations were updated last 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.
During a “Haunted Mansion” movie interview, star Jamie Lee Curtis said she would like to make a Carousel of Progress movie.
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