There's a great, big, beautiful tomorrow....
So I decided to make my apartment a "smart home". I have Amazon Alexa devices in the living room and the bedroom; I can play music in any room, control the lights and the TV with my voice, set alarms, etc. I am installing a Ring doorbell...
But when I came cross this item I had to laugh...
There's nothing particularly humorous about a voice controlled oven... unless you're a Disneyphile who has spent too much time in the Magic Kingdom.
Let me explain.
General Electric and Walt Disney put together an exhibit for the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair, an animatronic show they called "The Carousel of Progress". The show took viewers from the turn of the century to the 1920's to the 1940's, showing the audience the progress in labor-saving devices. The show ended in the 1960's, and was a showcase for all of the best GE could offer in the way of refrigerators, washing machines and other modern conveniences.
The theme song? Written by the Sherman Brothers, of course.
Shining at the end of every day
There's a great, big, beautiful tomorrow
And tomorrow's just a dream away
He follows his dream with mind and heart
And when it becomes a reality
It's a dream come true for you and me
Shining at the end of every day
There's a great, big, beautiful tomorrow
Just a dream away
After the Fair ended, the Carousel was relocated to Disneyland in California. Later it was moved to Disneyworld in Florida, and was updated several times, most recently in the 1990's. The 1990's version of the ride is currently operating in the Magic Kingdom.
The 1990's version of the ride includes scenes from the turn of the century, the 1920's and the 1940's, and ends with a scene set "in the future", with the modern family celebrating Christmas. The son and the grandmother are playing a video game on the TV, the mother is working on a home computer, programming the voice-activated household devices. There's mention of a "laserdisc" and a "car phone", and a "whole new century waiting for us". And the father is cooking a Christmas turkey in the voice-controlled oven; the oven and turkey become the punch line of the vignette.
The ride clearly needs another update, because obviously the "future" has arrived.
Here's the ride as it currently exists; the last scene begins at 15:36
There is something to be said for anachronistic futures. Before they updated world of tomorrow at Disneyland, it had a decidedly '60s future vibe. Of course, I haven't been back in ages, so I'm not sure how well the update has aged.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to visit Disneyland and compare it to Florida.
DeleteWell, actually, there are smart ovens - GE makes a line. But I watched portions of this video. Oh yes I remember the Carousel of Progress from the 1964 Worlds Fair. I was in 6th grade when it opened (I grew up in the Bronx) and I was able to go there several times. I had no idea it was a Walt Disney creation! I haven't been to the Magic Kingdom since 1975. Another ride I loved from that Fair was It's a Small World, and I understand that the original ride still operates (with updates) at Disneyworld. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI went to the Fair twice, I remember Small World and the Sinclair dinosaurs. I make it a habit to ride Small World in Disneyworld, the ride has been updated but it's still fun.
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