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View Full Version : carousel of progress at the smithsonian?



handmaidenofprincesses
04-12-2007, 08:32 PM
a friend of mine who is very much into keeping up on disney happeneing told me a few days ago that they're going to close carousel of progress and put it in the smithsonian. I think that sounds a bit far fetched but I'm still curious. Anyone know anything about this?

DisneyNut2005
04-12-2007, 09:39 PM
Aye, aye, aye...here we go again...:sick:

Rumors of the CoP closing have been going around on and off for like a decade and a half and nothing has happened?

It's still just rumors, so please take it all with a grain of salt.

imaprincess!
04-13-2007, 06:46 AM
I've never heard that, but I hope it wouldn't be true. COP is a classic and it's just where it belongs! :number1:

prttynpnk
04-13-2007, 07:14 AM
Nooooooooo!!!!!!

JPL
04-14-2007, 02:00 AM
This is not a rumour it is a deal that would allow the Carousel to reside at the Smithsonian if and when Disney decides to remove. This is a done deal as far as I have heard. But again it's not a question if it's true it's more of a when question.

Dixie Springs
04-14-2007, 09:36 AM
CoP is one of my favorites. I guess the Smithsonian would be better than scrapping the set and cannibalizing the AA characters for other attractions. The only problem is CoP is kind of big - can't imagine where it would go in the Smithsonian. Real estate is sort of at a premium along the Mall in DC. It would probably be set up in a different configuration.

Polynesian Dweller
04-14-2007, 11:50 AM
Most important thing is to save it for posterity. :thumbsup: Its getting pretty creeky these days. Every ride over the last 3 years has had something go wrong including the whole carousel getting stuck.

So its great if it gets its place in history.

DisneyNut2005
04-14-2007, 03:35 PM
This is not a rumour it is a deal that would allow the Carousel to reside at the Smithsonian if and when Disney decides to remove. This is a done deal as far as I have heard. But again it's not a question if it's true it's more of a when question.

Personally, I can't see any "whens" in this equation. Only "ifs".

And I'm still in the camp that says it'll remain in the Magic Kingdom forever and get updated sometime in the future.

It's already gotten some TLC within the last couple of years, so I can see the show itself recieving a major restoration project in the future, following in the footsteps of the Small World and Pirates rehabs.

magicofdisney
04-14-2007, 05:06 PM
Most important thing is to save it for posterity. :thumbsup: Its getting pretty creeky these days. Every ride over the last 3 years has had something go wrong including the whole carousel getting stuck.

So its great if it gets its place in history.
My mom and I were at MK just a couple of weeks ago. In the middle of transitioning between scenes, some lady gets up and decides to leave! :mad: The ride jerks from side to side a couple of times and then stalls halfway between scenes. Incidents such as this sure get in the way of maintaining a functioning attraction. I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE CoP! I sure don't want it to leave the MK.

gsimpson
04-14-2007, 11:27 PM
Since this is the only theatre-go-round (the innoventions in DLR is in the old COP building, but there really isn't a show) I hope they just refurbish it and perhaps give it a new show, or at least a massive update. I would hate to see a one of a kind presentation format go away.

chrisb26
04-15-2007, 02:16 AM
Well I sure hope they wouldn't remove this ride from Magic Kingdom because it is one of my favorites there and it is especially good when the park is extremely crowded this ride never is. Although I am glad to hear that if they did remove this ride from Magic Kingdom that it wouldn't be just lost forever. Glad to hear that I would be able to see it somewhere else. Even if I never go to DC. I would be happy to know that it wasn't lost forever.

Donald A
04-15-2007, 01:52 PM
If it is going I don't know why they would refurbish the theaters. When I went in November, our theater section on the COP had completely new seats. I would imagine that at least means there are no immediate plans for closing. COP is one of my favorites and if Disney decided to shut it down I guess the Smithsonain would be a good place to put it. After all, COP was Walt's pride and joy.

JPL
04-15-2007, 02:13 PM
Personally, I can't see any "whens" in this equation. Only "ifs".


The deal that was made with the Smithsonian simply states when the CoP closes it will be housed there and on display. Now the when factor is simple it is highly unlikely the ride will stay open forever with all the maintenance concerns and the fact that it sit on highly value park real estate in Tomorrowland. Nobody is say it's closing anytime soon it might be 20 years from now. The point i was making is the deal with Smithsonian has been made and eventually will be the home for CoP in some form.

Jasper
04-15-2007, 02:22 PM
There are certainly others here who have more specific knowledge of a Smithsonian deal than I do, but regardless of whether it is fact or fiction, I do think the idea has merit for a lot of reasons. As for the idea of it being too large for the Smithsonian, it is possible that they may not display it intact, they may only display portions of it. This would be similar to what they did when the set from All in the Family was donated many years ago. At that time, they chose not to display the entire set but just Archie Bunker's chair.

d_m_n_n
04-16-2007, 10:01 PM
Although I am glad to hear that if they did remove this ride from Magic Kingdom that it wouldn't be just lost forever. Glad to hear that I would be able to see it somewhere else. Even if I never go to DC. I would be happy to know that it wasn't lost forever.

My thoughts exactly. When this is removed at least my children and their children will have a place to enjoy it and understand what it meant to me as a child. :thumbsup: Good call to whoever was responsible. But just don't plan on doing it anytime soon!

r4kids
04-18-2007, 06:32 PM
I LOVE COP. It is one of my favs along with Spaceship Earth. We are only 45 mins from DC. So either way I would be happy!!:mickey:

future_imagineer
04-18-2007, 09:44 PM
I actually like the idea of it moving there... I would not be surprised if we see it closed at WDW soon enough. I think Walt would like that, actually, as CoP wasn't designed for the parks in the first place. Hopefully WDI would still keep creative control and would do a major update on it if it moves.

I guess that's a way to go on a non-Disney without desperately wanting to get up and fly to WDW the whole time :mickey:

scoot241
04-18-2007, 10:09 PM
I actually like the idea of it moving there... I would not be surprised if we see it closed at WDW soon enough. I think Walt would like that, actually, as CoP wasn't designed for the parks in the first place. Hopefully WDI would still keep creative control and would do a major update on it if it moves.

I guess that's a way to go on a non-Disney without desperately wanting to get up and fly to WDW the whole time :mickey:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't a number of the attractions at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom not originally designed for the parks? Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and it's a small world are two other attractions that specifically come to mind.

Certainly, it's a small world isn't going to be closing anytime in the near future, and I'm unsure of the status of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (it was temporarily replaced with a Disneyland 50 year tribute), but to say that CoP should be moved because it wasn't designed for the parks is illogical.

Personally, I don't think CoP is going anywhere. The show building is an integral part of Tomorrowland, and WDW has been maintaining the ride better than they have in the past. I think guests will be enjoying CoP in its present location for many years to come.

joelkfla
04-19-2007, 12:59 AM
I think Walt would like that, actually, as CoP wasn't designed for the parks in the first place.
Walt made sure up front that he retained ownership of and all rights to the World's Fair attractions after the fair's run. It was a cagey way of getting new attractions for DL developed on somebody else's dollar.

He even insisted on using the original flume built for Small World to save money when the attraction was installed at DL, against the wishes of the Imagineers who thought a wider flume would give a better guest experience. The WDW version was built with the wider flume.

d_m_n_n
04-19-2007, 02:36 PM
It was a cagey way of getting new attractions for DL developed on somebody else's dollar.



I like to think of it as a smart business decision! Way to go, Walt. And long live CoP!!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: