0:04
How many of you saw the Honda Center
0:06
last night? Got to see some of the
0:07
updates that are coming. Yes. Uh we
0:12
announced that we'll be there. I the
0:15
worst line of the city. Uh they
0:17
announced that in uh late spring we'll
0:20
be reopening and the cast was announced.
0:27
talk about some of the classic cars we
0:39
so a bit ago and uh shows what it was
0:44
like what it's like for our family and
0:46
the future. But today we want to talk
0:48
about the past ways the past has
0:51
influenced the show that we're making
0:55
And this really starts with the look and
0:57
feel of the original show. You can see
0:59
that reflected in our poster design, but
1:01
it's really more of our goal is to have
1:04
the Carousel of Progress feel like the
1:05
Carousel of Progress. It's comfort food
1:08
for myself and for others. And that
1:10
really starts with taking an old school
1:13
theatrical scenic approach to the show
1:15
to build it like they could build it
1:16
with hand painted backdrops, physical
1:19
sets, practical effects. Um, really
1:22
using dark cry old school trick that we
1:24
know in the book uh to achieve this
1:26
show. Yeah. And I told the crew, pretend
1:29
you're living in 1964 when you make this
1:32
bells and whistles from the 21st
1:46
is really important. Another thing is
2:00
this show wonderful color uh which
2:06
on Sunday nights and like a lot of us I
2:08
always look for the Sundays uh and I
2:11
baffled with my parents because they
2:12
wanted to watch 60 minutes which is not
2:17
when I went to the game and thankfully
2:27
and this is how walls we thought we need
2:30
walls in the show. Let's meet in a way
2:35
and that's why this opportunities and
2:39
representation [music]
2:45
Today we want to talk about how
2:49
Bren has been doing because this guy
2:52
has seen the opportunity to recreate set
2:56
on as possible. So nice to tell you
3:01
Sure. So it's pretty exciting to take a
3:05
look at this set which we know from our
3:09
partners at the Walt Disney Hall sheets.
3:12
Uh was built February 27th, 1964. was
3:15
filmed in stage three at Disney studios.
3:19
Um, but you know that it starts from a
3:22
few things that you see within the
3:23
special. You see things like
3:27
bottles. You see things like animation
3:29
studio furniture. You see things even on
3:33
the very artwork that's on the walls.
3:35
There's a layer of cellophane over
3:41
Uh, so what's really interesting and fun
3:44
about this is that we can really
3:45
activate the set with all of these fun
3:48
props and models and historically
3:50
accurate pieces of furniture around
3:55
even down to the colors of the walls
3:59
they use on the story board.
4:01
And like here's the blade gives it what
4:05
they're standing next to. They're kind
4:06
of disguising it, but it's really a 1940
4:09
Ken Weber animation. As you can see,
4:11
they have the Disneyland flag
4:14
over it. Uh, as was meant to, you know,
4:17
what it was like to be in the workshop
4:20
prizes in the model shop, but actually
4:23
the film is on stage. So, the really
4:25
cool thing is, thanks to our partnership
4:30
Walt Disney Studios and people that are
4:32
on Walt Disney is that we will have
4:35
original cabber furniture in this scene
4:39
uh to really make it feel as authentic
4:42
and beautiful as it possibly can.
4:46
Uh another example here uh roller cos
4:49
model will have that as well. It will
4:51
animate in a really exciting way. Uh but
4:54
you notice it's actually sitting on what
4:56
is a liberated car from the 40s and even
5:00
down to the 4x4 story boards and
5:03
studios. the same things you see on
5:05
special. Um, and once you go down this
5:08
rabbit hole, you just kind of got to go
5:09
all in. Um, so like the types of
5:13
balloons, the wood grain wax bowls, the
5:16
filling aspect, like frozen fruit
5:18
containers, having to find all of this
5:20
wipes was the product that they use
5:24
for making all of this stuff. I mean
5:26
this is how the magic help me
5:33
not used behind the wall and he became
5:36
obsessed with finding it uh to
5:40
identify the smile the middle was
5:45
photography and it's been literally a
5:50
2 in the morning just look because it's
5:53
one thing to see in reverse here started
5:56
looking at numbers books published on
6:04
it's important it's a testament to the
6:17
we creating this piece right as you all
6:20
know had an intense love of miniatures I
6:23
thought well I wonder some of these
6:24
pieces actual miniature dollhouse scale
6:28
pieces from the mid century. And sure
6:30
enough, we got some hits, which is
6:32
really exciting. That's the same reason
6:33
we do our models that don't have school
6:39
Yeah. And I earlier today about they
6:42
noticed that a lot of the models that
6:44
come out of Imagineering now are like
6:49
But the models that we're showing right
6:51
over there are meant to look like this
6:53
one. involved in front of and I think
6:55
that's a testament it just shows you how
6:57
seriously the whole team is taking this
6:59
to to really make sure that we're
7:01
honoring the legacy of attraction and
7:03
looking to the past for inspiration. Um
7:06
we also turned to former Imagineers and
7:09
uh we're lucky enough to I don't think
7:12
this has been this is being announced
7:14
right now this this stage we uh we
7:16
worked with on this uh latest version.
7:22
original attraction has it was so funny.
7:25
He shared so much about his time when so
7:28
much about his work on the show.
7:30
Ash and Bryce about story that he told
7:40
many times with him and one thing that
7:42
uh he told us that we didn't know or we
7:45
he confirmed was that the original show
7:54
we know from Mark Davis's notes in
7:56
November of 1963 that meeting with GD
8:00
uh Walt said, you know, this means
8:02
something come back. We we got that's
8:06
and so Bob uh engineered a lot of you
8:09
know rumor characteristics the head and
8:12
the ear wings where uh they came from
8:15
Bob and they give him you know give
8:17
enough personality that we both love.
8:20
Uh, another fun tidbit or piece of
8:22
trivia is that all kind of fun in every
8:26
act for going a particular guest in a
8:30
particular scene and corral
8:33
and so um I know we're making the show
8:38
Yeah. And there's a really fun story
8:40
that I think is all appreciated. Uh when
8:42
we were bringing Bob on formally to the
8:44
project, our senior producer Jackie, you
8:48
know, had to do the paperwork because
8:50
it's a corporation and uh and she was
8:53
doing the paperwork to bring him on as a
8:54
consultant and she was filling out the
8:56
form and it said, "Has this individual
8:58
ever previously worked at Walt Disney
8:59
Imagineering?" And Jackie's like, "Yeah,
9:02
I'd say so. He's he's worked in before."
9:04
And then when she chose that, I guess
9:06
another thing popped up and said, "Name
9:08
of previous supervisor." and she thought
9:10
it was like guess Disney. I don't
9:12
know. So, the best part is Bob was
9:16
almost instantly approved. I guess it's
9:17
usually takes a little while to hear
9:19
back. Jackie said that we heard back in
9:21
that uh that he could he could help with
9:23
the project. So, I guess to all the
9:24
producers out there just just saying
9:31
and obviously I'm writing the show. So
9:33
that that has been a whole lot of fun
9:34
too and just in the same way that the
9:37
research that Bryce and Ash have done
9:39
informed a lot of the visual design of
9:41
the show. The words that are going to be
9:43
spoken are also really inspired by
9:46
research into all the previous versions.
9:48
Uh we're lucky that we have obviously
9:49
the scripts and the recordings of all
9:51
the different versions of artist
9:54
show when it moved to Disneyland
9:58
Disney World and you know the version uh
10:01
that we just recently closed and but
10:03
that was really important to us to sort
10:06
dig into those and really understand
10:09
all the different versions of of the
10:11
show that have existed. What are the
10:13
things that were made sure about the
10:14
family? I think that the the hope and
10:16
optimism uh is such a part of the show
10:19
and such a part of the song that
10:20
everyone know over there and everyone
10:22
announces about the song. Uh you know I
10:24
think that the idea that there's a great
10:25
big tomorrow just a dream away is
10:27
something that is really driving a lot
10:29
of the story development that we're
10:30
doing as well. And uh we want to make
10:33
sure that John and the whole family are
10:35
true to their original you know the
10:37
original characters the original
10:38
personalities. Um, and the other thing
10:41
we've done is when we're when we
10:44
introduce all the characters in act one,
10:46
especially kids, I guess, uh, we're
10:49
introducing dreams that they have, we're
10:50
introducing their own the things that
10:52
they are imagining for their own lives.
10:55
And then as you'll see as the show goes
10:57
on, we sort of hopefully will pay that
10:59
off in the way because I think that that
11:02
when you're looking at story arts, I
11:04
think that that's just a way to sort of
11:05
tie it all together to the idea that um
11:07
dreams are are, you know, something that
11:10
that drive us. Now, the words are going
11:14
to be important, but equally important
11:15
is who says them. Uh and so casting the
11:19
show is a whole other conversation. We
11:20
could probably do a full center stage uh
11:23
about that experience. But I think that
11:25
we're all and I hope you all are too
11:27
thrilled about the cast last night which
11:29
was uh you know Jamie the Curtis as the
11:31
mother and Ryan K as the father. I think
11:33
that they are Yes. Yes.
11:39
I mean I if you were here at D23 2 years
11:41
ago then when uh Jamie became a Disney
11:44
legend she uh let the whole arena in
11:48
there's a great tomorrow and uh so when
11:52
we heard that we we had an idea for who
11:56
we wanted to cast his mother and you
11:58
know read in the in terms of the father
12:01
who has traditionally been the center of
12:03
the scenes all the show previous
12:05
versions of the Um, you know, Brett
12:07
Allen and Jer very iconic voices and
12:10
sort of like to try to recreate those
12:14
Brian Grans is such an amazing actor and
12:18
we didn't know this when we when we made
12:20
the offer to him. But it turns out that
12:22
8-year-old Brian Cranston went to the
12:24
World's Fair. And if you notice on his
12:26
shirt when he came to the recording, uh
12:28
he was wearing a pin from the 1964 World
12:31
Fair General Cigar Pavilion that says
12:34
meet me at the smoke ring. Uh which
12:37
apparently he was telling the story that
12:39
uh in the days before, you know, kids
12:44
now is that there's this big
12:47
in the pavilion there was this like
12:49
smoke rings this guy. become lost. His
12:52
parents told him, you know, just go find
12:54
your way back to this, right? So, he he
12:56
wore that and he actually told this
12:58
crazy story that just last summer he was
13:00
on vacation in Europe and he and the
13:02
people that he was vacationing with were
13:04
singing there's a great big beautiful
13:05
tomorrow. He told that story and then
13:07
actually his friend walked in and left.
13:09
So, it was very nice, a very weird thing
13:11
like full circle moment when he walked
13:12
in and said, "I'm wearing something from
13:14
the world's fair." because it really it
13:16
made us feel like, you know, we got we
13:19
got the costume right because I feel
13:20
like I said that's really important to
13:21
us. Uh and then I think last we're just
13:24
going to talk about our own you know
13:26
sort of personal journeys of the show.
13:28
Carousel I've been sitting over there
13:30
maybe spoken to somebody carousel
13:32
progress is one of my all-time favorite
13:34
attractions. You know when I was a kid
13:36
we go to the Magic Kingdom my whole
13:38
family for Tomorrowland. they all went
13:41
to space mountain space carousel purps
13:53
to this team and that's really what I
13:55
think has driven a lot of um a lot of
13:58
this journey for us and getting every
13:59
every bit of this right
14:03
>> yeah I the carousel progress has kind of
14:05
been a lifelong obsession of mine um
14:08
really got me into this this uh one of
14:11
the shows that was really influential
14:12
and uh it's really special. I love every
14:15
single version of it. I love the 1993
14:17
version that just closed and it was a
14:19
special place. It's the one that I saw
14:21
the most amount of time. Love the 1970s
14:23
version. So many great amazing updates.
14:27
The finale scene of that is so
14:28
progressive and wonderful in the
14:30
lighting. And then of course the
14:31
original Disneyland shows just
14:33
incredible. Um, and it's just amazing
14:36
that they came up with this attraction
14:38
that can simultaneously look back into
14:40
one's love of Americana and miniatures,
14:43
but then you know they projected forward
14:45
at the end of the show. It's really
14:47
about planning better way to live. And
14:50
as much as it's about to John and Patty
14:54
and the kids, it's it's also about your
14:57
family. It's a mirror to your, you know,
14:59
all of our shared experiences. I think
15:01
that's what makes it so special that you
15:03
get to work on these kind of macro and
15:05
micro levels simultaneously and we're
15:07
taking very seriously. Um looking
15:10
forward to you know here here at Bryce.
15:13
Uh I'm a little older than these guys,
15:16
but uh I was fine with first went on the
15:19
ride the attraction and I remember
15:23
walking out even just so optimistic
15:35
it seems to rain. Um, I think it's so
15:39
important. One of the reason my heart is
15:41
so deeply in this show is I want
15:44
us to be able to walk out of this show
15:46
like like I did when I was a kid and I
15:48
hope my son will when he walks on it
15:50
next year and just noticing that
15:59
in the show and that is
16:03
just future that's another
16:10
in the distant future. Uh that's super
16:12
important to us and that is why we're so
16:15
excited to be able to talk to you today.
16:18
Uh, it's my first D23 and I can't tell
16:21
you how fun it's been getting here to
16:24
meet some of you uh individually talk to
16:26
you and I got to remind you
16:41
I think there's there's been a few
16:48
the previous show was sort of imagining
16:50
a future a couple of years ahead of 1993
16:53
which is why there was laser disc jokes
16:56
and that sort of thing and so just in
16:58
case anybody has been mentioning
17:01
certainly the writing section but that
17:03
the future series we don't imagine is
17:06
well future and it is imagining that
17:08
sort of optimistic idealist future that
17:11
is sort of if people with no horizons
17:13
and serve people who sort of know
17:14
horizons uh I think that that is the
17:17
aspirational future that I think we're
17:19
reaching for in that time scene um yeah
17:23
I think that that is that from us so
17:26
thank you all for coming and uh
