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Just a Dream Away: Another Turn on the Carousel of Progress | D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event
Aug 20, 2026
Go behind the scenes of the newly announced update to Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress! Live from the Imagineering Horizons Pavilion, the Walt Disney Imagineering creative team pulls back the curtain on how they are honoring the legacy of this classic attraction while crafting an exciting new chapter for the theater show.
In this panel, Imagineers share how they are returning to old-school 1964 theatrical techniques—using physical hand-painted backdrops, practical stage effects, and classic dark ride tricks to deliver that nostalgic "comfort food" feeling. Learn about the deep historical research that went into recreating original 1960s sets and mid-century Kem Weber animation furniture, consulting with legendary Imagineer Bob Gurr, and casting Disney Legend Jamie Lee Curtis (Mother) and Bryan Cranston (Father)!
Documenting these landmark panel presentations, Imagineering insights, and fan community gatherings is a core piece of our "Disney and positive stuff" mission. Bringing you front-row, pristine coverage of these creative behind-the-scenes moments is exactly the kind of optimistic reporting we love to share with our community!
What is your favorite memory or act from Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress? Let us know in the comments below! 👇🎵
Panel Highlights 🕒
* 0:00 – Welcome & Preserving the 1964 Old-School Theatrical Scenic Style
* 2:49 – Recreating Stage 3 Sets with Mid-Century Details & Kem Weber Furniture
* 5:33 – Uncovering Historic Props, Miniatures & Dollhouse Scale Inspiration
* 7:06 – Consulting Imagineering Legend Bob Gurr & Attraction History Tidbits
* 9:34 – Scripting & Preserving the Core Optimism of "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow"
* 11:09 – Character Dreams & Story Arcs Across the Acts
* 11:19 – Star-Studded Voice Cast Reveal: Jamie Lee Curtis & Bryan Cranston
* 12:18 – Bryan Cranston’s Personal Connection to the 1964 New York World's Fair
* 13:28 – Personal Journeys & What Carousel of Progress Means to Imagineers
* 16:41 – Crafting an Optimistic Vision for the Future Finale Scene
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
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.
0:23
So we'll look more
0:27
talk about some of the classic cars we
0:29
have.
0:29
Well, sure. We have
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
0:53
now.
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
1:34
century.
1:37
That guideline
1:40
also
1:41
preserving
1:43
volume
1:46
is really important. Another thing is
1:49
actually
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
2:15
exactly the same
2:17
when I went to the game and thankfully
2:19
they'll be watching
2:21
this episode
2:27
and this is how walls we thought we need
2:30
walls in the show. Let's meet in a way
2:33
familiar to us
2:35
and that's why this opportunities and
2:39
representation [music]
2:43
and uh
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
2:59
about that.
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
3:38
there.
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
4:28
with Walt Disney,
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
5:30
and then this is
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
5:43
impossible
5:45
photography and it's been literally a
5:47
year to get down
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
6:00
1840 1960
6:04
it's important it's a testament to the
6:06
part
6:09
right
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
6:37
here.
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
6:46
this bey.
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.
7:20
one of the last
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
7:35
you because
7:38
Jerus
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
7:47
did not have
7:51
as concept
7:54
we know from Mark Davis's notes in
7:56
November of 1963 that meeting with GD
7:59
executive
8:00
uh Walt said, you know, this means
8:02
something come back. We we got that's
8:04
where Bob
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
8:35
right now.
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
9:27
Walt Disney
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
10:05
of
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.
11:37
Uh
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
12:41
have a phon
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
15:28
and now having
15:30
a world where
15:32
hard to imagine
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
15:56
the shows
15:59
in the show and that is
16:03
just future that's another
16:06
surviving
16:08
as a
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
16:30
this is
16:32
so nice to you.
16:41
I think there's there's been a few
16:42
question
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
17:32
thank you
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