Walt Disney World hasn't reopened to the general public quite yet, that happens in a couple of days. However, yesterday, the resort saw its first guests as part of a cast member preview day. The purpose of the special day was, in part, a test run for Magic Kingdom reopening after months of being closed, and apparently, that was needed, as some of the attractions had some kinks to work out.
Video surfaced yesterday of the Carousel of Progress having some minor issues as the animatronic main character of John had a minor seizure on stage. It was entertaining to see, and not all that uncommon an event all things considered, but it took a life of its own when Disney Parks fans started adding music to it. Now John Progress (as he is known) is having a solo dance party inside the Carousel of Progress, and it's best attraction retheme I've ever seen.
My personal favorite is still this one, that takes Walt Disney World and combines it with that other major Disney pop culture event of recent days, the Disney+ release of Hamilton. Check it out.
Honestly, you've got to figure somewhere inside Disney parks there is a conversation of how to use Hamilton, and there are worse ideas than an animatronic show recreating the best musical moments. Now I'm imagining a modern animatronic Daveed Diggs busting this out and I want to see it happen.
The original post of the clip came from the Magic Blitz Podcast Twitter feed, and then the rest of DisTwitter jumped on it to have a bit of fun. If John Progress' best Daveed Diggs impression isn't your speed, then maybe you'll enjoy the Carousel of Progress does Queen.
The Carousel of Progress was first created by WED Enterprises, the precursor to Walt Disney Imagineering, for the 1964 World's Fair. After the fair, it moved to Disneyland where it spent about a decade before moving to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World where the show has run continuously ever since. The animatronic show takes viewers through a century of human progress through technology. The show has gone through a few changes over the decades to keep it current, and honestly, it's probably about due for an update. I suppose it wouldn't be the first time a Disney park just tried to save money by adding a dance party in an unused space.
By virtue of all their moving parts animatronics are going to breakdown now and then, but they also get near-constant use most of the time. They've never sat unused for so long. It seems that might not be the best thing for them.
In the grand scheme of things this is probably the best thing to happen to the Carousel of Progress, it isn't exactly the most popular attraction at Magic Kingdom, but now people are talking about it again, and for fans, that's a good thing.
So if you're one of the people visiting Walt Disney World when it reopens this weekend, take a minute to visit John and his family at the Carousel of Progress. They've been lonely, and maybe you'll be treated to an impromptu dance party.
