Retired Imagineer and Disney Legend Bob Gurr is consulting on the reimagining of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress.
Carousel of Progress Reimagining
Gurr was a member of WED Enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering) back in the ’50s and ’60s when Carousel of Progress was developed for the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Gurr, along with Roger E. Broggie, led the team that developed the rotating carousel theater.
He also helped design Disney’s first Audio-Animatronics figure, Abraham Lincoln, which debuted at the fair as part of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
Gurr is also known for designing the Autopia vehicles, Main Street vehicles, Haunted Mansion Doom Buggies, Disneyland Monorail, Matterhorn Bobsleds, and more. He was named a Disney Legend in 2004.
Imagineers revealed Gurr’s involvement during a panel at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. They also spoke about sourcing props for the attraction, including 1960s props for the new opening scene starring a Walt Disney animatronic.
They highlighted cups, glue, boxes, and more that appear in the 1964 special, “Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair,” which is the inspiration for the new scene.
They spent a year collecting three books that appear on a shelf next to Walt in the special. The books concern Lincoln and the Civil War, in reference to Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln.
Disney also announced at D23 that Jamie Lee Curtis and Bryan Cranston will voice the Mother and Father in the reimagined ride. They shared new concept art, maquettes, and costumes for the attraction.
The ride’s timeline is shifting forward, now beginning in the 1960s instead of the early 1900s.
Check out our last look at Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress and watch the final show below.
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