There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow!

I was stuck on what to write about for the final Disney post, because it's a big, big decision. This is my #1 (which, really, belongs to the Haunted Mansion, but I was too psyched to wait), after all.

Eventually, I asked my friends for suggestions. Lynn, who's only been to the park once but loved it, said the Maelstrom because she doesn't read my blog closely enough. Sarah said a deer, because she was hoping there'd be deers in the parks ("There aren't," I said. "Damn it," was her reply.). And Julie, who's gone there with me more times than we can count, immediately said "Carousel of Progress," and she is right.

(To Lynn's credit, her second suggestion was also Carousel of Progress, but screw her.)

So either they both know my Disney tastes very, very well - which is obviously true for Julie, not so much for Lynn - or this is just such a great ride that it's an easy choice.

I LOVE the Carousel of Progress, and you know who else did? Walt Disney! They say it in the pre-show. I'm sure he loved all his rides, but I think this was his favorite, and it shows in the wit and humor and good-natured spirit of it all.

Time to get psyched!

- It's so old and creaky. It's shut down a lot of the time (I think they close it at dusk), little kids have no patience for it because it's a show with no thrills, I mean, they made it in 1964! But it's one of those nostalgia rides, which are more important than a lot of people realize, it's for the many people who come here again and again and again and never get tired of it. People like me and my family - when I was a kid, that song would often get randomly sung by my grandparents, aunts and uncles, we all love this song.
- And what a song it is! When I was little, it was "The Best Time of Your Life," but now it's back to the original, "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow." (Incidentally, this is the only ride where you can hear Walt Disney himself singing.) I would call these the greatest songs in the entire Disney library. Yeah, you heard me. It's so much fun, and I shouldn't sell it any more because it's only gonna be a letdown for Sarah. My favorite part is during the Jazz Age, when the flapper gals sing back-up and go "Whee!" All songs need girls with heavy New York accents. All songs.
- GE used to be the sponsor, you can tell by the line about people who are "bringing good things to life," but they pulled their sponsorship. Yet I love that they still sort of mention them, and I think (though I'm not sure) you can still see their logo on all the old appliances.
- Their vision of the future, even now that it's been updated and is no longer 70s-riffic, is pretty silly, but I guess it should be, since it's a great big beautiful tomorrow.

TOMORROW!

I can't believe I'm going back there.

I don't often show people my naturally ridiculous state (which usually includes rolling around on the floor making animal noises, then jumping up and down frantically, then falling asleep), but it's like... wow, get ready for this hokeyness, but I feel like I'm finally going home.