The 1964 New York World’s Fair celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2024, and while that alone would certainly be a momentous milestone, it’s even more significant for Disney fans because the fair featured four groundbreaking exhibits created by Walt Disney and his team of Imagineers, all of which became iconic attractions at Disney theme parks.
(Be sure to read all the way through for information on a MiceChat event where you can relive the Fair!)
Located on 646 acres at Flushing Meadows in New York City and taking place in two six-month seasons – April 22 through Oct. 18, 1964, and April 21 through Oct. 17, 1965 – the massive fair included over 140 pavilions presenting the theme of “Man’s Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe.”
From Anaheim to New York to Anaheim
The 1964-1965 World’s Fair was billed as a showcase of American culture and technology. Since Disneyland had just opened in 1955, it’s neither surprising WED Enterprises (the precursor to Walt Disney Imagineering) was invited to participate nor that Walt and his team took advantage of the invitation (and financing) to create attractions that would later make their way back to Anaheim. Namely, the “Magic Skyway” for the Ford pavilion, “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” for the Illinois pavilion, the “Carousel of Progress” for the General Electric pavilion, and “It’s a Small World” for the Pepsi-Cola pavilion.
Thanks to these innovative attractions, WED also developed the groundbreaking audio-animatronics technology and PeopleMover ride system that would become the gold standard for Disney rides and attractions around the world.
Let’s take a closer look…
Ford’s Magic Skyway
The Imagineering-designed pavilion was the second-most popular exhibit at the fair and featured more than 350 ‘64 Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln convertible cars (including the all-new Mustang) on an early prototype of the PeopleMover ride system called the WEDway.
As “drivers” traveled along the track, they passed scenes featuring life-sized audio-animatronic dinosaurs and cavemen, concluding with a diorama of a futuristic city – and when the fair re-opened for the second session in 1965, the cars were updated to the ‘65 models.
After the fair, the dinosaurs became part of Disneyland Railroad’s “Primeval World” diorama, where they still reside today.
The PeopleMover transport attraction opened in 1967 in Tomorrowland at Disneyland and in 1975 at Tomorrowland at Walt Disney World.
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
In the 1950s, Walt envisioned a show for Disneyland that would feature all the U.S. Presidents to date, but the technology at the time couldn’t support a show on that scale, so the idea was abandoned.
Years later (1962, to be exact), when Disney was approached to develop attractions for the upcoming World’s Fair, Imagineers decided to revisit the idea but limit the tribute to Lincoln (Walt’s boyhood hero). The resulting show featuring an audio-animatronic Abraham Lincoln was the highlight of the Illinois pavilion (Lincoln’s home state).
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln opened on Main Street, U.S.A., at Disneyland in 1965. Walt’s more extensive presidential tribute was finally realized in 1971 as The Hall of Presidents in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
Carousel of Progress
The General Electric-sponsored “Progressland” placed audiences in a series of revolving auditoriums called the “Carousel of Progress,” which presented the history of electrical technology in the home. Instead of the sets on the stage moving from scene to scene, Disney had the theater where the audience was sitting rotate. The toe-tapping theme song for the attraction, “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow,” was written by Disney composers (and Disney Legends) the Sherman Brothers.
The attraction was moved to Tomorrowland at Disneyland as Carousel of Progress (1967-1973), which was replaced by America Sings (1974-1988). In 1975, Carousel of Progress debuted in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, where it remains a fan-favorite.
It’s a Small World
Created for the Pepsi-Cola pavilion as a salute to UNICEF (the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund), It’s a Small World took riders on a boat ride around the world featuring the now-iconic animated dolls designed by Disney Legend Mary Blair and the also-iconic song composed by the Sherman Brothers.
The 110-foot-high Tower of the Four Winds kinetic mobile designed by Disney Legend Rolly Crump was located at the entrance to the It’s a Small World pavilion.
After the fair, the ride was relocated to Disneyland and was later recreated at Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland, and Hong Kong Disneyland. Sadly, the Tower of the Four Winds did not make it back to Anaheim and is believed to have been scrapped and perhaps even discarded into Flushing Bay.
The 1964-65 New York World’s Fair In the Movies
At the beginning of Disney’s science-fiction film “Tomorrowland” (2015), a young boy named Frank Walker (who grows up to become George Clooney) attends the 1964 New York World’s Fair to present his prototype jet pack, which unfortunately does not go well.
Frank is approached by a girl named Athena, who hands him a mysterious orange pin with a blue “T” and tells him to follow her onto the It’s a Small World attraction in the Pepsi-Cola pavilion, from which he’s transported to the futuristic Tomorrowland.
Also…
Remember the climactic moment in Men in Black (1997) when J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) have to rescue a microscopic galaxy from an alien “bug?” Well, that confrontation takes place at Flushing Meadows where an actual spaceship was hiding atop the twin spaceship-looking observation towers built for the New York State pavilion at (you guessed it) the 1964 World’s Fair.
The movie also features the stainless-steel model of the Earth called the Unisphere, which was built for the 1964 World’s Fair on the foundation of the Perisphere from the 1939 World’s Fair.
Fun Fact: The observation towers were recreated as part of the façade for the Men in Black Alien Attack attraction at Universal Studios Florida.
2024 MiceChat Gumball Rally & Worlds Fair Events
The annual MiceChat returns on Feb. 3, 2024, and the theme for this year’s event – “Gumball Rally: Come to the Fair” – honors the 60th anniversary of the 1964 New York World’s Fair!
What is the Gumball Rally? Basically, it’s a fun-filled race to see who can ride the most Disneyland attractions in a single day. You can find all the tips and tricks (plus register your team of 2, 3, or 4 people) HERE.
But wait, there’s more!
On Feb. 2, 2024, MiceChat will present a special event where Disney history experts and Imagineers will share photos, videos, and stories about the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair and its continuing impact on Disneyland.
Disney historian and author David Koenig will moderate the discussion, and the guests are epic. Hear legendary Imagineer Bob Gurr talk about creating the Ford Magic Skyway and the first Lincoln animatronic; Imagineer and theme park author Chris Merritt will discuss the incredible contributions to the fair by the original Imagineers. The foremost author and expert on the fair, Bill Cotter, will transport us back to 1964 through exclusive photos and videos that few have ever seen before. You can find details and ticket information – HERE. But act fast. This event will sell out!
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Let’s Hear From You!
Which of the original 1964 World’s Fair Disney attractions is your favorite? Do you love Lincoln? Are you mad for the Magic Skyway? Cuckoo for the Carousel of Progress? Or do you think It’s a Small World is swell? Let us know in the comments below!
And don’t forget MiceChat’s Two World’s Fair themed events:
- Relive the 1964 New York World’s Fair event on Feb. 2nd (HERE)
- Register for the Feb. 3rd “Gumball Rally: Come to the Fair” competition
