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3. Carousel of Progress – Horizons

OK, so I'm cheating a little with this one, but bear with me.

Walt Disney debuted the Carousel of Progress at the 1964 World's Fair in New York, and by all accounts, it was one of his favorite creations. The attraction's Sherman Brothers-penned theme song, There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, embodied the spirit of Walt Disney and his aspirational view of the future.

But, despite the bold proclamation about the beauty of tomorrow, Carousel of Progress was mostly a trip through history – looking at how the American family has changed since the turn of the 20th century. Why not take that same idea, but go the other way with it – exploring the possibilities of the future?

Eventually, Walt Disney Imagineering did just that when they built Epcot's Horizons. Other than remakes like Star Tours: The Adventures Continue or rides built off franchises like Toy Story Mania and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Horizons was the closest Disney ever got to giving a ride an official sequel.

Structurally, the ride was slightly different than Carousel of Progress, focusing on one family member's future at a time, rather than checking in with the whole family every few years. But the thematic similarities – exploring the future of mankind, celebrating the ingenuity of humanity – were programmed into the DNA of the attraction …  literally. In one scene, guests could hear a song playing in the background that, to some, might have sounded awfully familiar. That song?

There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.

2. Circle-Vision 360 – Soarin'

Walt Disney debuted Circle-Vision 360 at Disneyland in 1967, and it's still in use today at Epcot's Canada and China pavilions. If you're unfamiliar, the idea of Circle-Vision was to create an immersive film-going experience, surrounding viewers with projection screens on all sides.

The effect of watching a Circle-Vision film is that, often, the theater itself can feel like it's flying through whichever beautiful vistas happen to be caught on film. It's kinetic, scenic, and visually stunning.

But when Disney's California Adventure opened Soarin' over California in 2001, Cricle-Vision met its equal.

Soarin' is a sequel because it takes what Circle-Vision did well (showcasing beautiful scenery in a thrilling way) and ups the ante. Now, not only can you watch a film about a gorgeous part of the world, but you'll also get to experience what it feels like to fly through it. And much like some sequels, while the second version is better, there's always a nice time and place for the original.

1. Jungle Cruise – Kilimanjaro Safaris

The Jungle Cruise opened with Disneyland in 1955 (and Disney World in 1971), and over the years, it's experienced quite a few upgrades and renovations. One upgrade it never got, however, were real, live animals.

Not only would it have been prohibitively expensive to stock the Jungle Cruise with actual animals, it would have been hugely impractical. Many animals portrayed in the attraction sleep during the day, so it would have been impossible for Walt Disney Imagineering to give guests a true jungle experience. Thus, the Imagineers opted for animatronic animals, and we got the ride we all know and love today, complete with the silly skipper spiel.

But eventually – a long, long time after the Jungle Cruise's debut – the technology finally existed to make Walt Disney's dream of a theme park safari come true.

Enter: Kilimanjaro Safaris, an incredibly intricate and perfectly recreated African safari featuring actual, bona fide animals.

Disney was able to use special habitats, feeding techniques, and heated areas to keep the animals in site of the passing safari vehicles, thereby creating the consistently excellent experience Walt Disney always wanted. Guests, for the first time, could encounter actual animals – not just animatronic ones.

So, in a way, Kilimanjaro Safaris is the ultimate Disney sequel, for it took an idea that was once thought impossible, and used innovation and progress to build on it in a way that made that idea not only possible, but unique and truly breathtaking.

Like they say in that other great sequel – if you can dream it, you can do it.

 
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