Photos: D23 Celebrates Walt Disney World's 55 Magical Years of Storytelling

The latest D23 event showcased the Carousel of Progress

Walt Disney World opened 55 years ago this week, and while the celebration is a bit more subdued than the last big anniversary, the resort has still found ways to celebrate. Last night, D23 members were invited to a special event with some very special guests and some very special pieces of Walt Disney World history.

What's Happening:

  • 55 Magical Years of Storytelling was the title of the most recent D23 member event, which took place on October 4 at Disney's Contemporary Resort. Guests received a special anniversary pin.
  • A couple of very special guests were on hand, including Becky Cine of the Walt Disney Archives and Disney Legend Joe Rohde. Rohde discussed his new book, Floating Mountains, which is his memoir as well as a treatise on storytelling in themed entertainment design.

  • A large portion of the evening was given over to the Carousel of Progress. The big news revealed at the event was that Debi Derryberry, who previously voiced Daughter in the attraction, will voice the Grandmother in the new version.
  • Several of the props in the now-closed version of the attraction were on display for fans to check out. Some of them, like the popular Jack-o'-lantern, will be returning, while others are sure to be replaced.

  • The reindeer slippers have only been in use since 2022, when some updates were made to the final Christmas scene.

  • The doll's provenance was apparently unknown for a long time and sent everybody down something of a rabbit hole to figure out where it came from. It has been confirmed to have been part of the attraction since 1964, and is believed to have been designed as a doll of Mary Blair as it must have been created by some of her Imagineering friends.

  • The hand fan had only been in use since the mid-1990s update to the attraction, and was a purchased item, not something created by Disney.

  • The stereoscope had a significant role in the most recent version of the Carousel of Progress but it had been a background prop in the original version of the attraction, so it dates all the way back to 1964.

  • One particularly interesting prop was this envelope, which sat in a desk during the entire life of the attraction which includes the signature of the woman responsible for designing the wallpaper for the Haunted Mansion.

  • One brand new item was also on display. An audio-Animatronic bird that was featured in the "Disneyland Goes to the World's Fair" episode of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color has been recreated as part of the new sequence that will feature an Audio-Animatronic Walt Disney.

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Dirk Libbey
Dirk has been covering the entertainment industry, with a focus on theme parks, for over 10 years. Writing for Laughing Place is the first time he wasn't the only staff Disney nerd. His time not spent inside a theme park is spent wishing he was inside a theme park, and waiting for kids to get tall enough to go on all the rides.
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