There’s a Great Big Beautiful Advertisement
Location
Moore Auditorium
Start Date
18-6-2026 2:00 PM
Description
One of the inspirations for what became Disneyland were World’s Fairs. This influence can be seen in the early years of Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, particularly through exhibits and sponsored attractions in the park from corporations such as Kaiser Aluminum, Monsanto Chemical Company, The National Lead Company, Richfield Oil, and Transworld Airlines. Disney’s corporate sponsored attractions took a step forward during the 1964 World’s Fair with the inclusion of theme songs, particularly in the Ford Rotunda and Progressland. The Carousel of Progress arguably became the gold standard of such attractions, creating a unique environment of corporate infotainment within a larger themed environment. A survey of how Disney attraction themes have doubled as ersatz corporate slogans illustrates the duality of these presentations. This overview also functions to illustrate the trend of Disney corporate sponsored attractions, peaking with the early years of EPCOT Center. EPCOT’s success in supplanting American interest in World’s Fairs has arguably led towards the decline of corporate interest in sponsoring attractions at Disney Parks, making such dual function environments somewhat of an historical anomaly in the parks.
Recommended Citation
Bohn, James M., "There’s a Great Big Beautiful Advertisement" (2026). Theme Park Music and Sound. 5.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/tpms/2026/thursday/5
There’s a Great Big Beautiful Advertisement
Moore Auditorium
One of the inspirations for what became Disneyland were World’s Fairs. This influence can be seen in the early years of Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, particularly through exhibits and sponsored attractions in the park from corporations such as Kaiser Aluminum, Monsanto Chemical Company, The National Lead Company, Richfield Oil, and Transworld Airlines. Disney’s corporate sponsored attractions took a step forward during the 1964 World’s Fair with the inclusion of theme songs, particularly in the Ford Rotunda and Progressland. The Carousel of Progress arguably became the gold standard of such attractions, creating a unique environment of corporate infotainment within a larger themed environment. A survey of how Disney attraction themes have doubled as ersatz corporate slogans illustrates the duality of these presentations. This overview also functions to illustrate the trend of Disney corporate sponsored attractions, peaking with the early years of EPCOT Center. EPCOT’s success in supplanting American interest in World’s Fairs has arguably led towards the decline of corporate interest in sponsoring attractions at Disney Parks, making such dual function environments somewhat of an historical anomaly in the parks.