Just one day after the final group of guests experienced Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress before its upcoming reimagining, a group of devoted fans made headlines for something a little unexpected. On July 6, the YouTube channel Carousel Club posted a video of the entire 20-plus-minute show — filmed not from the audience seats, but from the very edge of the stage itself.

What the Footage Shows

The video, titled "Carousel of Progress Walk Around Footage #1 (TJ POV)," was filmed by a Carousel Club member named TJ using extending tripods and other external camera equipment. The footage captures the full attraction before Walt Disney World Resort made cosmetic upgrades to the futuristic finale scene, which gave the Progress family updated hairstyles and outfits.

The title's "#1" label suggests additional footage exists from other club members, though no further videos had been released at the time of this writing.

How They Did It

According to the Carousel Club's caption, the footage was captured during the early morning and late evening hours of March 9, 2022, when most Magic Kingdom Park guests were either rushing to rope drop popular attractions like Space Mountain or securing spots for the fireworks over Cinderella Castle.

"This is just one of MANY of these that we did over the years!! Joey would take up center stage filming John and I would run back and forth between the turntables. We both had our phones attached to extension clips which for me made it possible to reach between the scrims and curtains and get an un-obstructed view of the sets. All this while being careful not to accidentally trip the infrared intrusion sensors lining the front of the stage. There were however several instances throughout doing these where my shirt did brush across the lip of the stage as I was leaning over causing this to happen."

Disney cast members reportedly gave the guests permission to walk around the theater during stationary scenes, and Walt Disney World Resort did not take punitive action against them.

A Serious Safety Reminder

While the footage is a fascinating look at a beloved attraction, it's worth noting that walking through unauthorized areas at Disney parks can be extremely dangerous. The Carousel of Progress uses a rotating theater system, and the risks are very real. In 1974, an 18-year-old Disneyland Resort cast member was tragically killed after falling into the gap between a stationary wall and a moving stage on an identical attraction system, known at the time as America Sings.

What's Next for the Carousel of Progress

Earlier this year, Walt Disney World Resort announced plans to reimagine the Carousel of Progress for the first time since 1994. The updated attraction will bring the Progress family into a new era, with scenes set in 1969, 1985, 1999, and "The Possible Future." The reimagined experience will also feature an audio-animatronic of Walt Disney himself as host. A grand reopening date has not yet been announced.