| O' Canada! | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) | |
| Epcot | |
| Area | Canada Pavilion (World Showcase) |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | October 1, 1982 (original) September 1, 2007 (updated) |
| Closing date | August 6, 2007 (original) August 1, 2019 (updated) |
| Replaced by | Canada Far and Wide |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | Circle-Vision 360° film |
| Designer | WED Enterprises |
| Model | 360° theatre |
| Theme | Canadian sights |
| Music | Bruce Broughton (score; 2007–2019) "Canada (You're a Lifetime Journey)", performed by Eva Avila (2007–2019) |
| Audience capacity | 610 per show |
| Duration | 13:53 |
| Host | Corey Burton (1982–2007) Martin Short (2007–2019) |
 Wheelchair accessible | |
 Assistive listening available | |
O Canada! was a Circle-Vision 360° film attraction at the Canada Pavilion, within Epcot's World Showcase at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Its name derives from Canada's national anthem. It showcases many images of Canada's cities and sights, including Quebec, Ontario, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Musical Ride, the Calgary Stampede, Vancouver and Vancouver Harbour, the Ottawa River, and more.
The movie was filmed mostly during 1981 and has been in continuous exhibition since that time, with an updated version released in 2007. It closed on August 1, 2019, and was later replaced by a new Canadian Circle-Vision film titled Canada Far and Wide.
History
The attraction was inspired by the popular Circle-Vision 360° documentary film Canada '67, shown at the Telephone pavilion during Expo 67, created by Canadian film director Robert Barclay. The Disney version was described by Barclay as "a superficial, glib look at the country".
The following excerpt shows the similarities between the two films: the official Expo '67 Guide Book described some of the Canada '67 documentary film's many scenes: "You're on centre stage for the RCMP Musical Ride... on centre ice for hockey... on the track at the Stampede! CIRCLE-VISION 360° surrounds you with all the fun and excitement of Canada's most thrilling events and its scenic beauty".
Footage for the RCMP Musical Ride was shot in Rockcliffe Park, located between the Rockcliffe Parkway and Hillsdale Road in the village of Rockcliffe Park and not at the RCMP stables located close by on Sandridge Rd.
The Canada '67 film also presented a bobsled hurtling down a steep ice track at the Quebec Winter Carnival, along with many other events and scenes iconic to the country. Viewers in the audience occasionally experienced vertigo after one particularly dramatic sequence filmed over Niagara Falls.
Scenes (original version)
- People of the Maritime Provinces
- People of Québec
- People of Ontario
- People of Manitoba and Saskatchewan
- People of the west and far north
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police at Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa
- Gulf Island, British Columbia
- Rose Blanche-Harbor le Cou, Newfoundland
- River in Saint Martins, New Brunswick
- Bluenose II in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia
- Bluenose II deck
- Bluenose II in the Bay of Fundy
- Birdseye view of Montréal
- Place Jacques Cartier in Old Town Montréal
- Inside of Notre Dame Cathedral, Montréal
- Algonquin Provincial Park
- Canadian wildlife
- Reindeer on Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula, Northwest Territories
- Calgary Stampede
- Bridge over Kananaskis River, Alberta
- Bow River, Alberta
- Banff Springs Hôtel
- Bow River Rapids
- Kananaskis Valley, Alberta
- Skiers in Bugaboo Provincial Park, British Columbia
- Quebec City in winter, Plains of Abraham, Citadel and Chateau Frontenac
- Toboggan run near Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City
- Ice sports in Ottawa, Ontario
- Rideau Canal, Ottawa
- Canadian National Tower, Toronto
- Vancouver, British Columbia
- Harbor at Victoria, British Columbia
- Ottawa River; Rideau Canal
- Changing of the Guard in front of Parliament
- Bagpipe bands at Canadian National Exhibition
- Ukrainian dancers
- Fifes and drums at Old Fort Henry, Ontario
- Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds squadron
- Kaskawulsh Glacier, Yukon Territory
- Kananaskis Valley
- Wheat field in Saskatchewan
- Farmland of Prince Edward Island
- Thousands Islands Bridge over St. Lawrence River
- Aerial shot over Alberta Prairie
- Salmon fisherman near Campbell River, British Columbia
- Sunset over Mackenzie River Delta, Northwest Territories
- Snow geese on lake
- St. Lawrence River in Quebec City
- Night skiing at Mont Tremblant
- Rapids of Ottawa River
- Stanley Park, British Columbia
- Vancouver Harbor
- Butchart Gardens, British Columbia
- Snowy peaks in Kananaskis Valley, British Columbia
- Victoria, British Columbia
- Giant firs at Cathedral Grove, British Columbia
- Mackenzie River Delta, Northwest territories
2007 update
On August 6, 2007, the original exhibition of O' Canada! closed. Month later, on September 1, the new Circle-Vision 360 film debuted at the Canada Pavilion, made in part in response to a seven-year campaign by the Canadian Tourism Commission due to a steady stream of complaints over the years about the dated representation of Canada. O' Canada is primarily narrated by Martin Short, after he makes the original narrator (Corey Burton) angry enough to quit during an argument over the latter's inaccurate portrayal of Canada.
The newer version of O' Canada! includes updated footage of Canada's cities and natural features, including Niagara Falls and a new orchestral score by Bruce Broughton. The song "Canada (You're a Lifetime Journey)" has been re-recorded by Eva Avila, the winner of the fourth season of Canadian Idol.
This version of the attraction closed on August 1, 2019, for a new updated film.
See also
- O Canada: the national anthem of Canada.
- Canada '67 (film)
- Bell Canada Pavilion (Expo 67)
- Circle-Vision 360°
References
- "Official Expo 67 Guide Book: Telephone Pavilion", Maclean-Hunter Publishing Co. Ltd., 1967, pg.178.
- Expo 67 Circle Vision 360, Expo 67 In Montreal website. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
- Gagnon, Monika Kin. Reconstructing Two Immersive Multimedia Pavilions from Expo ‘67: The Christian Pavilion and the Telephone Pavilion, Concordia University, April 25, 2009. (PDF)
- Anderson, David & Gosselin, Viviane. Private and Public Memories of Expo 67: A Case Study of Recollections of Montreal's World's Fair, 40 Years After the Event, University of British Columbia, 2008, pg.8. (PDF)
- "O' Canada!". WDWHistory.com.
- "Netcot.com - O' Canada! film update in the works". Archived from the original on 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
External links
- Canwest News - article about movie update
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