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O Canada! (Disney)
Encyclopedia
O Canada! is a Circle-Vision 360°
movie. It is an attraction at the Canada Pavilion
at the Epcot
World Showcase at the Walt Disney World Resort
in Orlando, Florida
. Its name derives from Canada's national anthem
. It showcases many images of Canada's cities and sights, including Quebec
, Ontario
, the RCMP
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.
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 360o surrounds you with all the fun and excitement of Canada's most thrilling events and its scenic beauty".
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
.
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
. The song "Canada (You're a Lifetime Journey)" has been re-recorded by Eva Avila
, the winner of the fourth season of Canadian Idol
. In this updated version, however, errors persist. In a montage showing highlights of hockey
, a game between the Quebec Nordiques
and Montreal Canadiens
is shown, though the Nordiques moved to Denver, Colorado in 1995. Another shot shows not a Canadian team, but instead the Chicago Blackhawks
.
Circle-Vision 360°
Circle-Vision 360° is a film technique, refined by The Walt Disney Company, that uses nine cameras for nine huge screens arranged in a circle. The cameras are usually mounted on top of an automobile for scenes through cities and highways, while films such as The Timekeeper use a static camera and...
movie. It is an attraction at the Canada Pavilion
Canada (Epcot)
The Canada Pavilion is part of World Showcase within Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.-Layout:The Canada Pavilion is designed to remind guests of the Canadian outdoors. It includes a canyon, a waterfall, gardens, a pool with fountains, and totem poles. The main attraction is O...
at the Epcot
Epcot
Epcot is a theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort, located near Orlando, Florida. The park is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely international culture and technological innovation. The second park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1982 and was initially named...
World Showcase at the Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. Its name derives from Canada's national anthem
O Canada
It has been noted that the opening theme of "O Canada" bears a strong resemblance to the "Marsch der Priester" , from the opera Die Zauberflöte , composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and that Lavallée's melody was inspired by Mozart's tune...
. It showcases many images of Canada's cities and sights, including Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, the RCMP
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
Musical Ride, the Calgary Stampede
Calgary Stampede
The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and features one of the world's largest rodeos, a parade, midway,...
, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
and Vancouver Harbour, the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
, 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.
History
The attraction was inspired by the popular Circle-Vision 360°Circle-Vision 360°
Circle-Vision 360° is a film technique, refined by The Walt Disney Company, that uses nine cameras for nine huge screens arranged in a circle. The cameras are usually mounted on top of an automobile for scenes through cities and highways, while films such as The Timekeeper use a static camera and...
documentary film Canada '67, shown at the Telephone pavilion during Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
, 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
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
's many scenes: "You're on centre stage for the RCMP
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
Musical Ride
Musical Ride
The Musical Ride of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is a formal event showcasing the equestrian skills performed by thirty-two cavalry who are regular members of the force. The event is held in Canada and worldwide to promote the RCMP...
... on centre ice for hockey
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
... on the track at the Stampede
Calgary Stampede
The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and features one of the world's largest rodeos, a parade, midway,...
! CIRCLE-VISION 360o surrounds you with all the fun and excitement of Canada's most thrilling events and its scenic beauty".
The Canada '67 film also presented a bobsled
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
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
Vertigo
Vertigo is a form of dizziness.Vertigo may also refer to:* Vertigo , a 1958 film by Alfred Hitchcock**Vertigo , its soundtrack** Vertigo effect, or Dolly zoom, a special effect in film, named after the movie...
after one particularly dramatic sequence filmed over Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
.
2007 update
On August 6, 2007 the original exhibition of O Canada! closed. On September 1, 2007 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 CommissionCanadian Tourism Commission
The Canadian Tourism Commission was created in 1995 to promote in order to capitalize on a major international industry.The CTC states that it "is dedicated to promoting the growth and profitability of the Canadian tourism industry by marketing Canada as a desirable travel destination and...
due to a steady stream of complaints over the years about the dated representation of Canada. O! Canada is primarily narrated by Martin Short
Martin Short
Martin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...
, after he makes the original narrator (Corey Burton
Corey Burton
Corey Burton is an American voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe and Spike Witwicky and Shockwave in the Transformers universe...
) 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
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
. The song "Canada (You're a Lifetime Journey)" has been re-recorded by Eva Avila
Eva Avila
Eva Avila is a singer and songwriter. She won the fourth season of the CTV reality show Canadian Idol in 2006.-Early life:...
, the winner of the fourth season of Canadian Idol
Canadian Idol
Canadian Idol is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show Pop Idol. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Dore was the "roving reporter" for the first three seasons...
. In this updated version, however, errors persist. In a montage showing highlights of hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, a game between the Quebec Nordiques
Quebec Nordiques
The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...
and Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
is shown, though the Nordiques moved to Denver, Colorado in 1995. Another shot shows not a Canadian team, but instead the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
.
See also
- O CanadaO CanadaIt has been noted that the opening theme of "O Canada" bears a strong resemblance to the "Marsch der Priester" , from the opera Die Zauberflöte , composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and that Lavallée's melody was inspired by Mozart's tune...
: the national anthem of Canada. - Canada '67 (film)
- Bell Canada Pavilion (Expo 67)Bell Canada Pavilion (Expo 67)The Telephone Pavilion, also known as the Bell Telephone Pavilion and formally named the Telephone Association of Canada Pavilion, was a part of Expo 67, an International World's Fair held in Montreal, Canada in 1967 to mark the centenary of the Confederation of Canada. The pavilion was built to...
- Circle-Vision 360°Circle-Vision 360°Circle-Vision 360° is a film technique, refined by The Walt Disney Company, that uses nine cameras for nine huge screens arranged in a circle. The cameras are usually mounted on top of an automobile for scenes through cities and highways, while films such as The Timekeeper use a static camera and...
External links
- Walt Disney World Resort - O Canada!.
- Canwest News - Article about movie update.