O Canada! (film)

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 RCMP Musical Ride, the Calgary Stampede, Vancouver and Vancouver Harbour, the Ottawa River, and more.

O' Canada!
Epcot
AreaWorld Showcase, Canada Pavilion
StatusRemoved
Opening dateOctober 1, 1982 (original version)
September 1, 2007 (updated version)
Closing dateAugust 6, 2007 (original version)
August 1, 2019 (updated version)
Replaced byCanada: Far and Wide
Ride statistics
Attraction typeCircle-Vision 360° movie
DesignerWED Enterprises
ThemeCanadian Sights
Capacity610 riders per hour
Duration13:53
HostCorey Burton (original version)
Martin Short (update version)
Filmed in1981 (updated in 2007)
Disabled access Wheelchair accessible
Assistive listening available
This article is about Circle-Vision 360° film attraction. For the national anthem of Canada, see O Canada. For other uses, see O Canada (disambiguation).

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".[1][2]

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.[3] Viewers in the audience occasionally experienced vertigo after one particularly dramatic sequence filmed over Niagara Falls.[4]

Scenes (original version)
  1. People of the Maritime Provinces
  2. People of Québec
  3. People of Ontario
  4. People of Manitoba and Saskatchewan
  5. People of the west and far north
  6. Royal Canadian Mounted Police at Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa
  7. Gulf Island, British Columbia
  8. Rose Blanche-Harbor le Cou, Newfoundland
  9. River in Saint Martins, New Brunswick
  10. Bluenose II in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia
  11. Bluenose II deck
  12. Bluenose II in the Bay of Fundy
  13. Birdseye view of Montréal
  14. Place Jacques Cartier in Old Town Montréal
  15. Inside of Notre Dame Cathedral, Montréal
  16. Algonquin Provincial Park
  17. Canadian wildlife
  18. Reindeer on Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula, Northwest Territories
  19. Calgary Stampede
  20. Bridge over Kananaskis River, Alberta
  21. Bow River, Alberta
  22. Banff Springs Hôtel
  23. Bow River Rapids
  24. Kananaskis Valley, Alberta
  25. Skiers in Bugaboo Provincial Park, British Columbia
  26. Quebec City in winter, Plains of Abraham, Citadel and Chateau Frontenac
  27. Toboggan run near Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City
  28. Ice sports in Ottawa, Ontario
  29. Rideau Canal, Ottawa
  30. Canadian National Tower, Toronto
  31. Vancouver, British Columbia
  32. Harbor at Victoria, British Columbia
  33. Ottawa River; Rideau Canal
  34. Changing of the Guard in front of Parliament
  35. Bagpipe bands at Canadian National Exhibition
  36. Ukrainian dancers
  37. Fifes and drums at Old Fort Henry, Ontario
  38. Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds squadron
  39. Kaskawulsh Glacier, Yukon Territory
  40. Kananaskis Valley
  41. Wheat field in Saskatchewan
  42. Farmland of Prince Edward Island
  43. Thousands Islands Bridge over St. Lawrence River
  44. Aerial shot over Alberta Prairie
  45. Salmon fisherman near Campbell River, British Columbia
  46. Sunset over Mackenzie River Delta, Northwest Territories
  47. Snow geese on lake
  48. St. Lawrence River in Quebec City
  49. Night skiing at Mont Tremblant
  50. Rapids of Ottawa River
  51. Stanley Park, British Columbia
  52. Vancouver Harbor
  53. Butchart Gardens, British Columbia
  54. Snowy peaks in Kananaskis Valley, British Columbia
  55. Victoria, British Columbia
  56. Giant firs at Cathedral Grove, British Columbia
  57. Mackenzie River Delta, Northwest territories

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 Commission due to a steady stream of complaints over the years about the dated representation of Canada.[5] 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.[6]

This version of the attraction closed on August 1, 2019, for a new updated film.

See also

References
  1. "Official Expo 67 Guide Book: Telephone Pavilion", Maclean-Hunter Publishing Co. Ltd., 1967, pg.178.
  2. Expo 67 Circle Vision 360, Expo 67 In Montreal website. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  3. Gagnon, Monika Kin. Reconstructing Two Immersive Multimedia Pavilions from Expo ‘67: The Christian Pavilion and the Telephone Pavilion, Concordia University, April 25, 2009. (PDF)
  4. 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)
  5. "O' Canada!". WDWHistory.com.
  6. "Netcot.com - O' Canada! film update in the works". Archived from the original on 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
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