I’m sure there are many people wondering, “Who is Jean Shepherd?”. Well you may not know the face but I’m pretty sure everyone has heard the voice. In a career that spanned radio, television and movies, Jean had career that spanned over 40+ years. So I’m sure there are still some of you asking, what does this have to do with Disney? In 1994, Jean became the voice of the father in the Magic Kingdom’s Carousel of Progress attraction.
**Thank you to AllCentralFlorida for providing the video of the attraction
Jean is probably most known for one of the most well known Christmas movies of all time. The film “A Christmas Story” was not only narrated by Jean, but he also co-scripted the it. It’s based on his own semi-autobiographical stories. Even though you hear him as the older Ralph Parker in the film, he actually can be seen in the department store scene waiting to see Santa Claus.
Jean passed away on October 16, 1999, but I thought it was important to pay homage to a man that tells us all the story of Progress. As we all know, the Carousel of Progress was Walt’s own creation from beginning to end. Many believe it needs to be updated again, as it’s had updates here and there over the years. I have to say I honestly love the nostalgia of the attraction. The concept of the audience rotating around the stage and just seeing how life has progressed for us.
Did you know?? In the movie Iron Man 2, you can see the original Carousel of Progress building on the Stark Expo map of 2010.
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