Saturday, March 24, 2012

Walt Disney's Magic Highways : The Vision of the Future that Never Happened



Here is something great for the week-end: the original Disneyland TV show "Magic Highways" aired for the first time May 14, 1958. As usual Walt Disney is hosting the show for ABC. The theme of this show is the significance of the American highway, featuring the history of motoring, but also a both fascinating and hilarious vision of the highways of the future! If you don't want to watch the full 48 minutes show definitely don't miss the animated part beginning at 34.54 min as, although the ideas for these highways of the future are brilliant, everything - and i mean EVERYTHING - that was predicted in the show to be happening in the future never happened!...and very probably will never happen as most if not all of them are simply unfeasible !

So, when you'll see the video you'll understand why there is something funny hearing Walt saying "...However there are highways experts, men of vision who try to predict more seriously what the highways of the future will be like, so now let's take a realistic look at the road ahead and what tomorrow's motorists can expect in the years to come!".

I tell you, it's fascinating and hilarious. Have a look!




Picture and video: copyright Disney

2 comments:

  1. Marco Antonio GarciaMarch 26, 2012 at 10:43 AM

    Delightful video! Nobody does such entertaining educational videos as Disney used to do in the 50's and 60's anymore. These cartoons are so charming and entertaining.

    I loved the first ideas, separate highways for men and women! The thin car that goes in the middle of the tracks won't exist of course, but here in São Paulo, and in other cities, people do that with motorcycles.

    Regarding the specialist ideas, I don't think that they are impossible, it's just that, even though communications have greatly improved, our transports haven't evolved much since the 1960's. At least camera as rear mirror is already available in some cars, and if many airplanes are already driven by an autopilot, why can't cars be as well?

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  2. I wonder why they never tjought of how to fuel all this stuff... this is scary to me. thank god tomorroeland never happened and never will...

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