O Canada! was a Circle-Vision 360° film at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. It is located at the Canada Pavilion of the World Showcase. Its name derives from the national anthem of Canada. 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. It closed on August 1, 2019, set to be replaced by a new Canadian Circle-Vision film titled Canada: Far and Wide.
History[]
The attraction was inspired by the popular Circle-Vision 360° 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".
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 iconic scenes to the country. Viewers in the audience occasionally experienced vertigo after one particularly dramatic sequence filmed over Niagara Falls.
2007 update[]
On August 6, 2007, the original version of O Canada! was discontinued. On September 1, 2007, the updated 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 descriptions 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)" was 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 are shown, though the Nordiques moved to Denver, Colorado in 1995. Another shot shows not a Canadian team, but instead is the Chicago Blackhawks.