''America the Beautiful'' was a 360° movie attraction in Circarama created by Walt Disney Productions for the American exhibit at the

1958 Brussels World's Fair Expo 58, also known as the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (french: Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles de 1958, nl, Brusselse Wereldtentoonstelling van 1958), was a world's fair held on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Brussels, Bel ...

. The exhibit was sponsored by the Ford Motor Company. After the fair ended, the film was exhibited in 1959 for six weeks, dubbed in Russian, at the

American National Exhibition The American National Exhibition (July 25 to Sept. 4, 1959) was an exhibition of American art, fashion, cars, capitalism, model homes and futuristic kitchens that attracted 3 million visitors to its Sokolniki Park, Moscow venue during its six-week ...

in Moscow,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...

. The film had its American debut at

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envision ...

in California in 1960, and it was later added to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Florida in 1971. The Disneyland attraction was housed in the Circle-Vision 360 Theater in

Tomorrowland Tomorrowland is one of the many themed lands featured at all of the Magic Kingdom styled Disney theme parks around the world owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Each version of the land is different and features numerous attractions ...

, replacing ''A Tour of the West,'' which had played there since Disneyland's opening day, July 17, 1955. The film was subsequently revised several times, eventually closing in 1984, when it was replaced by '' American Journeys''. Circle-Vision 360 is a film technique that uses multiple cameras arranged in a circle. The viewing image is displayed on a large circular screen. The film's rendition of the title song would later be used in ''

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln ''Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln'' is a stage show featuring an Audio-Animatronic representation of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, best known for being presented at Disneyland since 1965. It was originally showcased as the prime feature of the ...

''. The Disney 360 film processes were created and refined by

Ub Iwerks Ubbe Ert Iwwerks (March 24, 1901 – July 7, 1971), known as Ub Iwerks ( ), was an American animator, cartoonist, character designer, inventor, and special effects technician. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Iwerks grew up with a contentious ...

and son

Don Iwerks Donald Warren Iwerks (; born July 24, 1929) is an American former Disney executive and co-founder of Iwerks Entertainment along with former Disney executive Stan Kinsey. He is the son of the animator Ub Iwerks (Walt Disney's original business par ...

and in the 1950s and 1960s. In September 1959, Disneyland Records (now Walt Disney Records) released a vinyl LP album called "America the Beautiful" to tie in with the Russian dub and subsequent Disneyland Park premiere of the Circarama film. Branded as a "Music Mural," the gatefold cover contained a book illustrated with photos. The recordings was not a soundtrack of the attraction but instead a collection of twelve American folk and popular songs performed by Disney studio artists.

References

1958 films Disneyland Circle-Vision 360° films Walt Disney Parks and Resorts films Former Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions Disney documentary films 1950s American films World's fair films Expo 58 {{short-documentary-film-stub