Circle-Vision 360°
Encyclopedia
Circle-Vision 360° is a film technique, refined by The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...

, that uses nine cameras for nine huge screens arranged in a circle. The cameras are usually mounted on top of an automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

 for scenes through cities and highways, while films such as The Timekeeper use a static camera and many CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...

 effects. The first film was America the Beautiful
America the Beautiful (Disney)
America the Beautiful is the first 360 film created using 360 film techniques and 360-degree cameras. It was first shot in 1955 and run in Disney Circle-Vision 360 film theaters....

 (1955 version) in the Circarama theater, which would eventually become Circle-Vision theater in 1967.

It is used for a few attractions at Disney theme parks, such as Epcot
Epcot
Epcot is a theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort, located near Orlando, Florida. The park is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely international culture and technological innovation. The second park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1982 and was initially named...

's O Canada!
O Canada! (Disney)
O Canada! is a Circle-Vision 360° movie. It is an attraction at the Canada Pavilion at the Epcot World Showcase at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Its name derives from Canada's national anthem...

, Reflections of China
Reflections of China
Reflections of China is a Circle-Vision 360° movie which is located in the China pavilion of the World Showcase in Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort. The show is narrated by an actor playing Li Bai, an ancient Chinese poet, who takes the viewer on a tour of the Chinese countryside and historical...

, and Disneyland's defunct America the Beautiful (1967 version), Wonders of China
Wonders of China
Wonders of China is a Circle-Vision 360° film that was featured in the China Pavilion at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort. The film showcased famous Chinese landmarks and the people, environment, and culture of China. Wonders of China was first shown on October 1, 1982 and closed on March 25,...

, and American Journeys, which were housed in the Circle-Vision theater in Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland
- Tomorrowland 1955–1967 :The first Tomorrowland opened at Disneyland on July 18, 1955, with only several of its planned attractions open, due to budget cuts. The construction of the park was rushed, so Tomorrowland was the last land to be finished. It became something of a corporate showcase,...

. At the 2011 D23 Expo, Disneyland Resort President George Kalogridis announced that CircleVision would be making a return to Disneyland Park with a new presentation of America the Beautiful in CircleVision 360, though it is not currently known where the film will be presented (as the original theater was replaced with another attraction), and whether this will be a version of the original film or a new film with the same name and concept.

By using an odd number of screens, and a small space between them, a projector may be placed in each gap, projecting across the space to a screen. The screens and projectors are arranged above head level, and lean rails may be provided for viewers to hold or to lean against while standing and viewing the film.

Earlier systems

For an early development (1900) of this method using ten cameras, see Cinéorama
Cinéorama
Cinéorama was an early film experiment and amusement ride at the 1900 Paris Exposition devised by Raoul Grimoin-Sanson, that simulated a ride in a hot air balloon over Paris...

.

Krugovaya Kinopanorama
Krugovaya Kinopanorama
The Krugovaya Kinopanorama or Circular Kinopanorama - is a cinema in Moscow of Russia which plays Krugorama, a type of cinema presentation in which film is projected on a circular screen with a horizontal 360° view. This was pioneered in 1896 by French engineer Raoul Grimoin-Sanson, who played ten...

 - started in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

 in 1959. Using 11 cameras with anamorfotic lens.

Circlorama http://www.in70mm.com/news/2007/circlorama/index.htm had started in London in 1963 using eleven cameras. Copy from Russian Krugovaya Kinopanorama
Krugovaya Kinopanorama
The Krugovaya Kinopanorama or Circular Kinopanorama - is a cinema in Moscow of Russia which plays Krugorama, a type of cinema presentation in which film is projected on a circular screen with a horizontal 360° view. This was pioneered in 1896 by French engineer Raoul Grimoin-Sanson, who played ten...

. Close in 1965.

Disneyland

  • Grand opening: 1955
  • Closed: 1997 (subsequently integrated into Rocket Rods
    Rocket Rods
    Rocket Rods was an attraction in Tomorrowland at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.-The Ride:Opening on May 22, 1998 as part of the New Tomorrowland, this high-speed attraction ran on the former PeopleMover track...

     preshow)
  • Designer: Walt Disney Imagineering
    Walt Disney Imagineering
    Walt Disney Imagineering is the design and development arm of the Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation and construction of Disney theme parks worldwide...

  • Location: Tomorrowland
  • Formal Names of Attraction
    • "Circarama"
    • "Circle-Vision 360"
    • "World Premiere Circle-Vision"
  • List of Films Shown
    • "A Tour of the West"
    • "America the Beautiful"
    • "Wonders of China"
    • "American Journeys"
  • Former Sponsors
    • American Motors
      American Motors
      American Motors Corporation was an American automobile company formed by the 1954 merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company. At the time, it was the largest corporate merger in U.S. history.George W...

       (1950s)
    • Bell System
      Bell System
      The Bell System was the American Bell Telephone Company and then, subsequently, AT&T led system which provided telephone services to much of the United States and Canada from 1877 to 1984, at various times as a monopoly. In 1984, the company was broken up into separate companies, by a U.S...

       (1960s)
    • AT&T/ Bell System (1970s)
    • Pacific Southwest Airlines
      Pacific Southwest Airlines
      Pacific Southwest Airlines was a United States airline headquartered in San Diego, California, that operated from 1949 to 1988. It was one of the first large discount airlines in the United States and is considered a precursor to Southwest Airlines...

       (1980s)
    • Delta Air Lines
      Delta Air Lines
      Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...

       (1990s)
  • Followed By:
    • Rocket Rods
      Rocket Rods
      Rocket Rods was an attraction in Tomorrowland at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.-The Ride:Opening on May 22, 1998 as part of the New Tomorrowland, this high-speed attraction ran on the former PeopleMover track...

    • Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters

Magic Kingdom

  • Grand opening: October 15, 1971 (America The Beautiful)
  • Closing Date: February 26, 2006 (The Timekeeper)
  • Designer: Walt Disney Imagineering
  • Location: Tomorrowland
  • Formal Names of Attraction
    • "Circle-Vision 360"
    • "Metropolis Science Center"
  • List of Films Shown
    • "America the Beautiful"
    • "Magic Carpet ‘Round the World"
    • "American Journeys"
    • "From Time to Time
      The Timekeeper
      The Timekeeper was a 1992 Circle-Vision 360° film that was presented at three Disney parks around the world. It was the first Circle-Vision show that was arranged and filmed with an actual plot and not just visions of landscapes, and the first to utilize Audio-Animatronics...

      "
      • Also known as "The Timekeeper"
  • Former Sponsors
    • Monsanto (Carpets)
    • Black & Decker
  • Followed by
    • Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
      Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
      Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor is an attraction within the Magic Kingdom, a theme park at Walt Disney World Resort. It opened on April 2, 2007 within the park's Tomorrowland section, where it replaced the Circle-Vision attraction The Timekeeper....


Epcot

  • Grand opening: October 1, 1982
  • Designer: Walt Disney Imagineering
  • Location: World Showcase
    • China Pavilion
      China (Epcot)
      The China Pavilion is part of the World Showcase within Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort.-Layout:Visitors enter the China Pavilion through a large Chinese gate...

    • Canada Pavilion
      Canada (Epcot)
      The Canada Pavilion is part of World Showcase within Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.-Layout:The Canada Pavilion is designed to remind guests of the Canadian outdoors. It includes a canyon, a waterfall, gardens, a pool with fountains, and totem poles. The main attraction is O...

  • List of Films Shown
    • "Wonders of China"
    • "O Canada!" (1982 version)
  • Current Films
    • "Reflections of China"
    • O Canada! (2007 - an updated version with 50% new footage, new soundtrack and narration)

Tokyo Disneyland

  • Grand opening: April 15, 1983
  • Closed: September 1, 2002
  • Designer: Walt Disney Imagineering
  • Location: Tomorrowland
  • Formal Names of Attraction
    • "Circle-Vision 360"
    • "Visionarium"
  • List of Films Shown
    • "Magic Carpet ‘Round the World"
    • "American Journeys"
    • "Visionarium" (From Time to Time)
  • Sponsors
    • Fujifilm

Disneyland Paris

  • Grand opening: April 12, 1992
  • Closed: September, 2004
  • Designer: Walt Disney Imagineering
  • Location: Discoveryland
  • Formal Name of Attraction
    • "Le Visionarium"
  • List of Films Shown
    • "Le Visionarium"
  • Sponsors
    • Renault
      Renault
      Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...

       (1992-2002)


Expo 67

  • Grand opening: April 28, 1967
  • Closed: October 29, 1967
  • Designer: Walt Disney Imagineering
  • Location: Telephone Pavilion
    Bell Canada Pavilion (Expo 67)
    The Telephone Pavilion, also known as the Bell Telephone Pavilion and formally named the Telephone Association of Canada Pavilion, was a part of Expo 67, an International World's Fair held in Montreal, Canada in 1967 to mark the centenary of the Confederation of Canada. The pavilion was built to...

    , Expo 67
    Expo 67
    The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...

    , Montreal
    Montreal
    Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

  • Formal Name of Attraction
    • "Canada 67"
  • List of Films Shown
    • "Canada 67" - Directed by Robert Barclay. Description from the Expo'67 Guide book: "You're on centre stage for the RCMP
      Royal Canadian Mounted Police
      The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...

       Musical Ride... on centre ice for hockey... on the track at the Stampede! CIRCLE-VISION 360o surrounds you with all the fun and excitement of Canada's most thrilling events and its scenic beauty. And then, take your chldren to the Enchanted Forest...see exciting new communication services for the future... all in the Telephone Pavilion!" (source page 178 Official Expo 67 guide book. Maclean-Hunter Publishing Co. Ltd.)
  • Sponsors
    • The Telephone Association of Canada
  • Notes: The "B-25" airplane used to film the aerial shots.

This is one of the rarest Circle-Vision movies, for except for a brief appearance in January 1974 at Magic Kingdom during their "Salute to Canada", it has been unseen since 1967. The film was the inspiration for the original "O Canada!" film that played at Epcot from 1982-2007.
  • Man and His World -- after Expo 67 In 1970 this theater became the USA Pavilion, presenting the film "America the Beautiful", with a post-show exhibit of Americana including a well-guarded Moon rock
    Moon rock
    Moon rock describes rock that formed on the Earth's moon. The term is also loosely applied to other lunar materials collected during the course of human exploration of the Moon.The rocks collected from the Moon are measured by radiometric dating techniques...

    .

Expo 86

  • Grand opening: May 2, 1986
  • Closed: October 13, 1986
  • Designer: ??
  • Location: Telecom Canada Pavilion, Expo 86
    Expo 86
    The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo '86, was a World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from Friday, May 2 until Monday, October 13, 1986...

    , Vancouver
    Vancouver
    Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

  • Formal Name of Attraction
    • "Telecom Canada"
  • Film Shown
    • "Portraits of Canada/Images du Canada" -
  • Sponsors
    • Telecom Canada
      Stentor Alliance
      The Stentor Alliance is a formal alliance of Canada's major telecommunications companies, specifically its incumbent local exchange carriers. It derives its name from the Greek mythological figure Stentor....

  • Notes - Following Expo, the movie played temporarily at the Canada pavilion at EPCOT Center.

360 degree films

  • A Tour of the West [a.k.a. Circarama U.S.A.]July 17, 1955
  • Rocket to the MoonJuly 17, 1955
  • America the Beautiful 1958 (reshot 1967)
  • Italia ‘61
  • Magic of the Rails 1964
  • Canada ‘67
  • Flight to the Moon
  • Magic Carpet ‘Round the World March 16, 1974
  • O Canada October 01, 1982
  • Wonders of China October 01, 1982
  • All Because Man Wanted to FlyJuly 04, 1984
  • American JourneysJuly 04, 1984
  • Portraits of CanadaMay 02, 1986

Other

A system substantially similar is in use at the site of the Terracotta Army
Terracotta Army
The Terracotta Army or the "Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses", is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China...

 exhibit at Xian, China.

The Badaling Great Wall near Beijing, China has a Circle-Vision theater featuring scenes from the Great Wall of China.

The narrator of Wonders of China is the famous Chinese actor Keye Luke
Keye Luke
Keye Luke was a Chinese-born American actor. He was the first Chinese-American contract player signed with RKO, Universal and, later, MGM and is generally acknowledged as the leading Asian-American actor of this era of American cinema.-Background:...

(1904-1991), most remembered for his role as Master Po in the television program "Kung Fu".
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