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103. Michael Crawford on Progress City U.S.A., Horizons, and EPCOT the City

05.18.2020 by Dan Heaton // Leave a Comment

The logo for the Progress City, U.S.A. blog, owned by author and historian Michael Crawford.


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When you look beyond official histories of Walt Disney World and the Walt Disney Company in general, so many other interesting stories are out there. I enjoy reading about all the weird promotions and odd attractions that Disney has created over the years. An excellent resource for uncovering those tales are blogs from fans with similar interests. A perfect example is Progress City, U.S.A., where Michael Crawford excels at finding information and stories that we didn’t realize we needed.

Michael Crawford is the author of the Progress City Primer and a co-host on the Medfield College Film Society podcast.

Crawford is my guest on this episode of The Tomorrow Society Podcast to talk about his background and what interested him about theme parks as a kid. Both of us have similar stories of visiting EPCOT Center and being hooked. We talk about why it resonated so strongly in the ’80s and its origins as EPCOT the city. In particular, we delve into the reasons that Horizons continues to draw new fans that never experienced it in person.

My favorite part of this podcast was talking with Crawford about the weird and silly parts of Disney’s past. Early TV specials offered so much craziness, including adult babies and even a rock video on Discovery Island. Crawford has added many of these classic clips on his YouTube channel, which is definitely worth your time. Finally, we talked about the Medfield College Film Society podcast and its focus at past Disney films.

Show Notes: Michael Crawford

Follow Michael Crawford on Twitter at Progress City, U.S.A.

Check out the Progress City, U.S.A. blog and YouTube channel.

Purchase a copy of Michael Crawford’s book, The Progress City Primer.

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Categories // Tomorrow Society Podcast Tags // Books, EPCOT Center, Horizons, Interviews, Podcasts

About Dan Heaton

Dan’s first theme-park memory was a vacation at the Polynesian Resort in 1980 as a four-year-old. He’s a lifelong fan who has written and podcasted regularly about the industry. Dan loves both massive Disney and Universal theme parks plus regional attractions near his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. His favorite all-time attraction is Horizons at EPCOT Center.

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