Editing Circle-Vision 360°

{{Short description|Theater-in-the-round attraction}}
[[File:360° Kino im Nationalparkzentrum Hohe Tauern. 04.jpg|thumb|249x249px|View of the 360-degree cinema (Mittersill, Austria)]]
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}
[[File:Circle Vision 3D Camera.jpg|249x249px|thumb|A Circarama 360° camera rig, using 16 mm cameras, displayed at the [[Walt Disney Family Museum]].]]
'''Circle-Vision 360°''' is a [[list of motion picture film formats|film format]] developed by [[The Walt Disney Company]] that uses projection screens which encircle the audience.<ref name=story>{{cite book |last1=Gennawey |first1=Sam |title=The Disneyland Story: The Unofficial Guide to the Evolution of Walt Disney's Dream |date=2014 |publisher=Keen Communications |isbn=978-1-62809-012-3 |pages=108–109}}</ref>

Circle-Vision 360° developed from the '''Circarama''' format, which uses eleven 16&nbsp;mm projectors.<ref name="Sherlock">{{cite web |last1=Sherlock |first1=Daniel J. |title=''Wide Screen Movies'' Corrections |url=http://www.film-tech.com/warehouse/tips/WSMC20.pdf |access-date=August 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080309094629/http://www.film-tech.com/warehouse/tips/WSMC20.pdf |archive-date=March 9, 2008 |pages=19–20 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Encyc">{{cite book |last1=Strodder |first1=Chris |title=The Disneyland Encyclopedia |date=2017 |publisher=Santa Monica Press |isbn=978-1595800909 |edition=3rd |pages=120–122}}</ref> The first Circarama film was ''A Tour of the West'' (1955).<ref name="Sherlock" /><ref name="D23">{{cite web |title=Circle-Vision/Circarama |url=https://d23.com/a-to-z/circle-visioncircarama/ |website=[[D23 (Disney)|D23]] |publisher=The Walt Disney Company|access-date=August 21, 2022}}</ref> For the film ''[[Italia '61]]'', the number of cameras was reduced to nine, and the 16&nbsp;mm film was shown using 35&nbsp;mm projectors.<ref name="Sherlock"/><ref name="Encyc" /><ref name= "D23" /> In 1965, Circle-Vision 360° made its official debut, in a nine-camera, 35&nbsp;mm format.<ref name="Sherlock" /><ref name="D23" /> At least one reason for the renaming from Circarama was objections by the owners of [[Cinerama]] to the similarity between the two names.<ref name="StW">{{cite web |title=Circle-Vision 360° |url=https://www.skywaytowonderland.com/circle-vision-360/ |website=Skyway to Wonderland |access-date=August 21, 2022 |date=August 24, 2020}}</ref>

In both the Circarama and Circle-Vision 360° formats, the screens are arranged in a circle around the audience, with small gaps between the screens. The number of screens (eleven or nine) being odd results in a gap being opposite of each screen in the circle. The projectors are placed in these gaps, above the heads of the viewers. Railings are sometimes provided to steady the audience members while viewing the film. The cameras and projection systems for both Circarama and Circle-Vision 360° were designed by longtime Disney animator and visual effects pioneer [[Ub Iwerks]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Iwerks, Don|title=Walt Disney's ultimate inventor: the genius of Ub Iwerks|date=December 10, 2019|isbn=978-1-4847-4337-9|edition=First hardcover|location=Los Angeles|oclc=1133108493}}</ref> Circle-Vision 360° cameras have been mounted on top of automobiles for travelog scenes. For ''[[The Timekeeper]]'' (1992), static cameras and [[computer-generated imagery|CGI effects]] were used.<ref name="Encyc"/>

At one time, every one of the [[Disney Parks, Experiences and Products#Disney resorts|Disney Resorts]] then open had at least one Circle-Vision 360° theater.<ref name="StW" /> The [[Epcot]] theme park has the only two still operating as of 2025.<ref name="StW"/>{{efn|A third theater at Epcot shows ''[[Impressions de France]]'' (1982), which was shot using five cameras, and is projected on screens comprising 200° of a circle.<ref name="Sherlock" /><ref name="StW" />}} Circarama and Circle-Vision 360° films have also been featured at various [[world's fair]]s.<ref name="D23" /><ref name="StW" />

==Circarama and Circle-Vision 360° films==
''A Tour of the West'' and the original 1958 version of ''America the Beautiful'' were shot in Circarama. ''Italia '61'' was filmed in 16&nbsp;mm and billed as a Circarama film, but was shown using nine 35&nbsp;mm projectors. All other films in the table were shot in Circle-Vision 360°. 
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Title !! Year !! Premiere location !! Length (minutes) !! class=unsortable | Contributors !! Sponsor !! class=unsortable | Notes
|-
| ''A Tour of the West'' || style="text-align:center;" | 1955 || [[Disneyland]] || style="text-align:center;" | 12 || || [[American Motors Corporation|American Motors]] || Aka ''Circarama U.S.A.'' 
|-
| ''[[America the Beautiful (Disney film)|America the Beautiful]]'' || style="text-align:center;" | 1958 || [[Expo 58]] || style="text-align:center;" | 16<ref name="StW" /> or 18<ref>{{cite web |title=''America the Beautiful'' – 1958 Brussels World's Fair |url=https://www.designingdisney.com/research/history/other-history/america-beautiful-1958-brussels-worlds-fair/ |website=Designing Disney |access-date=August 21, 2022}}</ref> || Producer: [[James Algar]]<br>Writer: James Algar || [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] || 
|-
| ''[[Italia '61]]'' || style="text-align:center;" | 1961 || [[Expo 61]] || style="text-align:center;" | || style="white-space: nowrap;" | Executive producer: [[Roberto de Leonardis]]<br>Director: Elio Piccon || [[Fiat]] || [[Don Iwerks]], son of Ub Iwerks, trained the crew, and stayed on to assist throughout the filming.<ref name=":1" /> 
|-
| ''Magic of the Rails'' || style="text-align:center;" | 1964{{efn-ua|group=films|Year of release is sometimes given as 1965.<ref name="Sherlock" /><ref name="D23" />}} || [[Expo 64]] ||  style="text-align:center;" | || Designer: Ernst A. Heiniger || [[Swiss Federal Railways]] || Aka ''Magie du rail'' and ''Zauber de Schiene''. 
|-
| ''America the Beautiful'' || style="text-align:center;" | 1967 || Disneyland || style="text-align:center;" | 18 || || [[AT&T]]  || Reshot and expanded version of the 1958 film. 
|-
| ''[[Canada '67]]'' || style="text-align:center;" | 1967 || [[Expo 67]] || style="text-align:center;" | 18{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} || Director: Robert Barclay<ref>''Official Expo 67 guide book'', page 178. Toronto: Maclean-Hunter Publishing Co. Ltd., 1967.</ref> || style="white-space: nowrap;" | Telephone Association of Canada || 
|-
| style="white-space: nowrap;" | ''Magic Carpet 'Round the World'' || style="text-align:center;" | 1974 || [[Magic Kingdom]] || style="text-align:center;" | 21 || || [[Monsanto]] || 
|-
| ''America the Beautiful'' || style="text-align:center;" | 1975 || Magic Kingdom || style="text-align:center;" | || || Monsanto || Version of the 1958 film revised for the [[United States Bicentennial]].
|-
| ''[[O Canada! (film)|O Canada!]]'' || style="text-align:center;" | 1982 || [[Epcot|Epcot Center]] || style="text-align:center;" | 18 || Narrator: [[Corey Burton]] || || 
|-
| ''[[Wonders of China]]'' || style="text-align:center;" | 1982 || Epcot Center || style="text-align:center;" | || Director: Jeff Blyth<br>Narrator: [[Keye Luke]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=BLYTH, JEFF.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1198720924|title=POLISHING THE DRAGONS: making epcot's wonders of china.|date=2020|publisher=BAMBOO FOREST PUBLISHING|isbn=978-0-9910079-9-8|location=[S.l.]|oclc=1198720924}}</ref> || ||  
|-
| style="white-space: nowrap;" | ''Magic Carpet 'Round the World'' || style="text-align:center;" | 1983 || [[Tokyo Disneyland]] || style="text-align:center;" | || || || Revised version of the 1974 film.
|-
| ''American Journeys'' || style="text-align:center;" | 1984 || Disneyland || style="text-align:center;" | || || [[Pacific Southwest Airlines]] || 
|-
| ''Portraits of Canada'' || style="text-align:center;" | 1986 || [[Expo 86]] || style="text-align:center;" | || || [[Stentor Alliance|Telecom Canada]] || Aka ''Images du Canada''. 
|-
| ''Le Visionarium'' || style="text-align:center;" | 1992 || [[Disneyland Paris]] || style="text-align:center;" | 18{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} || Director: Jeff Blyth{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}<br>Actors include [[Gérard Depardieu]] || [[Renault]] || Aka ''Un voyage à travers le temps'' and ''From Time to Time''. 
|-
| ''[[The Timekeeper]]'' || style="text-align:center;" | 1994 || Magic Kingdom || style="text-align:center;" | 18{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} || Director: Jeff Blyth{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}<br>Voice actors: [[Robin Williams]],<br>[[Rhea Perlman]]<br>Other actors include [[Jeremy Irons]] || Renault || English version of ''Le Visionarium''. Incorporates parts of ''Magic Carpet 'Round the World''. 
|-
| ''[[Reflections of China]]'' || style="text-align:center;" | 2003 || Epcot || style="text-align:center;" | 12<ref>{{cite web |title=Reflections of China |url=https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/epcot/reflections-of-china/ |website=Walt Disney World Resort |access-date=August 21, 2022}}</ref> || Director: Jeff Blyth || || 
|-
| ''O Canada!'' || style="text-align:center;" | 2007 || Epcot || style="text-align:center;"| || Narrator: [[Martin Short]]<br>Musical score: [[Bruce Broughton]],<br>featuring [[Eva Avila]]<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.netcot.com/thesite/2007/07/24/o-canada-film-update-in-the-works/ | title = Netcot.com - O' Canada! film update in the works | access-date = 2010-02-28 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081121033710/http://www.netcot.com/thesite/2007/07/24/o-canada-film-update-in-the-works/ | archive-date = 2008-11-21 | url-status = dead}}</ref> || || Revised and updated version of the 1982 film. 
|-
| ''[[Canada Far and Wide]]'' || style="text-align:center;" | 2020 || Epcot || style="text-align:center;" | 12<ref>{{cite web |last1=Murray |first1=Emily |title=''Canada Far And Wide In Circle-Vision 360'' Overview |url=https://dvcshop.com/canada-far-and-wide-in-circle-vision-360-overview/ |website=DVC Shop |access-date=August 21, 2022 |date=June 27, 2022}}</ref> || Narrators: [[Catherine O'Hara]],<br>[[Eugene Levy]]<br>Musical score: [[Andrew Lockington]] || || 
|-
| ''Wondrous China'' || style="text-align:center;" | TBA || Epcot || style="text-align:center;" | || || 
|}
{{notelist-ua|group=films}}
Sources:<ref name="Sherlock" /><ref name="D23" /><ref name="StW" />

==Circarama and Circle-Vision 360° theaters==
The theaters at Expo 58 and Disneyland were built as Circarama theaters. The latter would be upgraded to the Circle-Vision 360° system. Although the theater at Expo 61 predated the use of the Circle-Vision 360° name, it used nine 35&nbsp;mm projectors. All other theaters in the tables were built as Circle-Vision 360° theaters.

===Disney theme parks===
Years in parentheses after a film title indicate the versions of the movie shown at the theater. 
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Park !! class=unsortable | Location in park !! class=unsortable | Formal names !! Opened !! data-sort-type=date | Closed !! class=unsortable | Films shown !! class=unsortable | Sponsors !! class=unsortable | Replaced by
|-
| [[Disneyland]] || [[Tomorrowland (Disney Parks)|Tomorrowland]] || Circarama<br>Circle-Vision 360°<br>World Premiere Circle-Vision || July 17, 1955 || September 25, 2000{{efn-ua|group="theaters D"|From 1997 to 2000, the theater was part of the [[Rocket Rods]] attraction.}} || ''A Tour of the West''<br>''[[America the Beautiful (Disney film)|America the Beautiful]]'' (1958, 1967, 1975)<br>''American Journeys''<br>''[[Wonders of China]]'' || [[American Motors Corporation|American Motors]]<br>[[AT&T Corporation|AT&T]]/[[Bell System]]<br>[[Pacific Southwest Airlines]]<br>[[Delta Air Lines]] || [[Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin|Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters]]
|- 
| [[Magic Kingdom]] || Tomorrowland || Circle-Vision 360°<br>Metropolis Science Center || November 25, 1971 || February 26, 2006 || ''America the Beautiful'' (1967, 1975)<br>''Magic Carpet 'Round the World'' (1974)<br>''American Journeys''<br>''[[The Timekeeper]]'' || [[Monsanto]]<br>[[Black+Decker|Black & Decker]] || [[Monsters, Inc. (franchise)#Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor|Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor]]
|-
| rowspan=2 | [[Epcot]] || [[Epcot#World Showcase|World Showcase]] ([[Canada Pavilion at Epcot|Canada Pavilion]]) || || October 1, 1982 || n/a || ''[[O Canada! (film)|O Canada!]]'' (1982, 2007)<br>''[[Canada Far and Wide]]'' || || n/a 
|-
| World Showcase ([[China Pavilion at Epcot|China Pavilion]]) || || October 1, 1982 || n/a || ''[[Wonders of China]]''<br>''[[Reflections of China]]''<br>''Wondrous China''{{efn-ua|group="theaters D"|Upcoming.}} || || n/a
|-
| [[Tokyo Disneyland]] || Tomorrowland || Circle-Vision 360°<br>Visionarium || April 15, 1983 || September 1, 2002 || ''Magic Carpet 'Round the World'' (1983)<br>''American Journeys''<br>''[[The Timekeeper|From Time to Time]]'' || [[Fujifilm]] || Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
|-
| [[Disneyland Paris]] || [[Tomorrowland (Disney Parks)|Discoveryland]] || Le Visionarium || April 12, 1992 || September 6, 2004 || ''[[The Timekeeper|Le Visionarium]]'' || [[Renault]] || [[Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin|Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast]]
|}
{{notelist-ua|group="theaters D"}}

===Expos===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Expo !! City !! Location at Expo !! Opened !! Closed !! Film !! Sponsor
|-
| [[Expo 58]] || [[Brussels]], [[Belgium]] || United States Pavilion || April 17, 1958 || October 19, 1958 || ''[[America the Beautiful (Disney film)|America the Beautiful]]'' || [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]
|-
| [[Expo 61]] || [[Turin]], [[Italy]] || Fiat Circarama Pavilion || May 1, 1961 || October 31, 1961 || ''[[Italia '61]]'' || [[Fiat]]
|-
| [[Expo 64]] || [[Lausanne]], [[Switzerland]] || Transportation Pavilion || April 30, 1964 || October 25, 1964 || ''Magic of the Rails'' || [[Swiss Federal Railways]]
|-
| [[Expo 67]] || [[Montreal]], [[Canada]] || [[Telephone Pavilion (Expo 67)|Telephone Pavilion]] || April 28, 1967 || October 29, 1967{{efn-ua|group="theaters E"|name=E67|''America the Beautiful'' was shown at the extant theater in 1970.}} || ''[[Canada '67]]''{{efn-ua|group="theaters E"|name=E67}} || Telephone Association of Canada
|-
| [[Expo 86]] || [[Vancouver]], Canada || Telecom Canada Pavilion || May 2, 1986 || October 13, 1986 || ''Portraits of Canada'' || [[Stentor Alliance|Telecom Canada]]
|}
{{notelist-ua|group="theaters E"}}

== See also ==
* [[List of film formats]]
* [[Cinéorama]]
* [[Bell Canada Pavilion (Expo 67)]]

==Note==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Epcot}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Circle-Vision 360}}
[[Category:Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions]]
[[Category:Epcot]]
[[Category:Motion picture film formats]]
[[Category:Special-venue films]]
[[Category:Tomorrowland (Disney Parks)]]
[[Category:Multi-screen film]]
[[Category:Panoramic cameras]]