From the Ford Mustang to " It ’s a Small World , " the 1964 World ’s Fair in New York was home tomany attractionswhose legacies would expand far beyond the Fair ’s William Henry Gates . One that did n’t : Ford’sMagic Skyway .
Designed by Disney Imagineers , the drive entertained visitors while at the same time exposing them to new vehicle fresh off the Ford forum line . The cars were supplement to a track which took riders on a journey through time , all the way back to the age of the dinosaurs . After watching dinos peacefully pasture on vegetation and witnessing a conflict between a Stegosaur stenops and a tyrannosaurus , passenger saw man make fire and invent the cycle . This , of row , is where Fordcomes in . From the innovation of the wheel , ethnic music aboard the ride move along the “ Highway in the Sky ” to “ Space City , ” a futuristic town full of Ford creation .
At the end , Walt Disney himself seem via voiceover to give Ford a little plug , say ,
As the largest Disney - design attraction at the Fair at 273,000 square feet , and also one of the most popular , Disney expected Ford to haveplansfor the Magic Skyway after the Fair , whether it was at Ford headquarters in Michigan or as a buy at pavilion at Disneyland . The Sherman Brothers even wrote a catchy song for the brand :
But Ford executive transcend on moving theMagic Skywayto Dearborn , choose only to keep “ The Auto Parts Harmonic Orchestra , ” a collection of literal , work musical instruments made from Ford share and patch .
HenryFord.org
And though the marquee at Disneyland did n’t trash out either , Disney did salvage two things from the ride : The dinosaurs found a new dwelling house in the Primeval World panorama along the Disneyland Railroad , and the track system concept was used tocreatethe WEDWay PeopleMover ride at Disneyland just a few years later .
