This article is about Circle-Vision 360° film attraction. For the national anthem of Canada, see O Canada. For other uses, see O Canada (disambiguation).
The movie was filmed mostly during 1981 and has been in continuous exhibition since that time, with an updated version released in 2007. It closed on August 1, 2019, and was later replaced by a new Canadian Circle-Vision film titled Canada Far and Wide.
History
The attraction was inspired by the popular Circle-Vision 360° documentary film Canada '67, shown at the Telephone pavilion during Expo 67, created by Canadian film director Robert Barclay. The Disney version was described by Barclay as "a superficial, glib look at the country".[citation needed]
The following excerpt shows the similarities between the two films: the official Expo '67 Guide Book described some of the Canada '67documentary film's many scenes: "You're on centre stage for the RCMP Musical Ride... on centre ice for hockey... on the track at the Stampede! CIRCLE-VISION 360° surrounds you with all the fun and excitement of Canada's most thrilling events and its scenic beauty".[1][2]
Footage for the RCMP Musical Ride was shot in Rockcliffe Park, located between the Rockcliffe Parkway and Hillsdale Road in the village of Rockcliffe Park and not at the RCMP stables located close by on Sandridge Rd.
The Canada '67 film also presented a bobsled hurtling down a steep ice track at the Quebec Winter Carnival, along with many other events and scenes iconic to the country.[3] Viewers in the audience occasionally experienced vertigo after one particularly dramatic sequence filmed over Niagara Falls.[4]
Scenes (original version)
People of the Maritime Provinces
People of Québec
People of Ontario
People of Manitoba and Saskatchewan
People of the west and far north
Royal Canadian Mounted Police at Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa
Gulf Island, British Columbia
Rose Blanche-Harbor le Cou, Newfoundland
River in Saint Martins, New Brunswick
Bluenose II in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia
Bluenose II deck
Bluenose II in the Bay of Fundy
Birdseye view of Montréal
Place Jacques Cartier in Old Town Montréal
Inside of Notre Dame Cathedral, Montréal
Algonquin Provincial Park
Canadian wildlife
Reindeer on Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula, Northwest Territories
Calgary Stampede
Bridge over Kananaskis River, Alberta
Bow River, Alberta
Banff Springs Hôtel
Bow River Rapids
Kananaskis Valley, Alberta
Skiers in Bugaboo Provincial Park, British Columbia
Quebec City in winter, Plains of Abraham, Citadel and Chateau Frontenac
Toboggan run near Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City
Ice sports in Ottawa, Ontario
Rideau Canal, Ottawa
Canadian National Tower, Toronto
Vancouver, British Columbia
Harbor at Victoria, British Columbia
Ottawa River; Rideau Canal
Changing of the Guard in front of Parliament
Bagpipe bands at Canadian National Exhibition
Ukrainian dancers
Fifes and drums at Old Fort Henry, Ontario
Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds squadron
Kaskawulsh Glacier, Yukon Territory
Kananaskis Valley
Wheat field in Saskatchewan
Farmland of Prince Edward Island
Thousands Islands Bridge over St. Lawrence River
Aerial shot over Alberta Prairie
Salmon fisherman near Campbell River, British Columbia
Sunset over Mackenzie River Delta, Northwest Territories
Snow geese on lake
St. Lawrence River in Quebec City
Night skiing at Mont Tremblant
Rapids of Ottawa River
Stanley Park, British Columbia
Vancouver Harbor
Butchart Gardens, British Columbia
Snowy peaks in Kananaskis Valley, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Giant firs at Cathedral Grove, British Columbia
Mackenzie River Delta, Northwest territories
2007 update
On August 6, 2007, the original exhibition of O' Canada! closed. Month later, on September 1, the new Circle-Vision 360 film debuted at the Canada Pavilion, made in part in response to a seven-year campaign by the Canadian Tourism Commission due to a steady stream of complaints over the years about the dated representation of Canada.[5]O' Canada is primarily narrated by Martin Short, after he makes the original narrator (Corey Burton) angry enough to quit during an argument over the latter's inaccurate portrayal of Canada.
The newer version of O' Canada! includes updated footage of Canada's cities and natural features, including Niagara Falls and a new orchestral score by Bruce Broughton. The song "Canada (You're a Lifetime Journey)" has been re-recorded by Eva Avila, the winner of the fourth season of Canadian Idol.[6]
This version of the attraction closed on August 1, 2019, for a new updated film.