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O Canada!
In the Canada pavilion, a
film presentation called “O Canada!” is shown daily. The
original film debuted in 1982 when the park opened, finally
being replaced as of September 1, 2007 with a revised version.
The new film features
Canadian-born entertainer Martin Short as the host/narrator.
Actually, Short gets into a "disagreement" with the
narrator who ends up leaving in disgust, allowing Short to
take over the role. The new version features a lighter, more
"humorous" approach than the original version,
though the humor isn't always so great. Many of the scenes are
updated, but some of the original footage is fit into
it. Among the new scenes are "Horseshoe Falls"
(the Canadian side of Niagara Falls), the Cathedral Grove of
800-year-old trees, and Cirque du Soleil, which originated in
Canada.
Among the stereotypes the
film seeks to destroy is the one depicting Canadians as rural
"snow-dwellers" living in igloos. Actually, Short
informs us that most Canadians live in or near major
cities--an assertion that begins a glorious "flight"
through several urban areas--including Vancouver, the home of
the Canadian film industry, Toronto, Quebec, and
Montreal.
Aronda viewed the film on
the day it opened, and was most distressed by the weak ending,
in which Short realizes that he doesn't know how to "get
out" of the film, and whines about needing to go as he
has a FastPASS for Soarin'. Hmmm...seems like a poor way to
end, especially since the audience was never shown how Short
ended up "in" the film in the first place.
The new film is a
much-needed revision over the dated original, and it does does
a good job of showing the beauty and grandeur of the nation of
Canada and its people. However, we fear that the new version
doesn't have the "staying power" that seems to be
required of World Showcase films--after all, we could be
watching this one for quite a few years, if Epcot's updating
track record is any indication, and we can foresee the contents
of this film becoming very stale very quickly.
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