Circle-Vision 360°


Circle-Vision 360° is a film technique, refined by The Walt Disney Company, that uses nine cameras for nine big screens arranged in a circle. The cameras are usually mounted on top of an automobile for scenes through cities and highways, while films such as The Timekeeper use a static camera and many CGI effects. The first film was America the Beautiful in the Circarama theater, which had 11 projectors using 16mm film. And would become Circle-Vision in 1967, which has 9 projectors using 35mm film. Both the original 11-lens camera and the subsequent 9-lens camera, as well as their projection systems, were designed by longtime Disney animator and visual effects pioneer, Ub Iwerks.
It is used for a few attractions at Disney theme parks, such as Epcot's O Canada!, Reflections of China, and Disneyland's defunct America the Beautiful, Wonders of China, and American Journeys, which were housed in the Circle-Vision theater in Tomorrowland. At the 2011 D23 Expo, Disneyland Resort President George Kalogridis announced that CircleVision would be making a return to Disneyland Park with a new presentation of America the Beautiful in CircleVision 360, though it is not currently known where the film will be presented, and whether this will be a version of the original film or a new film with the same name and concept.
By using an odd number of screens, and a small space between them, a projector may be placed in each gap, projecting across the space to a screen. The screens and projectors are arranged above head level, and lean rails may be provided for viewers to hold or to lean against while standing and viewing the film.

Parks that use Circle-Vision technology

Disneyland Park

[Expo 61] (Turin)

The film has unseen by the public since 1964, but a digital format is being screened at Museum für Gestaltung Zürich as part of the exhibition "SBB CFF FFS" until 2020-01-05..
This is one of the rarest Circle-Vision movies, for except for a brief appearance in January 1974 at Magic Kingdom during their "Salute to Canada", it has been unseen since 1967. The film was the inspiration for the original "O Canada!" film that played at Epcot from 1982-2007. After the conclusion of Expo '67 several of the site attractions & pavilions continued to operate in the years after the fair ended. Man and His World – after Expo 67 In 1970 the theatre became the USA Pavilion, presenting the film "America the Beautiful", with a post-show exhibit of Americana including a well-guarded Moon rock.
Telephone Pavilion
Building on the popularity of their pavilion at Expo '67 Telecom Canada recommissioned Disney to create a film. Following the fair, the movie would movie played temporarily at the Canada pavilion at EPCOT Center.
French cinematic pioneers toyed with the technology from 1884, leading to Cinéorama. Another system substantially similar is in use at the site of the Terracotta Army exhibit at Xian, China. The Badaling Great Wall near Beijing, China has a Circle-Vision theater featuring scenes from the Great Wall of China.