The song was written by Richard and Robert Sherman for the Carousel of Progress, one of four attractions Walt Disney and his Imagineers developed for the 1964 New York World’s Fair.
“There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow/Shining at the end of every day.”
The song’s optimism and enthusiasm about technological innovation reflects the themes of the attractions with which it is associated, as well as the way the Shermans perceived Walt Disney himself. Richard Sherman has been quoted as saying, “The theme song, `Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow,’ had a wonderful positiveness about it. In a way, it was Walt’s theme song, because he was very positive about the future. He really felt that there was a great big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of every day.”
“Walt Disney was the eternal optimist, and he really believed that things could be better. And Bob and Dick Sherman wrote that song as a personal ode to Walt. They really meant it…. That was Walt’s anthem, and they recognized that.”
— Marty Sklar