America Sings is a former Disneyland attraction that opened on June 29, 1974, replacing the Carousel of Progress. The animatronics' designs were conceived by imagineer Marc Davis, who previously worked on those of Country Bear Jamboree.
The attraction was a revolving theater attraction like the Carousel of Progress, featuring more than a hundred audio-animatronic animals teaching the history of American music through performing popular songs from four different eras: mid-19th century in the Deep South, late 19th century in The Wild West, in the Gay Nineties, and early to mid-20th century in The City. The show was hosted by a bald eagle named Sam and an owl named Ollie.
The attraction closed in 1988, and the majority of the animatronics were promptly moved to Disneyland's version of Splash Mountain, which opened the following year- though what will become of them with the closure of Splash Mountain remains uncertain.
The attraction provides examples of:
- The Alleged Car: The Old Gray Mare's turn-of-the-century jalopy appears to fit, shuddering and sputtering the entire time it's on set.
- All There in the Manual: Ollie's name is never mentioned in the attraction, but is revealed in the Disneyland Records album and the book that accompanies it. Other unnamed characters in the attraction get names in the same book...
- The old hound dog during "My Own Kentucky Home" is named Colonel Houndstoothe.
- The cowboy dog who sings "Home on the Range" is named Tex Ranger.
- The piano-playing pig that sings "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" is named Big Daddy.
- Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: Averted for the most part, but the guitar-playing stork in the Modern Times section is blue.
- American Eagle: Sam is a bald eagle, and represents America, naturally (in addition to his name lifted from Uncle Sam).
- Badass Biker: A rooster and hen pair who appear riding a motorcycle atop a garage roof in the Modern Times segment.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Happened to two of the geese in 1986, resulting in the quartets in the first two acts becoming trios. The animatronics were taken out of the attraction, had their skins and feathers removed, and were repurposed as droids in Star Tours.
- Cute Owl: Ollie qualifies, as does the owl among the desert critters that appear during "Home on the Range".
- The Deep South: Where Act I takes place in.
- Fantastic Foxes: Quite a few - in fact, there's at least one in each act.
- Feather Fingers: Most if not all of the bird characters in the show have them.
- Gay Nineties: The setting of Act III.
- Informed Species: Most of the characters in the show, while anthromorphized, look like the animals that they're supposed to be... with the exception of the geese, who look less like geese and more like Big Bird with white feathers.
- National Animal Stereotypes: Obviously a show about America is hosted by an eagle. The Old South segment features alligators and a mother opossum, while the Wild West segment includes a turkey and a pair of vultures.
- Never Smile at a Crocodile: Averted - the show features several friendly alligators.
- Noble Bird of Prey: Sam is an eagle.
- Running Gag: The weasel popping out of random places to say "Pop goes the weasel!" during the show. Happens at least once per act.
- Sombrero Equals Mexican: Zig-Zagged through the course of its run. The original version of the "Who Shot the Hole in my Sombrero?" scene used a heavy Mexican accent (modeled after the one used by the song's original singer Rex Allen, who himself was not Mexican), playing this straight. But after complaints about the accent, it was rerecorded with a Texan accent, averting it.
- That's All, Folks!: The show closes with Sam and Ollie singing "Auld Lang Syne". The last spoken line comes from the weasel who changes his catchphrase to say "Goodbye goes the weasel!"
- The Roaring '20s: Act IV starts here.
- Vile Vulture: A pair of vulture undertakers called "The Boothill Boys" sings "The End of Billy the Kid" during the Wild West section.
- Wicked Weasel: Downplayed with the weasel in this show, who's a mischievous but chipper fellow.
- The Wild West: Where Act II takes place in.
