"The Best Time of Your Life" (often mistakenly "Now Is the Time", the first lyric) is a song written by

Richard M. Sherman Richard Morton Sherman (born June 12, 1928) is an American songwriter who specialized in musical films with his brother Robert B. Sherman. According to the official Walt Disney Company website and independent fact checkers, "the Sherman Brot ...

and

Robert B. Sherman Robert Bernard Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) was an American songwriter, best known for his work in musical films with his brother, Richard M. Sherman. The Sherman brothers produced more motion picture song scores than any ...

in 1974 as a new

theme song Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

for

Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress is a rotating theater audio-animatronic stage show attraction in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida just outside of Orlando, Florida. Crea ...

. The attraction was being moved from

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envisio ...

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

, and a replacement was sought for the original song, " There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" (also by the

Sherman Brothers The Sherman Brothers were an American songwriting duo that specialized in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) and Richard M. Sherman (born June 12, 1928). Together they received various accolades i ...

). "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" was reintroduced to the revamped pavilion in 1994 during

Tomorrowland Tomorrowland is one of the many themed lands featured at all of the Magic Kingdom styled Disney theme parks around the world owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Each version of the land is different and features numerous attractions t ...

's transition into "The Future that Never Was." An instrumental version of "The Best Time of Your Life" is currently part of the background music loop for Tomorrowland at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom, and Tokyo Disneyland.

History

The song was written by Richard and Robert Sherman for the

Carousel of Progress Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress is a rotating theater audio-animatronic stage show attraction in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida just outside of Orlando, Florida. Created ...

, one of four attractions

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

and his

Imagineers Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc., commonly referred to as Imagineering, is the research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation, design, and construction of Disney theme parks and attra ...

developed for the

1964 New York World's Fair The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair was a world's fair that held over 140 pavilions and 110 restaurants, representing 80 nations (hosted by 37), 24 US states, and over 45 corporations with the goal and the final result of building exhibits or ...

. "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" premiered with the show. The attraction moved to Disneyland after the fair. In 1973, the Carousel of Progress closed and moved to the

Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom Park, previously known as Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (1971–1994) and The Magic Kingdom (1994–2017), is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida. Owned and operated by The ...

at Walt Disney World. The attraction was given a new show during the move, to update an increasingly outdated view of the future.

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable ene ...

, the sponsor of the Carousel of Progress, commissioned a new theme song, one to focus more on the here-and-now than on tomorrow, and the Sherman Brothers penned "The Best Time of Your Life". It was sung by

Andrew Duggan Andrew Duggan (December 28, 1923 – May 15, 1988) was an American character actor. His work includes 185 screen credits between 1949 and 1987 for roles in both film and television, as well a number more on stage. Background Duggan was born in ...

, who also narrated and voiced the main character in the show. The song stayed with the show through another update in 1981, and General Electric's dropping of sponsorship in 1986. In 1994, the Carousel was refurbished, along with the rest of Tomorrowland, to give a retrospective look at historical visions of and predictions about the future. In a tribute to the show's long history as part of the Disney company heritage, the attraction name was extended to "''Walt Disney's'' Carousel of Progress". The show was rewritten to mimic its original, non-commercial message more closely, and the original song was restored. The Sherman Brothers write in their joint autobiography regarding the history of the pavilion: As recently as November 2022, an instrumental, electronic version of "The Best Time of Your Life" can be heard around Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom in Florida. A version can also be heard in the instrumental background music in Disneyland's Tomorrowland, even though the song was never used in Disneyland. The song is also used as an "audio exhibit" in the outdoor queue of Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Best Time of Your Life, The Songs written by the Sherman Brothers 1974 songs Disney songs Disney theme park music Theme music