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The Tomorrowland Problem:Part 1

Disneyland

By Sean CallaghanPublished 4 years ago Updated 4 months ago 13 min read
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Dedication plaque for Tomorrowland at Disneyland Park

When it opened in 1955, Tomorrowland was one of the original four cardinal realms of Disneyland. (The others were Frontierland, Fantasyland and Adventureland.) Walt Disney's plan was for this land to represent "A vista into a world of wondrous ideas signifying mans achievements."

However, during construction of Disneyland, Tomorrowland was beset by problems and with numerous delays, the land was barely in evidence on opening day. Originally designed to be set in the far off year of 1986 (significant in planners' mind for the return of Haley's Comet), its opening attractions included the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry, basically a corporate exhibit on the expected importance of chemistry to the future. The reason for the inclusion of an attraction so fully sponsored by a single corporate entity was that with money running short on construction for Tomorrowland, Walt felt he needed to have a third-party corporation create an attraction to fill the buildings in Tomorrowland. For better or worse, it would be the beginning, not the end of sponsored attractions in the Disney parks.

Tomorrowland in 1955 featuring the "World Clock"

Other day one attractions included the "World Clock," which could tell the current time for "almost" anywhere on Earth, a key accomplishment at that time; Space Station X-1 in which guests looked onto a matte painting of a view of The world from outer space; the Kaiser Aluminum Hall of Aluminum Fame; the 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea exhibit, a collection of props from the 1954 live action film; and "Rocket To The Moon." The latter attraction featured the 80-foot tall "Moonliner," which was primarily a decorative element appended to the attraction, and was sponsored by Transworld Airlines (TWA) in an arrangement more typical of the sponsorship situation that Walt had envisioned at the time. The ride itself was a simulator held in a round chamber with screens on the floor and ceiling, making it appear you had lifted off from earth for a trip around the moon.

Almost certainly, the most popular attraction available in Tomorrowland on opening day was Autopia, which licensed young Disneyland guests to drive on a "freeway of the future." This ride that has existed well past the 1986 the park was originally set to forecast, though I'm not sure it ever fully prepared anyone for what actually became of LA traffic.

In truth, Tomorrowland was pretty lackluster on opening day, though with that day's excitement and in truth pandemonium, who could have noticed? But until some newly developed attractions trickled in over the first few years of operation, the land of tomorrow wasn't a focal point for most visitors.

But those early years did see more and more new attractions that took hold of the guests' imaginations. First, "Astro-Jets," a simple spinner-style ride opened in March 1956, followed in 1957 by the "House of the Future," which provided a heavily plastics-based look at futuristic living. In late 1957, the Viewliner train opened at the Tomorrowland Train Station, a popular attraction that would last only a year and a half before being supplanted by something much more iconic.

The year 1959 would bring the Disneyland-Alweg Monorail system, which captured the imagination of the potential parkgoer as much as anything that had gone before it. Shots of the monorail were part and parcel of Walt's national television shows and became arguably the attraction that most identified Disneyland, at least for a decade or so. Another exciting new experience opened in Tomorrowland on the same June 15 day as the monorail. "The Submarine Voyage: Through Liquid Space" gave guests a unique underwater experience. The first year of the new decade would bring the Circarama Theater, featuring "America the Beautiful." a 360-degree tour of America that surrounded guests with music and dialog, and dazzling views of the country on its 11 expansive screens.

The Disneyland Monorail in 1960.

A less successful addition came along in 1961 when the Flying Saucers joined the attraction lineup. The saucers were basically glorified bumper cars that more hovered than flew---that is, when they worked at all, as the ride was notorious for its technical problems. Disney fans of a certain age still have a certain nostalgia for the ride, but it was an acknowledged technology debacle that few saw work well.

From that point, Tomorrowland was left pretty much as is for a while, as WED Enterprises AKA Imagineering had shifted focus and resources to the 1964-1965 World's Fair in New York City, an undertaking that Walt saw as a personal challenge and a way to bring Disney experiences to a much wider audience. After the success of the Fair, WED returned its attention back to Disneyland and work commenced on a "New" Tomorrowland. Walt and his Imagineers were greatly energized by their experiences in Queens, New York, and anxious to bring the developments they had exhibited at the Fair to their home base in Anaheim.

Walt worked with his Imagineers to begin planning for a revamped Tomorrowland in 1966, and work on the update began in September of that year. Sadly, before this new Tomorrowland could be completed, Walt Disney passed away from lung cancer in December 1966. Nevertheless, Imagineering persevered, acting as much as possible within Walt's plans and wishes, and the New Tomorrowland opened in July 1967.

The 1966-67 refurbishment was not just a cosmetic dressing up but pretty much a re-building of the whole land. The "House of the Future" was gone. The "Astro Jets" were completely re-built and moved above a platform in the center of the land; they were retitled the "Rocket Jets" and were a far more exciting experience. Similarly, "Rocket to the Moon" became "Flight to the Moon," losing the Moonliner but gaining a new Audio-Animatronic pre-show and an updated main show.

In the old Hall of Chemistry building was a brand new Omnimover attraction, "Adventure thru Inner Space," in which guests were "Shrunken" by a mighty microscope and thus able to explore the world at an atomic level in their "atommobiles."

"Circarama" was replaced by "Circle-Vision 360," and now had a bigger theater with only nine screens fron the original 11 but everything became the new state of the art. On the exterior of the two main buildings were a pair of tiled murals designed by the legendary designer Mary Blair, fresh off her World's Fair success, the immortal "It's a Small World." Speaking of the Worlds' Fair, that event's "Carousel of Progress" was moved, pretty much in its entirety, from New York to the new Tomorrowland.

Connecting the new land together was the Peoplemover, a new vehicle that rode on a track above Tomorrowland and gave visitors an up-close tour of the land and its attractions.

Tomorrowland of 1967

The 1967 Tomorrowland stayed pretty much the same until 1974, when "Carousel of Progress" was on the road again, moving from Anaheim's Carousel Theater to its new home in the Tomorrowland of Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. In 1975, a brand new show opened at the Carousel Theater, "America Sings." While its thematic fit in Tomorrowland was questionable, "America Sings" was a well-regarded exploration of the American songbook, with audio-animatronic characters designed by legendary Imagineer Marc Davis.

Also in 1975, "Flight to the Moon" became "Mission to Mars" (an overdue adjustment considering that man had visited the moon by 1969). Much of the infrastructure remained the same, but now the destination was Mars.

Two years later, in 1977, came possibly the most captivating development in the history of Tomorrowland: the opening of "Space Mountain." Within the mammoth mountain (well, for a theme park), a thrilling roller coaster in the dark that actually debuted in Florida in 1975. The Mountain has never failed to draw more than its share of Disney guests.

Along with Space Mountain came a new Space Stage for musical acts to perform, as well as the "Starcade," which as its name suggests was pretty much a themed video arcade . In 1986 the space stage was converted into the Magic Eye Theater, initially showing the 3D film "Magic Journeys," a rather psychedelic look into the mind of a child.

"Magic Journeys," however, turned out to be just a placeholder for a legendary and controversial attraction called "Captain EO," which opened less than a year later. Starring a still-young and at peak of popularity Michael Jackson, "EO" was a 3-D movie and multimedia event, a co-production of Disney with Star Wars creator George Lucas. Speaking of Lucas, in 1987 Lucas helped bring the Star Wars simulator ride Star Tours to Tomorrowland. The attraction took over the former home of "Adventure Thru Inner Space," with a new mural for Star Tours replacing one of the Mary Blair murals. The last Tomorrowland event in the 1980s was the quiet closing of the "America Sings," attraction in 1988, leaving the Carousel Theater vacant for a time.

By the early 90s Tomorrowland was once again beginning to look a bit dated. A major renovation, code-named Tomorrowland 2055, was put into development at Walt Disney Imagineering. Had the original vision been achieved, the renovation would have featured a total aesthetic overhaul of the land, a new show for the Carousel theater, and a new attraction replacing "Mission to Mars" called "Alien Encounter," ("Alien Encounter" did emerge in Orlando eventually, but never opened in Anaheim.)

In 1993, the Tomorrowland 2055 vision was essentially cancelled, likely a victim of the unanticipated financial problems of Disneyland Paris. "Mission to Mars" had closed in 1992, but rather than converting to Alien Encounter as originally planned, the space was temporarily converted into a Toy Story Funhouse attraction in early 1996, which did not fit the theme of Tomorrowland long-term, but did show the potential of the wildly successful Toy Story film (soon to become a series) as a popular draw for Disney Parks patrons.

By mid-decade, the need for a Tomorrowland refresh was becoming painfully obvious. Even so, Imagineering Senior Vice President Tony Baxter was given only a minimal budget to re-develop the land and when the overhaul was completed in 1998, the shortfall showed.

The 1998 Tomorrowland

On entering the refreshed Tomorrowland in 1998, the first sight one saw was an "Astro Orbitor," a Disneyland Paris ride plopped into the entrance to Tomorrowland surrounded by a bunch of ugly "French Fry" rocks. The mechanism for the Rocket Jets atop the peoplemover platform were dressed up as the Observatron. In addition, the whole land was painted in shades of bronze echoing the theming of Discoveryland at Disneyland Paris. The "Parisization" of Tomorrowland also included painting the iconic white dome of Space Mountain a copper -bronze color.

In a development borrowed from Orlando, The Magic Eye Theater became home to "Honey I Shrunk the Audience," in tribute to a successful film that was already fading from people's memory banks. The former site of Mission to Mars became Redd Rocket's Pizza Port, with cuisine that was luxuriously priced but certainly less than substantial fare. The Carousel Theater was converted into Innoventions, an exhibit area featuring futuristic technology similar to the same-named pavilion at Walt Disney World's Epcot. The Submarine Voyage was de-commissioned, A new mural depicting Tomorrowland's history of transportation replaced the remaining Mary Blair mural.

Perhaps dumbest of all, "Circle-Vision 360" and the Peoplemover were replaced with the "Rocket Rods," a fast-speed thrill ride that used the Peoplemover tracks, though not particularly well.

This "New" Tomorrowland opened in 1998 and was widely panned by guests. To make matters worse due to budget cuts, the "Rocket Rods" were built without banked turns so the vehicles had to slow down and accelerate throughout the ride; in reality, the Peoplemover tracks were not designed to handle the stress caused by the fast Rocket Rod vehicles and the attraction closed in the fall of 2000 never to re-open. The abandoned Peoplemover tracks remain unused to this day.

On the bright side, a newly refurbished Autopia opened in Spring 2000 and remained a successful attraction. Due to a technical failure, Space Mountain shut down in 2003 and entered a two year refurbishment, but this refurbishment would prove fruitful.

In 2004 Matt Ouimet was named President of Disneyland and made the state of Tomorrowland one of his first areas of concern. One of his first moves was to have many of the bronze accents throughout the land restored to white, blue and silver. The best part of this change was that Space Mountain once again sported its gleaming white dome.

For Disneyland's 50th Anniversary in 2005, "Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters," an interactive shooter style-omnimover ride opened in the former home of Circle-Vision 360. A new mural came with it finally restoring balance to the corridor of murals. The ride itself, already established in Orlando, became the first of the "permanent" Toy Story attractions in California.

Also in 2005 Space Mountain re-opened with a completely re-built track, new special effects, new on-board synchronized soundtrack and more. The refurbishment was a complete success, bringing Space Mountain into the 21st century. To see how effective the refurbishment was, ride the Orlando version of Space Mountain, which has not had a similar overhaul, then ride the Anaheim version. The difference is stunning. In 2007 Space Mountain temporarily became Rockin' Space Mountain featuring a soundtrack by the Red Hot Chili Peppers; with all due respect, it's good that this proved a short-term experiment.

Also in 2007 the Submarine Voyage reemerged as "Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage" based on another Disney/Pixar hit film, Finding Nemo. The attraction is a mixed-bag, at first being serious and educational but as soon as the Nemo stuff starts it devolves into basically watching an underwater DVD with a not-too compelling plot or soundtrack. The characters of Nemo and Dory work for young kids, however.

In 2009 the "Astro Orbitor" was repainted to match the newly restored silver and blue aesthetic of Tomorrowland. Also in 2009 as a seasonal promotion during Halloweentime, Space Mountain for the first time was transformed into Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy for the season, a tradition that has continued through today.

In 2010, following the death of Michael Jackson, Captain EO returned to the Magic Eye Theater (though not for a particularly long haul, as it turned out). In 2011 Star Tours was upgraded to "Star Tours: The Adventures Continue," which was still a simulator ride, but now featured new destinations and a randomized order of events designed for maximum re-rideability. In 2014 Captain EO departed again from the Magic Eye Theater, which for a while became a venue for Disney "sneak previews."

In late 2015 Autopia was re-imagined yet again, with new Honda sponsorship and a new color scheme featuring the Tomorrowland silvers and blues. The "Star Wars Launchbay" took over the former Innoventions building and the Magic Eye Theater became home to "Star Wars Path of the Jedi," a 10-minute Star Wars Clip show. In 2018 Redd Rocketts Pizza Port became Alien Pizza Planet, themed to the toy aliens from the Toy Story franchise, though this has reportedly had little effect on food quality.

After Disney purchased the Star Wars franchise, in the latter half of the 2010s, Tomorrowland largely became an avenue with which to promote the "final" Star Wars trilogy, with Space Mountain temporarily transformed into Hyperspace Mountain using a Star Wars-themed overlay.

With the opening of the new land "Star Wars Galaxy's Edge" on the opposite side of the park, the Star Wars Attractions in Tomorrowland today seem redundant, and all of Tomorrowland seems to be suffering from an identity crisis. In late 2019 the ugly "French Fry" rocks at the entrance were finally removed and the entrance was re-designed with new futuristic planters, which was at least a hopeful step.

But as it stands Tomorrowland seems to be a forgotten corner of Disneyland and now that its Star Wars exclusivity has been compromised, it is without a coherent theme or message. It's certainly a far cry from the vista into mans achievements Walt envisioned.

The entrance to Tomorrowland today.

The fact that the park fell silent for most of 2020 due to the COVID-19 virus doesn't add to hopes that this issue will be resolved soon. It's always been a risky proposition to aim a land at a concept involving a tomorrow that always comes (even if it's a long time ago in a galaxy far away). But the subject of tomorrow is more relevant today than ever. More than ever, we don't know exactly what tomorrow will look like and that's where imagination and innovation will be more essential than ever.

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About the Creator

Sean Callaghan

Neurodivergent, Writer, Drummer, Singer, Percussionist, Star Wars and Disney Devotee.

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