When I visited Walt Disney World as a kid, there was nothing like stepping into Tomorrowland. The sense of motion and excitement was everywhere. A nondescript entrance led into the wondrous If You Had Wings. You could walk a short distance and take a Mission to Mars or step right into a movie with Circle-Vision 360. The People Mover and Star Jets soared above while the wonders of Space Mountain waited at the far end. You could board a Skyway and fly above the Magic Kingdom and even drive a car! Today, the sense of movement remains. It just feels…different.
It’s easy to blame issues with Tomorrowland on the challenge of keeping up with modern technology. I’ve heard a similar reason given at EPCOT’s Future World. While this reasoning makes sense on the surface, it simplifies what made Tomorrowland great in the first place. It was never really about experiencing the latest technological advances. If that was the case, If You Had Wings would never have inspired so many devoted fans. The Omnimover technology and projected films were hardly cutting edge in the ’80s. What made this land thrilling was a real sense of adventure.
It’s important to keep theme parks fresh and not have too many dated attractions. Of course, a dated feeling doesn’t always connect to how long a ride has operated. Space Mountain hasn’t changed that much and still works brilliantly. It’s futuristic but wouldn’t succeed unless it was fun. On the other hand, a show like Stitch’s Great Escape feels ridiculously out-of-date and has only been open for 11 years.
The Skyway first opened at Disneyland in 1956, but guests still miss it. It worked because it gave you a different perspective of the parks. It also was a relaxing ride that existed apart from the bustling walkways underneath it. Swaying gently as you rode above the crowds was far more satisfying than many new technologies.
The World of Pixar
I actually don’t blame the influx of Pixar attractions on the issues in Tomorrowland. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is a lot of fun and doesn’t feel out of my place in this area. I can’t say the same for Stitch and the Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor, however. Admittedly, Mission to Mars was a little dry and not my favorite as a kid. However, you could imagine what lived beyond the space. The same was true for the Circle-Vision films and especially The Timekeeper in the ‘90s. There were robots and images of the future in that show, but it was really just a clever way to use old technology. It worked because of Robin Williams and the adventure.
Attractions connected to IP have been around since Disneyland opened, and I don’t mind seeing them in Tomorrowland. The issue comes when management believes that’s enough to sell the ride. Monsters University was a big hit a few years ago, but the lines aren’t long to see those characters tell jokes. The one-note attraction doesn’t offer enough for repeat visits, despite the modern technology on display. It’s only been open eight years, but the IP has done little to draw in guests. Even the gas-powered Tomorrowland Speedway has a more exciting hook.
What’s frustrating about the Pixar shows is the lack of ingenuity. Claude Coats used every trick in his arsenal to make If You Had Wings feel grand within a tiny show building. Sometimes it helps to have a limited budget and space. It often feels like Disney hits a creative logjam because of its expanded resources. Rides take years to design and build, and the results often don’t live up to expectations. I’d love to see what the company’s most creative minds could do with Stitch and Monster’s Inc. Set a specific time frame and budget and see what happens. While I recognize this is a pipe dream, it shows my lack of excitement about the current set-up.
What Happened at Disneyland?
I shouldn’t be too hard on Walt Disney World’s Tomorrowland; it still includes the People Mover and the Astro Orbiter on top of it. That isn’t the case at Disneyland, where the empty tracks above the area just remind us of its past glory. Walt Disney World fans will find it jarring to see the Astro Orbiter on the ground near Tomorrowland’s entrance. There’s little feeling of movement because you don’t see the ride vehicles traveling above the space. The Monorail still makes its journey from Downtown Disney, and that’s a small victory. Even so, something feels off when strolling through Tomorrowland in California.
There are some ways that Disneyland outshines its Florida counterpart. Star Tours fits comfortably near the Tomorrowland entrance, and the versions of Buzz Lightyear and Space Mountain are better due to movable guns and on-board audio respectively. The land just feels unfinished, however. It’s like the failure of the Rocket Rods in the late ‘90s made Disney skeptical of trying anything innovative with the People Mover. Many rumors arose of potential Star Wars expansions, but those are happening near Big Thunder Ranch instead. While that move keeps Tomorrowland as we know it from disappearing, work remains unfinished.
The good news is that it wouldn’t take that much to revitalize Disneyland’s forgotten land. Simply putting a transportation system on the People Mover tracks and re-installing the Astro Orbiter up high would do the trick. It would certainly require infrastructure upgrades to use those tracks again, but the benefits would outweigh those costs. If Disney looks beyond pure ROI and more towards the guest experience, they would realize that fixing Tomorrowland would pay huge dividends in California. It would help to eliminate bottlenecks and change the entire feeling of this side of the park. Right now, it’s Space Mountain or bust for too many visitors.
A New Tomorrowland
A main reason that If You Had Wings and Carousel of Progress thrived in Florida were their corporate sponsors. With the latter, we’ve seen the deterioration that happens without that extra money. It would probably take the influx of capital from a new sponsor to kick Stitch and Mike Wazowski out of Tomorrowland. That’s the unfortunate reality, and the huge crowds at The Magic Kingdom make Disney unlikely to act quickly. On the other hand, they may need to provide better attractions to better distribute the larger number of guests.
Disney recently completed its New Fantasyland section, which added much-needed capacity to the park. Even so, the lines have continued to grow during the past few years. Disney may need to perform a similar project in Tomorrowland to help encourage people to spend more time there. Thankfully, it shouldn’t require so much disruption to complete this upgrade. The existing infrastructure has two locations right in the middle that could house new attractions. Upgrading the Carousel of Progress could also change the game. I’d hate to see a massive change to one of my favorite attractions, but it’s going to happen at some point.
A Missed Opportunity
If the Tomorrowland film had succeeded, Disney certainly would have taken advantage of the popularity in the parks. Despite its disappointed box-office numbers, I still think there was missed potential to use Plus Ultra to great effect in Tomorrowland. Disney could have used it like the Society of Explorers and Adventurers (SEA) in Tokyo and Hong Kong.
They have started adding little hints about the SEA in Florida; why not do the same with Plus Ultra? The source material doesn’t really matter, and it offers plenty of cool ride ideas. The lack of outside-the-box thinking is frustrating given all the possibilities that are out there.
Regardless of what changes in the future, I just hope Disney remembers to inject adventure into the mix. Sitting in a static theater and watching animated characters tell jokes is dull. Let’s find a way to make the guest part of the action! Universal has stepped up their game and made us experience the world of Harry Potter. Why can’t Disney do the same in Tomorrowland?
Regardless of the story or IP, a fun ride is guaranteed to excite the guests. Radiator Springs Racers isn’t a hit just because it’s connected to Cars. When people see the giant outdoor structure and fast-moving vehicles, they can’t help but want to ride it. The formula is clear, and Disney needs to loosen up and remember what made the parks click in the first place.
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This is really Part 1 of your EPCOT post. And these issues continue to bother me, too. During my WDW visit in 2013, Tomorrowland (along with EPCOT) kind of made me sad. It used to be whole – it used to be great.
Anything having to do with futurism seems to cause problems, it seems. Again, Tomorrowland in the US needs to regain its voice. You see voice in France and with Shanghai’s Tomorrowland, they just need to choose a direction in the US parks.
I personally like the idea of a retro-themed futurism overlay (mid-century) at either CA or FLA (but leaning more toward FLA only because a lot of the infrastructure is still there, as you’ve said). And I agree, ditch Stitch, and the Laugh Floor – it’s not funny.
Overall though, I would say lean on advances in transit technology – it seemed that this was Walt’s goal anyway. Multiple levels of kinetic energy. Shifting cars to electric – or some sort of hovercar – seems like a no-brainer. Push / sell the tech behind the Peoplemover – an additional venue to continue the story of this unique ride / technology maybe? How about Interplanetary Rovers and Drones? What about the House of the Future – a venue tied to the CoP? There has to be something there with these things…
This definitely connects to my feelings on Future World. In a sense, I also don’t believe it would take a huge re-theming to make Tomorrowland work. If they replaced Stitch and the Laugh Floor with attractions that fit the theme, the rest would fall into place. I’d also like to see an upgrade to the final scene in Carousel of Progress, but I do still like it for nostalgia’s sake. It’s that middle corridor when you walk into Tomorrowland that needs help.
Your thoughts on a retro theme make sense. There are so many different ways they could go and still make it work. I expect it’s way down the priority list, though. The Magic Kingdom is so popular right now. That’s why I think replacing the individual attractions makes sense. It wouldn’t be a huge disruption to the crowds (especially with Stitch) and could be done without spending a huge amount of money. They probably would need a sponsor to pull the trigger, but I hope they do something in the next few years.
Agree with everything you’ve said. Definitely that main corridor – it is just so lacking in…anything really. Don’t mean to be nitpicky or negative – because I really love WDW, but that area just seems dry.
Anyway, great post – and great site!
Thanks so much for the kind words and great comments!