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Tomorrowland has always been one of my favorite lands in any theme park. We grew up mostly visiting Walt Disney World, and I couldn’t get enough of this optimistic view of the “world on the move“. This vibrant atmosphere was everything in the original Tomorrowland in California. Popular attractions like the Skyway, PeopleMover, and Monorail injected life into the entire area. The future would be an exciting place!
I still enjoy parts of Disneyland’s Tomorrowland now, especially attractions like Space Mountain and Star Tours. Some aspects could use a little refreshing, however. It’s the perfect area for some armchair Imagineering! This episode of The Tomorrow Society Podcast focuses on ideas for improving Tomorrowland. I describe a lot of possible ways to upgrade a land that has so much potential. There’s plenty to cover beyond obvious choices like bringing back the PeopleMover.
What makes this exercise fun isn’t hearing my plans; that’s just the starting point. I’ve commissioned you, the listeners, for inventive concepts for Tomorrowland. Fellow podcasters and fans also participate with some audio ideas! The result is a diverse group of plans that include both past favorites and ambitious visions. We’re tackling climate change, honoring the space program, creating a new Marvel land, and hosting special events. I want to visit this version of Tomorrowland! This episode is really just a fun way to talk about all the different things we love about theme parks.
Show Notes: Improving Tomorrowland
Listen to my ideas for improving EPCOT in Part 1 and Part 2 from July 2020.
Check out these awesome Disney podcasts: Very Amusing with Carlye Wisel, Marty Called, Notably Disney, and Book of the Mouse Club!
Hey Dan –
What a pleasure to listen to your Tomorrowland round-up episode. I’m thrilled to have made the cut and to be among some great company. The ideas were creative, thoughtful and exciting.
I do apologize that I sort of rushed through that final thought about “It’s a Small World.” What I was trying to express was that the attraction has lost a good deal of context over the years, and it’s unfortunate that a lot of guests just see it as a boat ride with dolls and a song that gets stuck in your head. The movie “Tomorrowland” did a great job of putting the attraction back into context and, literally, ending with a message to the audience that it’s a small world after all.
My “meta” approach is to say that the show building and basic layout can remain the same, but I would introduce a number of new elements and consolidate or minimize some of the more dated ones. I’d start with some form of video/narration at the top (as the boats are passing through the opening tunnel and into the first room) to give a glimpse of the 1964 roots of the attraction, Walt’s vision and involvement and, if they’re really ambitious, a bit of time travel through special effects and models to the 1964 fair. Re-scoring some of this with a new, grander take on the theme song might also help to alleviate some of the problems with repetition.
The “classic” pieces that stay in the ride would benefit from a refresh of the basic layout… creating a little bit of mystique by not having every turn open into a giant showroom… perhaps rethinking the course the boats follow which just feels like a narrow floom ride. The whole thing would look nicer if riders didn’t just see the narrow fiberglass track and large gap between it and the set pieces when looking down from the boats.
To end, I think there is a real opportunity to drive home that message of unity. In the last room and exit tunnel, again why not take a tip from the movie “Tomorrowland” which cleverly showed us real children who are the inspiration for the message of the ride.
Again, use video, use narration, use a refresh of the music to reiterate that the message of the ride is just as relevant today as it was nearly 60 years ago.
Thanks again for an excellent discussion!
Thanks John! I hope that I wasn’t too hard on the “it’s a small world” idea. Your explanation makes a lot of sense. I think it’s similar to the pre-show videos for Carousel of Progress with Walt Disney singing with the Sherman Brothers. That attraction has become more a tribute, and Disney could do something like that with “it’s a small world”. I’d love to have more of a historical context to it, and there still is a lot of interest in the 1964 World’s Fair. Thanks for sending the details on the idea!