Tomorrowland (Disney Parks)

Tomorrowland
	Disneyland's Tomorrowland at night
Theme	Future, science, technology, outer space, discovery and science fiction
Disneyland
Status	Operating
Opened	July 17, 1955
Magic Kingdom
Status	Operating
Opened	October 1, 1971
Tokyo Disneyland
Status	Operating
Opened	April 15, 1983
Disneyland Paris (As Discoveryland)
Status	Operating
Opened	April 12, 1992
Hong Kong Disneyland
Status	Operating
Opened	September 12, 2005
Shanghai Disneyland
Status	Operating
Opened	June 16, 2016

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 that depict views of the future. Disneyland Park in Paris includes a similar area called Discoveryland, which shares some elements with other Tomorrowlands but emphasizes visions of the future inspired by Jules Verne.

Walt Disney was known for his futurist views and, through his television programs, showed the American public how the world was moving into the future. Tomorrowland was the realized culmination of his views. In his own words: "Tomorrow can be a wonderful age. Our scientists today are opening the doors of the Space Age to achievements that will benefit our children and generations to come. The Tomorrowland attractions have been designed to give you an opportunity to participate in adventures that are a living blueprint of our future."

Disneyland's Tomorrowland is now in its third generation, and the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland is in its second. The Walt Disney Company has mentioned that it wanted to keep Tomorrowland from becoming "Yesterdayland". As a self-referential joke along this line, the 2007 Walt Disney Animation Studios film Meet the Robinsons (which is set mainly in the year 2037) features an amusement park called Todayland, which has rides that look similar to Space Mountain and Disneyland's original Rocket Jets.

Disneyland

Original dedication

A vista into a world of wondrous ideas, signifying Man's achievements... A step into the future, with predictions of constructed things to come. Tomorrow offers new frontiers in science, adventure and ideals. The Atomic Age, the challenge of Outer Space and the hope for a peaceful, unified world.
During the dedication, Walt Disney started speaking, was told that he wasn't yet on air, and then had to restart once the television viewers were watching.

History

Tomorrowland taken from the Space Mountain queue. Photo by Mike Johansen.

First Tomorrowland 1955–1966: The "original" Tomorrowland incarnation

The first Tomorrowland opened at Disneyland on July 17, 1955, with only several of its planned attractions open, due to budget cuts. The construction of the park was rushed, so Tomorrowland was the last land to be finished. It became something of a corporate showcase, despite Walt Disney's reluctance. Monsanto Company, American Motors, Richfield Oil, and Dutch Boy Paint were some of the many companies to open showcases in Tomorrowland in the first few years.^[1]

Since the park was on a strict budget, one cost-cutting idea was to reuse the sets of the Nautilus from Disney's 1954 movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea as a walkthrough attraction. This remained open until 1966. For the first four years, most of Tomorrowland was generally open space and considered to be very corporate-fueled. However, the area gained more attractions as time passed, many of which have since been removed.

When Disneyland opened, Tomorrowland represented the future in the year 1986.^[2]

Tomorrowland's showpiece was the TWA Moonliner, derived from Disney's "Man In Space" television episodes developed in the 1950s. The Moonliner was the tallest structure in the park at the time, even taller than the park icon Sleeping Beauty Castle. The Moonliner hosted Rocket To The Moon which was a ride to the moon. The entrance showpiece was the clock of the world showing the time anywhere on earth. The north show building hosted Circarama U.S.A. which showed movies on nine screens, and space station X-1 which showed a satellite view of America. The south show building showed the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry, which was a walk-through tour about chemistry. Autopia, an opening-day attraction, gave visitors a view of the National Interstate System that was to be built in the future. The attraction still remains open today, though it has been modified and rebuilt several times. This is the only attraction in Tomorrowland that has been open since opening day.

Several new attractions opened in 1955. Among them were Tomorrowland Boats, The World Beneath Us, which showed the Earth's geology, and the Aluminum Hall of Fame, sponsored by Kaiser Aluminum. The final Tomorrowland attraction to open in 1955 was The Flight Circle which demonstrated methanol-powered model planes, boats and cars.

In 1956, Tomorrowland Boats were renamed Phantom Boats, and were closed later in the year. Dutch Boy Color Gallery opened in 1956, and sponsored Dutch Boy Paint. Two major attractions opened in 1956: the Astro Jets, where guests were able to fly their own rockets, and Skyway to Fantasyland, where guests rode "Buckets" over to Fantasyland.

In 1957, the Monsanto House of the Future, a plastic house with four wings cantilevered from a central plinth, was built. This was similar to precursors at previous World's Fairs, though those were simply homes furnished with modern conveniences and aimed at housewives. Disneyland's attraction displayed conveniences such as picture phones and television remote controls, and it introduced many people to their first microwave oven. The Viewliner also opened where guests could ride in "the fastest miniature train in the world." It closed the next year making it the shortest lived Disney attraction ever.

In 1959, three major attractions, the park's first billed E-ticket attractions, opened at Tomorrowland. These were Disneyland Monorail, Submarine Voyage, and Matterhorn Bobsleds (which later became part of Fantasyland). These additions were collectively so large in scope that they were televised as the second opening of Disneyland. New attractions came and some went as Walt Disney focused his efforts on the 1964–65 New York World's Fair. After the Fair closed, he turned his attention to a new Tomorrowland and the Florida Project, which would later become Walt Disney World.

Tomorrowland 1967–1997: "New Tomorrowland"

Disneyland's Tomorrowland entrance in 1996, before the 1998 makeover

By 1966, Tomorrowland was becoming quickly outdated. Most of its attractions were only there as advertisements for various sponsors, such as Monsanto, despite the 1959 Tomorrowland expansion. In 1967, the area was completely rebuilt with new attractions and scenery. The original layout was demolished, with a few exceptions, and a new set of buildings were erected. The addition of the Carousel of Progress, Adventure Thru Inner Space, an improved and larger Circle-Vision auditorium, Flight to the Moon, and the PeopleMover helped give Tomorrowland its "World on the Move" theme.^[1]

In 1973, "The World On The Move" began to change. General Electric decided to close Carousel of Progress, which later reopened at a new home in Walt Disney World in 1975 as part of its expansion. In 1974, with the American Bicentennial approaching, Disney designers seized the opportunity of the vacant carousel theater to present a large musical extravaganza called America Sings, which featured 114 Audio Animatronics. The following year, Flight to the Moon was updated into Mission to Mars, as actual flights to the moon had become a reality since the former's construction.^[3]

In 1975, construction began on Walt Disney's proposed 1965 "Space Port". In May 1977, this project opened to the public as Space Mountain. The same year, the Super Speed Tunnel was added as part of the Peoplemover experience, as the Epcot model that was formerly in the building moved to Florida.^[4]

In 1984, Circle-Vision 360 received a brand new travelogue of the United States, to replace the aging "America The Beautiful" film – American Journeys.^[5]

In 1986, two new attractions found homes in Tomorrowland: Star Tours and Captain EO. Captain EO replaced the Space Stage in September 1986, and Star Tours replaced Adventure Thru Inner Space in January 1987. Aside from the Skyway closing in 1994,^[6] Tomorrowland remained largely unchanged for much of the following decade until it was redesigned in 1998.^[7]

In 1993, The Walt Disney Company planned a major refurbishment, "Tomorrowland 2055". This Tomorrowland was planned to have more of an extraterrestrial theme, and was going to replace Mission to Mars with ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. In 1994, however, this plan was scrapped due to the poor initial financial performance of Euro Disneyland.^[8]

Tomorrowland 1995–1998: "Tomorrowland in Decline"

From 1995 to 1998 several Tomorrowland attractions were slated to be closed or remodeled. The Peoplemover, The Rocket Jets, Mission to Mars, Circle-Vision 360, Captain EO, and the Starcade were all permanently closed or planned for renovation. At this time, most of these attractions were left vacant or walled off from the public.

In 1995, the cost of an adult day pass at Disneyland was $34.00 ($68 in 2023 dollars ^[9]), and a Disneyland Annual Pass was $99.00 ($198 in 2023 dollars ^[9]). There was only one type of annual pass—as opposed to the current tiered system—and many Southern California locals had passes. Tomorrowland quickly became a local hangout for many local junior high and high school teenagers residing in Southern California. Teenagers congregated near the Tomorrowland Terrace, which featured a live band every night.

Tomorrowland became so synonymous with Southern California teenagers at that time, popular bands began to reference the local scene in their music. Local Anaheim-area ska-rock group No Doubt named their 1995 breakthrough third album “Tragic Kingdom”, in which the final track (also entitled Tragic Kingdom) begins with the ambient sounds of faint music and park guests boarding Snow White's Scary Adventures, and an ominous, pre-recorded male voice announces "Remain seated please; permanecer sentados por favor..." Just as the song begins, the iconic scream of the Wicked Witch falling to her death (as in the Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) can be heard. The first verse of the song says "Once was a magical place; over time it was lost. Price increased the cost, and now the fortune of the kingdom is locked up in its dungeon vaults." In reference to Disneyland's Main Street Electrical Parade, another section laments "The parade that's electrical, it serves no real purpose; Just takes up a lot of juice, just to impress us."

Ska band Jeffries Fan Club (1997) wrote a song called "12" about a high school boy who meets a 12-year-old girl at Disneyland, and Pop-Punk band the Ataris’ (1998) "San Dimas High School Football Rules" was about the lead singer going to Disneyland with a girl he met and getting on all the rides.

This influx of teenagers did cause some negative consequences to the park. Disneyland had to employ more security because many of the teenagers were not respectful to the families visiting the park. To combat the issue of mischievous locals, Disneyland made minor changes, including an increase to both one-day and annual passes. Tomorrowland officially began its renovation in 1995. The three-year makeover started only two years after the park's last major project: the construction of Mickey's Toontown. The land was not completely closed off the entire time, but major sections were blocked off to guests, and the entrance was finally walled up in 1997. As construction continued, rumors about possible new attractions went rampant. Guests wondered if Tomorrowland would start to phase out transportation and space travel attractions (its second main focus after home technologies in the 50s) in favor of a brand new theme. By the first months of 1998, New Tomorrowland was at the forefront of every Disneyland fan's mind, and the springtime opening drew major crowds. When Tomorrowland re-opened Disneyland had raised prices and many of the locals either moved on or aged out of using Tomorrowland as a hangout.

Tomorrowland 1998–2004: The "New-New Tomorrowland" incarnation

Disneyland's Tomorrowland entrance in 2008

Tomorrowland reopened on May 22, 1998, at the cost of a mere $100 million ($186,933,442 in 2023 dollars ^[9]), as the land was hit with budget cuts from Disneyland's president at the time, Paul Pressler. It is loosely based on the retro-futurist concepts of Jules Verne that Disneyland Paris's Discoveryland featured. The entire land was painted in bronzes, golds, and dark browns, with occasional green highlights. New landscaping featured apparent vegetable plots and made reference to "neo-agrarian" concepts. The flagship attraction of the makeover was the Rocket Rods, which attempted to run a fast-paced ride on the former slow-paced PeopleMover track; the ride closed two years later due to intractable mechanical problems.

Many of the attractions remained fundamentally the same, but Circle-Vision, Captain EO, and Mission to Mars were all removed. The space formerly occupied by Circle-Vision was partly used for the queue of the Rocket Rods, while Captain EO was replaced by Honey, I Shrunk the Audience and Mission To Mars was replaced by a restaurant called Redd Rockett's Pizza Port. The Rocket Jets attraction was redressed as a moving sculpture called the Observatron, while a similar attraction called the Astro Orbiter was placed at ground level in the entrance of Tomorrowland where the World Clock once stood. The former America Sings theater became Innoventions, a technology showcase based on the Walt Disney World: EPCOT original. The famous Tomorrowland attraction Space Mountain, which had been a gleaming white color for more than twenty years, was re-painted a copperish-brown color to go along with the redesign of Tomorrowland.^[10]

Following the opening of the New Tomorrowland for the summer of 1998, the Submarine Voyage was closed in September.

In late 2003, Matt Ouimet became president of the Disneyland Resort and sought to change some of the cost-cutting trends that had become the status quo there. Space Mountain was closed for two full years while the ride was refurbished and repainted white, the original color of the attraction, and the track was completely replaced by a new track with the same track plan. The former Rocket Rods queue building was converted into Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters for a 2005 opening.^{[citation needed]}

Tomorrowland 2005–2016: Disneyland's Happiest Homecoming and Diamond Anniversary

In February 2005, Walt Disney Imagineering approved a repaint of Tomorrowland for the "Happiest Homecoming on Earth" 50th anniversary celebration. This new paint scheme resembled the 1967 Tomorrowland with predominantly white, blue, and silver, although some of the former gold and bronze colors were kept. The largest remainder from the 1998 color scheme was the Astro Orbitor until mid-2009, when it was repainted to match the rest of the land, and mechanisms that once caused its top to rotate properly were repaired.^{[citation needed]}

The Submarine Lagoon at Tomorrowland. Monorail Orange is passing over a submarine.

In 2007, as part of the Year of a Million Dreams, the Submarine Voyage reopened as Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, with the submarines fully refurbished and repowered with batteries rather than diesel engines and the theme based on the 2003 Disney/Pixar animated film Finding Nemo.^{[citation needed]}

Also in 2007, the Disneyland Monorail began phasing out its Mark V fleet of monorails in order to reverse engineer^{[clarification needed]} and upgrade the Mark V's to the new Mark VII models. The new Mark VII's were phased in one at a time, beginning with Red and Blue in 2008 and Orange in 2009; Purple was confirmed not to undergo an upgrade and was scrapped. These new monorails were to pay homage to the original Mark I, II, and III monorails while retaining a modern, futuristic look. The previous Mark V monorail class of trains bore more of a resemblance to the Mark IV and Mark VI monorail classes of trains used on the Walt Disney World Monorail System.^{[citation needed]}

In January 2010, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience closed to make way for a revived Captain EO, which "re-opened" due to the large public backing the 3D film had received upon Michael Jackson's death in June 2009. It was a limited engagement (albeit with no set closing date), and eventually closed in July 2014 to use the theatre to present a preview of Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy. Later, starting on 26 September 2014, the Magic Eye theatre was used to present a preview of Walt Disney Animation Studios' Big Hero 6, set to have ended on 21 November 2014.^{[citation needed]}

In July 2010, Disneyland's Star Wars-themed motion simulator attraction Star Tours was closed to make way for Star Tours - The Adventures Continue. The ride, which featured other Star Wars destinations in 3-D, opened on June 3, 2011.^{[citation needed]}

On March 21, 2015 Innoventions closed to become transformed into the Tomorrowland Expo Center. The building was closed and converted which reopened to guests on November 16, 2015. The first floor of the building hosts the Star Wars Launch Bay, a new Star Wars exhibit with character meet and greets, displays featuring movie props and various sneak peeks behind the scenes of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the two other future Star Wars films. The second floor formerly hosted the "Super Hero HQ", featuring meet and greets with Marvel characters Iron Man, Thor and Spider-Man with several displays from Innoventions remaining, but redressed to display Marvel's various television series and comic strips.

Tomorrowland 2016–present: The "Season of the Force" Tomorrowland incarnation

At the 2015 D23 Expo, Disney announced that on November 16, 2015, Tomorrowland would launch a Star Wars-themed "Season of the Force", in celebration of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Among the changes launched as part of the event were the attraction Star Wars Launch Bay—an exhibition showcasing artwork and other materials related to the franchise, a Star Wars Rebels-themed update of Jedi Training Academy known as Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple, the addition of The Force Awakens-related content to Star Tours - The Adventures Continue, and a The Force Awakens-themed Space Mountain overlay known as Hyperspace Mountain.^[11]^[12] Autopia also closed for a short period of time, but reopened in early 2016, with a new blue and silver color scheme to better fit current day Tomorrowland and a new sponsorship with Honda. In 2019, Disneyland began to remove the 1998-era Tomorrowland sign and rockwork popularly known as the "French fry rocks" in order to widen walkways and improve crowd flow as part of its ongoing Project Stardust beautification and improvement project.^[13]

Attractions and entertainment

Astro Orbiter (1998–present)
Autopia (1955–present)
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (2005–present)
Disneyland Monorail (1959–present)
Disneyland Railroad (1955–present)
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage (2007–present)
Space Mountain (1977–present)
Star Tours—The Adventures Continue (2011–present)
Stitch's Interplanetary Beach Party Blast (2022–present)

Former attractions and entertainment

Court of Honor (1955–1956)
Phantom Boats (1955–1956)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Exhibit (1955–1966)
Hall of Aluminum Fame (1955–1960)
Space Station X-1 (1955–1960)
The World Beneath Us (1955–1960)
Art Corner (1955–1966)
Clock of the World (1955–1966)
Flight Circle (1955–1966)
Hobbyland (1955–1966)
Monsanto Hall of Chemistry (1955–1966)
Rocket to the Moon (1955–1966)
Circle-Vision 360° (1955–1997, re-themed as Rocket Rods Queue)
- A Tour of the West (1955–1960)
- America The Beautiful (1960–1984, 1996–1997)
- Wonders of China (1984–1994)
American Dairy Association Exhibit (1956–1958)
Bathroom of Tomorrow (1956–1960)
Our Future in Colors (1956–1963)
Astro Jets (1956–1964)
Avenue of the Flags (1956–1966)
Skyway to Fantasyland (1956–1994)
Viewliner Train of Tomorrow (1957–1958)
Midget Autopia (1957–1966)
Monsanto House of the Future (1957–1967)
Mermaids (1959; 1965–1967)
Submarine Voyage (1959–1998)
The Art of Animation (1960–1966)
Bell Telephone Systems Phone Exhibits (1960–1984)
Flying Saucers (1961–1966)
New York World's Fair Exhibit (1963–1964)
Fashions & Fabrics Through the Ages (1965)
Carousel of Progress (1967–1973)
Flight to the Moon (1967–1975)
Adventure Thru Inner Space (1967–1985)
Tomorrowland Stage (1967–1986)
PeopleMover (1967–1995)
Alpine Gardens (1967–1995)
Rocket Jets (1967–1997)
America Sings (1974–1988)
Mission to Mars (1975–1992)
Starcade (1977–2015)
Halyx (1981)
Magic Eye Theater (1984–2015)
- Magic Journeys (1984–1986)
- Captain EO (1986–1997)
- Honey, I Shrunk the Audience (1998–2010)
- Captain EO Tribute (2010–2015)
Star Tours (1987–2010)
Toy Story Funhouse (January 27, 1996 – May 27, 1996)^[14]
- Hamm's Theater with "Hamm's All-Doll Revue"
Rocket Rods (1998–2001)
Cosmic Waves (1998–2002)
American Space Experience (1998–2003)
Innoventions (1998–2015)
Radio Disney Broadcast Booth (1999–2002)
Club Buzz (2001–2006)
Super Hero HQ (2015–2016)
Jedi Training Academy (2015–2018)
Star Wars Launch Bay (2015—2020)

Restaurants and refreshments

Alien Pizza Planet
The Spirit of Refreshment
Tomorrowland Terrace (currently themed as Galactic Grill)

Former restaurants and refreshments

Space Bar (1955–1966)
Yacht Club (1955–1966)
Space Place (1977–1996)
Lunching Pad (1977–1998)

Shops

Autopia's Winner Circle
Little Green Men Store Command
The Star Trader
Tomorrowlanding

Former shops

The MOD Hatter (1958–2006)
Fun Fotos (1960–1966)
Premiere Shop (1963–2005)
Character Shop (1967–1986)