Let's crowdsource a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrowland for Disney
Now that we know that Walt Disney Imagineering is redesigning Disneyland's Tomorrowland, what do we want?
Tomorrowland has been a headache for Disneyland management even before the park opened in 1955. It was the last of the park's land to be completed and underwhelmed visitors from the start. Tomorrowland started as a collection of corporate exhibits, only beginning to come into its own with the addition of the monorail, submarines, and Matterhorn Bobsleds in 1959.
By 1967, Disneyland started over, with its first New Tomorrowland. Despite additions in the 1970s and 80s including Space Mountain and Star Tours, by the 1990s, Tomorrowland was showing its age again. That led to the New New Tomorrowland in 1998, with its Earth tones and Rocket Rods. That look did not last long, and Tomorrowland has limped along for nearly three decades since.
What can WDI envision and build this time that will deliver a Tomorrowland that won't feel stale and played out in another 30 years?
Disneyland's Tomorrowland
First, Tomorrowland does not need Star Tours or any other Star Wars-themed attraction. Galaxy's Edge across the park is Disneyland's home for Star Wars, and a universe set "a long time ago" has no business in Tomorrowland, anyway - even if it is science fiction.
Next, Tomorrowland needs a coherent visual identity. It's too much of a crapshoot to predict what tomorrow will look like, so Disney's safest bet here is to design the land around a popular image of the future from the past. To me, that leaves WDI two obvious design choices: steampunk or Googie. Paris has the former, but I think Anaheim should lean into the latter.
If Disney management is serious about having this redesign installed by the park's 75th anniversary in July 2030, I doubt that the company would have the time to tear Tomorrowland down to the ground and rebuild, like it did in 1967. But if you gave me unlimited control and resources, that is what I would order for the land. So what should go up in place of the current Tomorrowland?
Let's build upon Disney's successes in this land concept around the world. That means that Disneyland's New New New Tomorrowland needs a Space Mountain indoor roller coaster at its heart. But a proper Space Mountain would include a high-speed launch and multiple airtime moments. Because if a ride doesn't have a launch and zero-G, it's not really a space rocket adventure, is it?
Disneyland's next Tomorrowland also should include a Buzz Lightyear interactive dark ride, which has become a staple across Disney's theme parks. I would love to see a plussed version of Anaheim's current installation, using more advanced animatronics and gameplay.
Theme park lands need restaurants, so placing a Toy Story-themed Pizza Planet next to the Buzz Lightyear ride makes sense. This is an opportunity for Disney to up its theme park pizza game with hand-tossed, wood-fired pies and slices. And this Pizza Planet should offer a collection of high-tech video arcade games, as well. Just like Disneyland once had.
Rocket-themed Jets rides are another popular feature in Disney's Tomorrowlands. But Disneyland fumbled with its Astro Orbitor by installing that ride on the ground instead of on an elevated platform that would allow young riders a view from even higher in the air.
Tomorrowland also needs some form of driving ride for children. After all, getting a license to drive is one of the most exciting things that "tomorrow" promises for many young Disney theme park visitors. Legoland Driving School does a much better job with this theme than Disneyland's Autopia, so Imagineers would do well to apply whatever lessons they can learn from rivals in creating a new (and electrified) driving experience for the New New New Tomorrowland.
Finally, a Tomorrowland needs some form of sit-down, air-conditioned, all-ages, indoor theater production that can boost land capacity while leaving viewers optimistic about the future. This is the concept that Disney has yet not delivered in any Tomorrowland. At a moment when so many people feel despair about technology and the way it is degrading our lives through AI slop and addictive social media, we need creators like Imagineers who can find and amplify something that gives us hope again.
That's it. I don't need to see Star Tours or the Finding Nemo submarines in the next version of Disneyland's Tomorrowland. If Disney has no use for them, the old PeopleMover track and carousel theater need to be cleared away, too. I would keep the monorail, as it provides a useful backdoor for transport into and out of the park. Perhaps Disney could add a station in the new Avatar section of Disney California Adventure to make its monorail even more useful, though that would limit its use to fans with Park Hopper tickets.
What would you like to see in a new Disneyland Tomorrowland? What would you keep? What would you trash? And what might you bring in from other Disney theme parks around the world? It's time to crowdsource a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrowland for the Happiest Place on Earth.
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Replies (20)
I would to see the murals by Mary Blair again. True works of art. I've been told they are still there behind those uninspired facades.
Electric cars on Utopia.
My fantasy attraction would be Tron Cycles all over above Tommorland. Here in California we don't need a giant show building. Peoplemover is never coming back so use the same footprint as much as possible. {but not the same track like Rocket Rods did. Geez what a dumb idea.} Imagination goes a long way
Oh Yeah, get rid of the Astro Orbitor. It blocks too much walk way where it is. The old Rocket Jets looked more futuristic.
Sorry Robert but there is absolutely zero reason (or chance its gonna happen) that Space Mountain would be replaced with high speed launching/looping coaster. The Space Mountain at DLR is about as perfect of a family coaster as you can get: thrilling but accessible to all ages, smooth, modern, good capacity, a fan favorite and classic attraction at this point. If they wanted an indoor futuristic themed high thrill launch coaster they could just build one next to it like they did at WDW.
I'm stealing an Eisner-ism for this, but the next evolution of Tomorrowland should follow the mantra: "The future that never was--and always will be."
Leaning into the Googie/Mid-Century Modern designs is a great first step!
I visited Tomorrowland in the 50s and was totally captivated. To a child it doesn't matter that there are corporate exhibits, it only matters that they're amazing. There are plenty of amazing things going on right now in the corporate world that would be totally new to most people and hopefully can be kept fresh as technology advances. A ride like Carousel of Progress where the technology being shown could be more easily updated rather than frozen in time would be great.
So, yes to the rides, yes to the restaurants, yes to maintaining continuity by keeping Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear. Add a ride that keeps tommorow tomorrow.
Let's imagine a blank check has been written to redo Tomorrowland, but everything still needs to be done on a tight four year timeline. That means we're stuck with the current structures and layout of the land, but we can change what's in them fairly extensively. So, here's what I'd do...
First off, Astro Orbiter is gone in order to create an entirely new entry to the land. In its place is an entry plaza giving an unobstructed view of the main thoroughfare. To the left, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters remains, the same as it has always been but jazzed up with modern technological upgrades. To the right, the simulators of Star Tours continue to thrill passengers, but no longer are we in a galaxy far, far away. Instead, Tron has moved in, with Flynn recruiting guests on an adventure to take on a rogue AI program at risk of escaping the grid. Following our adventure, we exit into Flynn's arcade, home to a mix of classic arcade cabinets and ultra modern VR tech.
Above this main thoroughfare runs a new version of the PeopleMover, but this time showing off the wonders of Maglev technology. Vehicles float around Tomorrowland, giving guests a scenic tour of a land that now resembles a fictionalized version of the future. Standing tall above the station is the centerpiece of the land, a modernized take on the original Rocket Jets.
As guests venture deeper into the land, they will find the fan favorite Space Mountain completely unchanged, but the theater below has once again been brought back into service. Here, guests enjoy a presentation from Wall-E and company on environmental technology and the role it plays in ensuring Earth has a future different than that depicted in the film. The neighboring Pizza Planet has been revamped to match this theme, featuring healthy and sustainable offerings with a futuristic flair.
On the other side of the land, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is no more. Low capacity and lacking any connection to the future, this is not something worth keeping alive at this point in time, but the lagoon remains as a natural barrier between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. Autopia survives, but this attraction has gone under the knife to feature cars allowing young drivers to experience driving as it is today. Gone are the gas engines and steel guardrails, replaced by silent electric drives, collision avoidance systems, and a new network of motorways to be traversed via a randomly programmed guidance device. The overall footprint of this attraction would be reduced, and combined with an eventual monorail rerouting, would allow the ceded space to be used for expansion of Fantasyland. The Galactic Grill would remain, but with an improved menu.
Last is the Launch Bay building. This would be demolished and replaced with a purpose built structure for Tomorrowland's newest E-ticket. Utilizing the quantum realm, guests would take a journey not only through time but also through reality, witnessing events that occurred a bit differently than they may be familiar with. With limited space available, it would by necessity be a mostly screen based dark ride adventure, but it'd still be something unlike any other attraction at the resort.
There you have it, Tomorrowland 2030...a healthy mix of popular IPs, original concepts, continuing classics, returning favorites, and new adventures, all wrapped up into a version of the land that showcases the possibilities of the future without leaning too far into promising a reality.
Let’s see what they should do at MK:
Mission to the Moon.
Please spruce up the TTA with a retro voice over and projections and better set pieces to theme it like you are on a transport in the future. Watch Forbidden Planet for example.
Redo the circle vision theater with positive themed space travel (maybe perfect place for Mission to the Moon).
Bring back ExtraTERRORestrial Encounter!!!
As far as Autopia, I am one for leaving it be, but upgrade it substantially. My kids adored it when they were younger. Maybe have all the cars much more futuristic.
Oh, if they remove the Sherman Brothers song from Carousel I will be most upset.
Now do that at DL
That's the thing AJ, I doubt any re-envisioning of Disneyland's Tomorrowland would come without some serious financial constraints. While it does feel like WDI and Mazloum have done a 180 in putting the fans first, even if it costs money, I highly doubt this project will be anything more than "small ball" as TH would put it. I do not foresee any major attractions being added or even swapped out with most of the work involving redressing what's already there.
I simply don't see anything happening to Space Mountain, and frankly Disneyland's version should serve as the template for what WDW should do with MK's version of the attraction that is reportedly due for a major rehab. The look and feel of the attraction is what should be pushed across the entire area.
I do agree that Star Tours is out of place with Galaxy's Edge across the park, but given the likelihood that there would not be budget available to rip out the simulators and install something new, any replacement here would need to be based on the existing Star Tours ride system. In a perfect world, Tomorrowland would be free of IP, but I understand there are certain places where IP can be used to make the connection to Tomorrowland's core themes. I think the most recent Fantastic 4 film would offer the best connection with an aesthetic that fits perfectly with what Tomorrowland should look like and plenty of stories that could be told through the simulator. Frankly Marvel's First Family being pretty unpopular (even after its recent reboot under full Marvel control), makes it work even better because the characters and actors that could appear in the attraction would feel generic and non-descript and allow an attraction like this to exist a few hundred feet from Avengers CAMPUS. Another possibility could be tapping the even more unpopular Tomorrowland movie that has enough thrilling moments and ideas that could be ported to a simulator attraction.
In my view, Buzz is perfectly fine as is, but if budget allows, a renovation of the ride to increase the interactivity (more animatronics that directly react to hits) would help push the ride into the new era of Tomorrowland.
I'm 100% on board with Robert's thoughts on Autopia, and moving to a more freeform course with electric vehicles is desperately needed. The issue with such a conversion would always be capacity if you had to load/unload a driving area sprawled across thousands of square feet with maybe 20 cars available during each 3-5 minute cycle. One way you could up capacity would be to create multiple driving courses (you could probably fit 3 or 4 areas into the current Autopia footprint), and to make things more interesting, each course could be uniquely themed with slightly different cars. However, the one issue I see with Legoland's driving experience is that parents and older siblings are forced to the sideline while Autopia allows parents to help their kids master their driving skills. If there was a way for the Legoland/Joe Cool Driving School ride system to allow for parents/siblings to ride with their kids, it would make the experience a home run, and I think Disney could find a way to make it work as a full replacement for Autopia.
I personally don't have any issue with Nemo, and honestly feel it works perfectly as the transition between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland, and should be left alone.
I think the Tomorrowland stage is a bit of an eyesore that is rarely used after they stopped running Jedi Training Academy. That should be converted into a full seating area for a new restaurant. While Robert promotes the idea of a Pizza Planet here with real wood fired pizza, I have a better retro-future concept that would be a perfect fit with a refreshed Tomorrowland. Automats were created as the future of food service, and offer a quick, easy, and clever way for guests to grab a snack or light meal in a fun, futuristic-feeling way. Efteling and other European theme parks have used the Automat concept for years, and I don't see why a similar concept could not work at Disneyland. The menu could constantly rotate, because that's what Automats were all about (you never knew what would be behind the doors each day).
I think the Astro Orbiter should stay on the ground, because once you put it on top of an existing structure, you will be taken out of Tomorrowland and exposed to the real world outside of Disneyland's walls. They only place you could probably put the attraction would be in front of Space Mountain where the current coaster's queue is. This might be the trickiest needle to thread, but if there's not a space where the attraction can be placed where guests cannot see beyond the park's walls, then it should stay where it's at just rethemed to match the retro future look.
The last 2 attractions probably provide the most flexibility. The Tomorrowland Theater has been completely underutilized for over a decade, and you'd have to think Disney could up with some type of movie experience for this space that is better than rerunning Pixar Shorts. That leaves the old Carousel of Progress/Launch Bay building that is one of the most depressing spaces in all of Disneyland. I understand this is where the DVC lounge is, but I have to believe Disney would rather repurpose this space for an actual attraction instead of the virtually dead space that is there now. I think this could be used for a reimagined Mission to Mars (or somewhere beyond) attraction. I doubt they could put anything really dynamic in this space in terms of ride system, but they could probably figure out a way to get more use out of the space than what is there now.
A new People Mover alone is a good step. Those tracks just look ugly without any ride there.
They've either got to bring the PeopleMover back (my preference) or tear down the tracks. Innoventions has to go, too. Get a real show down in the old Captain E.O theater, bring the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Nano Battle tech (or the whole ride!) to replace Buzz Lightyear. Replace Star Tours with anything — I'd take the Iron Man attraction they have in Hong Kong, but this needs a change.
I don't see any reason to touch Space Mountain, which is one of the highest-rated attractions in the entire park and, compared to the rest of the land, is spritely. And unless they've got a great plan for the lagoon area, I'd leave Finding Nemo alone. The ride is meh, but what it does aesthetically for the land (and for Fantasyland!) is excellent.
Electrify Autopia, because I don't think it's going anywhere as long as the Monorail (which should also remain!) is drawing breath. A full revamp for the two restaurants in the land is long overdue. I'd make one of them (probably Pizza Planet) a table-service restaurant that really leans into the space theme. And do something, anything, to make Galactic Grill Not Suck.
Do all that... and you've got something going.
Some insider info from back in the day... OG Star Wars land was going to take over the back half of Tomorrowland, with the entrance to Star Tours getting reversed and the whole thing being based on the original movies. Space Mountain would have been given a tunnel style entrance to bypass the Star Wars area. Would have had a Speeder Bike chase take over Subs Autopia area. More recently, I heard there was a plan to knock out everything on the Buzz side of the main entranceway and have Tron installed there with the track bridging over the entrance to Tomorrowland.
Personally, I'd love to see Star Tours moved to the expansion slot designed for it in Galaxy's Edge, but I doubt there's strong motivation for that. It would cost a lot to move and how do you justify that expense? You can't advertise it as a new ride. I'm also ready to see Buzz kick the bucket. How many Toy Story themed shooters does one resort need? And there is nothing futuristic about giant toys. I like Space Mountain as it is, but I know there's a lot of energy round the new Space being built in Tokyo so it wouldn't surprise me if it gets replaced. That said, I think the odd are we will see the carousel theater get taken out, Autopia either upgraded or taken out, and subs taken out. The front half of the land will probably be the last to get touched.
Now that I think about it, drop Star Tours and put in Body Wars! I'm sure those films are sitting in vault somewhere. At least its futuristic in a nauseating way...
I think the strategy here would be to design a new land that looks like it was built on a budget, features no new rides and no major significant improvements, was rushed out, and dates itself in 5 years anyway.
Oh, that's probably what they were going to do anyway? Never mind then.
And we have a Body Wars reference! Man, I’d pay good dough if Epcot had a hard ticket event where you could go into the Wonders of Life pavilion and ride that again…
While the DL space mountain is my favorite, the only problem I have is when your eyes get used to the dark. I wish there was some way to better hide the track and accentuate the ‘space.’ The blast off portion knocks out some night vision, but this might prove too be a bridge too far.
I am one that would like no IP in Tomorrowland. With unlimited funds and a perfect world, it would be like you walked into a futuristic space port that is grounded in a positive view of the future.
Then take all the profits and go tear down the Haunted Mansion gift shop.
I think the French solved the Tomorrowland problem by going with a retrofuture.
We’re just now reaching the point where the 1980s is not “stale” but “Acceptable Retro”. Ralph and Tron fit perfectly into this vibe…. So make Tomorrowland a cyberpunk-lite style experience (Monsters Inc can probably gel with this vibe too).
If you really want the Land of Tomorrow put it all into a single building with queueing, entrance, capacity, all managed by AI, download any of hundreds of apps to your phone and create your own unique experience as this is where the world is going.
1. Do SOMETHING about the PeopleMover track! If anything could be done to refurbish what is there, bring some movement up there. I really hope it can be fixed, in one way or another (the idea of maglev pods, mentioned earlier, is a great idea).
2. Fix the carousal theater! Putting in the new Carousal of Progress they’re putting in the Magic Kingdom would be a no-brainer. But I would prefer restoring a 1964 version instead. (They could move all the sets and animatronics from the MK to Disneyland for restoration).
3. Unlike many here, I don’t think Toy Story belongs in Tomorrowland. I would replace Buzz with a 1950’s Sci-Fi alien theme. The Fox film "Invaders From Mars" could be a good fit.
4. Restore the beautiful Mary Blair murals!
5. I LOVE Star Tours, and would not like to see it go, but if it must leave, replace it with a real “hard science” educational attraction. Not sure about what exactly, but I would love to see some real science in Tomorrowland.
6. Leave the subs alone! It’s a unique attraction, that helps make Disneyland something special and different from the other parks around the world.
7. Bring back the Dick Dale music to Space Mountain.
8. Put SOMETHING into the 3D theatre by Space Mountain. I mean, come on… how hard would that be?
9. All electric cars in Autopia. (At least that would fix the noise and smell).
I've been a fan of the California version of Tomorrowland since the 1970s -- it was my favorite land to visit, with attractions like Adventure Thru Inner Space, America the Beautiful, Submarine Voyages, the PeopleMover, Mission to Mars, the Monorail, America Sings, Autopia, the Skyway, Rocket Jets, and starting in 1977, Space Mountain.
The 1967 version of Tomorrowland as illustrated in the famous aerial artwork by Herb Ryman (https://neverwasmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Herb-Ryman-Disney-Tomorrowland-concept-art.jpg) was really the most attractive version of the land, and I'd like to see Disney return the land to that form, with the Rocket Jets high above the center of the land, a People Mover presenting kinetic energy through the land, and a beautiful, clean entrance.
I'm okay with Space Mountain (maybe a re-imagined one, like Tokyo Disneyland is working on?), Buzz Lightyear, Star Tours, and Autopia. Something amazing should be done with the Innoventions building, and maybe re-theme the submarines to something more futuristic, like the Atlantis the Lost Empire or Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, like at Tokyo DisneySea.
If not a return to the 1967 version of Tomorrowland, I'd like to see the land re-themed like the 2015 Brad Bird Tomorrowland movie. I've seen Disney-produced concept art of Tomorrowland from around that time done in the style of the futuristic city from the movie, and it would be amazing to see the land done in that style. I realize the movie was a box office bomb, but this was my favorite Disney-produced movie of the past twenty years (and know a lot of other people who feel this way) and would love to see this.
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Robert, I agree with a lot of your points. However, I don't mind Star Tours at Tomorrowland, as I find its location to be a lot more convenient to visit than at the Studios in Florida. I also don't mind that Galaxy's Edge is on the other side of the park. I'm also good with keeping Buzz Lightyear and just enhancing it, which I believe will happen.
I feel like this new Tomorrowland must have some type of PeopleMover above the land. It doesn't have to be the same as the prior one; it's just so important as both its own attraction but also for the kinetics of the land. Beyond that, I think the Astro Orbiter either needs to move up high or get removed. I would either remove the old Carousel of Progress building or find a real attraction that people love for it. It would open up the space a lot if that building moved.
I have mixed feelings about Autopia. On my past few rides, the cars kept breaking down and it was a mess. I know that Disney has announced electric cars there, which sounds great. I feel like Autopia could be great if they really go for it and add a lot of theming to it. I'm excited to see what they do!