Back to the Future Again: Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland 1994 Edition

The year was 1994, and the mission seemed impossible: a full re-Imagineering of the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland. Could the Imagineers bring a fresh perspective to Florida's crowning jewel of a theme park? The challenge was on- but it always was a challenge creating a land of the future.

Early guidebook page of Tomorrowland-
after the opening of a couple more attractions. 

Upon the Magic Kingdom's opening in 1971, the park's original Tomorrowland had a pretty, crisp, clean white palette. But it was lacking in a significant attraction roster. The Skyway, Raceway, Flight to the Moon and Circle-Vision 360 film was about all there was.

An original attraction poster.

Within the year after opening, the beloved If You Had Wings and the equally loved (and still missed in Disneyland) Wedway Peoplemover brought a new excitement to the land of the future. The contemporary feeling was clear- and still white, but the future was not.

One beautiful piece of  art for the Magic Kingdom. 

The mid-1970's opening of Space Mountain drove crowds to that side of the park. The land of the future was no flush with guests, and for the most part, the landscape stayed the same for the next decade or so. The iconic attraction had such an impact, that it was duplicated in various forms all over the world. (You can read about the historic impact here.)

Back to 1994, and the challenge made to the Imagineers. After much back and forth, it was decided that aliens would be invading the Florida Tomorrowland- and the future would never look as colorful! 

A new poster for a dazzling new land!

The beautiful but old standard Circle-Vision film would be replaced by The Timekeeper, starring Robin Williams as a robot with a mission. But it was the replacement for Mission to Mars that would become the most controversial: Alien Encounter. 

So not Disney but oh, so fun!

Scary and almost terrifying, guests would be trapped into an experiment gone bad. So unlike anything else in the Kingdom, it was loved and reviled at the same time. (Check out even more about Alien Encounter here.)

Above image from the amazing Vintage Disneyland Tickets

The land seemed to be a hit! My family and I couldn't wait for our next trip. We loved the new attractions, especially the encounter. At night, the place was even more beautiful with neon showing off all the new features. Great props, signs, and those cool palm trees set off the land as if it were in a galaxy far, far away. 

My photo of the attraction poster.

Flash forward to today. As expected, time has caught up with the  Magic Kingdom's land of the future. Alien Encounter and its child friendly replacement Stitch's Great Escape are gone. Timekeeper is now the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. Tron is coming and not too soon- even if its placement is less than perfect. 

The Imagineers are once again bringing change to the land. Can they pull it off once more? We will see.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company. Photograph of Timekeeper poster copyright Mark Taft)

Space Mountainless Tomorrowland

Much like what happened at the grand opening of Disneyland, when Florida's Magic Kingdom arrived, this Tomorrowland was also a bit incomplete. The iconic white Space Mountain wasn't on the horizon and the WEDWAY Peoplemover was not making its grand tour around the land of the future.

That's not to say there wasn't fun to be found! Guests could still blast off on Flight to the Moon, view the Circle-Vision 360 film, or take the much beloved (and now defunct) If You Had Wings (...had wings, had wings, had wings). Of course, getting behind the wheel of a race car was possible to the delight of kids of all ages. 

Thanks to the Imagineers, new adventures in the world of the future were on the way. Soon enough, Space Mountain grew into the must-do attraction everyone had to experience. Now, the ride is harsh and jerky, but back then, it was smooth as could be. The screams came from flying in the darkness instead of from the pain inflicted on the body of the riders because of the attraction in its current state.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company. Courtesy Vintage Disneyland Tickets.)

Back to the Future: 1994 at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom

The year: 1994. The mission: a remodel of the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland.

Love it or loathe it, upon the Magic Kingdom's opening in 1971, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom had a pretty sterile looking white palette. This was even before the massive Space Mountain entered the picture. There was soon If You Had Wings, a personal favorite, and the Wedway Peoplemover to round out the land. The feeling was fresh and contemporary but nothing futuristic aside from Flight to the Moon.

Above image from the amazing Vintage Disneyland Tickets

For the remake, the future was catching up with the Imagineers. So it would be a whole new alien world that would debut.

I couldn't wait for my next trip to see it- and I was not at all disappointed! Reusing the old Mission to Mars facility, the exciting Alien Encounter was a whole newform of thrill in the Disney lexicon. Mildly terrifying without much humor and clearly aiming for the teen audience. Add in a stateside version of Disneyland Paris's Le Visionarium, new "skins" on the existing buildings, fun props, great signage, and lots of neon, and it was a galaxy far far away from the serenity of opening day. Especially at night!

Thanks to Disney and More for the above image.

Unfortunately, time and new management has not been very kind to the Magic Kingdom's land of the future. The centerpiece attraction Alien Encounter gave way to the child friendly Stitch's Great Escape, and the Timekeeper attraction said goodbye, only to be replaced by the characters of Monsters Inc. Of course, the character invasion started years earlier when Wings and it look alike attractions were replaced by Buzz Lightyear. Could the success of Tron: Legacy lead us back to the future? One can only hope!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

When the Future was Forward Thinking

What was it about the 1967 version of Disneyland's Tomorrowland that inspired so many? If you look at this piece of Imagineering concept art, you'll catch a small glimpse and begin to understand the passion of those older Disney park fans that saw this version in real time.

Here is the McDonnell Douglas sponsored Flight to the Moon adventure, a prominent first version of the Peoplemover, and off to the far right, a freshly rendered version of Space Mountain. Much like Epcot's original version of Future World, the future has never seemed so thrilling, hopeful and inviting!

What do we have today? Potential- but little representation of what is to come. Buzz Lightyear (My favorite space ranger!) and Nemo take up prime property, the space flight to other planets is now a restaurant, tracks from the Peoplemover sit waiting for something to come, with all of it housed in an architectural environment consisting of a mish mash of styles and outdated 80's concepts.

Myabe this last visit to Disneyland and California Adventure reignited my passion to see Tomorrowland return to its glory days. Or my mid-February visit to Walt Disney World and its sci-fi version in the Magic Kingdom. If nothing else, both reminded me what the Walt Disney Company can achieve when they put their mind to it- and what they don't when they focus first on synergy and cross-marketing.

Let's keep looking forward as we continue our explorations of Tomorrowland on Monday mornings.

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)