A Golden Tomorrowland and a Revamped Space Mountain

Tomorrowland 1967- an iconic, much beloved, incarnation of the Land of the Future. And Disneyland was all the richer for it! This piece of concept art by the Imagineers reveals a new profile for Space Mountain than we've seen, a look at the Peoplemover and the Carousel of Progress, and a view of the entrance to Mission to Mars. 

The plan oozed ambition and a determination to give guests more than just an experience they deserved. It was to be an immersive journey into the future- and beyond. It worked...until it didn't. And then the land had to be revamped to keep up with an ever growing future. Then we mourned the loss of Adventure Thru Inner Space and the innocence of the age. Never to be seen again.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Fly Me to the Moon

Tomorrowland really was once a "World on the Move". At least it was during the first re-Imagineering of the land in 1967. Walt Disney had to cut some corners due to budget restrictions during the planning and execution of Disneyland. But he's to be forgiven for that decision because what he did had never been accomplished before. Not so with todays suits who have had the audacity to pass off the original Disney-MGM Studios, the Walt Disney Studios Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland as full day Disney quality theme parks. Never before was the arrogance of the suits more obvious as when Michael Eisner, Robert Iger and company debuted California Adventure 1.0, opening the same year while giving the Japanese Tokyo Disney Sea.  But I digress.

Imagineering concept art has been a long time favorite of this blog. If you look at the piece above, not only will you see the People Mover, Carousel of Progress, and Rocket to the Moon, but you'll notice a shiny new Space Mountain part of the image. Yes, it had been in the planning stages for that long before it came to be in the 70s. 

With the glistening submarines, the skyway buckets, and even the train running through the land, Tomorrowland was once a place of action. Nowadays, it's really just disjointed, a pathetic shell of its former self. Perhaps the opening of Star Wars Land / Experience - or whatever it will be named- will give the suits the guts they need to totally reimagine, even demolish, large sections of the land, and create something stunning. Aside from die-hard Disney park fans, it's a pretty well kept secret that the original magic kingdom now has the dullest and worst Tomorrowland of them all. 

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Eating in Mars at Tomorrowland

Any guest to the Disneyland Resort (or any reader of internet sites) understands almost immediately that the last Tomorrowland revamp was poorly done. It's a victim of severe budget cuts from the get go. The ill-executed Rocket Rods should have been a smash, but the suits cut the budget to the point of making it an ongoing operational nightmare. Point being, when the budgeteers slash the funds beyond something reasonable, this makes it impossible for even the most gifted Imagineers- such as Tony Baxter - to turn out an excellent product. (Full confession: I know I'm in the minority, but I thought the copper Space Mountain was beautiful!)

Back to Tomorrowland. The retro / vintage vibe did not age well. Add to this a hodge lodge of attractions disconnected in theme, and it's a real mess. The entire area badly needs a fresh focus and look. Hopefully that is coming once Star Wars Land opens. Here's a piece of concept art for the idea to have guests eat inside the old Mission to Mars building. An entirely different result than what stands there now.

It should have been a better experience than what we find currently. And, may I ask, what is that? Honestly, the existing restaurant with old attraction posters is a not so subtle reminder of the great Tomorrowland revisioning of the late 60's. A fantastic look at the future, an era when the Peoplemover sailed above the land, guests could Adventure Thru Inner Space and spin on a fully functioning and forward-looking Carousel of Progress. Bluntly, this restaurant is a constant reminder to guests of the greatness that came out of Imagineering under Walt's first generation artists... and one that hasn't been seen in Disneyland proper since the Indiana Jones Adventure decades ago.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Blasting Off!

It's fairly easy to think that with today's leading edge attractions like Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones Adventure, and Mission:Space, that the original Disneyland was just made up of simple spinners and dark rides, albeit with beautiful finishing touches and enhancements. It's just not so!

Above is a terrific piece of artwork for Tomorrowland's Rocket to the Moon. The Imagineers were actually quite brilliant in how they designed the attraction and created the sensations of flight. Want more like this? Head to "The Patent Room". Kudos to a unique and fascinating website.
(Concept art The Walt Disney Company.)