[Idea] The Future of Tomorrowland

[Gibson510]

As a kid, Tomorrowland was my favorite land in the whole park. I was captivated by the idea of the future and today, I still am. However, the current version of Tomorrowland falls well short of what I think it could be. A ride that features gas powered vehicles?? You don't have to be a genius to see that combustable engines will soon be a thing of the past. Innoventions? I'm not really sure whats going on there. Some of the technologies featured in the house of tomorrow exhibit are already making their way into current households and in my opinion many of these luxuries are not too far off from becoming widely affordable and available.


So that leaves Space Mountain which is a classic and should not be touched as well as Star Tours, Buzz and Nemo which are all based off a movie. I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to get tired of this whole "ride the movies" craze. I want something new and original. Something cutting edge that really wows.


I've been thinking recently that if I were a creative mind in charge of the Imagineering department, I'd gather up the Imagineers, lock 'em in a board room and propose this question: What will the future look like in 25 years? or 50? How about 100 years? I'd request a budget to extensively have these folks research the subject and use what they come up with to develop new, original and educational rides, exhibits and shows. Something that's exclusive to Disney that people will have to come out to the park to see. These attractions will not be based off a movie, only reality. So, since I'm not a bigwig at Disney Imagineering, I've decided to do some research into the subject myself:


The Future of Transportation
What will transportation look like 50 years into the future. Flying cars? How about public transportation? Maybe cities and communities will be designed so that there is no need for private or even mass transportation.


Something that came up a lot when I was cruising the Interweb was the idea of frictionless vehicles. Vehicals that don't have wheels but hover or even fly. BBC Future page has an article about it here BBC - Future - Why everyone may have a personal air vehicle


Also, how about battery powered cars. Many automakers are pouring a lot of money into researching smaller batteries that can hold a longer charge. Toyota and Honda seem to be going big with Hydrogen fuel cell cars. Maybe Disney can partner with a company to develop the Autopia of tomorrow. Hydrogen or electric? Showdown over the fuel of the future set for 2014 - Chicago Tribune


Space and The Universe
If the Milky Way galaxy were the size of the entire San Francisco Bay Area, from Santa Rosa to San Jose or somewhere thereabouts, our solar system (the Sun all the way out to Pluto) would be somewhere about the size of a grain of sand. Incredible! Our Galaxy contains hundreds of billions of stars and there are hundreds of billions of galaxies in the observable Universe each with hundreds of billions of stars contained within them. Mind boggling! Think of the potential for discovering intelligent life outside of humanity! Or the possibility of space travel.


Companies like Space X are currently trying to achieve commercial space travel. Maybe an E ticket ride based on space travel, one thats not already based on a movie. We must think about Mars having a permanent human presence sometime in the future. I'm just throwing out ideas here, I'm sure many of you could come up with better ones…


Nanotechnology and Biomedicine
Its hard for me to imagine taking nanotechnology and creating some sort of groundbreaking attraction that wouldn't cost an incredible amount of money but large advancements in these fields definitely seem to be in our future.


A common theme that pops up is the fact that humans are going to have to adapt when it comes to energy needs and dependancy. Batteries, Hydrogen, fusion energy, ethanol…the list goes on and on.


So anyway, you see my point. With just a few minutes of browsing the Internet I was able to find many good platforms on which to design a futuristic ride or attraction. Just think what Disney could do if they put their minds to it. Original, exciting and educational rides and attractions are just what Tomorrowland needs and deserves.


If you have any comments or ideas that fit this theme, please share them below! Put your creative minds together and think of some great futuristic attractions that could make Tomorrowland the land it should be!

[SSG]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

I think your idea are interesting, but I also think there is very little chance Disney puts in attractions like this. The company has far too much money invested in Star Wars and Marvel and the other movie based rides to go back to the original idea of what Tomorrowland was meant to be. If changes come, it will be the 'ride the movie' variety.

[MRaymond]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

You can do other things than 'ride the movie'. Some of the original rides in TL were 'ride the sponsor/concept'. The ATIS was sponsored by Monsanto. Goodyear/Peoplemover, TWA/Mission to Mars, etc.

A revised Submarine Voyage should be a colab with the Cousteau Society or Woods Hole.
General Electric with Autopia (after the cars go electric)
When you mentioned nano machines I immediately thought of a revised ATIS. Possibilities are endless and still futuristic.

[Bob Weaver]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

I’d like to see ATIS brought back as a dual attraction, “Adventures thru Inner Space” with a slow ride and a high-speed ride that share part of the same scenes, for their slow parts. Guests would choose which version to ride. It would need updated technologies for the visual effects. But the audio from the original attraction is still effective and could be used as-is.

Various versions of the audio are at this page:


The soundtrack starts after “Miracles from Molecules,” at the 2:00 mark on this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BluxfBhlWMc

[Disney Adventure]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

The problem with making Tomorrowland a land based on our tomorrow is that we're already living in our tomorrow. The actual future doesn't feel very new or exciting because it's a bit mundane now. There are several reasons for this, but a couple of big ones are:

1) The Internet. The OP surfed the web and found what they were looking for in a few short seconds. Going to the Carousal of Progress in the 60's was interesting because it showed you something you couldn't really see anywhere else. Now anyone can pull their iPhone out of their pocket and read about anything and watch videos on anything.

2) CGI in feature films. There are lots and lots of movies about the near and far future, and with CGI at photorealism now we can go to a theater and live the future and have it look perfectly real.

Will it be exciting when some of this future technology comes to fruition? Of course! But as we've seen since the 50's, the most incredible futuristic breakthroughs are often very pedestrian seeming on the surface. Flying cars like BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II? No. Electric or hybrids like the Nissan Leaf? That's the reality generally. Kind of makes for a dull land.

[Bob Weaver]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

There is no vision of the future. At least not like the visions that we once had, for example on Paleofuture - Paleofuture Blog

[Gibson510]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

Will it be exciting when some of this future technology comes to fruition? Of course! But as we've seen since the 50's, the most incredible futuristic breakthroughs are often very pedestrian seeming on the surface. Flying cars like BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II? No. Electric or hybrids like the Nissan Leaf? That's the reality generally. Kind of makes for a dull land.

Great point, and to some extent I agree with you. I also agree with SSG about Disney having a lot of money invested in movie franchises.

This thread was based on some practical thinking but mostly wishful thinking. However, a gas powered Autopia just does not make sense to me and I would hate to see it replaced with some Star Wars Ewok village or whatever else they try to shove in there.

[ScottG]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

There is no vision of the future. At least not like the visions that we once had, for example on Paleofuture - Paleofuture Blog

This. Space used to be a big futuristic thing but it just isn't anymore. Cars and super highways? Done. Scientific breakthroughs? Meh, not much on the horizon to ooh and ah about.
We just don't have a grand vision of the future anymore like we did in the 50's and 60's.
I'd almost rather see TL go retro or change entirely to something like Transportation Land.

[Princess Victoria]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

As I mentioned in another thread, the ingenious Googie architecture created for Tomorrowland in 1967 was done the way that it was so that it would have an enduring futuristic feel. Even by today's standards, I don't think much else looks more futuristic than the artistic styles that inspired Tomorrowland. Like all of Disneyland's lands, Tomorrowland is more than the sum of its rides and attractions. Currently, there's nothing that cohesively ties them all together. Of all the lands in the park, it is the one that feels the least lived-in. Even ToonTown trumps it in that regard. Unless they undo the hodge podge of attractions and clashing color schemes currently in place, this will remain the case for the forseeable future. Heck, even a simple repaint of the whole land back to what it once was would do so much for it. But it's going to take a lot more work to actually fix it, starting with the Astro Orbiter and it's obnoxious rocks at the entrance.

This. Space used to be a big futuristic thing but it just isn't anymore. Cars and super highways? Done. Scientific breakthroughs? Meh, not much on the horizon to ooh and ah about.
We just don't have a grand vision of the future anymore like we did in the 50's and 60's.
I'd almost rather see TL go retro or change entirely to something like Transportation Land.

More than anything else, I think this is due to humanity accepting the limitations of its advances in terms of what is practical. Sure, technology quickly changes, but it's mostly on the level of which is invisible or restricted to handheld devices. Instead of a mission to Mars or flying cars, it's easier to look forward to what's tangible, like the next iPhone or next model year of our favorite car. Those grand things we once thought we'd have by now are simply are too expensive and impractical for the majority of people.

[Disney Adventure]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

Great point Princess Victoria! A coherent fantasy-future design with new architecture/paint/lighting/artwork in the style of Tomorrowland 1967 encompassing the entirety of Tomorrowland would be awesome!

Sort of like what they tried to do in 1998, but actually good this time.

[Tomorrowland_1967]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

I have to say ... some of these arguments against a futurism ... Sorry, I don't buy them. There is creativity and imagination out there ... we just don't get to hear about it much ... because corporations just drill franchises, and massive commercialism down our throats so hard ... we see nothing else outside the prism. it is just so "blinding" ... our attentions are guided souly on it .. and we tend to not looking around the corner of it.

[MRaymond]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

I have to say ... some of these arguments against a futurism ... Sorry, I don't buy them. There is creativity and imagination out there ... we just don't get to hear about it much ... because corporations just drill franchises, and massive commercialism down our throats so hard ... we see nothing else outside the prism. it is just so "blinding" ... our attentions are guided souly on it .. and we tend to not looking around the corner of it.

You beat me to it. That's my point exactly. When I was a kid (in the 60's), Tomorrowland wasn't just about the future but about science. We could go into space (MTM), explore the deep oceans (Sub Voyage), explore the atom (ATIS), see America from a new vantage point (Circlevision), the PM and Monorail, etc. A world of futuristic thinking, not necessarily what tomorrow would look like.

So to fix TL you need to bring back that unified theme and architecture. If Star Tours had never been built, the same ride tech could have upgraded MTM or ATIS. The PM should come back but on a new rail system, the monorail is still future tech.
Get rid of Nemo in the subs and put in something that is still science like deep sea research, hydroponic farming and a sunken ship that looks realistic (think Titanic imagery). How about a redesign of the sub itself? Imagine if a bus could be underwater. Forward facing seats with large windows on both sides. No need to duplicate the view on each side of the sub because people on the right could see out the left side.

The science and wonder is still out there but kids (and adults) aren't exposed to it like we were in the 60's.

[fo'c's'le swab]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

Many people have posted this before, myself included: Innoventions is probably the best themed attraction in TL (when one thoughtfully considers TL's original dedicated purpose), and it is also the least popular; in fact, it is often ridiculed. It is also probably the best example of how difficult it would be to maintain a "realistic futurism" (the glorification of modernity) approach to TL, as advances in technology could easily (and probably would) outpace installation.

So, to my way of thinking, the public, in a limited way, has already told Disney what they want, and it isn't Innoventions; it isn't a realistic future; it isn't a showcase (Carousel?) of progress; it isn't the vision of Tomorrow. We have chosen fantasy over reality (which isn't at all surprising--it IS Disneyland, after all); we have chosen futuristic over futurism. So that is what we should expect to be given, IMO.

[MRaymond]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

I've posted this before but here is my vision of an updated TL.
Some people want to tear out Tomorrowland and create a Star Wars or Marvel land. Save it for a ‘third gate’ if it is ever built. TL already has the infrastructure needed to be great once again. Just as it was retrofitted when TL67 was built, it will need an overhaul to be fixed now. I’m not replacing Tomorrowland, just refitting it. Some of my ideas could be started now.


I'll look at this idea, attraction by attraction, with bigger ideas at the end. Some of these ideas will work but only with an overhaul of some of the show buildings.

1. Astro Orbiter - It's time for the AO and it's rocks to go away. There was no reason to remove it from its TL67 position. Do some asthetic updates and put it back.

2. Star Tours - This is my favorite ride in Tomorrowland, and I do not think any changes are necessary. But I would like to see a few more destinations. IF the ‘third gate’ ever opens, move it to Star Wars Land and put an updated ATIS in this location. You can shrink down to see nano machines and other microscopic neat stuff. New technology can create a more realistic experience. Why not shrink down past the nucleus.

3. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters - Time for Buzz to move out. Let's go for a completely new ride: An interactive Mission Control, a robotic factory (Wall-E?) or some new dark ride experience with a futuristic bend. Or even return ATIS like I mentioned in #2.

4. Star Trader - Offer more land specific merchandise that isn't just franchises like Star Wars and Marvel.

5. Buzz Lightyear store - Do we really need a second Star Trader? Tack the space on to the rehab of the BLAB space.

6. PeopleMover - Return the People Mover to Tomorrowland except with a sleeker, modern design and slightly faster speed than the original. The track will need to be upgraded and smoothed out. To ease congestion, remove the track section down the center of TL. Instead, the ride heads straight towards the upper level of the Starcade after loading. The existing track section that exits BLAB will arch across to Star Tours. This arch will be the new gateway to TL. To plus the PM, give it a small show building of its own to showcase its usage as a transportation medium.

7. Tomorrowland Terrace - This is the fast food center of TL. Put in more live entertainment on the elevated stage.

8. Tomorrowland Theater (Captain EO) - Put the Jedi Training Academy in here. The theater can be totally overhauled and themed for the experience OR remove the roof and people can watch from above while waiting to enter SM. A proper re-dress of the space will allow it to be used for more than just JTA.

9. Starcade - The upper level goes to the new PM. The lower level can go to an improved Space Mountain queue or enlarge Star Traders. I never liked the Starcade. I didn’t come to DL to play video games.

10. Space Mountain - This is my second favorite ride in Tomorrowland, but the indoor queue needs work. The claustrophobic hallway needs something interactive. What's behind the walls? Could they be pushed back a bit and add some scenery like a Mission Control or something interactive. Put the windows back in so we can see the inside of the ride (remember that, old timers?) Add some of the new projection techniques to ramp up the experience of the ride itself.

11. Pizza Port - Buy your pizza at the Tomorrowland Terrace. Offer higher quality food here in a restaurant or buffet environment. Since this was the old Mission to Mars building, make some references to it. An AA Mr. Morrow could come on once in a while with a short program (with appropriate lighting, video wall, etc) then close curtain when done. Or, put a new 'science based' attraction back in.

12. Autopia - Electric, Electric, Electric. Going to electric cars should have been done long ago. Without the problem of exhaust fumes, part of the track could go into an indoor, themed section. Sorry folks, people still like the Autopia. Have you ever seen it without a line?


13. Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage - Get rid of the Nemo theme and replace it with something closer to the original; exploring the dark depths of the ocean, hydroponic farming or exploring a sunken ship that looks realistic (think Titanic imagery). The tech that was created for Nemo could help make it look as realistic as possible or add some comic relief (like the sea monster used to). How about a redesign of the sub itself? Imagine if a bus could be underwater with forward facing seats and large windows on both sides. No need to duplicate the view on each side of the sub because people on the right could see out the left side. Nemo and Dori could still make an appearance in the opening reef but they would be realistic.

14. Monorail - Perfect as it is. I do like the retro theme. I still think monorails are futuristic but cities don’t want to invest in them.

15. Innoventions - I like the Carousel Building. It’s time for a new revolving show. I've always envisioned a "Carousel of Disney". The show highlights cutting edge technology of the past, the present, then the future using Disneyland as its example. Ride tech, AA advancement, originality and future rides. It would also showcase how it all comes together. The host can be T. Morrow, Mr. Johnson (in NASA lab coat) or a new AA personality. Keep it fast paced and it stays interesting. Make the scenes modular and they could be updated as needed with minimal downtime. Put the speedramp back in after the last section and take the audience upstairs. The upper floor would have a model of Disneyland (with moving parts and articulation) and an AA narrator pointing out how the park has changed with time. The PeopleMover would have a peek into the show building at this level (like it did when the EPCOT model was there). I thought about an AA Walt Disney opening the show but I'm sure some people would balk.

Overall Tomorrowland - Improve the cosmetics of the land by painting pretty much everything blue, white, silver, and gray with chrome accents. The architecture could be unified throughout and it needs lots of lighting at night. The TL67 googie architecture is still cool. Since the PM track was removed down the main entrance way (see #6), replace the murals on ST and BLAB with video walls and/or place an overhead LED lightshow over the entire corridor (like they have in Vegas). During the day it's just a shade, at night it lights up. Returning the Mary Blair murals would be a nice touch but if they are gone put a representation into the video wall show.

Keep the land clean, free of trash and chipped paint. Use landscaping and planters to add color. Tomorrowland is not dead. The people in charge just aren’t using their collective brains.

[Princess Victoria]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

Many people have posted this before, myself included: Innoventions is probably the best themed attraction in TL (when one thoughtfully considers TL's original dedicated purpose), and it is also the least popular; in fact, it is often ridiculed. It is also probably the best example of how difficult it would be to maintain a "realistic futurism" (the glorification of modernity) approach to TL, as advances in technology could easily (and probably would) outpace installation.

So, to my way of thinking, the public, in a limited way, has already told Disney what they want, and it isn't Innoventions; it isn't a realistic future; it isn't a showcase (Carousel?) of progress; it isn't the vision of Tomorrow. We have chosen fantasy over reality (which isn't at all surprising--it IS Disneyland, after all); we have chosen futuristic over futurism. So that is what we should expect to be given, IMO.

That's because Innoventions sucks. It's not because people aren't interested in a realistic, science-based attraction, it's because Disney half-assed it, just like everything else in TL'98. And instead of making it better, they've gone and added the Dream Home, which is unrealistic for most people. And they've populated the place with Iron Man, Marvel meet and greets, and excessive advertising for Microsoft and Honda. Innoventions could have been great, but it's because it sucks that it's ridiculed, not because it's a good attraction that people don't care about.

[sleepyjeff]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

STAR TOURS....Move it to an eventual 3rd gate and replace with Adventure thru Innerspace 2.0. Similar to the original but intertwined with nanotechnology and 21st century special effects.

ASTRO ORBITER.....Move it back to its' original position high above Tomorrowland and re-assume the Rocket Jets name tag.

PEOPLEMOVER.........Bring em back with a smoother ride and modernized carriages; convert the Innoventions building into a show building for the new PM loosely based on the old EPCOT attraction -World of Motion-

BUZZ LIGHTYEAR..........Keep the track but totally dump the entire Buzz theme. Bring in an attraction depicting a typical American family living in the year 2055. An urban apartment, a desert farm, an undersea village, and a colony on the Mars! Similar (but not as long) to the old Horizons attraction that was replaced by Mission Space in Florida.

STARCADE..........Open up both floors and fill with unique to Disneyland arcade / virtual reality games.

MAGIC EYE THEATER........I am thinking the Space Bear Cosmic Hoedown would work really nice here. Big Al singing *Space Oddity* alone would be worth the price of admission

SPACE MOUNTAIN..........Bring back the Speedramps and lose the stairs!

RED ROCKETS PIZZA PORT........Make it a full service restaurant with large comfortable booths (each with a view of the Planet Earth below) themed to be an orbiting space station.

AUTOPIA...........One word >>> Hovertopia!

SKYWAY............Bring back the magical journey over TL and FL. Using color changing carriages to match the land they are flying over and solar powered air-conditioned enclosed buckets the New Skyway will look a lot different than it ever did in its' first 35 years of flight. A quick but truly magical encounter with some FROZEN characters will charm many inside the Matterhorn.

SUBMARINE VOYAGE...........Scientists believe that one of the best places to look for life in our Solar System might be in the vast ocean under the Ice sheet that covers Jupiter's moon Europa. What better way to explore that possibility than aboard a SpaceSubmarine.

[MRaymond]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

More great ideas. We should work for the park.

[fo'c's'le swab]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

That's because Innoventions sucks. It's not because people aren't interested in a realistic, science-based attraction...

Then where are all these attractions that are so "popular"? No, this statement just doesn't ring true. It seems ridiculously clear what guests want. Just look at the Park, and not just in TL.

[VintageMouse]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

Then where are all these attractions that are so "popular"? No, this statement just doesn't ring true. It seems ridiculously clear what guests want. Just look at the Park, and not just in TL.

When Walt Disney first announced Disneyland to the public, did they know that this is something they wanted? Or was it a case of building something totally awesome that drew them in. I have a suspicion that it was the latter. The same can be said for Tomorrowland. Just because the public appears to want movie-based rides doesn't mean that Disney can't do better and both entertain and inspire.

[fo'c's'le swab]

Re: The Future of Tomorrowland

When Walt Disney first announced Disneyland to the public, did they know that this is something they wanted? Or was it a case of building something totally awesome that drew them in. I have a suspicion that it was the latter. The same can be said for Tomorrowland. Just because the public appears to want movie-based rides doesn't mean that Disney can't do better and both entertain and inspire.

Walt's gone. Poor or short-sighted vision is still vision nonetheless. Disney has an agenda, a vision for the Park. That vision is more weighted towards crowd-pleasing nowadays, not trend-setting. The evidence, to my way of thinking, is incontrovertible. It's just the way it is, as it appears to me; not necessarily how I'd like it, but it obviously it suits some tastes to a tee.