Reimagined Tomorrowland ...with a definite place and time!

[MarkW]

There have been a lot of posts about what a reimagineered Tomorrowland might be like. While many of the ideas presented offer exciting options, I believe more is needed to make Tomorrowland what it should be. To start, let’s go back to basics. First and foremost, a theme park and the “lands” within it should transport visitors to another place and time. All the lands in Disneyland accomplish this with the exception of Tomorrowland. When you are in Adventureland, you’re in the jungle; Frontierland, in the old west, etc. But, Tomorrowland has always had more the feel of a World’s Fair – rides and exhibits housed in sorta-modern structures. You don’t really feel like you’re in the future or in any particular place for that matter. You don’t have a sense of place or time. So, that’s what needs to be fixed first.

My vision of Tomorrowland takes visitors to a deep-space, space station, orbiting a distant planet “in a galaxy far, far away” at a time in the future when space travel is common. Most of Tomorrowland will be enclosed. This enclosed part will serve as the interior of our deep-space, space station. Think of this section of Tomorrowland like Tom Sawyer Island. Like the rafts that take visitors to Tom Sawyer Island, people will have to be transported to our space station. We’ll accomplish this with the use of “Interstellar Gateways.” To get to the enclosed part of Tomorrowland – our space station – you’ll have to enter through one of two Interstellar Gateways, one located at the Main Street hub (where the to-be-removed Astro Orbiter is now) and the other on the back side of the land. You’ll travel back from the space station in the same fashion. (See modified Tomorrowland satellite photo below: The light blue area represents the area that will be enclosed – the space station. The lime green buildings house our Interstellar Gateways. The Peoplemover (yes, it’s back!) will also pass through its own set of Interstellar Gateways as the vehicles pass from the interior of the space station back to earth and vise-versa.)



The buildings that house the Interstellar Gateways (see crude picture below) will be like spaceports, with gates for departing and arriving visitors. The gateway itself will be a tunnel of sorts with mist screens separating one side from the other. In addition, the tunnel could have light patterns projected on the walls and perhaps a very wide moving sidewalk that actually takes you to the other side. The gateways would operate continually so as to not restrict traffic into and out of the station (i.e. land).



So, now we have a place and time. Inside our space station, let’s call it Galaxy 12 Space Port, we have our three existing space rides – Star Tours, Buzz Lightyear, and Space Mountain. But, Space Mountain is going to have to be renamed to Star Speeders, or a similar name to fit the story. All these rides offer visitors a space experience that already begins in space, right? So, the story of launching off a space station fits. Buzz Lightyear is a little bit of a stretch in that it’s based on an animated character, but we can make it fly in order to keep costs down for this Tomorrowland makeover. Captain EO leaves the scene, replaced by some small dark ride or other suitable attraction that fits the space station theme. The Peoplemover returns, despite the high costs to bring it up to code and regulations. The entrance and exit to the ride will be within the space station and the ride vehicles will be visible to guests inside the station (at least for the inside part of the ride), adding kinetic energy to feel of the inside of the station. Inoventions will also depart, giving way to a new attraction, perhaps returning to a carousel theater type ride where guests can preview other worlds they can travel to using the Interstellar Gateways – a type of travel show depicting scenes from these worlds and featuring audioanimatronic beings and creatures.

The big make over for the land will involve creating the “look” within the confines of our station. The exterior of the attractions, shops, and restaurants on the station’s promenade will need to look uniform, futuristic, and convey the feeling of being on a deep-space, space station. There should be huge view screens on the ceiling that show the stars, with space ships cruising by from time to time. Perhaps even a view screen set in the ground that people walk on, which shows below the planet that we orbit. Station announcements (departing Star Tours flights, Interstellar Gateway announcements, etc.) will be broadcast periodically on speakers. Eating establishments like Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port and the Tomorrowland Terrace (to be renamed) should have “window seats,” with views, again, of space and the planet below. Think about the best eating places in Disneyland. They all share wonderful ambiance and great views. Hungry Bear Restaurant looks out over the Rivers of America. Blue Bayou gives you a table on the bayou at night (even during the day!). And, Flo’s V8 Café has a view of the Cadillac Range. But, the current restaurants in Tomorrowland offer only the feel of a fast-food court in the mall. Views of space, departing and arriving spacecraft, and a planet below as you dine would surely make for a unique eating experience in these restaurants.

In my scenario, the rest of Tomorrowland – the “outdoor part” – will remain, for now, as it is, though we will replace the gas-powered Autopia cars with electric ones immediately! The subs will stay, with the beautiful lagoon as important, in my mind, as the ride itself. So, that’s the plan. What do you think?

[Bob Weaver]

That's awesome. Tomorrowland desperately needs a unifying theme. I'd get rid of Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters and I'd be willing to evict Star Tours for the cause as well. A time-travel attraction ("A Billion Years Into Your Imagination") and an attraction based on WALL-E and a reimagined Adventure thru Inner Space would be the 3 new attractions I'd like. But the main thing as you say is the unifying theme and look. And I'd like to see them implement virtual lines, where the computer remembers what order you "checked in" at an attraction so that you don't have to stand in a queue.





The northern part of Tomorrowland, from the submarines north to Small World, could become a new land with an oceanic theme. And Autopia could finally be moved over to Carsland where it rightfully belongs.

[MaloCS]

I would do away with the whole concept of 'tomorrow'. As fast as real life technology is moving anything that's placed into 'Tomorrow Land' will be outdated as soon as it's unveiled. This futuristic, tomorrow theme may have been adequate 40 years ago but in terms of today, it just can't keep up.

I think changing the overall theme of the land is what's needed here. It can still remain in the Science Fiction genre but it needs to approach the subject matter in a way that won't compete with real life technology and it's unbelievable rate of change. If the theme tries to keep up with modern and future technology it will always lose the race and appear to be old, outdated and uncool.

I haven't thought about specifics but given Disney's past success in re-imagining it's outdated concepts I think they could do something really cool here. They just need to separate themselves from the idea of competing with current technology.

I do like the 'Steam Punk' designs they have toyed with in the past.

---------- Post added 09-27-2012 at 02:02 PM ----------

Nice photos but even by today's architectural standards those designs are outdated. They remind me of the sets used in '2001: A Space Odyssey'.

I believe it would be best for Disney to move away from any sort of futuristic, real life architecture and design. It just can't keep up with real life. However, I have no idea how they would do this.

[calsig31]

I do like the 'Steam Punk' designs they have toyed with in the past.

I really hope that doesn't happen. I would really like to see a Tomorrowland based on man's achievement in the future, but not 30 years ahead as the original Tomorrowland. They need to shoot for at least 100 years into the future in order to stay ahead of current technology.

[MaloCS]

I really hope that doesn't happen. I would really like to see a Tomorrowland based on man's achievement in the future, but not 30 years ahead as the original Tomorrowland. They need to shoot for at least 100 years into the future in order to stay ahead of current technology.

How will they do this? Anti gravity rides? Pulse Engine rides? Nuclear reactors the size of microwaves? Real life 'flux capacitors'? The entire 'tomorrow' concept is flawed and presents numerous problems because whatever Disney inserts into the land will immediately be outdated.

I believe I read a member on this board state, "On any given day, the local Best Buy and Apple stores are light years ahead of 'Tomorrow Land'." This statement is 100% accurate which means the cure to 'Tomorrow Land' is to move away from the idea of 'tomorrow'.

A generic 'Science Fiction' land will free Disney from the shackles of trying to accurately portray 'tomorrow' and give them the opportunity to explore other ideas that just don't work in the current concept of 'Tomorrow Land'.

[jchamb268]

While this is a cool idea, I dont think that the portal entrance thing would go over with OSHA or the Fire Marshall. Also the cost for AC would be a bit much. But it is a very cool idea.

[calsig31]

How will they do this? Anti gravity rides? Pulse Engine rides? Nuclear reactors the size of microwaves?

Possibly. If that is what is predicted to be in existence 10 years from now. They don’t actually need a working prototype of these things to predict their existence. Just some well-designed set pieces.

However, since we have not yet ventured beyond the moon in our solar system, that leaves entire areas of space exploration to be discovered. Space elevators, fueling stations on the moon or comets, manned missions to other planets are all feasible within the next century. Those are things that would take a long time for present technology to keep up with.

There are also many advances in medical technolgy such as cloned organ replacement and blood cleaning to reduce the aging process.

Disney needs to sit down with a few of the top scientific minds of today to try to determine what is realistically feasible 100 years from now.

The entire 'tomorrow' concept is flawed and presents numerous problems because whatever Disney inserts into the land will immediately be outdated.

Which is why I said to push the time period forward to a century from now rather than 30 years. It is harder to catch up to.

I believe I read a member on this board state, "On any given day, the local Best Buy and Apple stores are light years ahead of 'Tomorrow Land'." This statement is 100% accurate which means the cure to 'Tomorrow Land' is to move away from the idea of 'tomorrow'.

While it may be true for Innoventions, it is certainly not true for the rest of Tomorrowland. As far as I know, affordable public tourism on a nuclear powered submarine is not yet available, neither is departing from a starport for a sightseeing trip in another galaxy.

[ducktalesfan5555]

Very cool idea, indeed. What I worry about having an huge enclosed area, is what It'll look like from the outside.

[smartlabelprint]

I don't mind going inside for some rides but I generally enjoy being in the outdoors myself. Why couldn't the newly imagined peoplemover be outdoors?

[MarkW]

I don't mind going inside for some rides but I generally enjoy being in the outdoors myself. Why couldn't the newly imagined peoplemover be outdoors?

A good part of the Peoplemover ride would still be outdoors. Just the part within "the space station" would be indoors. When passing to the outside or back to the inside, the ride vehicle would pass through an Interstellar Gateway.

[fifthrider]

I like all the ideas being kicked around here and I've heard them from many others in various forms before.

I would agree that the goal of setting it "xx years into the future" is now probably a bad idea that sets itself up for being dated in a real world where technology is advancing faster than a theme park can catch up with. The land might as well be "space" themed and add all sorts of appealing visual elements like in the pics posted above.

Personally, I always thought a real touchup would be some kind of George-Jetson-styled tube walkways up above going back and forth over the ground level. ( Or again, anything like those cool walkway pics above. ) Also, you've got all this unused rooftop real estate that I would absolutely use. If it can't support the weight of people walking and attractions then how about just having the entrance to Tomorrowland with two Star Wars Style landing pads on the roof, overlapping the edge of the building just enough you can see them, and maybe an X-Winger or the Millenium Falcon on the roof as if parked there?

And yet as I say all that sincerely believing that this is what will have to happen to Tomorrowland at some point in the future just to keep it fresh, I also have to acknowledge that it utterly ignores Walt's interest in space and the advancement of humanity. Now it just becomes "Space Land" and no longer holds his hope for the future, instead giving it up in exchange for blinking lights and fiction.

I'm really torn on it.

[Spence]

So an entire land inside..... uuuuhhhhh, no. I think the idea you have going is AWESOME! But a land INSIDE, really? As cool an idea of it simulating a space station I honestly have to say no. It would turn Tomorrowland into a building, which is not very futuristic.

I realise part of of the newly imagined land would be outside but the fact that most of the land would be enclosed is not appealing to me.

[calsig31]

I realise part of of the newly imagined land would be outside but the fact that most of the land would be enclosed is not appealing to me.

You mean like the World Bazaar?

[mrwagnal9]

I was blow away with MK's TL (the good one with The Tomorrowland Interplanetary Convention Center and Time Keeper) and seeing it at night was epic. Then coming back to our crapfest. Okay Timekeeper, I can see as really dated over time, worse for us APs. Random videos would go a long ways and our return guest ratios make a good argument for multiple reels, it could have even used the ST multiple destination path concept 2-3-3-3 to cut costs (and corners) a bit.

I guess what I really want is AE again, I still want to know how they did the shattered glass effect, its not like it was a small tube there. Hey Tony, how was a Queue line better than AE? I'm a bit lost on that.

[Pirate Lover 68]

Interesting idea, but you don't have to have the whole thing inside. If you have these interstellar gateways, have them transport you this space station which also has an outdoor atmosphere that we can breathe in. Your idea totally works even if it meas that people still get to enjoy sunshine and air. Just take all the money they would have spent on creating a roof for all of that, and use that money to theme every inch of the place towards the rest of your concept. The Gateways would act just like the berm does now, it would have leave the world of today and enter an exciting future location set in deep space but on a planet very much like our own. The problem with the current TL is that it doesn't have a cohesive theme at all... and it suffers from severe neglect.