What's next for Tomorrowland?

[OneThree]

Spending last week at DL it seemed to me that Tomorrowland was looking a little worse for wear. The windows you can see adjacent the queue line leading into HSM appears to have old, black plastic sheeting on them. Launch Bay was interesting but appeared cobbled together to me in the old Innoventions building, etc...

Sure Disney has added in Star Wars elements to make use of the area, and things like Star Tours are fun, but with Star Wars land under construction will Tomorrowland return to Walt's original vision of a "blueprint for the future", albeit with an update for what a potential future may be?

I should add that as a kid I was a huge fan of the Carousel of Progress so perhaps I am biased.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

I am hoping that once SWL opens, it will give them the opportunity to shut down TL altogether and do a complete overhaul. Right now, that's just my wishes talking, but it would make sense. There's a lot of wasted space and underutilized buildings. I like the look of Shanghai Disney's TL, so maybe they could take some of those elements blended with what DisneySea did with their Port Discovery to come up with something new.

 

[Canuck16]

Lets hope that Tomorrow Land gets some love once the new areas are complete as it sure needs it.

 

[Indiana Scott]

TL has been needing some love for so long. I wouldn't even mind if they re-theme it to something besides Tomorrow Land, as long as they give it the attention this valuable space deserves.

 

[lalasmama]

I read once (though I don't remember where) that the idea of "Tomorrowland" would, realistically, be such a difficult concept to update, that it may be easier to keep it a "retro" Tomorrowland.

I think back to the old copper painting they did a few years ago that came off more steampunk than anything else, in my humble opinion. And, obviously, the "tomorrow" of 1955 is seriously different from the "tomorrow" of today. But where will we be in 50 years? Hard to conceptualize that and make a whole land of it, and then update that land frequently enough to keep the theme relevant, in my opinion.

I imagine Tomorrowland will continue to be "Space Land" for the foreseeable future, even if it's a "been there, done that" in the outside-Disney realm.

 

[OneThree]

I like the idea of a retro Tomorrowland! I'd like to see Buzz and Space Mountain remain but I think there is definitely space to put back something like the Carousel of Progress. I think Star Tours could be retooled to do trips through space as well with changing adventures to places like Mars and the Moon

 

[crystal1313]

I am sure hoping that after the opening of Star Wars Land, that Tomorrowland gets some well needed love! My biggest wish is for the rockets to be moved, maybe back where they were originally. I mean, it creates such a bad bottleneck at the entrance. Second wish would be to have the TRON coaster! And, overall for the land to have some new life added to it. So much potential!

 

[OneThree]

I am sure hoping that after the opening of Star Wars Land, that Tomorrowland gets some well needed love! My biggest wish is for the rockets to be moved, maybe back where they were originally. I mean, it creates such a bad bottleneck at the entrance. Second wish would be to have the TRON coaster! And, overall for the land to have some new life added to it. So much potential!

Good point on the rockets. They do indeed create a bottleneck!

Is Tron in Shanghai?

 

[twitch]

My ideas:

1) Give us a Tomorrowland rooted firmly in a particular time. Structure it so that the attractions can have an overlay, but the exterior is consistently themed in one vision of the future.

2) Eliminate any and all Star Wars references from TL - which I assume is the plan.

3) Move the rockets back to the center.

4) Bring back the People Mover. In conjunction, use the second story of the Carousel of Progress building as a theater to display some of Walt's vision of the future. (Or, alternatively, get rid of the track and the supporting structures which add to the bottle neck).

5) Create a new Carousel of Progress -- a new show that tells what things actually looked like in the 20s, 40s, 60s, 80s, 2000s, and now -- demonstrating the link that all of our current technology is rooted in past discoveries. This needs to be done with enough care so that it can be updated without a lot of future expense. Alternatively, create a ride (maybe in the Buzz Lightyear space) that's a little like Spaceship Earth (Epcot) - using an omnimover system, move individual parties through scenes from our past, providing a picture of an optimistic future. (I don't think that an Innoventions-style exhibit works... it relies too heavily on individual exhibits which could be broken or working... it feels too educational... and requires lots of continual updating.)

6) Use the Star Tours vehicles to create a multi-ride experience: one side goes to Outerspace: Moon, Mars, ISS; the other side goes to inaccessible places on earth: Everest, Ocean, Innerspace or Body Tours. Set up 6 different ride profiles on two different lines, so you can choose Inner or Outer, but don't know which of the three shows you get until you ride. This ride could easily be skinned or updated with new stories and locations.

7) Keep Space Mountain pretty much as is, except for seasonal overlays.

8) I don't know what to do with the Buzz Lightyear attraction, except, for the love of all that is holy, do NOT bring in Stich's Great Escape.

 

[GatorChris]

Bring back the PeopleMover!!!!

Leave the rest, I don't care. Just bring back the most chillaxing ride Disney ever made.

 

[crystal1313]

Good point on the rockets. They do indeed create a bottleneck!

Is Tron in Shanghai?

Yep, TRON is in Shanghai and it looks super fun! Plus, I think it fits the theme well for Tomorrowland!

 

[LizzyS]

I can deal with changes to Tomorrowland, but leave Space Mountain alone, for all that is holy. That's the best ride at DLR, imo.

 

[jammyjam25]

I know a lot of people want to see Tomorrowland return to its “classic” or “retro” look but I’d actually love to see some Disney properties that don’t currently get a lot of love in the park but have great futuristic elements have some presence here.

Wall-E

Wreck-It Ralph

Big Hero 6

Meet the Robinsons

I think there’s lots of fun stuff that could be done with all of these! I’m thinking something along the lines of re-theming Star Tours (assuming it closes when SWL opens) into San Fransokyo and the ride is you flying around with Hiro and Baymax. Or maybe participating in the Sugar Rush race from Wreck-It Ralph? Either one of those sounds so fun to me!

 

[crystal1313]

I know a lot of people want to see Tomorrowland return to its “classic” or “retro” look but I’d actually love to see some Disney properties that don’t currently get a lot of love in the park but have great futuristic elements have some presence here.

Wall-E

Wreck-It Ralph

Big Hero 6

Meet the Robinsons

I think there’s lots of fun stuff that could be done with all of these! I’m thinking something along the lines of re-theming Star Tours (assuming it closes when SWL opens) into San Fransokyo and the ride is you flying around with Hiro and Baymax. Or maybe participating in the Sugar Rush race from Wreck-It Ralph? Either one of those sounds so fun to me!

Love this idea too but would add TRON to your list, LOL! I also love the "retro" idea. I think at this point, any upgrade will be better than what is there! And yes, please leave Space Mtn alone! =)

 

[OneThree]

I think there’s lots of fun stuff that could be done with all of these! I’m thinking something along the lines of re-theming Star Tours (assuming it closes when SWL opens) into San Fransokyo and the ride is you flying around with Hiro and Baymax. Or maybe participating in the Sugar Rush race from Wreck-It Ralph? Either one of those sounds so fun to me!

Wall-E could be an option for Star Tours too with him on bumbling adventures around the Galaxy.

I'd forgotten about Meet the Robinsons. That could fit in a re-tooled, reimagined Carousel of Progress attraction, "keep moving forward"

 

[GatorChris]

Love this idea too but would add TRON to your list, LOL! I also love the "retro" idea. I think at this point, any upgrade will be better than what is there! And yes, please leave Space Mtn alone! =)

I'm all for Tron finally showing up at the parks. Not sure why it never has until Shanghai. I can see Big Hero 6 making a splash - seems like they'll be making another one of those films.

 

[BrianL]

I was thinking about this after my last trip. Assuming that Star Tours and JTA will move to the new Star Wars Land and the Launch Bay and other Seasons of the Force elements will end, that leaves Tomorrowland ripe for a complete overhaul. It certainly needs it, and with the bandwidth created by opening Star Wars Land, they could theoretically take all of TL offline.

One thing they need to address is the People Mover track: Either use it or lose it. It's a shame that it sits derelict and the pylons for it create traffic problems. If it were being used then I could deal with that, but if it's just going to sit idle, tear it out.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Ironically the thing about Tomorrowland that predicted the future the best is Autopia. Cars really do go 5 mph on the freeway.

 

[mich311e]

I do wonder about Star Tours. It's an amazingly popular and fun ride. I'd hate to see it go Marvel too.

I love Space Mountain so hopefully it stays. The successful Star Wars theming could be a sign of new themes in the future. Yes, bring back the People Mover!

 

[OneThree]

One thing they need to address is the People Mover track: Either use it or lose it. It's a shame that it sits derelict and the pylons for it create traffic problems. If it were being used then I could deal with that, but if it's just going to sit idle, tear it out.

I think one of the challenges with removing the pylons is that the track system is a structural component of the adjacent buildings. Though I suppose if they were to do a total overhaul of TL it wouldn't be as much of an issue.