Disney
If I could imagineer Tomorrowland for a moment
A little bit of fan reflection on Transportation in Tomorrowland and how to revitalize it:
When you visit Disneyland in California, how do you feel when you walk down Main Street, U.S.A. and turn right to enter Tomorrowland? I mostly feel a combination sadness and frustration when I walk through Tomorrowland–primarily due to the misplaced and pathway– clogging Astro Orbiter and the vacant, rotting PeopleMover track. And while fantasy space travel is well represented in Tomorrowland (Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Star Tours, and Space Mountain), any semblance of tangible ways of pondering, dreaming about, and honoring humankind's achievements and the wonders of the future are long gone. It's as if Disneyland, like seemingly so much of the world, gave up on an optimistic view of the future, too.
Personally, I’d copy/paste the Magic Kingdom People Mover over to Disneyland, keep the monorail as-is, bring back the motor boat cruise as some kind of “see the world from a personal-sized yacht” thing, and reimagine Autopia as pure-electric autonymous cars that are integrated with pedestrian, bicycle, and commercial traffic in a way that is less car-centric as our current world. The five second pitch: the future of transportation is global and interconnected.
A little PeopleMover 💌
I love the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. It’s what a transportation system should be.
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People Mover entrance, overlooking Main Street and the Cinderalla Castle, overlooking Tomorrowland[/caption]
Outside but covered. Elevated so pedestrians can pass below it. Passing in and out of nearby structures. Couch-like.
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The People Mover over Test Track and Space Mountain[/caption]
Futuristic but achievable. Doesn’t isolate people from each other. You’re one of my favorites, People Mover.
Four parks, one day
In January, Courtney and I went to Disney World for her birthday. We bought an annual pass last year, so we’ve literally been a few times over the past year. This time ‘round, Courney wanted to visit all four parks in one day. Our Official Rules were we had to ride two rides (or see a show and do a ride), drink a boozy drink, and eat a dessert in each park. We made it!
We had a few other days to enjoy the park at a more leisurely pace. We did a Safari tour at the Animal Kingdom resort, which afforded opportunities for giraffe selfies. I got to take lots of pictures and enjoy Epcot and Tomorrowland, my favorites. Along the way, we ate a bunch of ice cream and sang along with “Let It Go” nearly every day.
As ever, a magical time.
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How Disney pulls me in
Dave Rupert, Disneyland and the Character Machine:
In October my family took a trip to Disneyland. I couldn’t help but be infected by the magic of Disneyland that allows you to feel young at heart and compells you to wear mouse ears on your head. Walking mile after mile through the park it’s very clear this magic has been painstakingly created and preserved by paying the utmost attention to detail.
There’s magic in paying attention to detail, it’s the slight of hand that helps seamlessly preserve the illusion. At Disney, not only is the illusion preserved, you’re encouraged to take part through cosplay and interacting with your favorite characters. This makes you not just an observer, but also a participant in the ritual.
The level of detail is amazing, completely intentional, and interconnected. You can’t see Tomorrowland from Fantasyland because that would take you out of the moment. You can ask Ana from Frozen about her favorite chocolate because she loves chocolate in the movie.
More than a theme park, Disneyland and Disney World are movie-like experiences you can walk around in, immersed in the joy and excitement of the setting and story.