On a recent episode of the Connecting with Walt podcast, host Michael Bowling and I discussed the problems with Disneyland’s many versions of Tomorrowland and even came up with a few of our own ideas for updates to the troubled land. The discussion got me thinking that maybe there really isn’t a solution for Tomorrowland and that we should move in a different direction altogether.
Listen: Tomorrowland: The Future that Never Was – Part 1
Listen: Tomorrowland: The Future that Never Was – Part 2
The problem with Tomorrowland has always been that it could never keep up with the future. Over the years, Disneyland has given up on even trying to chase the future by focusing on Disney’s library of film franchises to create and update attractions. The future has given way to Star Wars, Toy Story, and Finding Nemo.
Rather than the current mix of different films, what if Disneyland tried to unify the entire land under one film or franchise? There are a few other futuristic movies in the Disney library that aren’t yet represented in the parks, however, even the notable films like Wall-E or Meet the Robinsons don’t really have the draw or popularity to support an entire land.
Big Hero 6 might also be an option, but with San Fransokyo already in place at Disney California Adventure, that probably wouldn’t work.
In part 2 of the podcast, I suggested that a land themed to The Incredibles might be an interesting replacement or overlay for Tomorrowland. As with Big Hero 6, however, there is a conflict across the esplanade where Pixar Pier includes The Incredicoaster as one of its major attractions.
So, without a workable choice for a futuristic-themed Disney franchise to take over the land, maybe it’s time for Disneyland to just abandon the land of tomorrow idea entirely.
Before you even finished reading that, the first thought that many of you had was of the plaque that sits below the entrance tunnels:
Here you leave today
and enter the world
of yesterday tomorrow
and fantasy
I’m way ahead of you.
While the Star Wars universe technically takes place “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” I think that Galaxy’s Edge is futuristic enough to represent the world of tomorrow. So, even if the current Tomorrowland didn’t exist, I feel like we would still have the vision of tomorrow represented in the park. We could move in a completely different direction with the land, opening up new possibilities.
Now, I don’t know that the Disney company would ever be bold enough to actually do something as drastic as dumping Tomorrowland entirely, but something drastic is probably what it will take to finally fix the land.
This is also a fun discussion and opens up all sorts of possibilities which we will explore next time.
Are you ready for Disneyland to retire Tomorrowland or do you think there should always be a Tomorrowland. What are your ideas to improve or replace the troubled land?
