In 2013, I worked as a cast member in the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland. The time I spent working there gave me an appreciation of this land and I’d love to share with you why I think it is so special.
There are multiple attractions in Tomorrowland that have, or tie into, a deep Disney history. As a Disney nerd, I appreciate that.
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, for example, is an attraction that Walt Disney himself worked alongside the Imagineers to create for the 1964 New York World’s Fair. After the fair, the show was then brought to Disneyland in California, and today it now sits in the Magic Kingdom in Florida. The history of this attraction alone intrigues me. The iconic “Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” theme song was created by the Sherman Brothers, who are Disney Legends. Yes, this attraction desperately needs to be updated, and yes, it certainly isn’t as popular anymore, but overall the basic theming and concept of this attraction has stood the test of time. That makes this attraction a classic.
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress isn’t the only attraction in the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland that has ties to Disney history. The PeopleMover is another great example. The PeopleMover was essentially a prototype of what Walt Disney wanted to use in his Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, a.k.a. Epcot. Walt wanted to integrate technology and new modes of transportation that the world had never seen before, and the PeopleMover was a big piece of that city’s plan. I enjoyed the PeopleMover even before I knew the history behind it, but information like that makes me appreciate it even more.
There are touches of history throughout the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland. With its strong ties to Disney history, the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland feels like it has a sense of legacy and tradition.
When the sun goes down, Tomorrowland, in my opinion, becomes the best night time environment at Walt Disney World. The green, purple, and blue neon lights make Tomorrowland feel special. Disney parks at night have a different feel, but Tomorrowland in particular feels completely transformed. I am very excited for Pandora – The World of Avatar for this same reason. The Magic Kingdom is a full day park, so being able to return later in the day, and have the atmosphere change makes Tomorrowland unique. Tomorrowland is also an underrated place to watch the fireworks at night. The views are decent, but what makes it a great viewing location is that you’ll still have a somewhat unobstructed view and there is a lack of crowds that are seen on Main Street U.S.A.
In fact, if you don’t like crowds, Tomorrowland might be your favorite land as well. This is because Tomorrowland is probably the only land in the Magic Kingdom that doesn’t constantly feel crowded. The layout of the land doesn’t make many bottlenecks where the crowds can seem overbearing. I would even argue that on extremely crowded days, Tomorrowland has places for guests to get away from the masses of people. The Magic Kingdom wasn’t built for the crowds that it sees every single day, but for some reason or another, Tomorrowland handles these crowds. It doesn’t have to sacrifice the number of attractions it holds in order to do this. In fact, after Fantasyland, it has more attractions than any of the other lands.
I hope this gives you some insight into why I love Tomorrowland so much! I’d love to hear what lands you love in the Magic Kingdom!
Stephen "Steve" Porter started going to the parks with his family in 1996. Since then he hasn't looked back! Steve was a cast member participating in the Disney College Program in 2013. Most recently he graduated from Penn State University!
