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Tomorrowland in Disneyland Park was originally sponsored by corporations due to budget cuts, with early attractions including Autopia and Rocket to the Moon. The area underwent updates in 1998 and 2005, with new attractions such as Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters and Space Mountain’s new track and effects. Despite the need for updates, the area remains a fan favorite and nostalgic reminder of the mid-20th century space race.
Enter Disneyland in Anaheim, California, cross Main Street, USA, turn right and enter the land of the future. Tomorrowland is one of the original areas of Disneyland Park and a fan favorite. From the beginning, the focus of the futuristic area has been on innovation and possibility.
When Disneyland opened in 1955, Tomorrowland was a mostly empty area. Due to severe budget cuts, park founder Walt Disney had to scale back his large plans for this section and was forced to accept corporate funding to build many of the first rides. In the early years, Monsanto Chemicals, American Oil, and Dutch Boy Paint sponsored several rides in this area of Disneyland.
Early rides at Tomorrowland included Autopia, a miniature car ride through a peaceful road system. When the ride opened with the park, Autopia was intended to give guests an insight into the highway system currently developing across America. Eventually, Disneyland would add more separate versions of the ride before a major remake in 1999 combined two tracks into the ride that has been in use since 2008.
Another early attraction was the TWA Moonliner and its companion attraction, Rocket to the Moon. For many years, the massive replica of the Moonliner space rocket was the park’s largest structure, until Disneyland’s towering coasters were built. Although the original structure is gone, a small model of the Moonliner still lives in Disneyland, outside Red Rockett’s Pizza Port. Rocket to the Moon featured a simulated mission to go around the moon, using movie screens above, below, and surrounding the audience. The popular ride underwent a variety of different adaptations before finally closing in 1998.
In its first decades of operation, Disneyland tried many new attractions and shows in the Tomorrowland area. A long-lost fan favorite is the largely plastic House of the Future, built and furnished with the latest technology from the late 1950s. The Astro Jets, a tall rotating rocket ride, opened in 1956 and has since been replaced with the incredible Astro Orbiter. In the 1970s, an indoor roller coaster called Space Mountain opened, sending visitors on a wild ride through the star fields. Disney also partnered with George Lucas in 1987 to create Star Tours, one of the first virtual reality rides to be built.
In 1998, Disneyland underwent a massive style change billed as New Tomorrowland. The changes included the addition of the Rocket Rods ride, a short-lived attraction known for its incredibly long wait times. Much of the area was painted in a color scheme of bronze and blue, meant to evoke a 19th-century feel for science and technology. Reactions to the updates have been decidedly mixed.
Fearing criticism from fans that Tomorrowland was fast becoming Yesterdayland, Disney officials ordered a second park upgrade in 2005 to coincide with the park’s 50th anniversary. In addition to the alchemical-looking Astro Orbiter, the color schemes have been changed to a futuristic blue and white and huge murals depicting space scenes have been installed. After a long rehabilitation, Space Mountain has reopened with a new track, new effects and new music. Another innovation was the opening of Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters, an interactive attraction where guests use laser guns to shoot aliens for points.
Tomorrowland remains one of the busiest sections of the park, but the constant need for updates affects many longtime fans. Even with recent additions, the area is all about the mid-20th century space race and is based on technology that is sometimes decades old. Still, many Disneyland fans see the area as sweetly nostalgic, reminding visitors of a time when touching the stars became possible, and getting to work by rockets might just be a few years away.
