Credit: Henry Kobutra, UnsplashGuests are lamenting the state of an entire area at Disneyland Park, with some arguing that it’s at risk of permanent closure.
When Walt Disney opened Disneyland Resort in 1955, it consisted of five themed lands: Main Street, U.S.A., Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, and Tomorrowland. Each was inspired by different elements of fantasy, nostalgia, and imagination, with the latter proving to be one of the most ambitious of the bunch as it took its cues from something that didn’t exist yet: the future.
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Disneyland’s Tomorrowland
However, what was futuristic in 1955 is not-so-futuristic in 2023. While Tomorrowland has undergone multiple makeovers throughout the years, today’s guests have lamented its ailing state – going so far as to call for the Disney park to retire the land for good and replace it with something that honors Walt’s original vision.
The History of Tomorrowland
In July 1955, Walt declared that Tomorrowland was “a vista into a world of wondrous ideas, signifying man’s achievements” and “a step into the future, with predictions of constructive things to come.” Behind the scenes, its construction was far from wondrous. The last of the lands to be completed, Tomorrowland opened with only a handful of its planned attractions in operation as a result of major budget cuts.
Upon opening, it featured multiple exhibits and just one ride: Autopia. Over the years, several more attractions were integrated into the land – especially when its original inspiration, the year 1988, came and went, which meant the land needed a major upgrade if it wanted to exist in “tomorrow.”
The entire land was rebuilt in 1967 and dubbed “New Tomorrowland,” complete with the Carousel of Progress, Adventure Thru Inner Space, and the famous Peoplemover. Two more big additions arrived in 1986 in the shape of Star Tours and Captain EO.
However, the thing about the future is that it always catches up with you. Again, Tomorrowland rapidly became outdated. Not much has been done to rectify this issue since. The last new rides in Tomorrowland came in 2005 (Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters) and 2007 (when Submarine Voyage was revamped as Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage), meaning it’s been 16 years since the area received a new attraction.
Tomorrowland’s Downward Spiral
Today, Tomorrowland is home to six attractions: Astro Orbiter, Autopia, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Space Mountain, and Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.
The rest of the area is taken up with, well, nothing. Tomorrowland is packed with the ghosts of attractions past, with signs of former locations such as “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience” (which closed in 2010) and Star Wars Launch Bay (which closed in 2020 following the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge) still visible throughout the area.
Even the attractions that do exist are in dire need of a refresh, according to recent guests. “We just got home from Disneyland, and I have LOTS of opinions about Tomorrowland,” said Reddit user LostAndAlong. “It’s really gone downhill. Star Tours is out of place now that there’s a Star Wars land. The Astro Blasters should be in California Land.”
Fellow parkgoer Mysterious_Today_245 agreed. “Last night, we were walking around Tomorrowland, and I just could not believe how honestly depressing it is. Starcade. Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. Star Wars Launch Bay. PeopleMover/RocketRods queue. Like what?! Why am I paying more for the parks, but there is a near abandoned land?”
Many guests jokingly dubbed it “Yesterdayland” thanks to its lack of attractions that actually feel futuristic. One declared that “Tomorrowland is the Detroit of Disneyland.” Others pointed out that many features in the land appear to be neglected, such as the Tomorrowland sign, as shown in a picture by RideTheLightning331.
Even the signs in tomorrowland aren’t working 😭
byu/RideTheLightning331 inDisneyland
Could Tomorrowland Close at Disneyland?
The odds of Disney totally abandoning Walt’s original vision are slim but not impossible.
More realistic is that – someday – Disney will give the area a much-needed overhaul, similar to the construction of “New Tomorrowland” in 1967. This saw most of the land’s original layout permanently closed and demolished, and new buildings were constructed.
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The biggest indicator that Disney will someday close and refurbish the land is the fact that it let it get into such a state of disrepair in the first place. A lot of its issues have been around for a while, such as the example above of the sign at the Tomorrowland entrance. Considering how thorough Disney usually is with their refurbishment schedules, this could be because they have something big planned for the future. (Emphasis here on “could be.”)
With The Walt Disney Company set to inject $60 billion into its theme parks over the next decade, Tomorrowland should (theoretically) be at the top of its list when it comes to makeovers at Disneyland. Fantasyland, Mickey’s Toontown, Adventureland, New Orleans Square, and Critter Country have all received (or are currently receiving) some TLC in recent years. Is Tomorrowland next in line?
How Can Disney Fix Tomorrowland?
The real question isn’t “when” or “if” but rather “how does Disney fix Tomorrowland?” The concept of a land inspired by and based on the future is inherently unsustainable. It isn’t rooted in nostalgia or fantasy, so it doesn’t possess the same timeless appeal as Fantasyland, Frontierland, or Adventureland. Even if Disney transforms Tomorrowland today, we could be writing this article in 15 years.
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Tomorrowland’s solution may rest in its sister lands elsewhere. At Disneyland Paris, for example, Tomorrowland is known as Discoveryland and is inspired by author Jules Verne’s vision of the future. With a steampunk aesthetic, it could exist 20 years ago, today, and 20 years into the future – and be relevant in them all.
Meanwhile, Tokyo Disney Resort’s take on Tomorrowland focuses on a science fiction, fantasy interpretation of the future. In keeping with this, its version of Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland – which is a replica of the Space Mountain found at Magic Kingdom – is set to permanently close in 2024 to be replaced with a newer, more ambitious version of the ride.
Over at Hong Kong Disneyland, Tomorrowland has embraced the fictional worlds of tomorrow. Marvel has overtaken a lot of the land, with half the area now known as Stark Expo and home to both Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle! and the Iron Man Experience.
Its own version of Space Mountain is now also permanently Hyperspace Mountain – a Star Wars overlay of the indoor roller coaster that can also be found at Disneyland Paris and was previously also found at Disneyland (and still is for Star Wars Day).
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Disneyland could pursue any of these paths (although the third is unlikely, considering the existence of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Avengers Campus next door at Disney California Adventure). Or, as user LostAndAlong suggested, the theme park could fully embrace the theme of being a retro vision of the future – AKA the way people envisioned the future back in the 1950s or 1960s.
“The way technology has advanced, they will never be able to make it truly a land of tomorrow,” they wrote. “There would need to be actual robots walking around. I think they should make it a retro tomorrow land. Go back to what we thought the future would be in the ’60s. That’s the only thing they’d be able to keep up with, and I think it could actually be cool.”
User Zealousideal_Act9610 agrees, writing: “Make it retro future land. Lean into nostalgia. Bring back people mover. Move Astro Blasters and Pizza Planet to DCA. Re-open theater with new 3D show. Create new original rides [with] retro future theme to replace Pixar ride/restaurant. Update Autotopia [with] electric cars or scrap it for new ride. (Please not TRON, do something new!) Disney get to work, this land needs some serious updates!”
There are multiple routes Disney could take to replace the existing Tomorrowland with a land more befitting of Walt’s vision. While any kind of solution is likely a long way off, fingers crossed that the area is on Disney’s to-do list sometime soon.
What are your thoughts on the current state of Tomorrowland at Disneyland Resort? Let us know in the comments!