Yesterday's Tomorrow

In the last article on this blog, we took a long look at a vintage shot from the Magic Kingdom, discovering many forgotten details. One of these was the giant waterfall pylons at the entrance to Tomorrowland. In today's 1975 shot from Daveland.com (photo used with permission), we get a better view of this classic Tomorrowland scene.

Look closely, and you can see jets of water shooting down the face of the pylons and cascading over the sky blue tile walls on either side. The water effects here didn't last and in 1983 were replaced with colorful paint on the pylons and a tile pattern on the walls, all of which lasted another decade until the launch of New Tomorrowland in 1993-94.

In this photo, you can also make out the entrance to the rose garden on the left. Here, the marquee still reads "Plaza Swan Boats." The boats operated from 1973-1983.

In the distance are the spires of Space Mountain and the spinning rocket ships of the Star Jets (where the Astro Orbiter stands today). Now, you may notice that at the beginning of this article, I referred to the photo at the top as a "classic" Tomorrowland scene. It is not, however, the original view of Tomorrowland. When the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, Tomorrowland consisted of only Flight to the Moon and "America the Beautiful" in CircleVision 360, both on the main concourse, along with the Skyway to Fantasyland and Grand Prix Raceway on the outskirts of the land.

This 1972 shot from the Skyway provides a rare glimpse at this corner of the Magic Kingdom at a time when there was precious little for anyone to photograph. There's a whole series of planters and trees that no longer exist, plus the back of the white Tomorrowland ticket booth that is still there today in the form of a Disney Vacation Club kiosk.

The entire center of the land is filled with nothing more than an early (and particularly groovy) version of a Tomorrowland stage and a cluster of colorful picnic tables. The Star Jets wouldn't rise here until November 1974. They were the first link in a major expansion of Tomorrowland that also included the addition of Space Mountain (Jan '75), the General Electric Carousel of Progress (Jan '75) and the WEDway PeopleMover (July '75). Interestingly, you can see some of the support framework for the PeopleMover track even in this early photo. Perhaps it and the Star Jets were planned additions simply put on hold in the push to get the Magic Kingdom opened.

Finally, just beyond the disco orange walls of the stage facility, you can make out some obvious construction. The dirt pile on the left would later become the site of Carousel of Progress, but the work seen in this photo was most likely associated with the preparation of "If You Had Wings." This classic ride-through attraction, sponsored by the now-defunct Eastern Airlines, opened in the summer of '72. The building went through several iterations over the years, before becoming Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin in 1998.

Todayland

Disney's animated feature Meet the Robinsons is filled with fun references, from the use of the song "Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" to the quote from Walt Disney at the end. It's this blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot, though, during Lewis's initial trip to the future, that I enjoy the most.

It's funny because for so many years it was true. Tomorrowland in the Disney Parks was originally envisioned as a realistic portrayal of what the future might hold. Unfortunately, the future kept becoming the present faster than the parks could react. It's a challenge even Walt Disney faced in the early days of Disneyland.

Tomorrowland has since transitioned from science fact to science fiction, rendering it far more timeless. With apologies to Werner Weiss, the Tomorrowland of our memories has become Yesterland. Today, we take a quick look back by way of a few pictures from my second Walt Disney World visit, this time in 1983.

The entrance to Tomorrowland was once flanked by these two giant monoliths. From 1971 to 1982, the towers and walls were painted powder blue and water cascaded down from the peaks. By the early 80s, the waterfalls had proven unreliable, and an enhancement effort brought the colorful tile pattern you see in the image above (work on the tile was completed during the first half of my June 1983 visit).

In the distance, you can just make out the oval signs touting Mission to Mars (on the left) and America the Beautiful in Circle-Vision 360 (on the right). At the end of the promenade is another sight that wasn't there on opening day, the rocket pylon of the Star Jets sitting atop the platform for the WEDway PeopleMover.

The Star Jets opened in November 1974 as the first part of a major expansion of Tomorrowland that would be completed in 1975 with the additions of the PeopleMover, General Electric's Carousel of Progress and Space Mountain.

Space Mountain was originally sponsored by RCA, as Guests could plainly see from anywhere in Tomorrowland. It was RCA computer technology that helped make Space Mountain possible, with a ride system capable of controlling multiple trains on the track simultaneously.

The rocket car seen on the pylon out front was intended to help communicate to Guests just what sort of experience awaited them inside. This was, after all, the first time a roller coaster had been built inside in the dark. A similar technique was later deployed at Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney's Hollywood Studios. There, the train is inverted to clearly show that the ride will turn you (and the music industry) upside-down.

Closer inspection of the rocket car also reveals the original seating arrangement on Space Mountain. Passengers would sit straddling one of two benches, with a friend or family member sitting in their lap (the Matterhorn at Disneyland still uses this configuration). Seat belts held passengers in place during their journey. By 1989, the seat belt cars had been replaced with the current trains, in which each passenger has an individual seat and lap bar.