yookeroo
Well-Known Member
Small Workd is 12 minutes entirely made of sugar being shoved down your throat.
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Tomorrowland is perpetually troubled. So why is it so popular?
- Thread starter Kramerica
- Start date
Small Workd is 12 minutes entirely made of sugar being shoved down your throat.
I'm not sure that I would agree that it has always been troubled. Unable to always correctly predict the future? Of course. But it was at one time a very cohesive land. I have quite fond memories of the WDW counterpart prior to the 1995 refurb.
D
Deleted member 107043
The inability to adhere to the established theme/story, the lofty "living blueprint of our future" and all that, is the very definition of "troubled" in the context of a Disney theme park land. I agree that at one time TL was more cohesive, but even then it was largely just space-age set dressing.
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EPCOTCenterLover
Well-Known Member
I LOVE Small World for that reason! There's enough bitterness in this world.
nevol
Well-Known Member
Your loss. Are you the reason there can be no slow moments in Fantasmic, or space mountain without star wars and ghost galaxy overlays? Thinking, BAD.
Leave the civil war poo slinging to news article comments on facebook. I come here to discuss things I'm passionate about, and so do you. You prefer small bits of information, I prefer to dig my teeth in. We can each do that without calling out the other for how they consume content. Cheers.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
I actually liked the 90s redo of Tomorrowland at WDW. They wisely ditched the old theme and went with a sci-fi city approach. The raceway still didn't make sense, but it never did. It was a bit dystopian, but still whimsical. DL's redo was awful. It's like a tacky Vegas take on Tomorrowland.
nevol
Well-Known Member
I love when this happens. Another tomorrowland thread active at the same time. The other, featuring art for Tomorrowland "Montana" (which I'd never heard of) and Tomorrowland 2055. Both concepts (or were they the same concept?) that would have lasted longer than '98. The strangest thing for me about TL 98 was its colors. Obviously, a brown Space Mountain wasn't a favorite. But that isn't really what I mean. Tony Baxter talks a lot about giving each land its own color palette, its own identity. John Hench too was the color wizard. It just seems odd to me that in disneyland, where green dominates the landscape, and browns and reds and warm earth tones already spread from adventureland, through frontierland/rivers of america and critter country, all the way to Pinocchio Village Haus and Pinocchio's Daring Journey, that they'd go with earth tones for tomorrowland as well. It just paints the entire park in one note.
Tomorrowland is my least favorite land in Disneyland. I'll go in there to get and return for Space Mountain Fastpasses, but that is it. It needs serious help, but an architectural solution a la Shanghai isn't good enough. That Tomorrowland represents absolutely nothing, and fails to stir emotion. Tomorrowland needs to say something about mankind. it needs to represent an idealized future, even if that future is unlikely or not agreed upon in our divisive political landscape. The absence of an aspirational and prescriptive Tomorrowland in Disneyland creates an imbalanced park, in my opinion. Even in the case of Shanghai, all tomorrowlands and futureworld taken together devoid of meaning are a reflection of our society, and the fact that they say nothing and wdi can't come up with what they should represent is more sad than saying something overtly dystopian; that we have no future. What is all of this for, should be the question TL designers ask themselves. What is the meaning of our global society? What are we doing this for? What are we, or should we be, working toward? What is the end goal? Society seems not to have one, but a successful Tomorrowland should put forth an answer to that question.
I enjoyed it for what it was. It was still cohesive, and I enjoyed the continuity throughout, with X-S Tech and whatnot. I also just still miss the monochromatic, geometric, not-overrun-by-Pixar Tomorrowland.
DL's 98 Tomorrowland was an actual crime.
dweezil78
Well-Known Member
I liked it at the time, when it was new. At least there was a real vision to it all and they kept the best parts while doing a pretty solid job updating what needed to be updated. Alien Encounter really was a standout experience when it was fresh. It's a shame what happened to it. It may have been to scary for kids, but it was very unique.
Sadly it did not take long at all to realize how beautiful the original simpler design really was in comparison after the hype and buzz died down. Hindsight really is 20/20. I am happy the Peoplemover has remained though.
Jedi Stitch
Well-Known Member
I kinda would like to see some nostalgia on a ride or two. I wouldn't mind Disney bringing The Black Hole back, maybe a movie remake. Then build a fresh coaster or dark ride past the event horizon. I missed the days Disney would make movies a little dark and sinister to remind kids that some days get dark, before you can make them better.
jmuboy
Well-Known Member
It's a complete pipe dream but I have always wanted an animatronic heavy dark ride of what a human colony on Mars or the Moon would be like. Partner with NASA. Really make it something extrodinary visually. With today's technology and with what WDI can do it would be reallly amazing. Something the whole family could ride. Not sure modern Disney sees the value in something like this. The carousel building (Launch Bay) could be removed and this site easily hold this attraction.
Travel Junkie
Well-Known Member
Slate has an article on Walt's vision of Tommorrowland vs what the land is today.
http://www.slate.com/articles/techn...land_was_once_an_ode_to_a_utopian_future.html
I think this quote says it all with why the land suffers in every Disney park:
"But the problem with the designing the world of tomorrow soon became apparent: Tomorrow very quickly becomes today, and then yesterday. The future never stays that way for long."
http://www.slate.com/articles/techn...land_was_once_an_ode_to_a_utopian_future.html
I think this quote says it all with why the land suffers in every Disney park:
"But the problem with the designing the world of tomorrow soon became apparent: Tomorrow very quickly becomes today, and then yesterday. The future never stays that way for long."
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
That's why it should just become a Marvel land.
Phroobar
Well-Known Member
Haunted Mansion land.
D
Deleted member 107043
It goes a bit beyond that, and I think this old narrative may be a bit too generous in retrospect. From what I can tell Walt Disney and his successors never established a sustainable strategy for keeping the concept fresh and up to date. Also, the notion that any theme park could accurately predict the future of transportation, technology, and space exploration while entertaining tens of millions was not only ambitious it was naive.
It looks like TL '98 was may have been Disney's final attempt at trying to even speak to Disneyland guests about the future in any meaningful way. After it flopped the company apparently decided the best path was to fill in the gaps with an assortment of unrelated Studio franchises, and here we are. The Tomorrowland as Walt Disney envisioned was doomed to failure, and the arrival of Galaxies Edge in the next year or so will only make the idea of Tomorrowland seem more irrelevant.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
I think it was more ambitious and less naive. I see what your saying though and it's definitely harder to keep TL relevant (artistically/ thematically because it's obviously "popular" with guests today). Space exploration was huge in the 50s and apparently it was popular enough to anchor a land. I think it's important to remember that Disney ran out of money for TL. Who knows what he would have done with a proper budget (TL 67?) Or maybe the fact that he focused on TL last is a testament to your point.
I still think that TL can be a success with the proper design. They just need to make it look and feel futuristic and make sure there is a lot of kinetic energy. They need to build up ( TL cant be shorter than the 5 story building i work at) with weenies and have at least 3 levels containing activities or attractions that guests have access too. There needs to be stuff moving everywhere and they should make sure To plant trees and plants on every level like ive been seeing happen at huge buildings in big cities. Even if they have to renovate every 30 years I would consider that feasible and a success.
Hatbox Ghostbuster
Well-Known Member
Holy crap...
If TDA can't get their ish together with Marvel in DCA, what's stopping them from taking over Tomorrowland with Marvel???
Seriously...its all there.
Buzz becomes whatever Ant-Man change is happening in HK
Star Tours becomes the HK Iron Man experience
Space Mtn changes to either Avengers or Spiderman
Innoventions becomes Stark Industries
Jedi Academy becomes that stupid Marvel boot camp thing
....someone stop me!
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Now that would make me really mad. That means GOTG could have just taken over Star Tours- which always made the most sense.
Hatbox Ghostbuster
Well-Known Member
It won't happen...but they're probably kicking themselves now for moving ahead with MB.
Sorry, I feel like this is how MiceChat rumors get started...