2022
Tomorrowland 2022 Part 4
Spring 2022
We talked about the Stitch's Great Escape replacement of Robinson Industries (a successor of sorts to Innoventions), the Big Hero 6 Operation Expo show replacing Monsters Inc Laugh Floor (an attraction with one of the most unfortunate acronyms), the Portal in Time tunnel addition to the Walt Disney World Railroad, The Grid Speedway, as well as the Tron Lightcycle Power Run roller coaster.
There are two more elements that are still left to be described, and one of those in particular has been fast tracked for a Spring 2022 opening date, the other shelved for a phase 2 expansion (more on that later). The main focus of the final leg of the Tomorrowland 2022 restoration project will be....
The Carousel of Progress Update
*This has been a project I've had for some time since early 2016 , and it even was included in the Must Re-Do Disney competition earlier this fall. -- and I've always thought that this would make sense as an update.
It keeps the general premise of Carousel of Progress in tact, keeps an original scene so that the attraction always maintains a level of historical significance, yet also modernizes the finale to a more proper look into the future (not a future with car phones). Hope you enjoy!
Attraction Changes
The most elaborate part of the refurbishment will be to install 3 new show scenes to replace the 1920s, 1940s, and the finale scenes.
The first scene (1900s) will be kept just as is in honor of Walt Disney and the original incarnation. The 1920s scene will be changed to the 1950s, and the timeline will now jump 50 years instead of 20, in order to keep up with the times. The 1940s scene will be replaced with a scene at the start of the 21st century, the early 2000s, showing off the internet and other digital gadgets for a new age. The final scene will take place in the 2050s, looking ahead to the next century and beyond in a Horizons inspired finale. Additionally, the Valentine's Day, July, Halloween, and Christmas/Holiday scenes will also be kept, traveling throughout the calendar year through the scenes as well.
Furthermore, with the new scene progression being 1900s, 1950s, 2000s, 2050s and beyond...there will be additions throughout the attraction scenes in order to enhance the re-rideability.
Foremost, each scene will be equipped with alternate dialogue, with randomized order, so you will never experience the same attraction twice.
For example, in the first scene (1900s), the Father (John) explains that you can travel from New York to California in less than 7 days. In alternate versions, he may give a different fact, such as traveling from Boston to Miami, or Los Angeles to Chicago, etc. This pattern would follow suite with several of the other 'facts' that are told of the time periods throughout the ride, so every time you ride you learn something new about the time period.
Another note is the new facade to the building. With the addition of Tron to Tomorrowland and the turn away from a mechanical 'future that never was' vibe that the 90s Tomorrowland emanated, the Progressland pavilion from the World's Fair, with its domed chromatic architecture, would now fit in seamlessly with the new style of Tomorrowland, placed adjacent to Space Mountain and across from Tron's futuristic neon overhang.
Without further adieu, may the centuries begin!
Note that as described above, the 'facts' within the scenes will be randomized for any given guest. The script below is an example of one ride-through experience a guest might have.
(Birds chirping.)
FATHER
(Spoken)
Yeah, it looks like the robins are getting ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day today. What year is it? Oh, right around the turn of the century. And believe me, things couldn’t be any better than they are today. Yes sir, buildings are towering now as high as twenty stories. And moving pictures flicker up on a big screen. We have almost 8,000 automobiles in this country, and we can travel by train from New York to California in less than seven days! And I even hear tell about two brothers from North Carolina who are working on some kind of flying contraption.
(Chuckles.) It’ll never work. Closer to home, we’ve now got gas lamps, a telephone, and the latest design in cast-iron stoves. And that reservoir keeps five gallons of water hot all day on just three buckets of coal. Oh boy, it sure beats chopping wood. And isn’t our new icebox a beauty? Look at that! Holds 50 pounds of ice. Milk doesn’t sour as quick as it used to. And our dog Rover here keeps the water in the drip pan from overflowing. It wasn’t too long ago we had to carry water from a well. And thanks to progress, we’ve got a pump right here in the kitchen. Of course, we keep a bucket of water handy to prime it with. Yes sir, we’ve got everything we need to make life easier.
(SARAH and YOUNGER DAUGHTER appear behind left scrim.)
FATHER
Say, mother?
SARAH
Mmm?
FATHER
I was reading about a fellow named Tom Edison who’s working on an idea for snap-on electric lights.
SARAH
Electric lights? No more kerosine! No more gas!
FATHER
(Chuckles.) Sarah sure gets to the core of the apple.
SARAH
But we
do have this new washday marvel. Now, it takes me only
five hours to do the wash. Imagine, it used to take two days.
FATHER
Oh, that’s right folks. Now Sarah has time for other things, like—
SARAH
Like canning and cleaning the oven?
FATHER
Yes dear.
SARAH
Well ovens just don’t clean themselves, you know, dear.
FATHER
I know dear.
(Chuckles.) And they probably never will!
SARAH
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get the laundry off the line before it starts raining cats and dogs.
(ROVER barks. Blackout on left diorama.)
FATHER
Ah, don’t worry Rover. She didn’t mean real dogs. Besides, it’s not going to rain today. My lumbago isn’t acting up.
(Lightning and thunder outside as rain begins to fall.)
SARAH
(Offstage)
I hate to say I told you so.
FATHER
Oh, look at it come down! All you have to do is put your wash on the line, right? Oh well, the cistern was low anyway.
(JIMMY appears behind right scrim, looking at stereoscope.)
JIMMY
Wowee! Look at that!
FATHER
Now James, I thought I told you to ask my permission before using my new stereoscope. That’s not a toy you know!
JIMMY
Ooh-la-la! So that’s Little Egypt doing the hoochie-koochie, eh Dad?
FATHER
Isn’t she a knockout? She’s the star of the new World’s Fair in St. Louis, and—
(clears throat) now you put that away before your mother finds it.
JIMMY
Aw, Dad…
FATHER
You heard me!
(Blackout on diorama.)
FATHER
Well, we have one of those new talking machines. Now that
is something. It plays music right here in our home.
(Lights up on left diorama, when GRANDMA sits listening to phonograph with her PARROT.)
RADIO
(Singing)
There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day.
PARROT
(Squawk) She keeps that thing going all day long.
(Squawk) Progress!
(Squawk. Whistle).
(Lights out on left diorama as they come up on right diorama, where PATRICIA is sitting, half dressed.)
PATRICIA
Oh, papa!
FATHER
Yes Patricia?
PATRICIA
Papa! All these people! I’m… I’m
indecent!
FATHER
(Chuckles.) Don’t worry, Patricia. They’re friends.
(To Audience.) That’s our teenage daughter. She’s getting ready to go to a Valentine’s dance across town, on one of those new horseless trolleys.
PATRICIA
I think it’s very romantic you’re taking mother out for Valentine’s dinner this evening.
FATHER
Well, you know what kind of sport I am.
PATRICIA
I only hope
I have an evening as romantic as yours and mother’s.
FATHER
(Sternly)
Now you be home by nine o’clock, daughter. You hear me?
PATRICIA
(Dejectedly)
Yes papa.
FATHER
Well, with all this talking, I’ve worked up quite a thirst. I think I’ll take one of those new-fangled trolleys down to the drugstore soda fountain and meet the boys for a cold sarsaparilla. Oh, haha, I’m sorry, I forgot—we’re drinking root beer now! Same kind of thing, different name. Well, that’s progress for you. And, uh,
speaking of progress…
(Theater begins to rotate to Act II.)
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
And tomorrow is just a dream away.
Man has a dream and that's the start
He follows his dream, with mind and heart
And when it becomes a reality
It's a dream come true, for you and me
So there's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Just a dream away
FATHER
Well, what a summer we have here. We're past the half century mark and boy life couldn't be any easier. Thanks to progress, we have a lot more luxury in our home and our daily lives. Luxuries such as some channels in, color TV, in fact we watched the first ever broadcast of color TV broadcasting the Tournament of Roses Parade. TV has become such a fad now a days, they've even invented something called a TV diner. Fast, ready to go meals that we put into this new device called, a microwave oven. Television does play a large part in our home nowadays, imagine if they made 3D television! Haha, it'll never happen. We've got fast automobile transportation, a rat race, so it's called. We drive all the way into the city for work, and then drive all the way back when we're done, and I'm on the road with fellow rats doing the same thing. And I even hear tell that we may even be going into...outer space? Hah, that'll never happen, I'm fine here on the solid ground where progress has made life easy. Say Jimmy?
(JIMMY appears behind left scrim, watching television broadcast of the New York Yankees.)
JIMMY
Yeah Pop? What is it? Dang, the Yanks are taking it to the Cardinals. Mickey Mantle is just unstoppable.
FATHER
Son, have you helped your mother with the picnic basket?
MOTHER
No he hasn't
(MOTHER appears behind the right scrim, packing the bags)
JIMMY
But mom, the game's almost over...
MOTHER
Well, I may just forget to pack those Jell-O packs you like so much, or I may replace your soda with a diet No-Cal soda.
JIMMY
Ugh, I'm coming! Gosh why can't Paddy help?
FATHER
Jim, now don't bother your sister, she's preparing for her date to the drive-in theater, I guess she's too good for us now....
ROVER
Ruff Ruff
(PATRICIA appears behind the left scrim, talking on the phone)
PATRICIA
Oh Dan, he's such a show-off
(on the phone voice)
Well leave it to the hot-rodders, eh? Are you going to the movies with him tonight?
PATRICIA
Yeah aint that a bite
FATHER
Ah, Patricia looks like she's having boyfriend troubles in the fabulous 50s. With all these hot rod cars these kids drive around these days, it's easy to be impressed, but it's hard to find the right one. Something wrong Patricia?
PATRICIA
No, it's just he thinks he's Elvis Prestley and he doesn't want to chip in the 50 cents for the movies
FATHER
Haha, well Patricia the best advice I can give you is, look for the quiet and humble ones, that's what your mother looked for.
(MOTHER appears in the left brim)
MOTHER
Now John, you weren't so quiet yourself...you always had to be right
ROVER
Ruff Ruff
FATHER
Heh, easy Rover, I guess I don't remember that
JIMMY
Hey Mom, Dad, look at this!
(on the TV)
WALT DISNEY
To all who come to this happy place, welcome, Disneyland is your land"
FATHER
Woah, Disneyland is opening in California would you look at that. That fella Walt has some good pictures out as of late in the theaters, he's pushing the limits of progress, and heading into tomorrow. If we ever visit there, heh, I bet you the Land of Tomorrow will be my home. Because....
(Theater begins to rotate to Act III.)
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
And tomorrow is just a dream away.
Man has a dream and that's the start
He follows his dream, with mind and heart
And when it becomes a reality
It's a dream come true, for you and me
So there's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Just a dream away
FATHER
Well, we're in the new century folks and boy has this world changed over the years. Heck, just in the last few decades, progress has reshaped basically every part of our life. Everything is automated these days. Even....
(toilet flush)
UNCLE ORVILLE
No privacy at all around this place!
FATHER
Sorry Orville, haha. Needless to say, a lot of things are taken for granted nowadays.The Red Sox finally broke the Curse of the Bambino and beat my old Cardinals in the World Series. Now if only the Cubs can win...heh, that'll never happen. We have these new movie screens called, IMAX. The screen is so big and real that it almost feels like you're in the movie! And with the 3D glasses, it makes it even more amazing! And that's not even touching all the ways that our home has seen progress since this century began. The World Wide Web has brought so much innovation into our home. Heck there's even this search engine called Google, where you can look up anything in the world, and in just seconds you get information on it...haha I doubt if they can sustain it.
Yeah we're living on easy street these days. And the world is growing in population each and every day. We may even hit 7 Billion people on this planet, and now, we can communicate from anywhere in the world, just watch this. Oh dear...
MOTHER
Yes, John?
FATHER
How's Patricia doing in college?
MOTHER
She's doing just fine, in fact we were just going to talk with her
(PATRICIA appears on computer screen in left scrim from college)
PATRICIA
(annoyed)
Ugh Dad, why can't you just text me? Why do you have to call all the time!
FATHER
Patricia, haha I'm just showing these folks the power of the interwebs.
PATRICIA
Dad, it's called the internet. Ugh. I thought you were up to date on progress?
FATHER
I am Patricia, but this progress is moving faster than ever before and it's hard to keep up!
PATRICIA
(laughing)
Like lol, dad like literally I'm going to have to show you how to sign-up for an e-mail for the 3rd time when I get back.
MOTHER
Oh your father and his e-mail.
FATHER
Hey now, who's the one who set up the automatic voice mail huh?
MOTHER
Um, John, that voice comes with the answering machine, remember I asked you to record your voice? You certainly like to talk a lot...
FATHER
I see I'm not getting any help from you...Jimmy, how are you doing with your video games?
(JIMMY appears in the right brim sitting in his bedroom staring at his TV screen)
JIMMY
Dad, I'm crushing it. These games are so much better than your old pong games.
FATHER
Hey now, pong is better than this junk you kids play these days. You sit inside all day, what's so great about that?
JIMMY
Yeah well, now we have better graphics and everything! And in color too! Dad I get outside, remember that drone a showed you?
FATHER
Heh, yeah, we have these personal flying vehicles nowadays. They are amazing!
JIMMY
Yeah my YouTube channel gets so many views every time I post a drone video!
FATHER
Well YourTube is great and all, but just how many websites can there be?
JIMMY
YouTube, Dad...
MOTHER
I love that Facebook, that's how I found that night job remember John? An ad on Facebook?
FATHER
Yes I remember dear. Heh that was great, but why does nobody like my posts?
(GRANDMOTHER voice is heard from the right scrim)
GRANDMOTHER
Because you post about progress by the time everyone already knows, son! What really sells are these funny cats videos that I post.
MOTHER
Grandma has more Twitter followers than some top celebrities!
ROVER
Ruff Ruff!
FATHER
Gesh, I guess I need to keep up with the times. Well as we head on into the 21st century, in this technological age, progress is moving faster than ever. We're going to have a lot of visionaries in the 21st century, that's for sure, and everything and anything we could imagine, is just a dream away. Come on, you know the words let's sing further into the 21st century...
(Theater begins to rotate to Act IV.)
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
And tomorrow is just a dream away.
Man has a dream and that's the start
He follows his dream, with mind and heart
And when it becomes a reality
It's a dream come true, for you and me
So there's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Just a dream away
ACT IV - 2050s and Future
(ENTER a futuristic house with the Progress City silhouette in the background through the window. )
FATHER
If you can dream it, you can do it. That's the motto of progress that's lead us here and into the next decades of innovation and discovery. Just celebrating the holiday season in anticipation of the new year, and all the creations that are just around the corner.
JIMMY
Like Grandma creating a way to give me back my virtual reality video games
MOTHER
Now kids don't fight
JIMMY
But Mom, she's had for hours
FATHER
Jimmy, let your Grandma have fun with it
JIMMY
Where are you even going Grandma?
MOTHER
Well here, hook it up wirelessly to the TV so we can all see.
(TV goes on - Grandma in outer space)
JIMMY
Woah Grandma you're really good at this game
GRANDMA
Sure am!
GRANDPA
Heh, you kids got it easy these days...not only with everything wireless, but transportation, that peoplemover system is something else, heh, John remember all those days driving into work in the rat race
FATHER
I can't forget it. Progress has really made the commute much better. With innovations in transportation, it's really simple to take the peoplemover or the monorail into the city. No stress and energy efficient
PATRICIA
Speaking of energy efficient, Dad, did you see the new lights I gave you for the holidays
FATHER
Yes I did Patricia, thank you, now I can control all the lights in the house with just one switch, and they last longer too! I can only thank Thomas Edison for starting all of this.
MOTHER
Like you say John, it only takes one idea
FATHER
It sure does Sarah, one idea that can manifest into dreams coming true.
JIMMY
Dad did you see on the news that the Mars colony is almost complete.
FATHER
I did Jimmy, and it looks amazing. You never know what's on the horizon. And it goes to show you that progress only happens when we dream big, inspire others, and dedicate ourselves to our goals. The future is bright and it's just a dream away
ROVER
Ruff Ruff
FATHER
Haha that's right Rover. To the 22nd century and beyond...
(Theater begins to rotate to the conclusion.)
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
And tomorrow is just a dream away.
Man has a dream and that's the start
He follows his dream, with mind and heart
And when it becomes a reality
It's a dream come true, for you and me
So there's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of every day
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Just a dream away
List of Hidden Mickeys and Easter Eggs
Act II
- Above the TV there is a Mickey Mouse shaped flower arrangement
- The salt and pepper arrangements in the kitchen are shaped like Mickey
Act III
- Jimmy's video game console has a mickey symbol on it
- Patricia's college is called Progress City University
Act IV
- There's a Fantasia poster (like the previous incarnation)
- There's Mickey Mouse gift wrap paper under the tree
- A mickey mouse stuffed animal is hiding under the tree
- There's a mickey ornament hanging on the tree
- There's a mickey symbol in the clouds above Progress City in the window.
-----------
With this, we come to the end of our 49th entry for the 50 for the 50th. The 50th entry to this project will be something that many have been waiting for, followed by a recap video taking a look back at all of the progress we have made in Walt Disney World to this point.
Since
@MonorailRed and myself have really enjoyed this experimental imagineering project -- we're going to extend the project after Christmas for some 'bonus' content and future years! Culminating in a 10 Year Master Plan all the way to 2028. So while this next project is the end, it's really just the start of a new beginning, as even in these last 49 projects we have left hints and teasers unanswered for future years.
Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoy the upcoming 50th finale entry to the project tonight!
) 
