MK land most in need of a makeover

[radiorae]

I think I'm the 50th person to say so, but I also feel like Tomorrowland needs a facelift. I don't think it's outdated so much as in need of a good paint job -- I like the idea of keeping the romanticized future as imagined by the 1950s cinema. As many people pointed out, you'll never be able to outpace the future, and really, MK's Tomorrowland shouldn't have to be a technically accurate futuristic playground -- I think that's more Epcot's job. The current rides aren't terrible, but Stitch and Laugh Floor are really out of place, as well as the speedway... I like the idea of the Wall-E ride in place of Stitch. The story lends itself perfectly to that space -- you're onboard the Axiom on the way back to Earth and you have to duke it out with AUTO to make it home. Pop in some Wall-E, Eve, plant-in-boot... good to go.

But. I also don't think something like that would ever fly because Wall-E never had the popularity of some of the other IPs currently in Tomorrowland. Which got me thinking. What if... they added in rides... that DIDN'T have a connection to a particular movie or show? Unheard of these days, at least for WDW, I know... but think about it. When you imagine best attractions at MK, you're not imagining Laugh Floor or Buzz Lightyear... you're thinking Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Small World... granted, there are a few favorite movie tie-ins like Dumbo, Peter Pan's Flight, and Splash Mountain, but I'd argue that in most cases, a lot of that has to do with the fact that they've been there FOREVER, and are voted on for nostalgia, not necessarily the quality of the ride's execution. Splash Mountain is probably the exception here, but I'd also argue the regular tourist doesn't realize it's connection to song of the south, so it almost doesn't belong in this category.

What if WDW made something entirely new?

I'm not talking technology, though that would be awesome. I mean more thematically...For example, instead of turning Tomorrowland Speedway into Sugar Land Racers (which is a natural fit and I would personally love), what if we replaced it entirely with a ride that utilized robotic arm technology to simulate jet pack flight? What if, in Adventureland, we had a Matterhorn-esque ride where you escape a lava-spewing volcano (admittedly, Matterhorn isn't exactly something that falls in the "new" category... but still! wouldn't it be cool)? I think we get so focused on tying movies and characters in that it really limits our creativity for something new and exciting. I understand why it happens from a business stand point, but I still can't stop hoping for a change in perspective.

 

[FigmentPigments]

I think I'm the 50th person to say so, but I also feel like Tomorrowland needs a facelift. I don't think it's outdated so much as in need of a good paint job -- I like the idea of keeping the romanticized future as imagined by the 1950s cinema. As many people pointed out, you'll never be able to outpace the future, and really, MK's Tomorrowland shouldn't have to be a technically accurate futuristic playground -- I think that's more Epcot's job. The current rides aren't terrible, but Stitch and Laugh Floor are really out of place, as well as the speedway... I like the idea of the Wall-E ride in place of Stitch. The story lends itself perfectly to that space -- you're onboard the Axiom on the way back to Earth and you have to duke it out with AUTO to make it home. Pop in some Wall-E, Eve, plant-in-boot... good to go.

But. I also don't think something like that would ever fly because Wall-E never had the popularity of some of the other IPs currently in Tomorrowland. Which got me thinking. What if... they added in rides... that DIDN'T have a connection to a particular movie or show? Unheard of these days, at least for WDW, I know... but think about it. When you imagine best attractions at MK, you're not imagining Laugh Floor or Buzz Lightyear... you're thinking Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Small World... granted, there are a few favorite movie tie-ins like Dumbo, Peter Pan's Flight, and Splash Mountain, but I'd argue that in most cases, a lot of that has to do with the fact that they've been there FOREVER, and are voted on for nostalgia, not necessarily the quality of the ride's execution. Splash Mountain is probably the exception here, but I'd also argue the regular tourist doesn't realize it's connection to song of the south, so it almost doesn't belong in this category.

What if WDW made something entirely new?

I'm not talking technology, though that would be awesome. I mean more thematically...For example, instead of turning Tomorrowland Speedway into Sugar Land Racers (which is a natural fit and I would personally love), what if we replaced it entirely with a ride that utilized robotic arm technology to simulate jet pack flight? What if, in Adventureland, we had a Matterhorn-esque ride where you escape a lava-spewing volcano (admittedly, Matterhorn isn't exactly something that falls in the "new" category... but still! wouldn't it be cool)? I think we get so focused on tying movies and characters in that it really limits our creativity for something new and exciting. I understand why it happens from a business stand point, but I still can't stop hoping for a change in perspective.

I really like your idea for a Wall-E ride as I think that it could work in that small of a space. When the alarm goes off in the pre-show, it could be an alert that we need to get ready to return to Earth.
I also completely agree with you as far as making new rides that aren't related to a movie or show. Just look at the Tower of Terror. Even though it has a Twilight Zone tie-in, it can easily be removed like at Tokyo to be an original ride. (Not saying that it needs to be removed , just that it doesn't have to be a Twilight Zone ride to still be a great original idea.)

 

[PanfanAL]

Love the pictures! For some reason I always remember this area as being really dark. Must be getting old.

I've always said the same thing, seems really dark in that area

 

[bethymouse]

It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow!
Update Tomorrowland like Shanghai Disney!

 

[Donaldfan1934]

It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow!
Update Tomorrowland like Shanghai Disney!

As much as I like the current aesthetics, this is a do over that I'd be more than willing to accept if it ever actually happens.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

I think I'm the 50th person to say so, but I also feel like Tomorrowland needs a facelift. I don't think it's outdated so much as in need of a good paint job -- I like the idea of keeping the romanticized future as imagined by the 1950s cinema. As many people pointed out, you'll never be able to outpace the future, and really, MK's Tomorrowland shouldn't have to be a technically accurate futuristic playground -- I think that's more Epcot's job. The current rides aren't terrible, but Stitch and Laugh Floor are really out of place, as well as the speedway... I like the idea of the Wall-E ride in place of Stitch. The story lends itself perfectly to that space -- you're onboard the Axiom on the way back to Earth and you have to duke it out with AUTO to make it home. Pop in some Wall-E, Eve, plant-in-boot... good to go.

But. I also don't think something like that would ever fly because Wall-E never had the popularity of some of the other IPs currently in Tomorrowland. Which got me thinking. What if... they added in rides... that DIDN'T have a connection to a particular movie or show? Unheard of these days, at least for WDW, I know... but think about it. When you imagine best attractions at MK, you're not imagining Laugh Floor or Buzz Lightyear... you're thinking Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Small World... granted, there are a few favorite movie tie-ins like Dumbo, Peter Pan's Flight, and Splash Mountain, but I'd argue that in most cases, a lot of that has to do with the fact that they've been there FOREVER, and are voted on for nostalgia, not necessarily the quality of the ride's execution. Splash Mountain is probably the exception here, but I'd also argue the regular tourist doesn't realize it's connection to song of the south, so it almost doesn't belong in this category.

What if WDW made something entirely new?

I'm not talking technology, though that would be awesome. I mean more thematically...For example, instead of turning Tomorrowland Speedway into Sugar Land Racers (which is a natural fit and I would personally love), what if we replaced it entirely with a ride that utilized robotic arm technology to simulate jet pack flight? What if, in Adventureland, we had a Matterhorn-esque ride where you escape a lava-spewing volcano (admittedly, Matterhorn isn't exactly something that falls in the "new" category... but still! wouldn't it be cool)? I think we get so focused on tying movies and characters in that it really limits our creativity for something new and exciting. I understand why it happens from a business stand point, but I still can't stop hoping for a change in perspective.

I love your ideas, but I think Wall-E would work better in the land personally. Also, how does Stitch not fit into Tomorrowland? He's an Alien from outer space after all.

 

[fireworksandfairytales]

I agree with the majority - Tomorrowland definitely needs some love. Space Ranger Spin is getting pretty dated and could use an update and I'd love to see Stitch and the Speedway get replaced.

 

[radiorae]

I love your ideas, but I think Wall-E would work better in the land personally. Also, how does Stitch not fit into Tomorrowland? He's an Alien from outer space after all.

I guess I misspoke there, didn't I? You're absolutely right, Stitch definitely belongs in tomorrowland. I just don't think his current spot really does him justice. I don't think I've heard of a single person who enjoyed his attraction in a long while. I can't quite put my finger on why it doesn't work... I mean, the story checks out just fine. Something in the execution, maybe?

And ooh, Wall-E and the land is a fantastic idea. I never thought about it before, but now that you bring it up, it makes a lot of sense. As long as they grow pizza plants next to the Mickey watermelons, I'm sold

 

[Donaldfan1934]

I guess I misspoke there, didn't I? You're absolutely right, Stitch definitely belongs in tomorrowland. I just don't think his current spot really does him justice. I don't think I've heard of a single person who enjoyed his attraction in a long while. I can't quite put my finger on why it doesn't work... I mean, the story checks out just fine. Something in the execution, maybe?

And ooh, Wall-E and the land is a fantastic idea. I never thought about it before, but now that you bring it up, it makes a lot of sense. As long as they grow pizza plants next to the Mickey watermelons, I'm sold

I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but I think that Disney should try doing a D-E ticket dark ride with Stitch in that space. While they might have to expand into Mickey's Starteaders and possibly Cosmic Rays, they would be able to reuse the animatronics from the show. If they ever actually put Wall-E in the land, it would be an example of character integration at Epcot where the movie matches the theme instead of something like Frozen that belongs in Magic Kingdom but put in Epcot because of short term gains.

 

[Pocahontas]

Tomorrowland is my favorite land but it definitely needs major refurbishment and just more maintenance. Could be one of the best parts of MK.

 

[radiorae]

Definitely Tomorrowland. Get rid of Stitch (one of the worst attractions in all of WDW), get rid of Buzz Lightyear (I wouldn't mind it staying but Toy Story Mania is so much better), get rid of Astro Orbiter (how many of those types of rides are in MK alone?).

Astro Orbiter is actually a little different from the normal "spinner"-- the angle and speed you're spun at makes for a lot more force/thrill than Carpets or Dumbo. Plus, it just looks really cool. I may be bias though; it's one of my favorites haha

 

[Donaldfan1934]

Astro Orbiter is actually a little different from the normal "spinner"-- the angle and speed you're spun at makes for a lot more force/thrill than Carpets or Dumbo. Plus, it just looks really cool. I may be bias though; it's one of my favorites haha

Yes!!! It probably gives the most honest sensation of flight in all of WDW. Very thrilling especially considering the ride technology.

 

[radiorae]

I agree it looks cool but I just think Tomorrowland could be cooler now.

How so? I hope I don't come off as antagonistic-- I really am curious Tomorrowland is so perplexing because if you base it off what our version of "future" is, it'll surely be outdated soon. On the flipside, even going with the romanticized version of the future, it does seem to be missing something these days.

Yes!!! It probably gives the most honest sensation of flight in all of WDW. Very thrilling especially considering the ride technology.

And let's not forget the rickety elevator ride up to the top to add an extra level of ToT-style thrill!

 

[cheezbat]

Like most of you have said...Tomorrowland. Even though lands like Adventureland and Liberty Square may be 'older', they seem timeless. Tomorrowland is dated with a cluster of rides and attractions that just do not all fit seamlessly together.

Update Carousel of Progress. Complete overhaul of Space Mountain. Upgrade Buzz Lightyear with newer guns and targeting. Demo Speedway for expansion. Move Monsters Inc to DHS. Fix up or replace Stitch.

I really hate current Tomorrowland.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

And let's not forget the rickety elevator ride up to the top to add an extra level of ToT-style thrill!

Ha! Good one.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

Like most of you have said...Tomorrowland. Even though lands like Adventureland and Liberty Square may be 'older', they seem timeless. Tomorrowland is dated with a cluster of rides and attractions that just do not all fit seamlessly together.

Update Carousel of Progress. Complete overhaul of Space Mountain. Upgrade Buzz Lightyear with newer guns and targeting. Demo Speedway for expansion. Move Monsters Inc to DHS. Fix up or replace Stitch.

I really hate current Tomorrowland.

I must say that I agree with everything that you want to do to Tomorrowland.

 

[Brad Bishop]

I'm with the rest of you in that Tomorrowland really does need the most help.

I'm a bit confused by the Space Mountain refurb requests as didn't it get a major overhaul 2-3 years back?

I was just watching some videos on Vimeo (Martin's Ultimate videos, if you're familiar) about Tomorrowland and I really miss the look to the future aspect of it. I remember being a kid and being in awe with the Peoplemover, CircleVision 360, and, even though I knew it was lame, Mission to the Moon/Mars. All of it got my brain whirring around the idea that cities would have Peoplemovers becasue "it just made sense" and we'd eventually do something useful on the Moon and Mars and that CircleVision 360 was just something cool and unique and not found elsewhere. CoP did the same. Six Flags didn't have any of this. Six Flags had spin-n-puke rides and roller coasters.

I loved the towering fountains on either side of the entrance. The architecture, etc. - it all felt futuristic. When they built Space Mountain, and originally it was quite brightly lit up at night, it, too, inspired awe. Building a huge building to house, not just one, but two coasters was something that had never been done. You were going to ride THROUGH THE DARK!! It was all very cool to me.

Now Space Mountain is rather dim at night and it's a bit of a disappointment.

If You Had Wings was another kind of cool one. The age of the jet aviation was upon us and it was exciting.

I kind of wish they could recapture that for the kids of today instead of just putting in another IP (probably Pixar based) ride. The original Tomorrowland didn't have any movie or character tie-ins it was all original ideas. Now everything is "ride the movie".

Of course... I kind of wish they would have finished the refurb from 1994, too. Right now you have the front half that looks pretty nice and then just past the Astro Orbiter, it all falls back to the 1970s look. The other thing that kind of sucks about it now is the waste of space. You have that large open area between the Astro Orbiter and Space Mountain that, at one time, was filled in with the Skyway but now that's just a large restroom and there's really nothing there. It's just a weird expanse of concrete to walk on. To the other side between the bathrooms and CoP is sort of a bizarre "lost area" that I think is where smokers go but it doesn't really feel like you should be back there.

If I were to rework it:
- I'd get rid of the Tomorrowland Speedway and use the land for something else. Go carts were cool 30+ years ago. Not so much, now.
- I'd get rid of the CoP (maybe move it over to Epcot with an update)
- I'd move the bathrooms to somewhere more on the side. They're still needed but without the Skyway they're just oddly in the middle. Doing so would free up that expanse for an actual attraction.
- I'd consider expanding Tomorrowland into the employee parking area.
- (and this is where it gets hard) I'd put in non-IP attractions that had something to do with the future.
- I'd settle on a theme and keep it consistent throughout Tomorrowland (the busy city of the future is nice - just needs to be finished)

 

[RScottyL]

I have read though this entire thread and I agree with everyone!

Tomorrowland is probably the biggest land that needs to be updated, as it is more like Todayland and not Tomorrowland!

Here are changes I would like to make, some are pulled from other people:

(1) Get rid of the Monster's Inc laugh Floor and Stitch's great Escape! Neither of them have anything to do with the future!

(2) Update all of the lighting to LED! I saw the video posted of the LED lighting test for TTA and like it!

(3) Get rid of the music stage close to Space Mountain! The music overpowers the Tomorrowland Music that I love so much! lol

(4) Get rid of the Tomorrowland Speedway, as it definitely doesn't apply anymore, if it ever did!

I see the TTA, Space Mountain and Astro Orbiter as permanent fixtures there, and they should never be removed!

 

[brb1006]

I agree with TomorrowLand but please don't get ride of the awesome area music.

 

[radiorae]

Alright, I've given it some thought, and after reading all the comments, I've come up with a plan of how I'd update Tomorrowland. Unfortunately, it involves changing nearly everything, but since the thread title does say "makeover", I guess it works.

Here's my idea:

Aesthetics -- keep the current "feel" of Tomorrowland, but try to do a better job of translating the nighttime look/colors (Disney Tourist Blog has a great photo set of nighttime Tomorrowland here) into the daytime. Right now, during the day all you get it a lot of metal, navy, and muted blues, greys and purples. It would be fun to bring in brighter colors, like the lime, red, and bright purples of the nighttime neon by updating the paint and accents in the land.

As someone else pointed out, there is a stray bathroom to the right when you face Space Mountain that doesn't have any anchoring point. There's actually a lot of odds and ends trying to fill up space, mainly the Buzz meet and greet on one side of CoP, and the Dance area (Club 626?) on the other side. I would scrap the dance floor and buzz m&g, and instead build a permanent m&g building by the restrooms where guests can meet a rotating group of "galactic friends" (Buzz, Stitch, Space Chip & Dale, etc.)

Attractions ---
Keep Space Mountain. Refurb as needed.

Carousel of Progress- Keep, but update exterior to be a little more inviting. Right now the colors and signage look a little dated. It really fades into the background compared to how busy the rest of the land is. I believe you can see the sections rotating from the outside? If so, I would maybe go for a bright, solid color paint instead of the gears, with each section a different color with a quote in white about the future from either Walt or the Carousel show itself. As the carousel moves, you get a new color and new quote.

Tomorrowland Transit Authority - Another keeper, though I might update the look of the cars... right now it looks like they painted a couple of Sterlite bins blue, added some wheels, and hitched them together. I wouldn't make any changes that would compromise the integrity of the system (like the ill-fated Rocket Rods), but even some small cosmetic additions or decals could go a long way to making it more "futuristic".

Stitch's Great Escape: I would do a major overhaul of this ride. Stitch belongs, but his ride is atrocious. Keeping with the current makeup of the ride, I would get rid of the "escape" story and instead put in a "monster/alien" lab. The general premise is that Dr. Jumba has made an alien laboratory on Earth without the knowledge of the galactic federation, and he's showing you how he made Stitch and other aliens. The main show room has the same circular layout of the current ride, but panoramic screens would be installed in the whole theater, set higher on the wall so it looks as though Jumba, Pleakley, and Stitch are talking to you from behind glass on the second story of the lab (they would be in CGI, not traditional animation, for more "realism"). They would circle the whole theater as they go through the demonstration, building an alien in the tube at the center of the room (alien would be projected).To make it interesting, Jumba would ask for input from the audience on how to build the alien, covering basic attributes like size, color, how many arms/legs, if it should have antennae or wings, etc. The audience would choose using buttons installed on the armrests of the seats. At the end, you've built an alien, and Stitch, being Stitch, accidentally lets it free. Room goes dark, alien disappears, lots of crashing and smoke ensues, and when the lights come back on Jumba explains that they have to go find the alien, etc., etc. (though i would really love if he ended with a line like, "and now my alien monstrosity will follow you home mwhahaha" ala Haunted Mansion. New Name: Stitch's Monster Maker? Laboratory 626? (I'm not sure here... they aren't monsters so much as aliens, but it's hard to come up with a good alien name)

Tomorrowland Speedway - Scrap it. In its place, I'd either put a completely new, non-IP ride or Sugar Land Racers. I debated on Sugar Land because it isn't really futuristic, but I think it would go perfect in that corner. Instead of a traditional car-on-track ride, I would make it into a Star Tours type simulator, with 4-8 different tracks/courses you could potentially ride on (all with Vanellope). The pre-show would have Ralph trying to teach you how to be a racer (since, as we observed in the movie, he clearly is an expert at driving ; p). The entrance to the ride would be in Tomorrowland and would be themed like an arcade with a bunch of Sugar Rush posters (for example, there could be signage saying "Litwak's Arcade, now featuring Sugar Land Racers"), so you get the Sugar Land connection without completely breaking the theme. You enter the arcade, and the queue has arcade games along the walls in a room, with you eventually walking "into" a Wreck it Ralph game, going through a Niceland themed room, and then coming out into Game Central Station before boarding to go into Sugar Land. The exit is a completely sugar-coated gift shop and candy store that opens into Fantasyland, where the over-the-top Sugar Land theming is more appropriate.

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin - I like the ride itself, but I feel like it needs major updates. I would like to find some balance between the 90s glow in the dark shooter and the technologically cool, but logistically terrible, Midway Mania. I don't want to turn it completely into Midway Mania, because I like the current omnimover set up and my arms can't take another pull-string cannon... but a balance would be nice.

Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor - I would scrap this one as well. Instead of a ride replacement, however, I would expand the building to merge with the kitchens of Tomorrowland Terrace next door, and make a restaurant. I'm not going to lie, that whole area confuses me to no end (it's a noodle station... but there's also a table service restaurant... but it's not really a restaurant, it's an outdoor buffet? but there's also a cafe? but its all only open maybe 3 months out of the year?) All I know is that, 90% of the time, it comes off as this odd dead spot when you walk that way. To make things simple, I'm taking the kitchens, but leaving the seating. This way, dessert parties and special events are still doable, and guests can still have the extra seating for when the 3PM "please get me out of the sun before i strangle someone" mood hits. The restaurant would be table service, mainly because Cosmic Ray's already provides a quick service spot. It would be themed as a planetarium. I'm not sure whether to go "serious" or "fun" with the theme... regardless, the ceiling would have a moving projection of outer space, so you can "eat under the stars". If we go the fun route, I totally envision alien saucer-shaped booths to sit in... but that may be too much. Cuisine would be fairly standard, kid-friendly stuff. Between the exotic Skipper Canteen and the fancier Be Our Guest, I think a more accessible/familiar menu would be okay, as long as it's done well with a couple of twists to set it apart from standard counter service-fare.

Other than all of the above, though, I think Tomorrowland is fine staying as-is ; )