Driving a car is a universal kid's fantasy, tomorrow-ish or not. My kid wasn't complaining.
It certainly is. And it's also why there's an Autopia (Speedway) attraction in every single Disneyland-style theme park on the planet. They have versions of this ride in
Anaheim, Orlando, Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong. It's a very popular attraction that would be sorely missed by many if it went away.
Heck, there was a time in the 1950's and 60's that Disneyland had no fewer than
four different versions of Autopia running at the same time. There was the original 1955 Autopia in Tomorrowland, that was a signature attraction covered widely by the media as one of Disneyland's wonders. Who can forget the TV clip of Art Linkletter shaking a long line of A-List celebrities hands as they drove past in their Autopia cars on Disneyland's opening day?
Frank Sinatra on Autopia, Disneyland Opening Day, July 17th 1955
The attraction was so wildly popular that it had to be doubled in size by 1959 with a separate track and station added in Fantasyland.
Autopia Freeways - 1959
The ride was still a bit too big and wild for younger riders in the 6 to 9 year old range, so in 1957 Walt added a smaller version in Fantasyland with a single track and junior sized cars called.... wait for it...
Junior Autopia!
Fantasyland's Junior Autopia 1957
And finally by 1960, Walt also built an even smaller version of the ride with the tiny cars on a bus-bar dark ride system that controlled the speed and direction of the car. There was still a steering wheel, two in fact, but they were just for decoration as the Kindergartners got a miniature version of Autopia just for themselves. Walt called it
Midget Autopia.
Fantasyland's Midget Autopia 1960's
Four different Autopias, in three different sizes, all operating near each other for years in the same theme park! Walt Disney World got off pretty easy by only getting a single version of the ride in 1971. :lol:
As for the environmental impact of the attraction, I would have to agree that Autopia/Tomorrowland Speedway must be one of the lesser impacts to the environment in the Disney attraction roster.
A ride like Pirates or Small World (or dozens of other examples) must use a
great deal more energy and resources to keep running, what with all that water being filtered and treated and pumped, dozens of animatronics running and huge theatrical lighting rigs blazing, a massive show building to cool and operate and monitor, etc., etc.
Not to mention that the simple act of blasting through the stratosphere in a jet guzzling Kerosene and then staying in an air conditioned hotel and asking Disney to cater to your every whim with fireworks, food, parades, transportation, stage shows, etc., etc. has to be a pretty darn big footprint when you could just stay home and camp in your local state park for a tiny fraction of the impact. But if after jetting to Orlando for a week of decadent and resource-heavy vacation you want to worry about how much gas each go-kart uses at the Speedway, then I guess you've already considered all the other environmental impacts your entertainment plans have created. :animwink:
