Tomorrowland - What's your best guess?

Originally Posted By oc_dean

Sick of ongoing Tomorrowland rumors that have been going on for SEVERAL years?

I've lost track.

Seems to me .. it started around 2003 - That TL98's days would eventually be numbered. With little rumblings here and there through one fan site like this ... or another one.

Then the chatter seemed to have exploded on all sorts of blogs, and sites like screamscape, Disney&More, among others .. around 2007 ... maybe 2008. And continued to gain in momentum.

The news of Tron Legacy for it's 2010 premiere got plenty of Disneyland fans going .. and the rumors started with a Tron like attraction to go where Innoventions sits. Along with a "Tron" like theme for the entire land. Same time .. I remember Al Lutz saying in a couple of his updates ... "Baxter & Lassetter seen backstage .. contemplating expanding TL and Frontierland beyond the DLRR perimeter."

The movie Tron:Legacy came and went. And the rumor of the coming ride .. died with Disney's larger expectations of the film. (Yet, it's good enough for SDL!)

Next up ... MARVEL. And here came a new set of rumors ... that a Stark EXPO of sorts was going to make it's way into the location of Innoventions.

THEN came .... the purchase of Lucas Film. AND THEN .. Star Wars rumors for TL as if a nuclear bomb went off.

Mostly coming out of Miceage. But few other sites were corroborating the rumors. Wonder why???

I thought Star Warzing TL was full of hot air from the start! And even Miceage is now admitting Star Wars is off for Tomorrowland.

>>There’s no word yet whether they might get Fiat to sponsor the Luigi’s Festival of the Dance ride, although that would probably upset the bigwigs at General Motors who have been in recent talks with TDA to once again sponsor at least one attraction in each Anaheim park. When the Star Wars Tomorrowland plan was officially dead and buried earlier this year, WDI began contemplating an updated version of Autopia that would fit perfectly with a GM sponsorship. Autopia and/or a GM sponsorship of Radiator Springs Racers, with those soaring Cadillac tailfins, are on Disney’s wish list of corporate agreements now that GM has exited its dark bankruptcy era and has money to spend.<<

from - <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://micechat.com/82221-enhancements-for-disneyland/#comment-42920">http://micechat.com/82221-enha...nt-42920</a>

And Toontown is rumored to go bye-bye for a Star Wars land ... Is that a load of hot air too?

It's hard to know what's really going on.

And somewhere in all these newly acquired acquisitions ... I know Tony Baxter pitched a new Tomorrowland a few years back. I would have loved to have known what that plan contained. And what it was going to look like. I think a Wall-E ride of sorts was part of that plan. And we know he's been a supporter of the return of the Peoplemover in some new form.

So, it's been a rendition of Musical Chairs ... or .... like the carousel theater making frantic circles on one idea after another .. and not slowing down yet .. and landing on anything.

From Tron,to Marvel, to Star Wars, to something else ... I wonder if the land is just going to remain on hiatus for the time-being. Seems to, anyway. The 60th is practically here. Soonest anything may happen .. will be into the second half of the decade. If that.

And I even wonder if the co. is waiting for the release of George Clooney's "Tomorrowland" film come next year. I wonder if there's anything in that film that can be used as a source of inspiration for a TL remodel.

I has half inspired by the Tron ideas. Full of curiosity with this past plan of Mr. Baxter's. Absolutely hated the idea of inserting Marvel into the land, for plenty of reasons. But Star Wars takes the cake! The rumors of transforming one of DL's 5 original lands, into a dark and moody place devoted to one franchise has got to be the worst! And I'm one of the biggest fans of the Star Wars franchise!

So ... I'm breathing a sye of relief for the moment. I don't know if heads of the co. are giving this matter a very careful think .. before they do anything.

Whatever they do .... it needs to mimic the underlying theme of this opening day set of words from Walt -

"TOMORROWLAND: A vista into a world of wondrous ideas, signifying man's achievements.... A step into the future with predictions of constructive things to come. Tomorrow offers new frontiers in science, adventure, and ideals, the atomic age, the challenge of outer space and the hope for a peaceful and unified world."

And this little bit from the film "Tomorrowland" has me wondering....

<a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://imageserver.moviepilot.com/-05c6010c-96b8-483a-9d8e-1dc0215838e1.png?width=1600&height=728">http://imageserver.moviepilot....ight=728</a>

Anybody else have any good guesses what the future may be for Tomorrowland?

 

Originally Posted By oc_dean

Some blue sky concept art for DL, and WDW that I wonder becomes inspiration for real ideas .....

<a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-WfYZuoRV3sw/TqnlWYbF-zI/AAAAAAAABuI/2OdtAkNe_-E/s720/Gyro%2520scoping%2520PM%2520ride.jpg">http://lh4.googleusercontent.c...ride.jpg</a>

<a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-BwnZ2mPMzCo/TqnldECfLOI/AAAAAAAABsY/wVHYx6wUAkk/s720/WDW%2520Tomorrowland.jpg">http://lh5.googleusercontent.c...land.jpg</a>

<a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-DQ46O9vzOl4/TqlDChjJ3LI/AAAAAAAABsQ/t3PDEVQkvEo/s720/TL%2520concept.jpg">http://lh5.googleusercontent.c...cept.jpg</a>

<a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VJwipVg0FSg/TqiybXFxZFI/AAAAAAAABgc/lmWWif3M3pg/s720/i-GztrtsS-O.jpg">http://lh3.googleusercontent.c...sS-O.jpg</a>

Any other "blue sky" concepts that are out there on the web, for DL or WDW?

 

Originally Posted By oc_dean

Almost forgot this one.

Not sure if this is artwork for the expo scene in Iron Man 2 .. or something else....

<a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xCGURuvQ9Ts/UyZ8m3hIAXI/AAAAAAAABfk/D8V8_2IcQm8/s512/IronMen2-stark-expo-image-4-797x1023.jpg">http://lh6.googleusercontent.c...1023.jpg</a>

upon closer inspection ... the building seems rounded, 2 stories, and with a ramp that begins and ends very similarly to this ....

<a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://progresslandblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/svcxw.jpeg">http://progresslandblog.files....cxw.jpeg</a>

Makes me wonder!!

 

Originally Posted By RoadTrip

I would go back to the original concept and center the land around the same type of attractions they had then. Kind of 'The Tomorrow that never was (yet) but always will be'. I think many of us Disney fans are starry-eyes optimists still hoping that most of them will eventually come true. Sure, update them to reflect modern developments and technology. But don't give up the hope that they will eventually happen. It won't be as quickly as originally predicted, but we will still get there somehow, someday.

 

Originally Posted By oc_dean

I'll never forget how cool Adventure Thru Inner Space was. And always thinking about an updated version that would make the '67 version look ancient. I would like to see the carousel building used in the same way it did for America Sings and CoP. And of course I want to see a brand new PM design. Something that even the cynics around here would enjoy.

I'm also one for a complete clean slate .. all new ideas. But is WDI up for the challenge? If they made a deal that invited world-renown architects and visionaries .. like Zaha Hadid ... then TL has a chance.

 

Originally Posted By Yookeroo

"Whatever they do .... it needs to mimic the underlying theme of this opening day set of words from Walt"

Why?

 

Originally Posted By berol

They could start a Tomorrowland redo with that script quote. It's a bit stuck in 1955.

 

Originally Posted By RoadTrip

<<They could start a Tomorrowland redo with that script quote. It's a bit stuck in 1955.>>

So? At least the future then looked positive. Now we are told of climate change, over-population, rampant disease epidemics, and an increasing level of wealth disparity. How do you have fun with that?

 

Originally Posted By oc_dean

When current generations have nothing better to do than think of negative thoughts about the future ... it's then time to take a look back at those previous generations who were bold enough to think positively, and start over (with what we know now). It doesn't have to be a "gee wiz, Carol Brady" sugary coating ... But it can't start off with a cynical tone either.

 

Originally Posted By RoadTrip

The possibilities for the future haven't changed all that much. Unfortunately attitudes in this country have, driven by media that loves concentrating on the negative and the sensational. Maybe what this country really needs right now is to embrace a updated version of the mid-century point of view.

 

Originally Posted By oc_dean

>>The possibilities for the future haven't changed all that much. <<

* Outer space travel
* contact with extra terrestrials
* hovercraft
* Peoplemovers/Monorails (that travel more than just do loops in airports!)
* cities with buildings with whimsical shapes to them.

All that is still decades to centuries away!

 

Originally Posted By Dabob2

I've said it before, but the only thing wrong with the original concept of TL as, pretty much, a city 30 years in the future was that it started getting outdated almost immediately. So why not make it a city 300 years in the future?

 

Originally Posted By EighthDwarf

"So why not make it a city 300 years in the future?"

When you're talking about the unknown future, what is the difference between 30 years and 300?

 

Originally Posted By phruby

Oc_dean is right. It needs to be something optimistic, bright and colorful. I like that one picture of the motion bases driving along the people mover track. Flying cars and hoverboards are the things I would like to see in Tomorrowland. This is Disneyland. It should be upbeat, fun and colorful.

We need to break from what the news media has been telling us for the past eighty years that something is always around the corner to kill us all. Guess what? We are still here. Smog alerts really are a thing of the past just like Rocket to the Moon predicted. We need more positive thoughts. The thoughts we think shape our reality.

According to the news media in the late 70's we were suppose to run out of gas by 2000. Here were are 2014 with a gas surplus due to technological advances. Let's have a land that celebrates advances. A land that is more Star Trek than Star Wars.

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

I agree that they need to do something, and it needs to have a positive outlook. Perhaps not the oh-so-perfect vision of the future from 1955, but not something dystopian either

It's been long enough that I think the midcentury bones of TL are cool and retro again, similar to the 1994 Buck Rogers-inspired redo of WDW's TL; with a 50-60 year gap since the inspiration era, it's clear that it's intentional and not just dated. The current buildings have great retro-futuristic bones, so it would be nice if they could incorporate some of that

I'd also be okay with them starting from scratch, but I'm not sure that they would be able to do it in the current environment. To me, for something to be "Disney" it needs to have the wide-ranging scope, high-quality, approachability from an un-indoctrinated audience, and originality of the attractions from the 50's-90's. Today it seems that "Disney" means it has a tie in to a franchise, cutesy references to past attractions, and a prior knowledge of the Disney brand. Although they've turned out some good things with that approach, I don't think it would be as successful for a futuristic-based area

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

>>A land that is more Star Trek than Star Wars.<<

Yes, this. But without any blatant franchise tie-ins. As much as people like Star Wars, it's a dystopian future. It's not fun and upbeat, it's dark and oppressive. The classical archetypes are what makes everything work, not the stylization of the environment. Heck, the stories took place "long ago in a galaxy far away", so it's not even technically futuristic

Although I doubt they're planning on a total overhaul, I hope that they're looking to the TL film for some inspiration for the parks, should it be successful. From what I've seen, it appears to reflect the rosy vision of the future from the 50's and 60's, which is a good blend for the park. Though I think that they would reach a whole new level of self-reference if they were to retheme Tomorrowland (the modern park hodge podge) to make it more like Tomorrowland (the movie), based on Tomorrowland (the former park area)...

 

Originally Posted By monorailblue

How about a Wall*E land with mountains of compressed garbage and a few tiny weeds growing here and there?

 

Originally Posted By Dabob2

<When you're talking about the unknown future, what is the difference between 30 years and 300? >

A lot. When DL opened, TL was supposed to be 1986. Obviously, 1986 has come and gone. By 1967, they felt TL was already becoming "TodayLand" and revamped it.

Plus, there actually used to be excitement in seeing what seemed to be coming from, say, AT&T. That's when AT&T was a monopoly and anything new in the field of telecommunications was going to come from them, and they didn't have to worry about a rival company copping their ideas. That no longer exists. Plus, any really good idea that a company is not afraid of getting stolen is previewed on the internet before it comes out. We're completely spoiled to "short term future" these days.

Setting it 300 years in the future takes care of that problem, AND allows for a far more fanciful take on the future. No worries about it getting dated, or that you'll have to replace the attraction in 20 years or less as the 30-year window closes a little more every day, or worrying that you'll get the future "wrong."

 

Originally Posted By GrannnnyFannnny

gay
days are
hurting our dear children

no more gays near the kids
in this disneyland

 

Originally Posted By Dabob2

Please keep this
particular form of
Performance Art

Confined to
World Events