5. The Retro-Futuristic Update

Things set in the future are the quickest to become dated. The Flinstones, for example, holds up more than The Jetsons. That’s because the visions of the future represented on the page, the screen or, in the case of Tomorrowland, at the theme parks, are rarely accurate. Within years it becomes clear that the futures represented there are NOT the futures of our real world. Such was the case with the original Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom, so it started feeling dated quickly. To avoid that problem in the future, the new Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom that opened in 1998 was inspired by Discoveryland at Euro Disneyland.

Paris’ own version of Walt’s iconic futuristic theme park land, Discoveryland brought European culture, such as the work of Leonardo Da Vinci, H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, to the forefront. Their focus on older, more established science-fiction concepts made the area much more timeless. Following Disneyland Paris’ lead, the Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom was made to resemble a galactic spaceport based on classic early-1900s sci-fi comic strips like Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. It was a bold choice, but I think it paid off for them in dividends, especially because it lessened the need to constantly refurbish and refine the Tomorrowland’s for it to continue to feel relevant. 

6. Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary and After

To celebrate fifty years of Disney theme parks, the Imagineers repainted Tomorrowland at Disneyland for the “Happiest Homecoming on Earth” celebration in 2005. The paint scheme was similar to the 1967 Tomorrowland as mostly focusing on white, blue and silver palettes, though some of the bronze and gold remained. There weren’t a ton of changes to Tomorrowland at either Disneyland or the Magic Kingdom. One of the biggest was the closure of Star Tours to make room for the sequel called Star Tours - The Adventures Continue. That leads into what we expect from Tomorrowland in the future.

7. The Star Wars Effect

Though Star Wars has had SOME presence at the Disney parks since Star Tours debuted in 1987 (ironically then the first attraction not based on a Disney-produced project), it looks like with Disney’s acquisition of LucasFilm the film series about to take over Tomorrowland. Theme Park Tourist has written a number of articles about the effect the license is expected to have at Disneyland, like this one. Between Star Wars and the Tomorrowland film that if successful might influence the theme park lands in its own right, we have some exciting years ahead!