4. The Posters of New Tomorrowland
In 1967, Disneyland debuted its New Tomorrowland – a truly astonishing world of sleek lines, Space Age sensibilities, and forward-thinking ideas pioneered by Walt himself. This “World on the Move” was meant to be a bright, kinetic, utopian look into what tomorrow could hold; a sincerely futuristic, scientific vision of the future.
Artist: Ken Chapman (1967)
Location: Disneyland Park
One of the land’s most spectacular additions was another Lost Legend: The Peoplemover. The sleek, gliding, constantly-moving ride powered by Goodyear tires was meant to be an actual, living showcase of what the future of mass transportation could look like. The attraction poster, meanwhile, accurately captures the aerodynamic, pastel, utopian future Walt’s New Tomorrowland had so embodied.
Artist: Ken Chapman (1967)
Similarly, the swirling Rocket Jets embodied Americans’ pop culture fascination with the Space Age…
Artist: John Drury (1967)
…while another Lost Legend: Adventure Thru Inner Space used the Mighty Monsanto Microscope to bring the wonders of the Atomic Age closer to home – the first ever installation of Disney’s tried-and-true Omnimover ride system. Altogether, these posters were living embodiments of the sleek, bright, pastel, blue-and-white future that New Tomorrowland brought to life.
5. Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye
Artist: Drew Struzan (1995)
Location: Disneyland Park
If you think the attraction poster for Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure looks like it could be an authentic movie poster for the next installment in the franchise, you’d be right. That’s no coincidence. Disney brought on Drew Struzan (the original artist responsible for the film series’ iconic posters, as well as those for Star Wars, Back to the Future, and more than a hundred others) to create the ride’s one-sheet. However, things could have gone very, very differently…
When Disney secured the rights to build theme park attractions based on Lucasfilm’s Raiders of the Lost Ark hero, the license did not include Harrison Ford’s likeness (which is why neither his face nor voice is featured in the incomparable Disneyland E-Ticket ride). Struzan knew that obscuring (or worse, outright replacing) Indy’s face on an attraction poster would be an embarrassment. He reportedly called up Harrison Ford himself, requesting special permission to use the actor’s likeness on the attraction poster only. Ford allegedly told him, “If you’re painting it, then you go right ahead.”
The result is easily one of the most cinematic, grand attraction posters for any Disney Parks ride on Earth… and the only allusion to Harrison Ford’s likeness related to any Indiana Jones attraction.
6. Submarine Voyages
Artist: Sam McKim (1959)
Location: Disneyland Park
Since 1959, submarines have been churning through the waters of Disney Parks across the globe. First, Disneyland’s Submarine Voyage gave guests an unthinkable look into the world of sub-sea research – truly as novel and futuristic as space travel to audiences of the era.
Artist: Adapted by Richard Hebner (1971)
Location: Magic Kingdom
By time Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, it was clear that the E-Ticket submarines would be a must-have, but submarines were no longer fit for Tomorrowland. That’s why Imagineers went back to the drawing board and re-imagined the ride as a fantasy adventure based on Jules Verne’s most beloved novel, creating a Lost Legend: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – Submarine Voyage.
Artist: Ralph Eggleston (2007)
Location: Disneyland
Ultimately, both submarine rides were shuttered by cost-conscious, budget-cutting regimes. Magic Kingdom’s was cemented over and turned into New Fantasyland, but Disneyland’s was eventually revived as the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, preserving the beloved ride system and even referencing the original’s attraction poster in a loving tribute.
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