Walt Disney on Tomorrowland, in 1955: “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, unified world.”
Overview: Tomorrowland opened as one of five original lands at Disneyland Park on July 17, 1955 and has had more attractions than any other park area. Guests have experienced the “world of tomorrow” through experiences such as the Carousel of Progress, Adventure Thru Inner Space and the PeopleMover. In 1998, Tomorrowland was completely redesigned for the third time since park opening, with a retro-futuristic, Jules Verne-inspired theme. Since 2005, Tomorrowland has grown to include attractions such as Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue and the re-launch of Space Mountain.
What’s new: Superheroes unite inside Innoventions, immersing guests in worlds unlike any other. Guests come face-to-face with Captain America himself for the first time at a Disney Park. Thor: Treasures of Asgard began welcoming visitors at Innoventions in November 2013, inviting them to explore the home world of Thor and his mighty hammer, Mjolnir. Iron Man Tech Presented by Stark Industries features the Hall of Armor as seen in “Iron Man 3″ and other props from the film.
Don’t miss: Tomorrowland has 10 attractions, including Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, where guests challenge the Evil Emporer Zurg. Guests dive deep into the depths of liquid space in Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage or blast off into the furthest reaches of the final frontier on Space Mountain, a FastPass attraction. During Halloween Time, the attraction becomes the spooky Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. Other FastPass attractions in Tomorrowland are Star Tours – The Adventures Continue and Autopia. Tomorrowland also features five shops, including Star Traders, which offers Star Wars and other space-age collectables.
Attractions:
Space Mountain
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
Innoventions
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
Autopia
Astro Orbitor
Starcade
Disneyland Monorail
Disneyland Railroad
Entertainment: Through the years, Tomorrowland Terrace has featured many exciting shows and performers. Young Padawans, ages 4-12, have the opportunity to become a Jedi and battle Darth Vader and Darth Maul in the Jedi Training Academy on the Tomorrowland Terrace Stage. At night, the stage frequently is transformed into an entertainment venue featuring live bands, including tribute bands.
Dining: Tomorrowland features Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port for hungry earthlings. As the story goes, Redd, the owner of many Pizza Port locations in outer space, wanted to bring his selection of pizza, pasta and salads to Planet Earth for guests to enjoy. Tomorrowland Terrace offers space travelers hamburgers, sandwiches and treats that are out of this world. Tomorrowland’s fruit cart offers light and healthy snacks.
Imaginative landscaping: Tomorrowland features “agrifuture” in its landscaping, to create and maintain food supplies for a growing population. These plants include orange trees, lettuce, kale, strawberries and grapes in planters throughout the land.
Did you know?
When the Submarine Voyage (now reimagined as Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage) first opened in 1959, live mermaids made a splash in the lagoon.
The Disneyland Monorail was the first daily operating monorail system in the Western Hemisphere.
Autopia, the lone attraction that remains from Tomorrowland’s opening day, was significantly upgraded in 2000, and the Fanstasyland and Tomorrowland stations were combined.
The Matterhorn Bobsleds can be found in only one Disney park – Disneyland. A refresh in 2012 added glistening paint and “snow caps” to the icy slopes outside, along with new lighting on the menacing Abominable Snowman inside.
The Carousel Theater, now home to Innoventions, was previously the site of two other attractions: Carousel of Progress, which is now an attraction at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, and America Sings, which sent many of its critters to Splash Mountain after concluding its run in 1988.
Cast member tips:
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage has two Hidden Mickeys: the first on a rock at the exit of the attraction and another in the Marine Observation Post. There are multiple “hidden Nemos” throughout the attraction, as well as inside the Marine Observation Post. The observation post is available to all guests.
At Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, guests waiting to board the interactive attraction see clues about scoring points. Items in the queue show that diamond- and triangle-shaped targets are worth the most points.
Star Wars – The Adventures Continue has two Hidden Mickeys when traveling to Corsucant. The first is on the flashing lights at the spaceport and the second is in the back window, which guests see as they are returning home.
When riding on Autopia, drivers will use “Suzy,” a stylish coupe, “Dusty,” an off-road vehicle, or “Sparky,” a racy sports car.
Guests may build their own lightsabers at Star Traders, selecting different colors, styles and types.
