New Tomorrowland: 1998 Renovation

When a land is set in the future, it has to be constantly updated in order to stay in the future. Tomorrowland has always been tweaked and updated, but has gone through two major overhauls since 1955. Each overhaul not only re-themed the land, but also brought in new headliner attractions, new technologies, and a new vision of what the future will look like.

Tomorrowland’s first expansion and renovation project, Tomorrowland on the Move, was a 1967 update that shifted the focus of the land from home technologies to transportation and space travel. The new attractions and shows were a massive success with fans, but of course, over time they became outdated. By the 90’s, Tomorrowland had been largely untouched for three decades, and it needed to leap ahead into the future once again.

TOMORROWLAND 2055

Imagineers drew inspiration for New Tomorrowland from an existing land at the Paris resort: Discoveryland. Paris’ futuristic land focuses heavily on European inventors, explorers, and scientists, and its bold color scheme and décor makes guests feel like they are exploring a giant laboratory.

In Disneyland, this theme would be incorporated into the existing Tomorrowland landscape. Imagineers wanted Tomorrowland to feel more vibrant, more active. They envisioned a land always buzzing with activity, on the cutting edge of technology and innovation, and ultra modern with sleek bronze décor. New Tomorrowland would be set in 2055, one hundred years after Disneyland first opened.

 Source: Square Space

ANTICIPATION BUILDS

Tomorrowland officially began its renovation in 1995. The three-year makeover started only two years after the park’s last major project: the construction of Mickey’s Toontown. The land was not completely closed off the entire time, but major sections were blocked off to guests, and the entrance was finally walled up in 1997. As construction waged on, rumors about possible new attractions went rampant. Guests wondered if Tomorrowland would start to phase out transportation and space travel (its second main focus after home technologies in the 50s) in favor of a brand new theme. By the first months of 1998, New Tomorrowland was at the forefront of every Disneyland fan’s mind, and the springtime opening drew major crowds.

 Source: WP

What many fans didn’t know was that Euro Disney (Disneyland Paris) was not initially well-received, and caused major financial strain for the other Disney parks. As a result, the budget for Tomorrowland 2055 was slashed, so much so that Imagineers stopped referring to the project by that name, and just called it a refurbishment. Many of the original concepts for the land were majorly scaled down, including the rock formations at the entrance and ideas for exhibits within Innoventions.

Update September 2020: Some context from a wonderful reader!

The Tomorrowland:2055 plan and what got built are two very different projects entirely. Gaining momentum in the late 80s “2055” was a full 2 level land with sky walking ramps that included Alien Ecounter, Time Keeper, Plectu’s Fantastic Galactic Revue, a redesigning Rocket Jets, and return of the Peoplemover, with a modified track layout. Starting construction in 1992, complete by 1995. Michael Eisner got cold feet, and completely scrapped that idea. What was commissioned for 1998 got approval in 1995. A drastically cheaper plan.

…THAT’S IT?

After such a long period of construction, and the huge reported costs of the project, guests had big expectations for Tomorrowland’s reopening. When the walls came down and the land reopened for guests in 1998, guests saw something very different than they were initially promised. Tomorrowland really didn’t resemble Discoveryland, and the land itself looked almost the same. Some of the older attractions were gone (Circle-Vision, Captain EO, and Mission to Mars), but there only new major attraction was the Rocket Rods, a ride that broke down constantly. The original blue and white color scheme had been replaced by bronze and red colors, most notably on the land’s biggest attraction: Space Mountain.

Before 1998:

 Source: BP

And after:

 Source: Disney Park History

The fan reaction was not what Disney had hoped for. While some guests liked the new look, and many loved the Rocket Rods, most were very disappointed. With all of the construction and reported cost, fans were shocked at how minor the makeover seemed. A lot of fans thought the rock formation and color scheme were awful, and felt even less like a modern look than the previous design.

A HAPPY MEDIUM

By the early 2000s, Tomorrowland looked horribly outdated. In its original form, the land was “futuristic” to an extent, but also had a necessary element of fantasy and surrealism that made it feel timeless and without an official date. The 1998 makeover lost that removal from the real world, resulting in a “future” that felt like the past. Tomorrowland needed some tweaking, and when the Disneyland Resort named a new president in 2003 (Matt Ouimet), the shift in leadership gave the land a second chance at its second makeover.

Ouimet almost immediately reversed a lot of park policies, most notably remedying cost-cutting measures that were frustrating cast members and disappointing park guests. Tomorrowland’s major buildings returned to their classic blue and white color scheme, though they kept their bronze accents to create the necessary futuristic feel. The land’s most problematic and costly attraction, the Rocket Rods, closed after less than two years of operation, and its main building became a new interactive attraction: the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.

In 2005, Tomorrowland’s makeover was officially completed, to mark Disneyland’s 50^th anniversary. Guests were happy with the new look, excited about the Astro Blasters, and once again engaged with the park’s land from the future.