July 1955 – January 1960
LOCATION
The World Beneath Us theater could be found at the end of the main walkway into Tomorrowland. Guests visiting from Main Street USA would keep to the left, and find the attraction at the end of the block, across from the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Exhibit.
BACKGROUND
Tomorrowland was one of the last lands completed before Disneyland officially opened its gates, and the reality was that Disney needed sponsors to build attractions that were quick to install and relatively cheap. Virtually all of Tomorrowland was intended to be temporary, including a new show, “The World Beneath Us”.
Disney wanted to include a show about the past in Tomorrowland, to create a striking difference between where we’ve come from, and where we are going. Richfield Oil, a Southern California gasoline company, jumped at the chance to sponsor the show, because they could also indirectly promote the origins of their own product. Richfield Oil placed ads in local newspapers in the days before Opening Day, suggesting routes to the park that would avoid most traffic.
The World Beneath Us opened along with the rest of Tomorrowland on July 17, 1955, and its show ran to full audiences for the rest of the decade.
EXPERIENCE
Despite its location in a land dedicated to the future, the World Beneath Us was largely about the past. This attraction had two main sections: a series of dioramas, and a movie. The dioramas depicted the earth beneath the city of Los Angeles, complete with tectonic plates that periodically simulated earthquakes. Every quarter hour, guests could move into the theater, and watch a 12-minute movie about the beginnings of the world – exploding volcanoes, the rise of continents, and even the onset of dinosaurs. At the end of the show, guests returned back into Tomorrowland with a new perspective. After seeing the origin of the world, Disney’s predictions for its future became all the more exciting!
CLOSURE
As the land of the future, it was no surprise that Tomorrowland would be the first land in the park to need refreshing. Shortly after Opening Day, Imagineers began drawing up plans to reshape and redesign Tomorrowland with permanent attractions replacing temporary exhibits. The World Beneath Us was not an unpopular show, but it occupied a lot of valuable real estate right on the main pathway. The show closed in 1960, and its space was broken up into different rooms and galleries.
TRIVIA
Richfield Oil also sponsored Autopia when Disneyland first opened, from 1955 until 1970.
Guests could view the dioramas without watching the movie. Children in particular loved to watch the earth quake simulation over and over again!
What is the professors name in the show?
I wish I knew! I haven’t been able to find any information anywhere 🙁
It was Professor Richfield.
Any idea who the character narrating is? Looks familiar.
Great question! All I’ve been able to find is “the Professor” as a character description.
https://ibb.co/bv8MJn i think this is the same character but i cannot find anything about him.
Was the dinosaur part kind of like the tunnel on the train?
Aside from both having dinosaurs, not really. The tunnel on the train is a huge animatronic diorama of the primeval grand canyon, whereas the dinosaurs in this attraction were a small part of a film depicting the origins of life on earth.