During the Paul Pressler Era, Disneyland's Tomorrowland was broken. For those Disneyland fans who wondered "what happened to Tomorrowland", ChatGPT has a good summary. (Note: All of my ChatGPT quotes are in italics.)
The last major renovation of Disneyland’s Tomorrowland occurred during a multi‑year redevelopment that started in 1995 and culminated in May 1998, often referred to as “New Tomorrowland.” This makeover brought a retro‑futuristic aesthetic inspired by the Discoveryland concept in Paris, complete with bronze & gold hues, new attractions like Rocket Rods and Innoventions, and a complete reconfigure of several ride experiences. However, many aspects of that remodel fell short of expectations. By the early 2000s, Disney recognized the changes hadn't aged well.
Mr GPT, that right there is an understatement. However, on the plus side, there were some cool ideas, like having fresh fruits and vegetables growing everywhere. People kind of got into the idea that you could grab a couple lettuce leaves off of a plant and slap it on your burger while sitting at your table. Or pull a few strawberries to go with your breakfast burrito. There were also lemons, oranges, tomatoes, basil, rosemary, hot peppers, and artichokes, and guests were allowed to pick and eat whatever they wanted. Also, the look was very steampunk, very Jules Verne. Brass everywhere, and it all had a turn-of-the-20th-century vibe to it.
So ... what went wrong? In no particular order ...
ORBITRON
Disney had seen success with the Orbitron in Discoverland (Euro Disney), and since they were using that land as inspiration for "New Tomorrowland", it made sense for them to install one in Anaheim. But to do that, they had to move the Rocket Jets attraction somewhere else. They chose to put it at the entrance of Tomorrowland.
Anyone who has been in Tomorrowland during or after a parade can testify as to what a terrible choice this was. If you look at early concept art of the Tomorrowland entrance, you can see how open and inviting it was. Now, you have to go around this big hulking Dumbo ride (Astro Orbiter) to get into Tomorrowland, and if there's a lot of people, it's a huge mess.
So Disney was trading off a big cool spinning sculpture with traffic control. They were willing to create a crazy crowd situation just to have a cool statue.
Like Tony Stark would say: "Not a great plan."
ASTRO ORBITER
I had been an annual passholder for a year when the New Tomorrowland project was announced. Bits and pieces of their plans were leaked to the various Disney fan sites that were popping up (yes, the Internet had been around for 3 years at this point), and one of them was rumors that the Rocket Jets were being moved to the front of Tomorrowland.
I remember saying something like this to the lovely Mrs. Pianoman, "They had better keep that thing way in the air above everything else. Otherwise it's going to be lame."
Sure enough -- they went with lame. They turned an elevated thrilling ride, where you could literally see most of the park, into Just Another Dumbo Ride.
They also created a horrible traffic situation. Anyone who has been headed towards the hub during or after parades or fireworks knows what I'm referring to. Tons of people, with this big hulking mess right in the middle, totally in the way of everything.
On the plus side, Dumbo-type rides are always going to be popular with kids. What 5-year old doesn't want to spin around in a car that you can raise up and down? But the thing about the Rocket Jets was that it was great for adults too. Seeing the park from way up there was an awesome experience. And when I was a kid, the ride scared me to death ...
COSMIC WAVES
This was a lit fountain with random sprinklers that kids could play in. It was also lit at night, and one of my favorite Disneyland memories was watching kids playing in the fountains from the Innoventions balcony. It was a hot summer night, and the lights were flashing in all kinds of different patterns. It was pretty awesome.
(The lovely Mrs. Pianoman had a great idea for a concession -- she thought Disney should sell beach towels right next to the Cosmic Waves. That would be for the parents who didn't think ahead, watching in horror as their children got completely soaked. No problem -- buy a Mickey towel, and head to the bathrooms to dry off! Disney would make a FORTUNE!)
If you could somehow navigate your way to the middle of the fountain without getting squirted, you were rewarded with this huge brown marble ball that rested on water, and could be slowly rotated in all directions. This is known as a "kugel ball", and based on its size, it's estimated that it weighed about 3.5 tons:
It was one of the largest kugel ball fountains ever installed in a theme park setting at the time. The sphere floated on a thin film of water under high pressure, allowing guests to easily rotate the multi-ton stone with a gentle push — a classic demonstration of hydrostatic levitation.
By 2000, Disney had given up on Cosmic Waves. The issues were:
Guests didn’t interact with it much, and it was plagued by maintenance and safety issues, particularly with water splashing onto walkways. By 2000, Cosmic Waves was quietly deactivated and dismantled. The space was eventually filled in with decorative planters and became part of the general Tomorrowland plaza area.
I'm guessing "maintenance issues" mean "it cost too much to fix the fountains every day". Of course, Disney has no problem at all maintaining the fountains for World Of Color, or for Fantasmic, even though there are far more of them to maintain.
I'm not sure about the kugel ball -- GPT is indicating that it was removed, but I could have sworn it was still there. I agree that the planters are definitely there, and this spot has now turned into a "take a load off your feet" spot with little or no shade.
INNOVENTIONS
This attraction was housed in the old "Carousel Of Progress" building, which eventually became "America Sings" and had a 14-year run. (Eventually the audio animatronics from America Sings headed over to Splash Mountain.)
GPT picks up the history from here:
As part of 1998’s New Tomorrowland remodel, the building was repurposed into Innoventions — an interactive showcase for emerging consumer technology, sponsored largely by companies like Microsoft, Siemens, Honda, and others. It was essentially a hands-on tech expo, themed around futuristic gadgets, home innovations, and scientific advancements.
The building itself still rotated on the lower level (though guests hardly noticed it) and housed exhibits like:
** Honda's ASIMO robot demo
** HP's Smart Home of the Future
** GM's Future of Transportation
Other corporate sponsors that had exhibits included: Microsoft, Apple, Siemens, Whirlpool, GE, Bosch, AT&T, Panasonic, Medtronic, Life Alert, ADT Security, Bank of America, NASA, Verizon Wireless, Segway, Fujifilm, and Monster Cable.
This was a clever approach, and is probably the most successful component of New Tomorrowland. Corporate sponsorship of Disneyland attractions has a long history, and the Innoventions building was an opportunity for companies to show what they were working on, and how it would influence all of us in the future. It definitely reminded me of things like Pac Bell's display from the 1960s just outside the CircleVision theater:
The Bell Telephone exhibit was located outside and in the lobby area of the Circle-Vision theater in Tomorrowland. It served both as a preshow and a promotional display of modern and future telephone technology.
PacBell and Bell System showcased:
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The Picturephone — one of the earliest public demonstrations of video calling technology.
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New dial phones and push-button telephones
(Touch-Tone service was being rolled out in California in the late 60s.)
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Exhibits showing how telephone calls were connected long-distance
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Models of futuristic communication devices and concepts for the year 2000
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Interactive kiosks where guests could pick up receivers and hear recorded information about the Bell System and the future of communication
It was part of Disney’s broader effort to showcase corporate America’s vision of the future — much like General Electric’s Carousel of Progress and Monsanto’s Adventure Thru Inner Space.
The Picturephone exhibit was especially famous at Disneyland — not because it was widely practical, but because it felt like something straight out of The Jetsons, and for a brief moment in the 60s, it represented what people thought 21st-century communication would look like.
But by the mid-2000s, the Innoventions concept began to feel dated. Technology was outpacing the ability of Innoventions to keep up. The most popular attraction at this time would have been the ASIMO show. (We are awfully close to having ASIMOs in every house ... if Elon Musk has anything to say about it.)
I'll give GPT the last word about Innoventions' legacy:
Innoventions was born from the same philosophy that inspired EPCOT Center: to showcase cutting-edge technology and future-facing concepts in a way that was accessible and entertaining. For many people, Innoventions was their first time experiencing virtual reality, humanoid robots, and smart homes.
Innoventions' legacy is one of ambitious intentions, uneven execution, and nostalgic charm. It was a final echo of Walt Disney’s optimistic futurism — before Tomorrowland, and Disney Parks broadly, shifted focus to intellectual properties and blockbuster attractions.
It remains fondly remembered by park fans for its oddball exhibits, ASIMO, and as one of the last places you could glimpse a speculative, non-franchise-driven future at Disneyland.
ROCKET RODS
Saved this one for last, because it's the biggest failure of New Tomorrowland, and one of the biggest ride failures in Disneyland. (Actually the 3rd biggest, with "Phantom Boats" and "Viewliner" taking the top two spots. Don't worry, I've never heard of them either.)
(FYI, California Adventure's worst attraction is Superstar Limo, and anyone who rode it can understand why. It lasted less than a year, and was replaced with the Monsters Inc. ride.)
So what was the Rocket Rods?
Rocket Rods was meant to be the high-speed, futuristic transportation centerpiece of the 1998 New Tomorrowland remodel. It replaced the beloved PeopleMover, using the same elevated track. The concept was a high-speed thrill ride simulating a future transportation system, with 5-seat cars that accelerated quickly on straightaways and slowed dramatically on turns.
Sounds pretty cool! Well, except for getting rid of the Peoplemover. I realize that Disneyland is always evolving, and that means that old classic rides will get the axe every now and then ... but the Peoplemover was a beloved attraction for a lot of reasons:
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It offered a smooth, leisurely ride through and above Tomorrowland at a time when most attractions were fast-paced or show-based.
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It provided great views of Tomorrowland’s architecture, scenery, and other attractions from an elevated, open-air perspective — a rare chance to people-watch from above.
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Walt Disney envisioned it as a prototype for urban public transit — a clean, efficient, constantly moving transport system that never needed to stop.
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The ride embodied 1960s futurism: optimistic, practical, and visually striking, aligning with Disneyland’s promise of showcasing "the future."
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Its continuously moving chain of open-air cars allowed for easy boarding without stopping.
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The quiet, electric propulsion through rubber tires embedded in the track was an engineering novelty.
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Riders got to glide through the interiors of popular attractions like Adventure Thru Inner Space, America the Beautiful, and later Star Tours and Space Mountain — a treat you couldn’t get anywhere else.
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It was a ride that grandparents, parents, and kids could all enjoy together.
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It offered a break from the heat and crowds without leaving the land. This was particularly important on hot summer days -- you could take a break off your feet, get some air, and still be moving.
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The sight of the colorful, boxy cars gliding through elevated guideways instantly evoked the image of Tomorrowland.
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Its kinetic energy gave the area life — something fans feel Tomorrowland has lacked since its removal.
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Lines were almost always short, and the PeopleMover had high capacity, making it a dependable attraction to unwind on. If there's nobody waiting to board, you could literally wave your finger in the air at the Cast Members -- the unspoken signal that "we wanna ride it again!"
If Disney was willing to lose all of these positives, you'd think that the new ride would be a real humdinger, right? I can tell you, we were excited to ride it, and stayed at the park until 1:30 AM just to get our chance.
So ... what happened?
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Track Design Issues:
The PeopleMover track was never meant for high-speed vehicles. It had tight turns and no banked curves. Rocket Rods vehicles had to slow to a crawl at every turn, ruining the sense of continuous speed and creating an awkward, stop-and-go ride experience. Had Disney retrofitted the tracks with banked curves, Rocket Rods could have been more of a high-speed ride -- perhaps slowing when passing through other attractions, but speeding up everywhere else.
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Mechanical Problems:
The vehicles' acceleration/deceleration put constant strain on the ride’s tires, motors, and braking systems. It was notoriously unreliable — breaking down multiple times a day, sometimes for hours. Because the vehicles needed to accelerate and decelerate rapidly, the ride vehicles were fitted with transmissions, which caused huge maintenance headaches.
Odd Configuration:
The ride was designed with five seats, which is arguably the worst number possible for high-demand rides. Typical families at Disneyland are families of 4, and there was no single-rider option possible. The queue itself reused the old CircleVision 360° theater and upper loading area from the PeopleMover, and it wasn’t built to easily accommodate a single-rider merge point. The numbers just don't add up. Rides like Radiator Springs Racers or Indy Jones have a capacity of 6, and lines for single riders to cap off the ride vehicles, thereby increasing ride capacity to a more reasonble level.
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No Replacement for the PeopleMover:
Many guests missed the PeopleMover’s relaxing, scenic ride through Tomorrowland. Rocket Rods was a poor substitute, and its frequent downtime frustrated visitors.
Rocket Rods shut down in September of 2000, and at the time, Disneyland claimed that a major overhaul was needed. That might be true, but the major overhaul would have involved redesigning the ride vehicles -- and that would never happen. The ride was quietly decommissioned, and the vehicles were removed.
As of now, the PeopleMove track is still standing there, unused and rusting away. You can see it all over Tomorrowland. Disney has long faced pressure to either revive the PeopleMover or remove the decaying track structure entirely, but as of now, no major Tomorrowland overhaul has happened. If it were up to me, I'd take $50 million and rebuild the ride like this:
- Bring back the original cars, but give them a little more of a "futuristic" vibe. Walt Disney World reset their PeopleMover with new cars, and called it "Tomorrowland Transit Authority". Something like that would work fine. The size of the old cars is probably fine, although if this ride were to ever get rebooted, the lines would be off the charts for the first year of operation.
- Build a second station in California Adventure, either where the Hollywood & Dine used to be, or maybe where the Studio 17 building is, since that seems to only be used for merch.
- As in the old days, set up the cars to pass through attractions: Buzz Lightyear, the Innoventions Building, Space Mountain, and Star Tours.
- Tear down the Observatron, and rebuild the PeopleMover queue exactly where it was before. Maybe build out the area below the queue for merch, churros, and DVC sales as well.
- Prep the space above the PeopleMover queue for the eventual return of the Rocket Jets, because unwinding the Astro Orbitor needs to be done as well.
Rocket Rods was an ambitious idea hampered by bad engineering compromises and budget problems — and it became one of Disneyland’s fastest high-profile failures.
Tomorrowland is a difficult land to maintain, because futuristic tech keeps overlapping it. But keeping the displays futuristic is what corporate sponsorship is all about -- and the Innoventions building is the place for all that futurism to take place. Bringing back the PeopleMover would get people off their feet on hot days, and let them see both theme parks from the air. Figuring out how to mitigate safety issues with the Cosmic Waves would give kids a chance to play in the water and cool off on hot days. And moving the Astro Orbiter back to its rightful place above the PeopleMover queue would restore a beloved ride that allows everyone to view Disneyland from above.
So, Disney -- here's my suggestion: Stop burning piles of cash with horrible movies that are written by the children in your movie studios. Take $100M that you'll save by NOT making horrible movies, and spend it on Tomorrowland instead. Let's call it something like, "Make Tomorrowland Great Again". Here, in chronological order, is the list of things to fix:
- NUKE THE ORBITRON / CREATE SOMETHING FOR THE MAGIC EYE THEATER
It's not spinning, it's not playing music, it's not shining lights. It's sculpture, and it's in the way. Remove it immediately. (Bonus: You can do this without closing any other attractions -- because ALL THE ATTRACTIONS CONNECTED TO IT ARE DEAD.)
As for the Magic Eye Theater -- it's been a dead zone since Honey I Shrunk The Audience was shut down. This is a huge air-conditioned theater, which means it absorbs a lot of people, and gives folks a chance to get off their feet after waiting in that huge Space Mountain line. There NEEDS to be a movie running here. Not trailers for upcoming movies, not commercials for Disney+ shows, not "Captain EO" -- but some kind of movie. Even the "Pixatr Short Film Festival", currently at Epcot, would be better than nothing. Do like they're doing in Florida: Show a couple of Pixar short films, and end it with "Get A Horse".
As is the case with the Orbitron, this is something that can be done without disrupting existing attractions.
- REBUILD THE ROCKET JETS PLATFORM
This is the first step towards undoing the damage Paul Pressler's "New Tomorrowland" caused. Rocket Jets was emasculated when it was moved to ground level, and the Astro Orbiter is just in the way. You need to put it back where it was, and be sure to include the elevator that takes guests up to the loading platform. And when you build that elevator, be sure that it can also stop at the same level as the future PeopleMover station, because people in wheelchairs need to be able to get up there. (More on this later.)
(Bonus: Still no other attractions affected, so you can do this without closing anything.)
While you're here, find a way to increase the merchandising sales in the area under the PeopleMover platform. You'll need those areas once the Innoventions building has been "converted".
- MOVE THE ASTRO ORBITER BACK TO THE ROCKET JETS
Due to the horrible traffic issues this would cause, I think you should avoid closing the Tomorrowland entrance. Putting up fencing around the Astro Orbiter is harsh enough on traffic. But by going this route, you keep Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear up and running, which is important -- Tomorrowland doesn't have a lot of attractions, so you really need to keep them all running. Maybe keep that open area under the PeopleMover track clear, to allow traffic to flow across. This will probably take longer to complete, but only one ride would be shut down.
When this task is completed, the traffic problems with Tomorrowland's entrance will be gone, and the Rocket Jets will be back. Kids who are freaked out by a Dumbo ride being that high in the air will need to go over to Fantasyland and ride Dumbo. All the rest of us are going to have a major nostalgia burst.
- FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THE COSMIC WAVES CHEAPER AND SAFER
This is one of the best things that came out of New Tomorrowland, and it was given the axe due to "safety concerns" and "high maintenance costs". Really? How much are the "maintenance costs" for the World Of Color fountains? Or Fantasmic? I bet they're a WEE more expensive than Cosmic Waves.
Safety? Water on the walkways? Okay, then tear it all up, and rebuild it so that all the water flows back into the drains, and doesn't get on the sidewalks. Disney engineers are clever, so I'm sure they can sort out how to make that work.
And once again -- this can be done without shutting down any attractions.
- BRING BACK THE CAROUSEL OF PROGRESS
Yes, this is a BIG ask. But as is the case with Magic Eye Theater, Carousel of Progress is a great way to get a lot of people into a ride building, and cool them off in the summer. It's also a possible way of getting a corporate sponsors, because the purpose of the attraction is to show how technology has improved all of our lives.
The original show was sponsored by GE, so of course a lot of time was spent on how electricity improved the standard of living. But there were several other non-electrical ways in which our lives were changed forever, and the Carousel is the vehicle for demonstrating those things. It is a history lesson in how our lives have been changed forever through technical innovation.
As long as we're here, this show should be brought completely up to date, with new audio animatronics, and a brand new script. But keep the original song -- nostalgia for the old attraction is a very strong motivator, and will attract thousands of people. And it's catchy -- people will be singing it as they exit the attraction.
Yes, this is expensive. Yes, it gets rid of a merchandising opportunity. It doesn't matter. Put the merch back in the Star Trader or in the new merchandising areas under the PeopleMover loading station (remember when those were created? this is why), and bring back this classic with a new look.
- BRING BACK THE PEOPLEMOVER
This ... is the BIG KAHUNA.
Here's the good news: The track was modified for heavier, faster vehicles. The original track was made for lighter vehicles that ran a maximum of 7 MPH. The current track can handle vehicles much heavier, traveling up to 35 MPH. Now, there's no way a PeopleMover is going to go that fast -- but it could go faster than 7 MPH.
So this means the track doesn't need to be retrofitted. It's already BEEN retrofitted.
The old station needs to be rebuilt. Keep the escalators, because they are practical. (They're also still in use for the Haunted Mansion.) And remember that the Rocket Jets elevator can let people off at the PeopleMover station? That's how you get handicapped people onto the ride.
Florida has a covered track for their Tomorrowland Transportation Authority. Do the same here, for hot sunny days and the occasional rainy day. Rebuild the cars so that people can't get out of them (yes, people actually did that, and two teenagers got themselves killed), but make sure that everyone can see everything they want to see.
Then the big question is: Expand the track to include California Adventure?
PROS: 1) From the middle of Disneyland, you could get to DCA without having to walk all the way through the Esplanade; 2) It gives you a complete tour of both parks; 3) Ride capacity would go up due to a greater amount of track; 4) It would increase park-hopper ticket sales, although how much is kind of a nebulous amount.
CONS: 1) The price tag goes WAY up, because of the extra track, extra station, and having to man the station with Cast Members, just like the Monorail station in Downtown Disney; 2) The ride is a lot longer now, so if you're looking for something quick, this won't be it (although if the cars are built to travel up to 15 MPH or so, getting between the parks would be pretty quick).
Perhaps you get the PeopleMover built, back into operation, and then decide on a track expansion in a couple of years. If the attraction takes off again (and it SHOULD, because it's so awesome), then people might welcome a track expansion.
When this is all over with, Tomorrowland will have the following attractions:
- Star Tours
- Buzz Lightyear
- PeopleMover
- Rocket Jets
- Cosmic Waves
- Space Mountain
- Magic Eye Theater
- Carousel Of Progress
- Submarines
- Autopia
- Monorail
Now THAT is what Tomorrowland should look like.
