It was 20 years ago this week that Tomorrowland 1998 opened at Disneyland. May 22, 1998 was the day of the big reveal and ultimately the reviews were mixed for what we call "New-New Tomorrowland" around here. Tomorrowland got the first "New" treatment in 1967, and it was followed up with incremental change. The Euro Disneyland (now Disneyland Paris) Discoveryland inspired plans for "New-New Tomorrowland" were scaled back after the difficulties the Euro Disneyland project was having after its opening in 1992. So by the time it opened in 1998 large amounts of the remodel were just cosmetic by liberally applying bronze paint to the mid-century modern architecture of 1967 New Tomorrowland.
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| Astro Orbitor makes a striking statement right on the hub, but also blocks traffic |
"New New Tomorrowland" was hit and miss. In 1998 mid-century modern was more of a fringe taste...we were Architecture students so we were very aware of it(and big fans of it), but it had not quite become hip, retro or trendy. At that time the aesthetic of 1967 Tomorrowland was probably 10 years away from becoming a classic...unfortunately it was perceived as being "dated". Yet it is surprising how much retro stuff they worked into the remodel. The removed Peoplemover & Skyway vehicles and older Monorails were used as decor in queues & shops. And it was exciting to see a recreation of Disneyland's original rocket: The Moonliner. Space Mountain painted brown did not work and they ended up painting it back to white in anticipation of Disneyland's 50th anniversary in 2005. It was sad to see the Rocket Jets remodeled into a satellite dish art piece. The Astro Orbitor is a handsome sculpture and it looks striking right off the hub but by placing the ride at ground level you lose the thrill and it creates a great bottleneck right at the entry to the land. Innoventions was a positive because it was not replacing anything...by 1998 the Carousel Theater had been inaccessible to guests for years. Losing the Peoplemover was a shame and ultimately the short lived Rocket Rods replacement was not successful.
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Moonliner replica and edible landscaping in the planters |
We have a fondness for Tomorrowland 1998 as it was where "Mom & Dad" went on their first date on May 23, 1998. Dad wanted to take Mom to Disneyland for their first date, only Tomorrowland was not open yet, so he suggested they wait a few weekends and go right after the grand opening...and they did, the very 2nd day it was open.
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Restored Space Mountain paint scheme in 2004 in anticipation of Disneyland's 50th Anniversary the following year |
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Leave the future behind and travel into the past |
They spent most of the day in Tomorrowland but eventually made their way to the Disneyland Railroad and off to the rest of the park. It is very clever that you board a nostalgic train in "The Future" and then proceed to travel "Into the Past"...in this case the "Primeval World" dinosaur diorama! This diorama was originally part of the Ford Pavilion Magic Skyway attraction Walt Disney developed for the 1964 New York World's Fair. After the fair they brought the Dinosaur portion and added it to the Disneyland Railroad.
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Tomorrowland circa 1984 sketch remodeled into the Tomorrowland 1998 sketch above |
The Sketches: Dad did a nostalgic rendering of Tomorrowland circa 1984 some time ago, and he thought it would be fun to remodel the sketch into Tomorrowland 1998. He added the sketch of the Disneyland Railroad in the Primeval World because after spending most of their first date in the future of Tomorrowland 1998 20 years ago they hopped on the train and traveled into the past.
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