13 Cool Facts about Disneyland’s Tomorrowland You Didn’t Know

Have you ever stopped to think about which “land” at Disneyland or Magic Kingdom is your favorite?

For me, in both parks, it’s Tomorrowland, hands down.  There is something about the 1950’s portrayal of what the “future” was going to look like that is so charming to me. Even as a kid I loved riding Space Mountain over and over (my secret dream is to ride it with the lights on!).  And don’t you dare laugh at me, but my favorite ride is the Tomorrowland Transit Authority in Magic Kingdom.  Again, it’s that Retro Futuristic feel to the whole place that I love.

I was thrilled to return to Tomorrowland at Disneyland as part of the #TomorrowlandEvent Press Junket a few weeks ago.  And I took the time to do a little research on the Tomorrowland before going.  I found some very cool facts that I just had to share with you!

13 Cool Facts About Disneyland’s Tomorrowland

[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”700px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]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.”[/dropshadowbox]

Tomorrowland opened as one of five original lands at Disneyland Park on July 17, 1955 as a view of what 1986 would look like.

Tomorrowland features “agrifuture” in its landscaping, to create and maintain food supplies for a growing population. These plants include orange trees, lettuce, kale, strawberries, grapes and more in planters throughout the land.

Push, the Talking Trash Can, is a radio-controlled robot which makes daily rounds throughout Tomorrowland at Disneyland.  It is controlled by a plain-clothes operator nearby, allowing him to interact directly with guests.

Astro Oribter, formally known as Rocket Jets, weighed too much after’s it’s refurbishment in 1998 and was moved to the entrance to Tomorrowland.

The mechanism for the old Rocket Jets on top of the PeopleMover was re-used as a kinetic satellite-themed sculpture known as Observatron and was built out of the ride’s skeletal structure. The Observatron comes to life every fifteen minutes and appear to “summon signs from the skies,” while music & fanfare plays over Tomorrowland.

Space Mountain is a space-themed indoor steel roller coaster that opened on May 27, 1977.   It was the second roller coaster built at Disneyland, and it was the second of the five versions of Space Mountain built by The Walt Disney Company. It’s exterior façade is one of Disneyland’s four “mountain” structures that serve as park landmarks.

There are 2 major differences between Space Mountain at Disneyland and Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom – the rockets sit 2 to a row at Disneyland versus one at Magic Kingdom.  And Disneyland has a much smaller track, only allowing for one track versus the two at Magic Kingdom.

And remember how I mentioned riding Space Mountain with the lights on?  Maybe I don’t want to after seeing this video….kinda takes the magic away, doesn’t it?

The C-3PO and R2-D2 in the cue for Star Tours are actual movie props from the Star Wars series.  Both were fitted with audio-animatronics to move & speak to boarding passengers or each other.

In the queue for Star Tours, an announcer calls for Mr. Egroeg Sacul, which is George Lucas spelled backwards.

Here’s a hint to beat your opponent at Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters: In between the breast plates of Zurg is a little hole. If you shoot it, you get 50,000 points.

The huge granite ball in the center of Tomorrowland weighs over 12,6000 pounds.  If it was removed from the fountain, the water would shoot 150 feet in the air.

Autopia is the only existing Tomorrowland attraction dating back to opening day, July 17, 1955. Though different body styles have appeared over the years and the roadways have been changed, the rides driving experiences has remained the (mainly) the same, til now.

Tomorrowland the Movie

According to “Tomorrowland” Director/Writer Brad Bird and Writer Damon Lindelof, it was Walt Disney’s vision of the future that provided them with a lot of inspiration when creating their “city of tomorrow” for the film. Pay close attention to the movie and you might see several key structures and buildings that pop up.  That granite ball I mentioned earlier?  Even that makes a guest appearance.

But it’s more than just the look of Disneyland’s Tomorrowland that provided the inspiration for the movie.  As Director Brad Bird has mentioned, it was that optimistic outlook on the future that they wanted to capture as well. I still feel that hopefulness when visiting Tomorrowland today, don’t you?

Disneyland & California Adventure Must-Sees

No trip to these parks are complete with out a few other fun experiences:

Your first Dole Whip (technically NOT my first….)

A ride on the iconic It’s a Small World
(which also makes a guest appearance in Tomorrowland!)

Bribing your friends & family to ride California Adventure’s Tower of Terror

Riding Radiator Springs Racers in Carsland at California Adventure
(Here’s how to ride it 3 times in one day!)

Watching Disney’s World of Color at California Adventure

And starting Friday, May 22, 2015, Disneyland is kicking off their “Diamond Celebration” with the debut of 3 new nighttime shows.  Their signature “Kiss goodnight”, Disney is known for spectacular goodbyes.  Special effects & over 1.5 million LED lights help “Paint the Night” come to life in this updated Electrical Light Parade.  The “Disneyland Forever” fireworks show will include projection mapping all over the park, immersing guests into classic Disney tales, and allowing a defect perspective of the show to be seen form different vantage points in the park.  And lastly, Disney California Adventure “World of Color-Celebrate!” welcomes host Neil Patrick Harris to the new version of this amazing water & lights show. Read more about these shows, updates to rides and other special additions coming to the Diamond Celebration.

Tomorrowland is out in theaters May 22, 2015

Take your family to see this summer blockbuster when it comes out in theaters.

Want to hear more about Tomorrowland??

Here’s why I think you should take the whole family to see the movie! Find out what prop George Clooney may or may not have taken from the set of Tomorrowland in my exclusive interview with him.  Also, find out what valuable lesson his costar, Britt Robertson learned from Clooney. And find out what inspired Director/Producer Brad Bird and Screenwriter/Producer Damon Lindelof to create Tomorrowland in my exclusive interview with them.

We visited the Walt Disney Archives to learn how Tomorrowland producers used items from the archives to recreate key scenes in the movie.  Visitors to Disneyland can get a special sneak peek at Tomorrowland and see props from the movie.  And check out all the fun that Disneyland has planned for it’s 60th Anniversary, starting May 22, 2015.

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Visit the official TOMORROWLAND website: http://www.Disney.com/Tomorrowland

Other Disney Articles You May Enjoy:

My Thank You to Walt Disney World Cast Members
10 Cool Experiences at Epcot
New Star Wars Attractions at Walt Disney World
Animal Kingdom at Night
11 Tips to a RunDisney Race
Jungle Navigation Co., Ltd. Skipper Canteen Review
13 Cool Facts About Disneyland’s Tommorowland
Walt Disney World’s Coronado Springs Resort Review
10 Tips to a Multigenerational Trip to Disney Parks
A Visit from Tinkerbell at Walt Disney World

Disclosure: I was an invited guest at an all expenses paid trips to Los Angeles for the Tomorrowland Press Junket by Disney Pictures. I was not compensated for any of these articles. All opinions are my own.