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ModHatter
09-15-2004, 09:24 PM
So okay, I've posed this question before, but I was reminded by a comment that keeps popping up... How are we supposed to make a bright, optimistic, Disney future when we live in an era of XS Tech? What a downer.

How do we design a Tomorrowland when our primary visions of the future have been things like I, Robot and the Terminator films?

Of course, I already have my OWN ideas about how it could be done in a Disney way, but I'd like to see how others would tackle this one.

merlinjones
09-16-2004, 04:29 AM
>>How are we supposed to make a bright, optimistic, Disney future when we live in an era of XS Tech? What a downer.
How do we design a Tomorrowland when our primary visions of the future have been things like I, Robot and the Terminator films?<<

Easy... Ignore Hollywood and do it anyway.

:)

sdfilmcritic
09-16-2004, 04:41 AM
Easy... Ignore Hollywood and do it anyway.
:eek: :eek: :eek: Is that even possible?

sleepyjeff
09-16-2004, 07:26 AM
>>How are we supposed to make a bright, optimistic, Disney future when we live in an era of XS Tech? What a downer.
How do we design a Tomorrowland when our primary visions of the future have been things like I, Robot and the Terminator films?<<

Easy... Ignore Hollywood and do it anyway.

:)

This is so true. Disney used to Set the trends, not follow them. I ll bet that if Disney went after a Bold, New, Optimistic Tomorrowland pop culture would follow suit............and if they didn't; who cares, we get a Great TL :cool:

ModHatter
09-16-2004, 09:40 AM
Okay, so to be more specific... Let's assume Buzz and SM are sticking around for a while. Star Tours is about 20 years old and hasn't really sustained itself. Innoventions is a waste ov valuable real estate. I haven't seen Radio Disney in its little booth, so the former PeopleMover/Rocket Jets tower is up for grabs. And the whole Tomorrowland '98 design concept is a reversible mistake, as evidenced by Space Mountain being white again.

As an Imagineer, what would you do to bring back some life and interest in Tomorrowland?

And bear in mind, it's not just Hollywood being pessimistic about the future. They're just the most visible example. Should Disney fill TOmorrowland with an optimism people don't seem to have, or should they join in the cynicism with XS Tech and the like.

Disney Vault
09-16-2004, 02:15 PM
This is kind of off topic but i think Frontierland also needs some help. They need another attraction in that area.

ModHatter
09-16-2004, 02:45 PM
Well, I was actually thinking about that earlier too. "Frontierland" is sort of an outdated concept to begin with. Not that it should be renamed or dramatically rethemed, of course. But, what constitutes Frontierland nowadays, park-wise? Shooting gallery, Horseshoe and Zocalo, and Bit Terrifying MRR.

I'd like to see the petting festival (or whatever the heck we should call it) removed in favor of a ride. A petting zoo seems more Happy Valley farmy place anyway. I'd especially like to see this come to pass if my Critter Country expansion ever happened. But anyway, next time DL gets the budget to build outside of TL, serious thought goes into replacing BTMRR.

AlxVision360
09-16-2004, 03:58 PM
The future of Tomorrowland? Simple. Two words:

Syd Mead (http://www.sydmead.com)

If anybody has the talent and vision to conjure up a knock-your-socks-off design to a new Tomorrowland, this is the guy!

fjhuerta
09-16-2004, 04:38 PM
It's easy. Tomorrowland '67 was about transportation. What's the substitue for transportation nowadays? Virtual reality and knowledge management... there should be some interesting concepts born from there (ie, remake the PeopleMover into a "SuperInformation Highway vehicle" or something like that).

squuggy
09-16-2004, 05:16 PM
Virtual reality (15 years old) and knowledge management (25 years old) are hardly tomorrow's technologies.

Disney Vault
09-16-2004, 05:58 PM
But anyway, next time DL gets the budget to build outside of TL, serious thought goes into replacing BTMRR.
They cant get rid of what they already have in frontierland, they need to build another ride in the festival of fools area. It is enough space for a very decent ride.

ModHatter
09-16-2004, 06:51 PM
They cant get rid of what they already have in frontierland, they need to build another ride in the festival of fools area. It is enough space for a very decent ride.

Well, ultimately, I'm not worried about BTMRR. I never much cared for it, but I don't want to see it go just for the sake of adding something new.

I just wonder how the repeated safety concerns will affect ridership of this particular attraction, and the overall perceived safety of the park. Even if the ride is perfectly safe now, keeping it may be a liability for the park. Which is why I want them to consider it, but only after the festival of fools area is developed into a higher-capacity attraction. If the concerns are unfounded, leave BTMRR alone. And maybe work on creating a dark ride in the old Tom Sawyer fort :D Seriously... did the thing ever open up again?

Totally sidetracking further... has anyone else ever wanted to build Pinnochio's Pleasure Island on Tom Sawyer's Island?

For that matter... maybe the 3rd Gate could be a themepark/DTD hybrid based on WDWs Pleasure Island...

Somebody stop me...

fjhuerta
09-17-2004, 01:05 PM
Virtual reality (15 years old) and knowledge management (25 years old) are hardly tomorrow's technologies.
Yet they are still promises, just as the trip to the moon and the submarine voyage were back in 1967.

GrumpyUTboi
09-18-2004, 04:11 PM
IMHO HISTA is the future of Tomorrowland.

sleepyjeff
09-18-2004, 07:39 PM
Not all future visions have to be depressing:

Ok, looks like we are going to have a Buzz, Space Mt., and a new Sub attraction of some sort.......the rest is up for demolition:

1) Star Tours, HISTA, and the Starcade: Replace all of them with a multi-stage attraction featuring a visit to a Intersteller Spaceship. First; you take off aboard a SpacePlane and dock with the SpaceShip. Second; you get to explore the SpaceShip at your leisure including the crews quarters, engine room, etc. Third; you get invited to watch the launch of the Ship from the Bridge......of course, something goes wrong and "all hands" must abandon ship aboard Escape Pods............I would call this attraction PROJECT ORION

2) Rocket Rods/PeopleMover: Bring Back the attraction make it faster than PM but slower than RR as a "Flying Cars" concept. In order to make the cars appear as if they are flying cover the entire stucture with Optical Camouflagel (http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/sns-pod-optical-jpg%2C0%2C7844604.photo?coll=stam-main-utility)
3) Return the Rocket Jets to their original Position in the center of TL. Use that same Camoulflage (http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/sns-pod-optical-jpg%2C0%2C7844604.photo?coll=stam-main-utility) as I suggested for the Flying Cars. This will make them look as if they fly independent of any support arms.

4) Build a 4th generation(Dancing Waters at the DLH is 1st or 2nd) Water Spectacular where Cosmic Waves is now. Somehow make the show take place mostly up in the air 60 to 70 feet or so. This will serve as a sorta wienie for this corner of the Park.

5) Re-design Red Rockets PP as a Full service Rest(have a digital screen on one wall with a nice view of Earth below).....

6) Replace Innoventions with a third Generation "Progress" type attraction.

7) Make the SkyWay a transportation Hub. Have one line running to Fantasy Land as before and a second line going to the Hollywood BackLot section of DCA.

8) Keep the Autopia but re-theme the Cars with futuristic gadgets like a heads up display and maybe voice recognition(lose the steering wheel and "tell" the car to speed up or turn, etc)

9) Saturate the entire land with Fiber Optics. Put them in the trees, on the buildings, even in the cement. This would make this land look most magical at night as well as futuristic.

Disney Vault
09-18-2004, 08:02 PM
I like almost every idea you said except for the skyway. I have said it before and i'll say it again, imo it looks very tacky/cheap and out of place. I also dont thing star tours should be gotten ride of. They just need a few new videos. Other than that i think all your ideas are great.

sdfilmcritic
09-18-2004, 08:19 PM
I'm wondering why someone with a username "sleepyjeff" would have anytime between sleeping intervals to think about all that detailed information. However, maybe all that thinking is making him sleepy. :)

Disney Vault
09-18-2004, 09:01 PM
And i really dont think that camouflage works very well. It would look like the rockets moved by themselves more if they just used mirrors. Maybe in a few years it will become more advanced and then look more real though.

sleepyjeff
09-18-2004, 09:05 PM
I'm wondering why someone with a username "sleepyjeff" would have anytime between sleeping intervals to think about all that detailed information. However, maybe all that thinking is making him sleepy. :)

:D


as for my username, check out the thread in the lounge about names ;)

ModHatter
09-19-2004, 01:00 AM
Wow Jeff... Those are some interesting ideas.

I like how Project Orion has some elements of past Disney classics like Mission to Mars and the House of the Future, mut makes them futuristic again. And, it could benefit from the Mission:Space technology if designers are so inclined, or it could go the Star Tours route, or do something entirely different. But it's something that many of the latest Disney attractions aren't -- immersive. The multi-stage concept reminds a little of The Living Seas, which for all its outdated look, still presents a fun and engaging experience.

I think a fun 3rd Gen idea for the Progress ride would be the talked-about 50th Anniversary Disney retrospective, but told as the Carousel of Disneyland Progress, as told to the audience of 2055. How many "stages" are in the attraction, 6? Use a combo of AAs and projections to show Disneyland history. Wouldn't you love to see some of the Disneyland construction time-lapse films up on the big screen? Maybe even do like that Phoenix slideshow of hideous retro fashions, and then use the Beast's Library technology to instert images of the audience into the 50th Anniversary section live during each show.

I'm all for Skyway returning. Unlike most of Tomorrowland, a ride that crosses from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland would be a perfect place for a Jules Verne-looking attraction. Seeing as how Autopia is on tracks anyway, how about playing with the track technology and letting it be a "smart freeway," where riders don't have to steer, and the cars actually merge lanes, pass cars, etc. Then, the futuristic cars enter a tunnel that blocks the GPS and riders have to "drive" the cars "manually" (though of course they're always on tracks... right?)

And finally... yes. Fiber optics by the truckload! The last time I was on the boards regularly, someone had some great ideas for daytime visuals with "futuristic" gardens. Lots of clear plastic and mylar. Very stunning during the day, but also perfect for nighttime lighting. Hyperkinetic.

My mind is bouncy again. That was definitely a fun Tomorrowland to visit.

sleepyjeff
09-19-2004, 01:19 AM
I like how Project Orion has some elements of past Disney classics like Mission to Mars and the House of the Future, mut makes them futuristic again. And, it could benefit from the Mission:Space technology if designers are so inclined, or it could go the Star Tours route, or do something entirely different. But it's something that many of the latest Disney attractions aren't -- immersive. The multi-stage concept reminds a little of The Living Seas, which for all its outdated look, still presents a fun and engaging experience.




Yes, you read between the lines well here. I was thinking Something like Star Tours for the "SpacePlane" stage; House of the Future for the "crew quarters and engine room" stage; Mission to Mars for the "Bridge" stage; and Mission:Space for the "escape pod" stage :)