It's time for ol' Major Pepperidge to sound like a broken record again as I thank my friend "Mr. X" for giving me yet MORE images. Like, gave to me to keep! No take-backsies either. You probably remember the hundreds of Instamatic negatives that I scanned and posted for years; these new images are from slides that X took himself, and they are beauties. (PS, he also gave me more negatives, so stay tuned for those).
Check out this first one. So nice! It was a beautiful summer day - sunshine gleaming, blue sky, and even a bit of breeze (judging by the flag). I can never get enough of the old "New Tomorrowland" - just look at all those Peoplemover vehicles (yellow, blue, turquoise, and red) moving people, as promised. It surprises me to see empty cars in August - peak season - but there they are. My guess is that if the Peoplemover had never been removed, it would now be super popular.
I love the occasional bright spots of color, thanks to those 1969 fashions. Also visible are the funky fountains on either side of the entrance path, as well as the Rocket Jets, Adventure Thru Inner Space, and even the "GE" logo above the Carousel of Progress.
Erstwhile, check out this great shot; it really gives a sense of the complexity of criss-crossing tracks for the Autopia, Peoplemover, and Monorail. Amazing. It's also nice to know that Walt's "tomorrow" was full of lush green plants and trees. No "Blade Runner" dystopia for him!
Which one is your favorite?
Note: I'm still out of town!
Major-
ReplyDeleteWell, in this iteration of Tomorrowland, there's no arguing that "... it's a world on the move-!" I like both images, here. The second one is Disney's version of the Four Level Interchange - or maybe 'five'. Now, how can you argue with that-?
Thanks, Major.
The first image shows how Tomorrowland 1967 was perfection. I always loved how those palm trees framed the entrance too. What where the Imagineers thinking when placing the Astro Orbitor at the front and creating those turd rocks. Why oh why did they ruin it? In these photos, the "land" still looks futuristic to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mr. X and Major.
If Disney is still afraid of attempting a "futuristic" Tomorrowland and they still want a "retro" one like they attempted to do in '98, then maybe they should just recreate THIS version of Tomorrowland and call it a day. It would save them quite a bit on the design and planning and as we all know, they like to save a buck.
ReplyDeleteWonderful pics today. Thank you, Major and "Mr. X"!!!
How nice of your friend to give you all these photos and negatives. We do it because we know you love this stuff and you will take care of the photos. Plus you then share them with people who appreciate them! I have discovered that when you share my brother's photos. People see the most interesting things in them, things I did not see when looking at them. Regarding these two today. That first shot is such a winner as is Tomorrowland in 1969! That entrance! I also do not understand how they thought clogging up the entrance was a good thing. There is a World's Fair vib to the whole thing. I loved it then and the memory of it now.
ReplyDeleteI remember that look. I loved how the Bell System and GE logos were high up in the sky, how everything was so bright and clean and full of bold promises of great things to come.
ReplyDeleteThat first shot looks awesome - the world on the move in the background, and in the foreground, all these people heading in to the heart of it. This really was the height of Tomorrowland.
While the top photo offers the overall impression that guests would have had entering the land, the bottom photo shows just how interconnected it all was with the overlap of the Autopia, monorail, and Peoplemover tracks.
ReplyDeleteSuch a pity that the Peoplemover is no longer around at Disneyland, and that Disney World is the only park where one even exists.
Now that's a bright future, in every sense of the word!
ReplyDeleteYep...back then 'There's a great big beautiful tomorrow" in the air. Motion, excitement with the recent moon landings, clean and fresh colors. Everything seemed possible. It was the best version of the Land. KS
ReplyDeleteOh Yassss, this is Tomorrowland.
ReplyDelete@tokyo, I second your motion, just restore this TL and stop.
While I like some aspects of the AstroOrbiter, the location blocking everything is the least popular. Also the stupid rocks, which are only in the way, especially in one of the most crowded thoroughfares in the Park.
Hopefully after SWL and when they finish destroying the Jungle Cruise, this area will be back up for an update. Hard to see how they could hurt it now.
JG