Tomorrow is on the move again at Disneyland. Multiple projects are currently underway, the most prominent of which is the removal of the rocks which were previously located at the front of the land. The walls are now down, revealing small green spaces where looming french fry rocks once stood. But not everything is bright in the world of tomorrow. Let’s take a look at the removal of something old and the arrival of something new, among other projects.
Tomorrowland Updates
Tomorrowland Rocks Finished
The walls around Tomorrowland’s entrance have finally come down, revealing a french fry rock-less entry. In their place are a series of small gardens that open the entrance directly into the Hub. With the rocks gone, it’s more inviting and easier to navigate into the land.
From Matterhorn Way, near Pixie Hollow, you’ll see a new grassy lawn leading toward the Astro Orbiter.
Another garden, closest to Plaza Inn, looks a little out of place right now because it doesn’t have any fencing around it. But it won’t be bare forever. Additional enhancements are still planned for the entry to the land. We’re holding out hope for a retro element that ties Disneyland’s past to its future.
The old entry looked like this:
Now it’s been opened up to look like this:
There is still one section of construction walls that haven’t come down just yet. That is the show control building that was once shielded by the rocks. We’re curious about what’s going to happen with it and how Disney will hide it.
There are still a handful of rocks on the side nearest to Pixie Hollow. These will probably stay for the foreseeable future to keep the areas separated.
There are three more projects in one spot at Space Mountain . . .
Space Mountain Emergency Exit
Construction continues at the outdoor queue for Space Mountain, where a new emergency exit staircase is being built in a conspicuous spot right in front of the attraction.
Immediately next to that project are the new FastPass terminals.
FastPass Kiosks
When we visited the park last night, it wasn’t nearly as crowded with people as it was over the long Veterans Day weekend. We arrived just as people were beginning to save spots along the parade route, so Tomorrowland felt relatively quiet in comparison. In fact, there were still FastPasses left for all the Tomorrowland attractions just before sunset!
When the traffic in Tomorrowland is reasonable, the FastPass consolidation machines work efficiently. But 3 machines are probably too few for a whole land. It would help the flow of FastPass distribution if one or two more machines were added.
And just above those machines, a new sign points to a temporary new attraction. . .
Synergy Strikes: Tomorrowland Theater Disney+ Preview
With the release of Disney+ yesterday, the Tomorrowland Theater is showing a preview of one of their new shows, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
Because it is one of the headliners for the streaming service, they’re giving guests who watch the preview a special gift, a drawstring bag with the series’ title on it and a Disney+ button.
Although the title is pretty obnoxious, the preview is very sweet and it’s a good look into what to expect from the show. It’s definitely corny, but it’s well-intentioned. If you’re thinking about watching it but not quite sold on it just yet, be sure to read our review of the show below.
Just because the preview was cute, that doesn’t mean the Tomorrowland Theater is too. It’s been a while since the theater has been refurbished and it’s becoming embarrassing.
And while the seats weren’t all filled, there were mostly all cracked and broken.
It makes me wonder if the Tomorrowland Theater is being left to rot on purpose due to bigger projects on the way. Let’s hope that some TLC comes soon, because this facility isn’t up to even Disney’s lowest standards.
Matterhorn Construction
Back in August, a chunk of the Matterhorn Mountain facade broke off. Since then, the ride has been operating at half capacity while structural repair work has been conducted. It’s taken over 3 months to be repaired, but it looks like the work is almost complete.
The lighter colored rocks on the left is the patch. It just needs a little paint to match the rest of the mountain.
Bobsleds should be escaping Harold’s grasp on this side of the mountain again soon. But how much longer will the 60-year-old Matterhorn, Monorail, and Submarines continue to be viable without complete rebuilds?
Autopia Refurbishment
The final big project in Tomorrowland is the Autopia refurbishment. At the moment, the bulk of the visible work is being done on the queue building.
Of course, Tomorrowland is in major need of a rebuild. The last big rethink of the land was in 1998 and was only partially realized at that time. The aging Matterhorn, Monorail and Subs date back to the highly successful expansion of the land 60 years ago. And Space Mountain dates back to 1977. What new ideas and attractions could usher in the next generation of “Tomorrow”?
Moving on from Tomorrowland for a moment . . .
Downtown Disney
Disney+ Booth
Disney+ has set up a kiosk in Downtown Disney, just outside of the Disney Home store.
We saw this booth in Downtown Disney last week, but it had been shuttered until the Disney+ launch yesterday. You can get a preview of some of the titles available on their testing pads, and talk with some cast members about the service.
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Let’s Hear From You!
Are you happy to see the French fry rocks finally go for good? Do you like the new open look to the Tomorrowland entry? Do you think that the Matterhorn patch is only a temporary fix for a bigger problem? And what should be done with the Tomorrowland Theater? Let us know in the comments below.