The Disney Frontier Blog

This post is not about the 24 minute fan video above - although it’s fun to watch. Instead, I wanted to share Cory Doctrow’s comments about Tomorrowland that he posted on Boing Boing along with this video.

Today, Disney’s Tomorrowlands are poised on the horns of a dilemma: a random blend of live stages, Jules Verne steampunk, Fantastic Plastic 60s swirls, advertising-supported exhibits from three CESes ago, defunct race-bikes, and a diorama of the 1964 Progress City where the voice-over once welcomed “Our most welcome neighbor: Our GE nuclear power-plant!”

If earlier Tomorrowlands showed our enthusiasm for the future, and then our sense that it had arrived, now Tomorowland shows our deep ambivalence, salted with nostalgia, confusion and cynicism.

I’m not a huge fan of criticizing Disney and the Imagineers over changes to the parks or being constrained by budgets. I’m in business and understand that Magic comes at a cost. But I also love technology. I am lucky enough to get my fix everyday in my job and in my house - a special thanks to my wife for putting up with all the stuff I buy. However, I couldn’t agree more with Cory. Showing technology from three CESes (Consumer Electronic Shows) is an easy and relatively inexpensive thing to fix. This weird nostalgia that proliferates Tomorrowland in counter to the point of looking into the future. When are we going to get today’s equivalent of the Monsanto House? Maybe all the people creative enough to look into the future are busy working at tech companies. Maybe Walt Disney underestimated how often Tomorrowland would need to change to stay relevant. Maybe Tomorrowland should become Retroland.

Sorry to rant and be negative, but, like I said, I love technology. I also love Tomorrowland. I just don’t see them jiving.