Tomorrowland Part 3: "Haute Car-ture"

Cars!!!! But not the movie this time...real cars from the future.

A future minded Tomorrowland would not be complete without vehicles! When Tomorrowland was redone a few years back the most futuristic thing that went in was a few employees on Segway scooters roaming about. I don't mean to be negative but...come on! Transportation is, and will always be, a major part of our lives, so lets get on board!

I'll start with some small ideas first and work my way up:

1. Literal Transportation. Ways to transport guests throughout the new Tomorrowland area, the way the fire engine, omnibus, and trolly are for Mainstreet USA. How great would it be to see and ride a variety of these going down the street in Tomorrowland- maybe with some animatronic drivers?


2. Innoventions. An exhibit of actual concept cars by manufacturers. A permanent but continually updated Auto Show in other words. I would also include exhibits on new fuel technologies. Also the "Driving Experience of the Future," exploring how we will drive in the future, from driving with real time Google Maps projected into the windshield to automated freeways.


3. The People Mover. Ah yeah bringing it back!! The original People Mover was great aside from looking outdated. With all the new proposals for Tomorrowland from previous posts the People Mover would be a great way to explore all the new additions. I would also add some futuristic dioramas in some of the new buildings and more integration into some of the rides it would pass through.


4. An E-Ticket car ride...but not TestTrack!! (haven't thought of a cool name yet!) TestTrack is fun but face it most people only wait in line to hit those big fast G-Pulling turns outside the building. This ride would be thrills from start to finish. There would be five to six different models that run the track- no cookie cutters here, this ride is about the car. Each would be very futuristic inside and out.


For the take off a catapult like acceleration that shoots you down an underground glass tube straight through the new center of Tomorrowland with guests looking down from above (all beautifully lit up at night of course!) Then you pop above ground and take a sweeping left turn and race right through the middle of the line to the new Star Tours. Continuing on you race in and out of the new revamped buildings at break neck speeds, do a loop banked completely sideways around the exterior of SpaceMountain, dip underwater in a glass tube through the new Submarine Voyage and finally skid to a stop back at the start. Could be fun??


Of course this sounds expensive but what would the future be without a corporate tie-in? It's perfect. Walt was all about the corporate tie-in. I can't think of a major car company that wouldn't be interested. GM has already sponsored TestTrack so it shouldn't be hard and Honda seems a likely candidate given the existing tie-in of ASIMO the robot in Innoventions.

"Haute Car-ture" in Tomorrowland, if a Tomorrowland based on the future ends up on the boards, lets hope some great cars and vehicles are a vital part of it.