Tomorrowland Upgrades Rejected As Disney Said They Will Not Draw Crowds, Among Other Reasons

TV & Film

Jan 20

A view of Tomorrowland at Disneyland Resort that includes the sign of the area, along with a few other attractions. — Image Source: KTLA

The Tomorrowland area of Disneyland has felt in need of an upgrade for many years. Revamping the park to reduce the amount of unused buildings, adding more rides and entertainment for fans to enjoy. A new report from the Wall Street Journal, looking at the Imagineers who craft the attractions, has given a few reasons why that has never happened.

The major reason is that proposals to revamp Tomorrowland were rejected by executives. They felt such revamps wouldn’t do enough to attract visitors. They also did not trust Walt Disney Imagineering to deliver the project on time and on budget. Bob Chapek was elevated to managing the theme parks business in 2015 to make sure they stuck to budgets and schedules. And then served as Disney CEO from 2020 to 2022. But even with that, the team would still fall behind in making the attractions be at their best. Morale also fell, as micromanaging saw daily visits from senior financial executives, running through everything line by line to approve or disapprove ideas.

With a change in leadership and a renewed focus on theme parks, Walt Disney Imagineering is once again gaining excitement in its work. Bruce Vaughn, now president of WDI, has made great changes in how the teams operate. Allowing for less micromanaging, keeping them more informed of park operations earlier in planning, and getting the schedules and budget issues reduced. The Villains Land that will soon be coming to Orlando’s Magic Kingdom is one that many are excited to bring to life. Maybe with that renewed focus and morale, the much-needed revamp to Tomorrowland will come in the years ahead.

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