On Saturday, after a 29 hour flight, my girlfriend and I landed in Tibet for our long-awaited vacation. And despite how exhausted we were, seeing the peaks of Everest through lines of tattered prayer flags was, without question, one of the most amazing moments in my life.
Er, so maybe we weren’t exactly in Tibet…
As some of you may have recognized, these pictures were actually taken in not-so-snowy Florida, at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom (specifically the “Expedition Everest” ride, one of my favorites which I’ll get back to in a bit).
We decided to start our road trip to Key West in Orlando because my girlfriend’s sister lives there, and there’s no better way to start a road trip than on a free bed.
And of course, being in Orlando, we had to spend a day at Disney World.
I never got to go to Disney World as a kid, and when I finally went for the first time a few years ago, I was sure I was going to hate it. The lines, the crowds, the kiddie rides, the saccharine artificiality of it all…
And of course, I fell in love with the whole damn thing from my first ride on Pirates of the Caribbean.
Above all, I remember being blown away by how perfectly and completely realized the park was. This wasn’t just the sort of haphazard design you find at, say, a Six Flags, where a half-hearted theme is attached to thrill rides aimed at kids with short attention spans. In fact, half the fun was just experiencing the wonderfully imaginative world outside the actual rides.
Little nooks like this upstairs apartment nearby to Pirates, complete with balcony flowers, is the sort of minor detail that makes Disney World so special. Who lives here? No one of course, but tell me this doesn’t fire your imagination to fill in the blanks.
What I had no idea of at the time was just how thoroughly planned everything was. For example, as you’re walking through the Pirates of the Caribbean line, you’ll come across a barred cell:
Look down and you’ll see a pair of skeletal prisoners who apparently died in the middle of a game of chess. A pretty great image in itself…
…but what makes it extra special is that the chess pieces have been purposefully arranged into a stalemate. In other words, the prisoners died trying to figure out a hopeless game of chess.
Like a Stanley Kubrick movie (yes, I’m comparing Disney World to Stanley Kubrick), there’s a philosophy governing every inch of visual space at Disney World. And while you may not consciously realize that, say, the four corner buildings on Main Street are meant to represent four different architectural styles found east of the Mississippi, I’ve always felt that deep down, you’re mind is very aware that something more is going on than random cutesy design.
The arrangement of the various Lands is similarly ordered. As you move from Liberty Square to Frontierland, you’re thematically moving across America from east to west. When you start out, you’ll find yourself amongst New England colonial-style buildings…
As you move “west,” you’ll find that the Haunted Mansion was given a Dutch Gothic Rival style based on estates found in Pennsylvania and the Hudson Valley…
And as you enter Frontierland, note that you’re passing the entrance to the Riverboat ride entrance – in other words, you’re going over the Mississippi into the west.
Strangely though, on that first visit to Disney World, I remember feeling pretty strongly that one part of Magic Kingdom didn’t fit in with the rest. So as we were walking around yesterday, I made a conscious effort to see if I could figure out what was wrong with Tomorrowland.
When I was a kid, Tomorrowland was why I dreamed of going to Disney World.
While other kids were into knights, cowboys, and pirates, I was always fascinated by future stuff. To paraphrase the captain of the Millennium Falcon, ancient weapons are no substitute for a good blaster at your side.
I remember being fascinated by the pictures I saw of Tomorrowland: lots of curving buildings, retro pastels, rockets, everything smooth and minimalist, yet totally futuristic:
In fact, looking at these old pictures, you could basically drop the Guggenheim into the middle of it all and it’d fit right in.
And Space Mountain…Was there anything cooler than Space Mountain?
What was inside?? What exactly was a “space mountain”?? When I finally went to Disney World for the first time, Tomorrowland was what I was most excited for.
And like I say, something immediately felt wrong.
What was with all the stainless steel and jagged edges? What was all that random crap mounted to everything? Why did it all feel so generic? Where did Tomorrowland go??
Apparently, Tomorrowland went through a major redesign in 1994, as the old look was considered tired. If you look hard enough, you can find areas that are basically unchanged, like this bit of the People Mover track swinging around the Carousel of Progress. Minimalist and retro-futuristic, it follows a consistent and imaginative style and design.
Unfortunately, the redesign, intended to give it a Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon makeover, left most of it looking like this:
It’s like they went out of their way to come up with the complete antithesis to the original design. Instead of graceful curves, soothing colors, and futurism by way 1950’s minimalism, we’re given harsh stainless steel, jagged edges, random tubes and pipes, and what has to be the most generic “future” world you could imagine.
The wonderful Space Mountain is still standing in all its glory…
But its spiraling peak is almost dwarfed by the incongruous entrance they’ve added.
Again, gone is that 1950’s futurism aesthetic of simple shapes and basic colors; in its place, we’ve got…
Cogs? Really? Could there be anything more out of place in Tomorrowland? Instead of representing the future that might be someday, we’re left with the future that never was.
Ultimately, my biggest problem is that the styles never mesh. You can have curves or you can have jagged, but when you put the two together (or worse, one on top of the other), it feels…generic. Poorly planned. And nothing at Disney World should feel generic OR poorly planned.
Also, for some reason, a bunch of random gizmos have been added to the stops of buildings, like this…huh. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but it sure looks as “space-gizmo”-generic as possible.
Compare it to the “gizmos” atop Space Mountain and you’ll find they’re completely original. They’re mysterious. You wonder what their purpose might be. Your imagination begins firing…
Another stark contrast: compare the smooth, mannered contours of the People Mover and Space Mountain to the newly added stainless-steel palm trees in front.
Razor-sharp and cold, it’s the polar opposite of its surroundings.
One of my favorite views in the park is of this Tomorrowland eatery, as seen from a nearby bridge. It looks so cool lit up at night…
And even during the day, still carries that old Tomorrowland look.
Of course, it’s a little tired feeling, so why not pep it up with a jaunty rocket ship in the bushes.
It’s not that I’m against changes to Tomorrowland. In fact, adding a rocket ship beside a cafe, as if some intergalactic guests have stopped in for a bite, is a fantastic idea. But you have to match the style of the world around you, and again, this is simply the opposite, with its silly, child-like design.
You’ll hear a lot of hardcore fans claim that Disney has lost its touch, that everything today is about cost-cutting and rushing visitors through, and that the Imagineer’s trademark planning, attention to detail, and creativity has become a thing of the past.
But there’s at least one modern ride (2006) that suggests the ol’ Imagineers are at the top of their game, and that Tomorrowland might just be a fluke.
If you’ve never been on Expedition Everest, the concept of the ride is that you’re taking a train ride up to the summit of a peak near Everest…but beware! The legendary Yeti has been seen in the area recently…
Part of the reason the ride is so great is the creativity of the line, designed as as though you’re passing through a Tibetan village called Serka Zong to board your train.
First, you find yourself in “Himalayan Escapes,” the office of the company leading the expedition up the mountain (pictured above), and the details are spot-on perfect. I love the old computer and ancient TV/radio…
In the background, though they’re too far to make out, a bulletin board above an old laserjet printer is littered with postcards and letters from past tours groups, photographs from expeditions, and an article on a possible Yeti capture.
On the neighboring wall, a map of Everest’s climbing routes, along with a framed “Thank You” letter from a past expedition goer, Col. Edward Blanchard, who asks whether the company’s guides “ever found the tents? Never seen a wind like that in my life.”
Look extra close, and you’ll discover the full story of how a British explorer teamed up with a native Anandapuri to start the business…but no time for that now. As you leave the expedition office, you find yourself in a back yard of the Tibetan village, lined with prayer flags centered around religious statuary…
…with offerings left for safe passage:
Continue on down this corridor…
…and you come to “Tashi’s Trek & Tongba Shop” (Tongba is a millet-based alcoholic beverage popular in Nepal).
Step inside Tashi’s shop…
…and you’ll find the ceiling completely covered in climbing gear for sale, from ropes and sleeping bags to packs and pick-axes. So cool…
In addition to the modern equipment, there’s also a sense of the traditional, like the tin cups and plates being sold behind the counter:
A bunch of canned goods native to the region are for sale…
…Along with a few, er, original items…
Finally, the line takes you through the village’s Yeti Museum.
If you take a moment at the entrance, you’ll see a wall with a photograph of one Professor Pema Dorje, founder of the Yeti Museum. Diplomas reveal his Masters in Anthropology and a Doctorate in Conservation Studies; a museum operating license is mounted beside them.
But most important is an old framed newspaper clipping announcing the opening of the museum, along with Dorje’s claims that the Yeti is real – and dangerous. “The weight of the evidence gathered here, insists Prof. Dorje, establishes conclusive proof of the existence of the elusive creature known throughout the world as the ‘Abominable Snowman.’”
The museum has a large open roof lined with string lights…
…and is filled with a wonderful assortment of real and fictional artifacts relating to the Yeti.
Display cases are filled with books and maps…
…nearly all of which are real:
Authentic magazines:
But things take a darker turn as you come across an exhibit entitled “The Mystery of the Lost Expedition.”
Here, you find the tattered remnants from a group of hikers who went into the mountains…and never returned (of course, it would make sense if the group was led by Himalayan Adventures and outfitted by Tashi). The tent is in ripped to shreds, equipment is crushed…
Finally, as you’re about to board the ride, you pass by one final remnant from the lost expedition: a cast of a strange footprint found during their trek…
And then, it’s on to your ascent.
Opened in 2006, Expedition: Everest is Disney at its most imaginative and immersive; Tomorrowland is Disney at its laziest. It’s doubtful, but I hope the latter will someday rejoin the former to become the experience that makes Disney World so special.
-SCOUT
PS – For those who have never been on the actual Exedition Everest ride, your train tour begins in the lowlands…
As you ascend, the foliage soon disappears, replaced by snow-covered peaks…
Finally, your creaky train car arrives at the summit…
…where you notice the train tracks have been completely ripped up in front of you.
And then your car starts rolling backwards…
PPS – I noticed this bit above several doorways leading to the ride: a good luck symbol perhaps?
PPPS – Be sure to check out The Horizons Tribute, a wonderful collection of vintage Tomorrowland pictures here.
PPPPS – More roadtrip updates coming soon!
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