A Great Big Beautiful....Stairway

Here's a vintage photo of the The Carousel of Progress in all of it's 1967 glory. Notice the blue and silver railings on the top floor, the ground floor and the exit ramp.


And here is a photo that I took of the building after it's America Sings makeover (this was actually taken after America Sings had closed). Again, notice the blue and silver railings.


Next, we have a photo of the building after it's 1998 Innoventions makeover. Notice the new brown and gold railings that were added. (Ugh!)

This shot shows the new railings and the stairway that's on the south side of the building (next to the Pizza Port Restaurant.)

Now this photo was taken just two days ago and shows the stairway on the north side of the building (next to the Hatmosphere Shop) which for some strange reason, has never been updated. This is the same blue and silver railing dating back to 1967!

Here's a shot that I took of that same stairway back in 1995.

And finally, we have two current close-up shots.

I don't know the reason why this stairway wasn't updated, but I do like the fact that it still exists. Now if only the rest of the building looked the way that it did back when Tomorrowland was a fabulous new "world on the move."

Tomorrowland 1970 - A World Still On The Move (Not Static Yet)

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Today, it's back to my favorite version of my favorite land......the original "New" Tomorrowland. This shot was taken by my dad in Spring of 1970. I wish he had taken more pictures of Tomorrowland, but I am glad to have the shots that he did take. I love this one because it shows the water fountains at the entrance. Unfortunately, I don't remember those amoeboid bowls ever operating as fountains. I only remember them after they were converted into planters. I also love how the silver panels at the entrance shine in this photo as if they were brand new (they were 3 years old). While I'm glad those panels were retained in the 1998 redo, I have hated their newer colors (copper in 1998, replaced later by the dull gray/silver of today).

If you look closely in this pic, you can see the Carousel of Progress (my favorite attraction) in the distance. And if you look even closer, you can also see the diamond shaped display boxes on poles located on either side of the People Mover Speedramp. Does anyone else remember these? They were advertisements for Goodyear products. I would love to see close up shots of them sometime. Someone out there must have photographs of them. I can't remember too many specifics, I just remember that they contained simple animated cutouts of people using different Goodyear products. I have seen photos of similar Monsanto displays that were at the unloading area of Adventure Thru Inner Space in it's earlier years of operation.

Okay Disney, enough is enough! Bring back the Tomorrowland facades of 1967! I have absolutely no faith that you could ever improve upon such a classic design. You tried once, and failed miserably. Even your attempts to "paint out" your mistakes have failed....although I must admit that it is no longer quite as painful on the eyes. But why did you stop? There are still areas in Tomorrowland that are painted brown, gold and copper and they stick out like a sore thumb. Bring back/uncover/restore or recreate Mary Blair's wonderful murals! What took their place isn't art, it's the equivalent of a freeway billboard. Bring back the People Mover! How many times does it have to be said? And stop taking out classic Disneyland attractions! It has been proven over and over that you can't replace them with anything better..... Electrical Parade/Light Magic.....People Mover/Rocket Rods.....Country Bear Jamboree/Winnie the Pooh......Carousel Theater/Innoventions.....Rocket Jets/Astro Orbitor.....Enchanted Tiki Room/Tiki Room - Under New Management. Do I need to list more? I've got more! Okay, I'll stop now.

A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow....

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This is my favorite scene from my favorite Disneyland attraction. Unfortunately, this scene was not recreated when the Carousel of Progress was packed up and moved to Walt Disney World in the mid-seventies. Note the Siamese cat on the pillow next to "Mother" (also the nose of the dog which is cut out of the picture on the far left.) Outside the window is Progress City or EPCOT (yes, EPCOT was originally supposed to be a real city with real people living in it).

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This shot is from a slide and it didn't turn out exactly as I was hoping it would. It's original color had turned quite a bit over the years and I am still figuring out the best way to scan slides and restore their color. I welcome any expert advice. Thanks!