Since opening day of Walt Disney World, October 1, 1971, the Tomorrowland Speedway has been a staple attraction that kids and kids at heart have experienced. Even though it has changed a bit over the years, it still has the same vibe to it. Roaring down the race track of the famed Indiana Motor Speedway with the smell of fumes in your face and the loud roar of the engines, you feel as if you might really be racing…until you see the spires of Space Mountain on your right and the whimsical look and feel of Fantasyland’s Storybook Circus on your left. Is this really a Tomorrowland attraction? Or is it a Fantasyland attraction…or neither? If the attraction is staying, which the Walt Disney Company has said it is, it is really time for a change.
The Grand Prix Raceway as it was called up until the 1994 refurbishment has sat in well lets call it no mans land. Even though it is technically a Tomorrowland attraction it sits right in between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. The attraction has seen some changes over the years, a track expansion in 1973, name change in 1994 (Tomorrowland Indy Speedway), track shortening in 1987 for Mickey’s Birthday Land, theme change in 1999 (Indianapolis Motor Speedway partnership and theming), 2008 name change (they dropped the Indy) and finally in 2012 the track was shortened once again to make way for the new location of Dumbo. There will be a test later so I hope you got all that! As you can see the Tomorrowland Speedway has had a really hard time finding its identity and let’s face the truth…how does this current theme fit into Tomorrowland??
When the Walt Disney Company announced at the 2017 D23 Expo that part of the Magic Kingdom’s improvements for the 50th anniversary would be to bring the amazing TRON Lightcycle Power Run coaster to the park just to the left of Space Mountain, people assumed it was time for the Tomorrowland Speedway to go. Rumors were flying everywhere but the Disney confirmed that the attraction was going no where. As you can see in the concept art below it still fits in just perfectly. Ok, great! We are getting this amazing new attraction that is currently in Shanghai Disneyland that looks and feels like Tomorrowland. Now the Tomorrowland Speedway will look even MORE out of place due their proximity.
This leads to what could potentially be on the horizon for a new themed Tomorrowland Speedway. Could we finally be getting this loved attraction to feel like it belongs in the land it lives in? Now I have to preface this by saying I know absolutely nothing, this is just me being a huge fan and an “armchair” imagineer. This is the perfect opportunity to bring in those electric cars once and for all. Get rid of those fumes and the loud roar of the engines. Theme the cars to look and feel like Tron or some futuristic concept that has never been the seen before. This is Disney we are talking about, they have some of the most creative people on the planet. They could go crazy with futuristic concepts for the car designs. Redesign the track with tunnels and futuristic effects that match the theming of Space Mountain and TRON. Finally, they need to create a true buffer between Fantasyland and the attraction so the themes do no seem so abrupt when you transition between the two lands. This attraction needs a true Tomorrowland identity and the door is now open for it to happen.
“Now is the time, now is the best time” not to steal a line from the old Carrousel of Progress theme song, but it is. There is no time like now to finally blend this popular attraction into the land it resides in.
Do you agree or disagree? What are you “armchair” Imagineer ideas to make this opening day attraction fit and feel updated. Do you think there will be changes to the Tomorrowland Speedway once TRON is in place? Talk about it in our forums!
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