The WDW News Today Podcast - without News Today · Tom Corless & Eric Morton

Redesigning the Magic Kingdom - Tomorrowland - The WDW News Today Podcast: Episode 84

·1 hr 7 min·4 clips

Tom wants to replace Tron Light Cycle Run with a Black Hole attraction and argues Maximilian could anchor it.

1. The WDW News Today Podcast focuses on redesigning Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland as part of the hosts’ larger park-reimagining series. 2. Eric Morton hosts with Tom Corliss, and Tom drives the Tomorrowland planning because he has strong opinions about Disney parks design. 3. The episode asks how Tomorrowland can become a coherent “Tomorrowland Interplanetary Expo” instead of a scattered mix of ideas. 4. Tom says Disneyland’s Tomorrowland is “a total disaster,” while Walt Disney World’s version has “some little inconsistencies.” 5. The proposed aesthetic leans on a 1960s World’s Fair look, especially mid-century modern forms and an “imaginary World's Fair.” 6. Tom says he wants the land to feel like Disney’s future as imagined in the 1960s, not a literal futuristic city. 7. Tron Light Cycle Run becomes an ENCOM pavilion, which keeps the ride but ties it into a corporate expo setting. 8. Eric and Tom debate replacing Tron with a Black Hole attraction, and Tom argues that Maximilian, Vincent, and Bob could anchor it. 9. Tom says the Black Hole works as a futuristic take on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, with a probe ship and a black hole narrative. 10. The Speedway is removed entirely, and Tom says Tomorrowland needs a child-friendly replacement with better land use. 11. Tom proposes a Baymax-inspired kid’s ride, plus Big Pop with flavored popcorn and a revived donut-hole kiosk. 12. The former Speedway area also becomes new pathways, including direct connections from Mad Tea Party to Tron and from Cosmic Ray’s toward Space Mountain. 13. Tom wants a table-service restaurant with an observation deck that can be sold for fireworks parties and private events. 14. He also wants an end of line club and Flynn’s Arcade in the Tron area, borrowing from the electronica energy of Tron Legacy events. 15. Eric and Tom discuss the PeopleMover traveling through the grid, with projection effects inside the Tron area. 16. They also say the train tunnel should be reworked so the ride does not disappear into a blank black corridor. 17. Space Mountain stays in its current building, which Tom calls timeless, even if the coaster and load area need updating. 18. Carousel of Progress is reframed as a museum-like presentation of the original 1964 World's Fair show, introduced by Walt Disney. 19. The conversation is blunt, design-heavy, and full of specific ride, restaurant, and pathway decisions. 20. People who like Disney park blue-sky planning will get the most out of it, while listeners who want tight news coverage may skip it.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The WDW News Today Podcast - without News Today