When Walt first imagined Tomorrowland, he saw a world on the move, with clean white lines and splashes of bright colors. He saw the world in harmony, and showed these ideals with the Clock of the World and Avenue of Flags. However, Tomorrowland's appeal was slowly dwindling while the crowds increased. Children were no longer impressed with a trip through the inner workings of the human body, blasting away on a simulated Rocket to the Moon, or watching a 3D movie about space aliens and Michael Jackson (I cringe to think of what would happen if that movie still aired in the Magic Eye Theater…). Although Tomorrowland favorites such as Star Tours, Space Mountain and Autopia remained, the rest of Tomorrowland was changed during an extensive renovation resulting in a new era for the World of Tomorrow. Instead of imagining the world of 1986, as Walt Disney originally envisioned for this land, Imagineers designed a world more like that of 2086, with bronze and blue statues, glittering murals, and new attractions. The uncovering of the "new" Tomorrowland in 1998 brought many guests to the east side of the park, gasping, "Oh wow! I forgot there was a Tomorrowland!"

The change was refreshing at first, but it turned mundane and obsolete once more. The merry utopia with delightful tiles by Mary Blair (artist of It's a Small World) had become a cold, harsh, sci-fi flick with looming "space sculptures." Gone were the Flying Saucers, Adventures Thru Inner Space, Carousel of Progress, and The Submarine Voyage. It was a time of "Honey I Shrunk the Audience," greasy Pizza Ports, and Rocket Rods.

Rocket Rods…the sore subject of Tomorrowland. Before the short-lived and doomed attraction, a much slower-paced, peaceful attraction glided along the now empty track stretching above Tomorrowland. It was the PeopleMover. A "D" Ticket ride that operated for 28 years. Compare that to the 2-year running (more like 1 year since most of its life was spent in down-time) of Rocket Rods, and ask yourself "Why did they get rid of the PeopleMover to begin with?"

The simple ride, promoting Goodyear tires, was a leisurely way to explore the park without getting blisters or heat exhaustion. They were small blue and red carts that glided silently on the track, without the use of individual motors. Instead, motors were embedded into the track, spinning rubber Goodyear tires every nine feet, which rubbed on the bottom of the ride module and propelled it forward. This concept was designed for quick transportation in cities, and to eliminate traffic jams, since singular cars couldn't break down.

As you traveled through the waiting areas of many Tomorrowland exhibits and 34 feet above the land under the noontime sun, a sonorous voice narrated the various stops and sights you encountered. The idea was to view all of Tomorrowland, and still have the opportunity to return to the attractions and experience them firsthand! Guests would then disembark on a rotating platform and zoom back to ground level on a Speedramp, hearing the last promotional bit, "On behalf of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, we hope you enjoyed your trip aboard the WedWay PeopleMover. Tomorrow's transportation, here today at Disneyland. And the next time you take a trip across town or across the country, take along the best friend your car can have, the tires more people ride on, the tires all Disneyland rides on, Go go Goodyear!"

Sadly, the PeopleMover closed permanently in 1995, handing over its track to the idea of a more fast-paced, thrill-seeking ride that was to premiere at the unveiling of a more updated Tomorrowland. At first, project "Rocket Rods" was to be the most colossal and technological attraction ever made at the park. With the help of donated rocket engines from NASA, Imagineers brainstormed a ride where old rocket engines would be attached to vehicles that would fly up to 100 feet per second. These rockets would zip along the old PeopleMover track, which was going to be extended to the I5 freeway. Ultimately, the ride would start in Tomorrowland, travel through a scenic tour of San Diego, and back to the loading dock all in one minute.

Unfortunately, management saw this project as "too expensive." They did not want the bother of modifying the PeopleMover track, and insisted the ride become scaled down. Very scaled down. The NASA engines were rejected, along with the fiberglass body and exterior shell originally planned for the ride vehicles. Without banked curves, the ride couldn't go the speed Imagineers wanted (3g), and had to be scaled down to a maximum speed of 8 miles per hour and five feet per second. This was still fast enough to thrill guests, but at every turn, the ride slowed down considerably, and then sped up again for another straightaway, only to slow down once more for another curve.

The constant speeding up and slowing down wore down the engines and infrastructure of the attraction, resulting in many malfunctions and "closed for refurbishment" signs. After 2 years, the problematic ride came to an ultimatum: either adjust the track with modifications that would cost up to 10 thousand dollars, or shut it down completely. Disney chose the latter.

Now all that remains is a forlorn and abandoned track. Tomorrowland seems to be bouncing back with a bright future consisiting of a refurbished Space Mountain and the new Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters attraction. And still, the empty track casts a bitter shadow. If you, like myself, would like to see the PeopleMover back on track, then e-mail me, so we can "Go go Goodyear" once more!