Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom Just Changed for the Better
Okay, we have a surprising development today at Magic Kingdom.
As of July 1st, we’ve got some new additions and updates at Tomorrowland! Today’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrow indeed!
Progress at Progress City
Late in 2021, the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover quietly updated its sponsorship agreement.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car became the attraction’s exclusive sponsor at the time. You’d only notice this if you pay attention to the sign near the line queue.
The sponsorship change wasn’t dramatic, as the previous sponsor, Alamo, is part of the same corporate conglomerate.
Still, someone at Enterprise must have requested changes to the attraction. I say this because Disney posted a casting call in February for a de facto ride narrator.
Now, several months later, a familiar friend has returned to the PeopleMover, albeit with a new voice.
Old school Disney fans, do you remember ORAC-1 from the 1980s? Well, the commuter computer has come back in 2022! Okay, it’s ORAC-5 now, but still.
I knew something was up this morning when I noticed several people livestreaming from Magic Kingdom, which is kinda random for a Friday morning.
Sure enough, word had leaked that the PeopleMover is the place to be today! Here’s a video of the new ORAC-5 narration:
The PeopleMover Changes
The cheekier dialogue references both old and new elements of Tomorrowland. There’s a comment about If You Had Wings, a long-extinct Tomorrowland attraction.
Also, early in the ride, ORAC-5 draws attention to the Progress City scale model while wondering whether the PeopleMover here has a “tiny ORAC.”
Later, the attraction references Lightyear, the recent (and largely unsuccessful) Pixar movie.
Then, ORAC-5 discusses other Tomorrowland attractions, including the upcoming Tron Lightcycle Power Run.
We also get the usual shoutout to Tomorrowland Speedway and paging of Mr. Tom Morrow.
Disney has also thrown in a clever reference to the fictional Coral Reefs of Pisces 7 mentioned at Space Mountain.
The new dialogue states, “You H2O it to yourself to book today!” You can hear it at the 4:30 mark of the clip linked above.
An Updated Carousel of Progress
Disney has also performed modest updates at Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress.
As usual, the changes center on the final scene, the one for the 21st century, aka the Future.
While Disney hasn’t updated the primary story since 1993, park officials occasionally change the look and style of the characters.
This time, Grandpa has adopted more of a Hallmark Christmas movie look with a dark green cardigan and red tie.
Meanwhile, Patricia sports a new ponytail and a Progress Tech hoodie. She’s apparently a fan of the “School of Urban Planning.”
That’s VERY clever, Disney! If you start selling that hoodie, I’m buying one.
Patricia has also changed pajama pants and has swapped from slippers to reindeer boots.
Her new style is decidedly less “spending the day at the ski resort” and more “enjoying Christmas at home with the family.”
Meanwhile, Granny is still playing something VR in the metaverse while her cat sleeps happily beside her.
Granny has switched hair and outfits. The hideous broach remains, though.
As for James, the son, he’s also wearing some potential new Disney merchandise. He’s got a pullover with a Matterhorn logo that’s fine, but it’s no Progress Tech hoodie.
Dad has swapped out his ugly old apron for a Christmas one with the slogan, “My food rocks!” Of course, if it did, he wouldn’t have to wear the apron.
Finally, Mom has switched from her previous Christmas red outfit to what I can only describe as business casual. Is mom working through the holidays this year?
Whatever the explanation, she’s the least festive person in the room. I mean, even Rover has that big red bow that’s perfectly in keeping with the holiday spirit!
Long story short, Tomorrowland has updated two of its oldest rides to fit better with the new theming!
