Yet again we approach Disney’s D23 Expo event and yet again we are discussing the potential return of Disneyland’s PeopleMover. Sure, the track is still in place and taking up valuable real estate in Tomorrowland. And sure, it was an attraction that absolutely devoured queues, serving almost 5,000 guests an hour. And sure, it was one of the last attractions that Walt had any hand in building; an indelible icon of a ride with its appeal seemingly impressed upon the hearts of many, some who weren’t even born when it was removed.
And yet, we also know the problems. The track has been damaged over time by its brief successor of an attraction, Rocket Rods, as well as by other construction projects in the area, and the status of its revolutionary propulsion system is in grave doubt; a doubt enhanced by rumors suggesting that were the PeopleMover to return it would use a different drive mechanism to Move said, People. If an attraction is about transportation and has its mode of, well, transporting removed, is it the same attraction? And, finally, how does an attraction like this fit into a Tomorrowland that seems to have abandoned the idea of “progress” for “science fiction?” What does the return of this type of attraction — one that directly speaks to promoting a new kind of urban transit; tied directly into Walt Disney’s dreams of a new kind of urban landscape — say about the future of the identity of Tomorrowland, a land seemingly, perpetually, in an identity crisis?
Let’s back up. It’s unclear as to when Walt became serious about attempting to design and build a city from scratch, but by the time of the 1964 New York World’s Fair he was eyeing technologies to fit into the project. While working to design Ford’s “Magic Skyway” attraction at the Fair a chance collision of ideas — watching steel ingots get transported along a production line and Disneyland’s own Matterhorn Bobsled booster brake system — gave Walt and Imagineering legend Bob Gurr an idea for how to reliably move large numbers of vehicles along an elevated track. By putting electrically powered rubber wheels into the track itself and having them push the cars forward rather than the cars propelling themselves with internal combustion engines, a whole new idea for public transportation began to form. The system never stopped, redundancy was built into the design, and it was a form of mass transit where, though it was public transportation, you and your family could have some personal space on your journey.
Walt seemed to understand that this was a piece that was missing from his “City of Tomorrow.” He knew that his Monorail would serve wonderfully for long-distance travel; he had proven that over the years at Disneyland. Now he intended to prove that the same would be true for short-range travel by installing what would soon become known as the “Goodyear PeopleMover” into the park as well. In 1966 Walt made a promotional film to discuss his plans for EPCOT, his “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow,” displaying as part of the plan an elaborate PeopleMover network serving the city. A few months later Walt Disney died and with his death also went the dream of EPCOT as a city. The following year the PeopleMover opened in Disneyland.
Before we get too wrapped up in our thoughts about Disneyland’s attraction, let’s briefly discuss Florida’s version, the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. While it initially had similarities to Anaheim’s PeopleMover, there were substantial differences as well. Its magnetic linear induction propulsion system is remarkable but doesn’t allow for changes in elevation in the way that Disneyland’s ride does, creating a somewhat different experience. Most notably, though, is that in 1995, around when the Disneyland PeopleMover was being removed, the TTA became a story device for the Magic Kingdom Tomorrowland’s new uber-narrative about aliens and interstellar communication. The ways in which it was like the first PeopleMover were muted and rather than being a showcase of possibility and progress, it pointed to a fictional retro-future. It’s wonderful, but not the same thing.
So, this brings us back to Disneyland’s original PeopleMover. What is it? What draws us to it so? If you ask people who were around at the time you will often get an answer that amounts to “It was a nice way to sit down for 15 minutes.” But does that ring true? Is it so beloved for the same reasons that we might enjoy a shopping mall foot massager? Were people particularly mesmerized by the “SuperSpeed Tunnel” or the “Game Grid of TRON” add-ons? Was it, as Walt Disney suggested, simply a great way to preview other Tomorrowland attractions?
Everyone’s experience of an attraction is personal but let me pose this as an answer; along with the Monorail, the PeopleMover took you forward — literally physically forward — into a future that felt safe, assured, even clever. Yes, it was a relaxing experience, but not merely for the fact that you were no longer standing up. Once you were in that vehicle, you were in the hands of a future you trusted; a future that might have been overly prescribed, but also one that was comforting. Perhaps, as we’ve moved forward into a more daunting version of “Tomorrow,” our need for reassurance has grown and thus the nostalgia has intensified. And maybe, just maybe, the abandonment of dreams like the one that was the original “Community of Tomorrow” is part of what made “Tomorrow” just a little more daunting.
So, what does it mean if something called “PeopleMover” returns to Disneyland? What does it represent to you? Let’s meet back here after D23 Expo and discuss.
Kelly McCubbin is a columnist for Boardwalk Times
