The big news to come out of Saturday night at the D23 Parks and Experiences promotional show was the reimagining of Tomorrowland for Disneyland’s 75th anniversary in 2030. Considering that this date is now less than four years away, any reimagining needs to hit the ground running to meet that deadline.

Tomorrowland has always been the parks most challenging area since ground was broken in 1954. When the press preview was held, much of the area was incomplete and not ready for guests. Over the years, the idea of a cohesive storyline throughout the attractions has never properly come together. As Yoda observed, “Always in motion is the future. Difficult to see.”

By the time the future arrives, what we have been shown as new and exciting is common every day stuff. Imagination and storytelling often takes a backseat to the practical. Case in point? AT&T used to demonstrate the future with the video phone making live calls from outside the Circarama Theater around the world. Today, a Zoom call is a very common thing, and not very impressive. Hardly the stuff of the future.

As I compose this effort, the current state of Tomorrowland is an interesting one. Yes, it has its share of attractions that both thrill and amuse. But it also has its share of attractions that call back to the past. One in particular may be the single most problematic and ongoing maintenance issue in the park. And it contains the largest under utilized structures in the park. Along with a rambling piece of infrastructure that is decaying in place, unsafe for guest occupancy.

It is one heck of an opportunity waiting to be taken advantage of.

All the more, it’s a pity it will not happen.

What really needs to occur here is redevelopment right down to the bare earth of 1954. Maybe everything but Space Mountain, making way for a new experience that guests and the theme park industry will not stop talking about for the next twenty-five years. A true revolution in entertainment on a scale equal to what the creation of Disneyland was in 1955.

The saddest thing is that if anyone could do this, it is Disney. Or, at one time, the company had the talent to take on such a challenge and meet it head-on. Not only at Imagineering, but throughout the company from finance to theme park operations and even merchandising. Today? As good as the different parts of the company are, I don’t see them willing to take the risks.

What will we get? Likely new paint, new lighting effects, and maybe something to fit inside the existing underused carousel building and theater—claims of new and exciting, but more likely safe and cost-effective, to please shareholders. I would truly like to be completely wrong in this prediction, but for all the enthusiasm amid the afterglow of D23, the dead fish that is reality will float to the top eventually.

The practicality here is that Disney is a for-profit company. The kind of investment required to bring off such a redevelopment/reimagining of Tomorrowland would be something that would require a commitment of not only money but time and effort, worthy of guests spending enough to recoup that investment. Considering how much some guests complain about current prices, imagine the howls and cries if they had to pay for an all-new Tomorrowland?

For now, bask in the afterglow. 2030 is coming soon enough.

That line at the top? That’s allegedly from then-CEO Michael Eisner during a meeting about reimagining Tomorrowland, which resulted in edible plants in the landscaping and not much else.

Ooooooh, Shiney…

A million things are going on. Okay, maybe not that many, but enough to have kept me from the keyboard to finish this series of reports on the week that was.

Regardless, rest assured that those tales will be shared here.

D23 is done haunting the Anaheim Convention Center for 2026, If you were among the faithful in attendance, I hope it was everything you were looking forward to and more. Personally, I still have millions of steps left over from events there through the years.

As for the various announcements made, it is a “wait and see” kind of approach from this side of the keyboard. The past is littered with projects that never made it past the concept artwork displays. Maybe the most telling was the reimagined Tomorrowland that came to an end when Michael Eisner allegedly asked, “What if the future is a farm in Montana?”

Guests and fans will likely see something in time for Disneyland’s 75th celebration, but I would expect it to be modest in the final product.

Meanwhile, San Francisco is getting a new event from the folks behind the beloved Dickens Fair, with a Gold Rush theme. This coming weekend, August 22 and 23, will see Pier 35 transform into The San Francisco Historium. Of course, I will be there to take in the sights, sounds, and more. And to be shared here!

Again, apologies dear readers. More timely posts coming.

If you are looking for world-class museums, Southern California may be the best place to start such an exploration. On this particular Wednesday, Leo and I chose to visit a very appropriate example by starting our day at the Petersen Automotive Museum. With this geographic area being ground zero for car culture in so many ways, this museum offers guests a truly fascinating experience in all things automotive. Located in a former upscale retail structure, the building today houses one of the world’s premier automotive collections. There are over 100 vehicles in 25 galleries. And there are an additional 300 cars located in the Vault below the Museum. For a car guy or gal, this is indeed a rabbit hole you can easily fall into.

Displays of vehicles start in the Museum parking garage, such as this Mercedes-Benz vehicle transporter, complete with an example of a vehicle it carried.

The cars on display here are simply fantastic. For a true car guy (like Bob Gurr) or gal, there is so much history and artistic talent to experience that you could spend days exploring each floor as well as the Vault of this museum. In this very brief illustration, I am going to concentrate on some of the movie cars displayed. The first movie car displayed was the stunt car in what is often cited as the best on-screen car chase sequence in film from the 1968 production of “Bullit” with Steve McQueen.

This was the car used for the major stunts in “Bullit” and has been restored after being derelict in Mexico. It is a great introduction to the Museum and the collection of movie cars.

The Museum is arranged into galleries on the different floors. The Cars of Film & Television display is located in the Hollywood Gallery on the Third Floor. It is a fine sample of cars that have entertained audiences of all sizes.

Bumblebee, actually a 2007 Camaro Concept car, as seen in the 2007 production of “Transformers”.

The automotive star of “Wayne’s World”, it’s the Mirthmobile! A 1976 AMC Pacer.

The Batmobile, as driven by Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusader, in the 1989 production of “Batman”.

“Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.”

1985 isn’t all that far away when you have the hero Delorean fully restored from the first “Back To The Future”.

Even small cars have a big moment! The 1968 Fiat 500L as seen in 2023’s “Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning” with a car chase through the streets of Rome.

A replica of 1995’s animated automotive winner, Lightning McQueen from Pixar’s “Cars”.

That is only a sample of the vehicles from movies and television on display. And not the only automobile with a connection to Disney either. Currently the Museum has a fine assemblage of vehicles celebrating 100 years of Mercedes-Benz. Among those is a very special vehicle that was personally owned by Walt Disney and has remained with members of the family ever since. It is a 1964 Mercedes-Benz 230 SL. Originally the car was white, and even appeared on-screen in Disney’s 1965 “That Darn Cat”. It was later repainted red by his daughter Diane Disney Miller.

Even the Museum Gift Shop has movie cars, as RC from “ Toy Story” was available for purchase.

So that is a very brief look at the Petersen Automotive Museum. There is a good deal more to explore!

Coming next, more Hollywood and Pixar!

There’s room for a thousand. Any volunteers?

After visiting the Studio in Burbank, on the fourth day of our adventures, we headed south to Anaheim and the Southern California Disney theme parks. While Leo had not visited since 2019, this was unusual for me in that this was my third one-day visit in 2026. And with a complimentary one-day park hopper ticket, it was my first visit to Disney California Adventure since the park fully reopened post-COVID.

After recent foot troubles, I am limited in the number of steps I can take. Leo likewise is limited in his mobility. This offered a different perspective to visiting the theme parks, as we both made use of electric convenience vehicles (a.k.a. ECVs or scooters). I have done so off and on over the years, but have to admit having someone along doing the same was something new.

A busy Disneyland day in the Hub for a Tuesday in late June? Looks can be deceiving.

Once again, my long-time Disneyland compatriot, Michael Riley, was joining us for what would become a full extended day at both parks. Michael is a former Disney Store cast member, as well as having performed the role of the Emergency Retail Hologram (ERH) at Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas. These days he is retired and enjoys using his Disneyland Magic Key, mostly on mid-week off-season days. He also enjoys regular visits to Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar, amongst others.

Michael, enjoying a Mai Tai, during a visit to Emeryville and the Trader Vic’s Speakeasy.

I never seem to know what to expect when it comes to crowds at Disneyland anymore. Where there used to be specific off-season periods once upon a time, that definitely is no longer the case. As busy as it was at bag check and tram loading from the Mickey & Friends parking garage, once inside Disneyland proper, there just were not the numbers of people you might expect.

I have been visiting Disneyland since 1965. In all that time, I have never experienced so many literal walk-on attractions. Luck is the only thing I can explain it by. We came from The Country Bear Jamboree BBQ to Rise of the Resistance to find absolutely no one in the outdoor queue. Mrs. Colton didn’t make all those park visits for nothing. We immediately investigated and found the attraction ready for guests. We walked/motored right through the corridors leading to the pre-show, and away we went on our adventure. As I recap this, Thursday, July 23 at 2:45 p.m., the Disneyland app on my iPhone shows a 45-minute wait for the stand-by line for Rise of the Resistance. That is the more usual experience.

Michael is hard to miss in his very colorful shirt from last year’s Oogie Boogie Bash as we board the Resistance transport.

Our good fortune did not end there. After a short shopping excursion through Galaxy’s Edge, we noted the walk-on availability for Smugglers Run. So we did! Michael and I joined a family of four who were first-time pilots and gunners aboard the Millennium Falcon with the new Mandalorian and Grogu missions. We took up the mechanics positions. Things were actually going rather well overall until about two minutes into the flight when everything went completely dark. No screens, and no cockpit panels illuminated, just emergency lights overhead. Not what you would call a good sign.

Cast members were right there and escorted us out and to another cockpit for a brand new mission. The family opted to take a less active role this time, asking Michael and me to handle the pilot roles. So, off we went on another mission for Hondo. We actually managed to keep damage to a minimum and successfully retrieved the cargo as well, in what was one of the best missions we have had. So much so that we decided to celebrate with a visit to Oga’s Cantina. Recently, the required reservations were dropped and our standby time was less than ten minutes. So much for long wait times here.

Is this really true? Where are the crowds of guests? Not here!

Finishing our beverages, we decided to try and keep our lucky streak of low wait times intact. Heading for Mickey’s Toontown, a ride on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway was the goal. Hopefully, the odds were in our favor. On previous attempts to ride, the score was Attraction 5, Guests 1, with the attraction unavailable more often than up and running.

Yet again, the fates smiled upon us, and we breezed through the queue at a pace which allowed plenty of time to enjoy the gags along the way. Which, with both Leo and Michael having movie theater experience in their careers, offered more than a few laughs. This one is my new favorite.

It’s always something…

Time for a literal change of pace. And one not connected to an intellectual property as well. Frontierland and the Mark Twain Steamboat for a journey down the Rivers of America. Seats on the prow to take in all the scenic wonders.

A voyage down the Rivers of America aboard the Mark Twain is always welcome.

After lunch, we headed down Main Street to the Opera House. Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln was the show playing in the theater. We enjoyed the various items on display, including some of the original furnishings from Walt’s apartment above the Firehouse as well as some examples of Audio-Animatronics. Worth a visit if you haven’t had a chance to see this yet.

Audio-Animatronics certainly have come a long way.

After a bit of window shopping, Michael bid us farewell and headed home. Leo and I headed across the Esplanade into Disney California Adventure. While I have always enjoyed this park, I have to be honest and say that it really is a lesser experience than Disneyland. Rather than list my issues with it, let me say that there is entertainment value here, but there are also opportunities that could make for a more family-oriented experience.

Badly needed transportation to and from the entrance of DCA, now reduced to a photo prop.

We were too early to experience the new version of Soarin’, but did take in some of the rest of the park. Radiator Springs still remains one of the best realized additions to a Disney park, recreating the town incredibly well, so that guests truly feel they have entered the setting of the Cars films.

Happier than a tornado in a trailer park!

Neon and Route 66 are synonymous with a good time!

We did cross the Esplanade to take in the evening fireworks. Regrettably, I chose a spot which ended up with a very obstructed view and some less-than-respectful guests. I made up for it by closing out the night with a visit to the Haunted Mansion. And miracle of miracles, not one single guest quoted the ghost host in the stretching room. It made for a very enjoyable close to a long day in Walt’s park.

While it lasts, a great memorial to many wonderful days at Disneyland.

Coming next? Would you believe something new…

The Lotte World theme park, in Seoul, South Korea.

Note: This first appeared here on October 21, 2010.

We often take for granted that we have the theme parks to enjoy here in America. Here is a look from years back at the experience at a park with a different flavor with an international twist.

Okay, theme park fans… Today we head west, or if you prefer. east. And not to visit a Disney theme park, either.

My niece, Kelly, has been enjoying an extended visit to South Korea this past month. After graduating with a degree in Linguistics, she wanted to see what the country and the people were like first hand. So, she and a friend headed across the Pacific. Along the way, she has found some great stories to share – the first of which you are reading here today.

Now I had heard about Lotte World from my good friend Michelle Valladolid after her visit to South Korea. After so many trips to Disneyland, I am always curious to see (and hear) how it inspired others to produce similar parks around the world. Read on to see and hear about Kelly’s visit.

Last week, we went to the happiest place in Seoul!! Haha no, but we did go to one of Korea’s biggest theme parks, Lotte World! We had wanted to go for a while, but we’ve been trying to spread our events out over time so that we have something to do each week.

A castle in a theme park? Wonder where this idea came from…

We were supposed to meet our friend, Jess, at the entrance at noon, but the subway station was weirdly complicated at this specific stop. We thought we were following the right signs, but we wound up outside in front of a hotel when the entrance to the park is underground. So we had to find our way back into the station and somehow a hallway we didn’t see before came into sight with big signs saying “Lotte World! This way!”. Maybe some kind of sorcery was at work… hehe So by the time we found our way to Jess and the entrance, we were about 30 minutes late.

The tickets were only ₩37,000 (roughly $33), but for some reason we got a foreigner discount and they were only ₩33,000($29). It was kind of amusing to me because I’m used to places like this taking advantage of foreigners, not offering them a discount for coming. But hey, I was not complaining. The weird thing is they had tickets to just enter the park (which were a lot cheaper) and then tickets that included the rides. Although, I don’t know why someone would want to come in just for the rides (maybe if they are just there to supervise or something). Anyways, the one slightly annoying part was having to show our tickets every time we got on a ride, but it wasn’t a big deal. I guess they haven’t discovered the paper bracelets yet. The other annoying thing was their line control because they would make the lines seem so long by making people wait outside and then slowly letting groups of people into the actual line leading up to the ride. Unnecessary, but I guess it was to keep the decorated parts of the line free from graffiti.

The park is split up into two sections; one indoors and one outdoors. We entered through the indoor park and it was all decorated for Halloween. It’s kind of cool because they have a full skating rink in the middle of the building and we even got to see some young speed skaters practice. They had a light show at the end of the night over the rink too. I think the rink is open to the public on the weekends, but it costs extra for the skates and what not. But it didn’t matter to me because I can’t skate to save my life. lol There’s multiple levels in the indoor section and on the first floor they had the kiddie rides and some of the smaller family friendly rides.

 I think the weirdest part of this park was how weirdly similar to Disneyland it was at times. They had multiple, what I started thinking of them as, “knock-off” rides. There was one called Sinbad or something like that and it was basically a Pirates of the Carribean. Same boat. Same drop at the beginning. Same weird animatronic rifraff (though Disney’s were more convincing for sure). It was more funny to me than anything. They had another ride that I wanted to actually laugh as I was riding it. Their “Pharoah’s Revenge” ride was a carbon copy of Indiana Jones. Even the line leading up to the ride was the same, except Egyptian themed. They had the same video screen and the little office at the end where they play 20’s music or something. The ride was like… LOL I thought it was a joke. They had the same jeeps, the snakes, the bugs on the wall when your car breaks down, the firey skull and bridge, the air darts… At one point I remember thinking, “Okay, I swear… if there is a boulder, I’m leaving.” But there wasn’t. haha Besides the rides, they also had the castle outside that lights up at night and an assortment of headgear. Although, I had heard of their cute bows before, so I bought one as soon as I got inside because where else could you wear a giant sequined bow on your head without getting weird looks (unless you are Lady Gaga)? haha They even have raccoon mascots, Lotty and Lorry… I mean, c’mon. I seriously wondered if some kind of copyright infringement was going on. lol

What? No red bows with white polka dots?

From right to left, Kelly Eckman, Steph Arnold and Jess-mj Lee

There were other cool rides also! There was one rollercoaster called “French Revolution” which looped all around the indoor park and even did a flip right over a bridge where people stand and watch. We got to ride in the front for that ride, which I haven’t done in a really long time, so that was fun. The other fun ones were the “Gyrodrop” and “Atlantis” rides; one was like a free falling ride and the other was just a super speedy rollercoaster that required stretching before you rode (seriously, there was a sign and everything telling you what to stretch and bascially telling you you’d better do it or you’ll get massive whiplash). It was a really fun park and we spent about 9 hours there. Plenty to do and see for sure. It wasn’t too crowded either, but then again we went on a Thursday and most people were working I’m sure.

The other weird thing that happened was the, oh 30 or so, interactions with random people while we were in lines or just walking around. I guess foreigners don’t come here that often, because I only saw two other foreigners the whole time we were there. But anyways, kids would come up to us and say, “Hi!” “Hello!” “How are you!” constantly. I don’t know what it was, but suddenly we were very interesting. Two girls even took a picture with us! After a while Steph and I would just automatically reply back because it tickled them so much. Even funnier was when we said, “I’m from San Francisco,” or “I’m from New York,” and they would make a collective, “OOOoOooOOo!!” lol It was kind of cute when they would gather in their groups and discuss how to say something or what to ask us. We should get jobs there. haha

Imagine if DCA had built this as the late lamented Maliboomer!

Fun was had. A churro was chomped. Good times for everyone! 🙂

A roller coaster out of a castle? I like it!

____________________________________________________________________

Thanks Kelly for the look at Lotte World!

In reposting this story, I asked Michelle Valladolid to share some thoughts on her experience there:

“I visited Lotte World 21 years ago, in the middle of a raging typhoon. It was my only free day, and I was determined to visit. 

The entrance was under a hotel, and inside the indoor section of the park was an ice skating rink. On the edges of the park were reptile exhibits on one side and a looping roller coaster on the other side. 

In line for the French Revolution coaster, a group of kids said hello. I looked up from my map, said “Hey, how ya doin’” and went back to reading my map. When the line circled round again, they were all practicing saying “hey, how ya doin’”.

I really wanted to see the cute animatronic ghost show in the familiar-looking castle, but they were all canceled because of the storm. 

There was a walkthrough next to the castle that told the story of Snow White, which was Disney’s Snow White with blond hair and a recolored dress. 

The best roller coaster in the world is there: Comet Express. Think Space Mountain, underground, in a spinning teacup, with art direction by Ed Roth. The space aliens were out of this world! 

There were a few more rides, including a haunted house, but they were all closed due to the storm. 

The Sindbad ride was everything Roger’s niece says and more. Truly trippy. The whole park was a Disney-inspired fever dream. Go if you can make the trip. “

So, there you have it. A look back at a theme park that isn’t one of the ones you usually read about here!