Tomorrowland 2055
In the early 1990s, plans were drawn up by Walt Disney Imagineering to reinvent Disneyland’s aging Tomorrowland. This version would have taken a timeless retro-futuristic approach, with Art Deco and Cyberpunk influences. Unfortunately the project was shelved, leaving behind a huge quantity of unused blueprints, concept art and models.
Even though these plans were never realised, I sought to do the next best thing and build them in 3D.
Alien Encounter
I started with the Alien Encounter showbuilding, which would have taken over the Mission To Mars site. It would have featured an entrance rotunda, a 2nd floor walkway to connect to neighbouring buildings, and the PeopleMover routed through a 3rd floor.
The design takes its cues from both Art Deco and Postmodern styles, with ornamental chrome details reminiscent of the Chrysler Building, 30 Rockefeller Center’s bas-relief sculptures and interconnecting, cylindrical towers associated with Postmodern architecture.
The original ‘90s concept art for the show building.
Blueprints for the proposed show building.
To begin I laid out the rough framework of the buildings, to match the concept art, before adding in more architectural details, then sculpting the statues, gargoyles and and bridges. While the plans showed bas-relief sculptures, they weren’t clearly shown, so I had to design them myself. Finally I added the final textures and lighting.
As I got to smaller levels of detail, I had to fill in areas that weren’t depicted on plans, by extrapolating from the rest of the design, and adding my own ideas; such as marble floors and wood panel walls for the entry rotunda, in keeping with the Art Deco look.
Plektu’s Fantastic Intergalactic Revue
The original ‘90s concept art for Plektu’s Fantastic Intergalactic Revue
Plektu’s was the proposed replacement for the Carousel of Progress building. It was designed to look like a crashed flying saucer, so I augmented that effect with a crater filled with steam and lava around the perimeter.
Surrounding Area
Once the main buildings were in place, I started working on the surrounding land which hadn’t been depicted on plans. I took inspiration from the alien Deco look and added fountains, trees, rockwork and other themed experiences.
None of the plans mentioned the PeopleMover, so I decided to design a new Art Deco inspired take on the classic attraction,
My concept for an interactive show piece that helps build out the world of Tomorrowland.