When construction actually began in 1974, Disney provided one last PeopleMover update in its “1974 Annual Report”:
A fourth major Tomorrowland attraction, the “WEDway PeopleMover” is now under construction with completion planned for June. Here, 32 five-car “trains” will travel almost one mile of elevated track, propelled by a new Disney-engineered and designed linear motor…Now being made available to third parties through the Community Transportation Services Division, the “WEDway PeopleMover” may one day be installed in airports, shopping centers and other downtown areas.
The WEDway PeopleMover opened in Tomorrowland on July 1, 1975. “WED” stood for Walter Elias Disney. This was also a nod to Disney Imagineers, as the Disney Imagineering department was originally referred to as WED Enterprises.
The Edison Electric Institute originally sponsored the PeopleMover. Instead of an open track with cars that were individually covered, the Magic Kingdom version used open-air ride vehicles that travelled on a fully covered track to protect against the frequent afternoon thunderstorms in central Florida. Rather than using Goodyear tires embedded in the track, the Magic Kingdom version of the PeopleMover utilized the above mentioned linear-induction technology.
Over the course of the last 43 years, the PeopleMover attraction has remained largely the same, although the narration (as discussed above) changed several times, as did the particular sights along the ride track due to the substantial turnover of attractions in Tomorrowland.
chapter seven
Space Mountain
While conceptualizing, our thoughts are unrestrained. Limitations only weigh on the wings of an idea as it soars wild and free on the updrafts of possibility. Creative freedom allows us to do anything imaginable, anything at all.
—The Imagineers, Walt Disney Imagineering, A Behind the Dreams Look at Making the Magic Real (1996), p. 25.
Space Mountain is a thrilling indoor roller coaster that takes guests on a whirlwind journey through the cosmos in almost complete darkness. As the founding member of Walt Disney World’s popular “Mountain Range,” Space Mountain officially opened in the Magic Kingdom on January 15, 1975 and remains one of the most popular attractions in the entire park. In fact, Space Mountain is so popular that the term “race to space” was coined to reference the mass rush of guests to Space Mountain when the Magic Kingdom first opens each morning.
Although thousands of guests experience this perennial “E” ticket attraction every day, many are unaware of the historical milestones and technological innovations associated with Space Mountain. Specifically, Space Mountain was the:
First indoor roller coaster
First roller coaster to take place in perpetual darkness
First roller coaster to be designed and operated through the use of computers
Disney Imagineer John Hench explained that the Space Mountain project was both daunting and ambitious:
The idea for this ride was Walt’s…Walt wanted to build a roller coaster-style ride, but in the dark, which no one had done before.
—John Hench, Designing Disney, Imagineering and the Art of the Show (2008), p. 12.
Walt envisioned a thrilling attraction that would completely immerse guests in a story about travelling through the farthest depths of space. Unfortunately, Walt’s vision for Space Mountain was far ahead of its time, and he would never see it realized. In fact, more than a decade’s worth of technological advancements would be needed to make Walt’s original vision for Space Mountain a reality.
Backstory
The Original Backstory:
A Look Into the Future of Space Travel
Space Mountain’s original backstory supported the overall theme of Tomorrowland in the 1970s- that of the future that was right around the corner. In its “1972 Annual Report,” Disney provided the following information about Space Mountain, which hinted at the attraction’s “real world” theming:
The Space Mountain: Inside this major “thrill” attraction in Tomorrowland, guests will board a series of space-shuttle rocket sleds for a simulated race through outer space. Presented by RCA, the ride will be completely light-controlled, located inside a dome-like structure 300-feet in diameter and 175-feet high. The Space Mountain will open to the public in 1974.
One year later, Disney provided more details about Space Mountain in connection with the massive construction work being performed on Tomorrowland as a whole in its “1973 Annual Report,” even referring to the attraction as a “space station”:
Dominating the area will be the 1973[sic]-foot high, RCA-sponsored “Space Mountain,” where guests will board their own “rockets” for a dizzying ride through “outer space.” Upon entering the circular “Space Mountain,” which is wider in diameter than a football field, visitors will feel the illusion that they are looking out from a space station. Then, during their “rocket” trip through the cosmos, guests will be “bombarded” with meteors, comets and whirling galaxies. The grand opening is scheduled for late 1974.
Disney finally provided an official backstory for the original version of Space Mountain in its “1974 Annual Report”:
Visitors enter the “Space Mountain” via a “Star Corridor”, where they may look through unique “windows in space” to see orbiting communications satellites at work in outer space. Upon their arrival at the “Launch Platform”, guests board eight-passenger space capsules for a breathtaking race through “outer space”, experiencing the simulated sensations of “pitch and yaw” and the “forces of G” in a spectacular return to earth. After disembarking, visitors are carried on a moving ramp past RCA’s “Home of Future Living”, where they will view a whole new world of electronic technology for the home.
Disney Imagineers explained how the original design of Space Mountain, which largely remains in place today, took its queue from the time period in which it was constructed (the 1970s):
Space Mountain captures the spirit of its era, when the exuberance of the race for space had taken hold around the world (literally and figuratively). It was a time of great imagination regarding what awaited us out there. Space Mountain offers up a playful vision of a time when a trip around the planet might be as casual and recreational as a typical Sunday drive.
—The Imagineers, The Imagineering Field Guide to the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, An Imagineer’s-Eye Tour (2005), p. 118.
An Intergalactic Starport
When Tomorrowland was completely re-themed in the mid-1990s, the backstory of Space Mountain needed a corresponding change. Rather than a realistic glimpse into the future of space travel, Space Mountain would now be themed as a fictional starport and intergalactic repair center. As a key component of the newly formed Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Space Mountain would provide a futuristic transportation option to humans, aliens, and robots alike. The original narration for the TTA, which has long-since been modified, provided the following advertisement for Space Mountain:
Now arriving at Space Mountain, Tomorrowland’s gateway to the galaxy…As you can see, Space Mountain makes ordinary space travel an adventure. Another fine transportation service provided by the Tomorrowland Transit Authority.
Disney Imagineer Tim Delaney described the significance of the attraction’s distinctive structure (which is discussed in detail below) in connection with Space Mountain’s evolving storyline:
The timelessness of the structure allows us to change our focus for the attraction. Originally, we were in a time fascinated by what the future might become; now, the focus is to create fantasy about the future.
—John Hench, Designing Disney, Imagineering and the Art of the Show (2008), p. 13.
The queue for the attraction now includes hundreds of storytelling props and details that help to support this backstory, including intergalactic arrival and departure boards, celestial maps, and even a “baggage claim” area for arriving travellers.
Storytelling Elements
The Queue
The Attraction Façade
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The anticipation for Space Mountain begins as soon as guests first see the attraction’s unmistakable building, a magnificent blue and white beacon that towers high above Tomorrowland. The structure is nothing short of a visual masterpiece. The statistics of Space Mountain are jaw-dropping:
The unique show building stands 183 feet tall.
It has a diameter of 300 feet, and a volume of 4,508,500 cubic feet. To put that massive size into proper perspective, the interior of Space Mountain is large enough to house an entire football field!
Space Mountain was constructed using more than 70 massive pre-stressed concrete beams resting on circular platforms. Each of those beams is 117 feet long, with a varying width of 13 feet at the bottom portion and 4 feet at the top portion.
Disney described the distinctive look of the exterior of Space Mountain as “a marvel of pre-stressed concrete and steel.”
The Imagineers provided the below description of the man principally responsible for the design of Space Mountain, and his thought process in that design:
A key contribution to the distinctive look of Space Mountain came from John Hench when he saw the first schematic drawings that called for concrete beams to hold up the roof structure. Typical construction techniques would call for those beams to be placed on the inside of the building, with the roof surface applied on the outside. John insisted that those beams be put on the outside, for two reasons: it allowed for a smooth surface on the inside onto which the star field and meteors could be clearly projected, and also created a bit of forced perspective on the exterior as the columns converged toward the top of the building, increasing the apparent height of the structure. This look, designed over thirty years ago, still works as an image of the future, as it falls well outside the norm of what we tend to see during our day-to-day lives.
—The Imagineers, The Imagineering Field Guide to the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, An Imagineer’s-Eye Tour (2005), p. 119.
John Hench started his career with Disney in 1939 as a sketch artist, and made contributions to many Disney films including Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941), The Three Caballeros (1944), and Peter Pan (1953). In 1954, Hench worked in the Disney studio’s live-action film department. His work on the 1954 film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea starring Kirk Douglas and James Mason, including the development of the hydraulic giant squid in that film, led to an Academy Award for Best Special Effects. Hench later transitioned to Imagineering, making substantial contributions to Disney parks across the world in the years that followed. Hench passed away on February 5, 2004, at the age of 95. At the time, Hench was still a full-time Disney employee, having recently celebrated his 65th year with the company.
Hench provided substantial details on the thought process behind the design and construction of the Space Mountain show building:
Space Mountain begged to be cone shaped; it wanted to echo the expanding spiral of the ride inside. The form housing the ride follows its movement, so that the center of the structure is naturally elevated, like the peak of a mountain being pushed up from the pressure from below. Although Space Mountain looks a bit like Japan’s Mount Fuji, the attraction was named for its mountainlike appearance and for the outer-space effects of the ride inside.
In the construction of the building, the engineers selected precast concrete and steel T beams for the main roof structure. They wanted the beams facing inside the building, but I wanted them facing outside, to provide a smooth surface in the interior on which we could project images. The distance between the T beams varies, from narrow at the top to wider at the bottom; on the cone-shaped roof, this gives an appropriately dynamic effect of forced perspective. The resulting exterior design is strong, simple, and visually effective.
—John Hench, Designing Disney, Imagineering and the Art of the Show (2008), p. 14.
Hench further explained how the Space Mountain façade helps to convey the actual story of the attraction:
Space Mountain has an abstract, contemporary form and tells its story architecturally. The ride is above all an experience of speed, enhanced by the controlled lighting and projected moving images. But it evokes such ideas as the mystery of outer space, the excitement of setting out on a journey, and the thrill of the unknown.
—Id.
Interior Queue
Once guests step inside the Space Mountain queue, they are immediately immersed in the backstory, with hundreds of storytelling props and details helping to support the theme of an intergalactic starport. As guests enter the building, they see a large illuminated marquee to the right-hand side of the walkway identifying the name of this particular starport:
Welcome Space Travellers
STARPORT
SEVEN-FIVE
Your Gateway to the Galaxies
“SEVEN-FIVE” is a nod to 1975, the year that Space Mountain first opened in the Magic Kingdom. Three smaller screens hang to the right of that large marquee. One of those screens is labeled “Active Earth Stations” and includes the following listing:
Tomorrowland Station MK-1
TL Space Station 77
Discovery Landing Station—Paris
Ashita Base—Tokyo
HK Spaceport E-TKT
Each of these “Earth Stations” represent Disney parks across the globe that include a Space Mountain attraction:
The “MK-1” reference is for the Magic Kingdom, the home of the very first Space Mountain attraction.
“TL Space Station 77” is Disneyland’s Space Mountain, which opened in 1977.
“Discovery Landing Station—Paris” is a reference to the Disneyland Paris version of Space Mountain, which was formerly known as “Discovery Mountain.” The attraction is currently called Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain. That park’s version of Tomorrowland is called “Discoveryland.”
“Ashita Base—Tokyo” is the Tokyo Disneyland version of Space Mountain. “Ashita” is Japanese for “tomorrow.”
“HK Spaceport” is the Hong Kong Disneyland version of Space Mountain. “E-TKT” is a funny reference to the fact that the attraction is an “E” ticket experience.
As guests venture further into the queue, they see a series of windows on the right-hand side of the walkway that provide a simulated view into outer space. Several illuminated intergalactic space maps hanging on the wall to the left-hand side of the walkway show many of the destinations that Space Mountain guests can travel to:
SOLARIS STATIONS—SECTOR 1
TITAN STATIONS—SECTOR 2
TRITON STATIONS—SECTOR 3. This particular star map includes a couple of hidden references. Fans of the 1989 Disney animated film The Little Mermaid will appreciate the “TRITON” reference, as well as the “ARIEL” station designated on the map. Another station is labeled as “Disney’s Hyperion Resort.” This is a nod to one of Disney’s first animation studios that was located at 2719 Hyperion Avenue in California.
OUTER SYSTEM—ICE DWARF SECTOR
Star System Superports
Galaxy Gates—Wormhole Ports
Nebula Warp Gates
In 2010, the interior queue received a substantial upgrade. Thanks to that renovation, guests can now play a series of video games on interactive boards and screens to the left-hand side of the queue. As a part of these interactive games, guests can now destroy asteroids in order to clear a flight path for their upcoming space voyage.
As guests approach the attraction boarding area, they will see an illuminated sign that reads “NOW BOARDING—INTERGALACTIC ROCKETS TO ALL STAR SYSTEMS.” Just ahead is a booth labeled “CONTROL TOWER.”
Before boarding, guests are divided into two groups for the “alpha” and “omega” tracks respectively. The alpha track is primarily used for stand-by guests, while the omega track is used for FastPass guests. The alpha and omega tracks are “almost” identical, with alpha having about 10 more feet of track.
As guests prepare to board the ride vehicles, a series of pre-flight instructions are displayed on a series of illuminated signs:<
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“Prepare to Board”
“Lower Gravity Bars”
“Secure Personal Cargo”
“Check Invisible Oxygen Dome”
“Initiating Launch Sequence”
“Engage Energy Transfer”
“Have a Pleasant Flight”
The Attraction
Guests travel in ride vehicles that are themed as open-air rocket ships on their 2½ minute journey through space. The attraction utilizes two separate ride tracks (the alpha and omega tracks referenced above) that zoom around each other inside the mountain. Most of the attraction takes place in complete darkness. John Hench explained the significance of darkness for the attraction as follows:
Just as Walt had wanted, we made most of the ride’s structure invisible to guests, thanks to pinpoint light projectors, which do not reveal forms. Being inside Space Mountain is like orbiting in space. The ride is full of surprises. Guests can’t see where or when the next turn or dive is.
—John Hench, Designing Disney, Imagineering and the Art of the Show (2008), p. 12.
Disney likewise described the exhilarating and discombobulating experience that is Space Mountain:
Because the rocket guideways in Space Mountain are virtually invisible during the race through space, passengers experience a sort of unanchored acceleration that seems to lift them beyond the pull of gravity. Zooming around horizontal curves and over soaring arcs, those brave enough to keep their eyes open encounter spiraling galaxies, shooting stars, meteor showers and other steller phenomena via an ingenious process of “illusioneering.” After minutes that to some space explorers seem like an eternity, rockets reenter the atmosphere and land with an other-worldly whoosh and blaze of flaming red.
—The Disney Company, Walt Disney World: The First Decade (1982), p 73.
Adventureland, Tomorrowland, and Fantasyland Page 18
