Disneyland's Tomorrowland is finally getting its tomorrow

Tomorrow has finally arrived.

On Saturday night during the Disney Experiences Showcase at D23 Expo, Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum officially confirmed that Disneyland’s Tomorrowland is getting a long-awaited reimagining.

The Tomorrowland overhaul was one of the biggest Disneyland announcements to come out of D23, even if Disney isn’t quite ready to reveal exactly what the reimagined land will include.

During a media briefing last week, Disneyland Resort President Jill Estorino and Emily “Emo” O’Brien, portfolio executive creative producer for Disneyland Resort, shared details about the Tomorrowland reimagining, including Disney’s vision for the land and how it fits into the resort’s broader development timeline.

With the announcement, Disney has also laid out where the project now falls in the sequence of major Disneyland Resort projects, and that sequence gives us a much better idea of the company’s priorities over the next several years.

Disney says Avengers Campus will be “first out of the gate,” followed by the new Coco attraction at Disney California Adventure. After that comes the transformation of Tomorrowland, followed by the Avatar destination planned for the Hollywood Backlot area of Disney California Adventure.

The order is notable because it shows that Tomorrowland has been prioritized. While Avatar fans may be disappointed to see that project pushed further down the list, Disney says the shift reflects a desire to listen to fans and finally give Tomorrowland the attention it has needed for years.

Estorino didn’t shy away from acknowledging the criticism Tomorrowland has received over the years. In fact, she brought some of that criticism directly into the conversation and quoted some of the feedback she’s read online and in news articles.

“I also have seen some constructive criticism, I would say, and it’s all true, and it’s very valuable,” said Estorino.

Estorino read several examples of criticism about Tomorrowland, including comments that “at this point, there’s very little tomorrow in Tomorrowland” and that the classic land “generally feels a bit tired.” She even called out a joke about one of Tomorrowland’s longstanding construction walls soon being old enough to legally drink.

Estorino also acknowledged that Disney California Adventure has received a significant amount of attention over the years, including the massive overhaul of the park that she worked on during an earlier stint at Disneyland Resort. She argued that investment was necessary and has helped DCA reach a very different place today.

“DCA has had a lot of attention and a lot of focus, and rightfully so. We needed to,” said Estorino. “It has become a world-class theme park. I’m so happy to say that, and it’s really standing on its own.”

At the same time, work is moving forward elsewhere around Disneyland Resort, including the new parking structure and eastern arrival experience.

“The work is already underway on our new parking structure, as well as our new entryway. So, a lot going on,” said Estorino.

Disneyland says enabling work in the esplanade will begin this week in preparation for the new arrival experience. An official groundbreaking ceremony for the new parking structure is expected to happen next week.

So, as things stand now, the order looks something like this: Avengers Campus first, Coco next, Tomorrowland after that and Avatar later, with the parking and arrival projects progressing alongside that larger slate.

Disney is still very early in the design and creative process, but Estorino and Walt Disney Imagineering offered some important details about what they’re trying to accomplish with the project. For Disney, the starting point for the Tomorrowland project is Walt Disney’s original vision for the land.

“We’re going to start and have started with Walt’s original version of Tomorrowland. That’s going to be our guidepost and our North Star.”
— Jill Estorino, president of Disneyland Resort

Emily “Emo” O’Brien, the Imagineer leading the project, expanded on what that means. The team went back to Walt’s own words about Tomorrowland and specifically focused on the optimism that was at the heart of his vision for the future.

“We really looked back to Walt’s opening-day speech that he gave, and we were inspired by his vision of Tomorrowland being a vista into a world of wondrous ideas. And we really garnered the sense of optimism that was at the core of everything that he was thinking about in Tomorrowland. And so we’re using that as our basis to go forward.”
— Emily “Emo” O’Brien, portfolio executive creative producer for Disneyland Resort

That doesn’t mean Imagineers intend to simply recreate or preserve the Tomorrowland Walt built in 1955. A land devoted to the future has to evolve, and O’Brien said the challenge is finding a way to do that while keeping its heritage at the center.

“We want to keep the heritage and the responsibility of honoring that legacy at the center, but we have to evolve it for our new generations, current and future to come. So that is kind of our guidepost, as Jill said.”
— Emily “Emo” O’Brien, portfolio executive creative producer for Disneyland Resort

Disney also confirmed the land will have new attractions, open spaces and more.

“What we will see here are new attractions, for sure. We will have new open spaces, places for guests to really experience together and dream about that optimistic future that was so important to Walt and to us as well.”
— Emily “Emo” O’Brien, portfolio executive creative producer for Disneyland Resort

Disney isn’t sharing attraction names, concept art or a detailed list of what stays and what goes just yet.

O’Brien also pointed to her recent work at Tokyo Disney Resort, including Fantasy Springs, while discussing the storytelling approach she and the Imagineering team bring to projects like Tomorrowland. She highlighted the depth of storytelling and attention to detail on those projects as part of the approach Imagineering brings to new projects.

“So, you know, that was a wonderful experience, and you all are probably familiar with the level of storytelling that we really like to dive into, providing that detail, really thinking through everything that we do in a way that really immerses everyone in those stories.”
— Emily “Emo” O’Brien, portfolio executive creative producer for Disneyland Resort

For O’Brien, that storytelling ultimately comes back to creating an emotional connection between guests and the places Imagineers build.

“And what’s really important to that is that we provide a place for all of you, all of our guests and our cast to have emotional experiences. That emotional experience is really kind of our connection to the storytelling that really levels it up.”
— Emily “Emo” O’Brien, portfolio executive creative producer for Disneyland Resort

There’s also a very personal layer to the Tomorrowland project for O’Brien. She started her Imagineering career nearly 30 years ago, working on projects that included Tokyo DisneySea and Disney California Adventure before either had opened. Now she finds herself helping lead the reimagining of one of the most historically significant areas in any Disney park — the only Tomorrowland Walt Disney himself envisioned, designed and experienced.

“I understand kind of the gravitas and the responsibility that I have with our teams to guide us through this journey of reimagining the only Tomorrowland that Walt actually envisioned, designed and walked in.”
— Emily “Emo” O’Brien, portfolio executive creative producer for Disneyland Resort

For Tomorrowland specifically, we still have far more questions than answers.

What happens to Space Mountain? Star Tours? Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters? Autopia? The Monorail? The submarines? What exactly does an optimistic vision of the future look like at Disneyland?

Disney isn’t answering those questions yet. But after years of waiting, Tomorrowland’s tomorrow is finally on the way.