Guests celebrating Disneyland’s 40th anniversary back in the summer of 1995 may have been too distracted by all the party hats, Matterhorn serenades, and the Time “Castle” to have noticed a quiet closure that took place the next month. On Monday, August 21, Tomorrowland’s PeopleMover attraction was permanently closed.
Opened as part of the new Tomorrowland of 1967, the attraction had run faithfully for 28 years. Although it required a “D” ticket, it was never considered a major attraction. But for many guests, it’s loss is felt to this day.
The PeopleMover track has been a major visual element at the entrance of Tomorrowland since its opening. The continuously moving strings of four cars were the first hint of the “world on the move” that lay ahead.
As nifty as it appeared from the ground, the views from aboard the cars were even better. The leisurely sixteen-minute trip through Tomorrowland and out among the winding tracks of the Monorail and the Autopia is fondly remembered. This image was taken in a car headed back to the loading platform, as another set of cars (on the right) was starting on its journey.
That boarding platform for the PeopleMover was the literal centerpiece of the 1967 Tomorrowland. It occupied the second floor of a three-story structure, with a new Rocket Jets attraction above and an outdoor food vending location below. Up until 1990, the cars were painted in bright, solid colors.
Access to the second level was via an outdoor speed ramp. Running directly under the track that ran due west from the platform, the ramp deposited guests into the center of the platform.
The boarding platform was a continuously revolving ring that was synchronized to move at the same speed as the arriving cars. Doors opened automatically, and the sunroof raised to admit guests. Cars continued clockwise until they separated into color-coordinated groups of four. (Do not stop to point out the overhead monitors.)
Cars moving away from the platform picked up speed as they traveled under the slowly revolving sign. Ahead lay a rooftop view of Tomorrowland.
By the time the attraction was scheduled to close, the cars had been given a more contemporary livery. All cars were now predominantly white, with a stripe of color to denote different groups of four.
Cars to the north (on the right of the straight track section in this image) were finishing their journey. Cars to the north were headed toward the entrance of Tomorrowland and a sharp turn to the left.
These guests have completed their turn and are headed down a gentle slope that will take them through the boarding terminal of Star Tours. Behind them, you can see the striped umbrellas on the patio tables of the Plaza Inn.
After a glimpse of the Star Tours boarding terminal, guests were next treated to a preview of the Premiere Shop, and a look at the intergalactic spacecraft rushing through Space Mountain. They emerged above the shuttered Mission to Mars attraction and prepared to make their way into the Game Grid of TRON. This enhancement had been added to the back of the Carousel Theater and christened the “Super Speed Tunnel.” When TRON opened in 1982, it was rethemed, and somehow, it remained that way until 1995, long after TRON had disappeared from theaters.
Leaving the Game Grid of TRON (with a stern warning from the Master Computer Program), PeopleMover cars made their way up to the highest point in the track. This section carried them over the Tomorrowland Skyway station, with gondolas launching just below. The descent that followed carried the cars into the wooded area where three other attractions intertwined: the Submarines (below ground), the Autopia (at ground level), and the Monorail (the highway in the sky).
Look closely to the left of the Monorail station, and you will see a set of PeopleMover cars on a sloped section of track. They are about to make a right-hand turn and continue on to the track that parallels the station to the right. This will carry them into the CircleVision building, where passengers will be able to look down into the lobby holding area for the attraction.
As the cars departed Circlevision, the track took a sharp left-hand turn, sending the cars into their final lap home. This straight section of track afforded great views of the Mary Blair murals depicting the children of the world, reminding us that children are the future.
(Sharp-eyed readers will note the “exit” sign painted on the ground in the lower left corner. This was at the base of the speed ramp carrying guests back into Tomorrowland.)
And here we are, about to make that final jog to the left that lines up all the cars around that continuously moving turntable. Be sure to step forward and to your right to exit the attraction!
This was the forlorn sight that greeted guests the week the PeopleMover closed. The second-level boarding platform looks very bereft without its complement of cars, making their continuous circuit around the outside of the turntable.
And, of course, the entrance lost an important kinetic element as well. What would the future hold for that lengthy track? We certainly had no idea after the PeopleMover was closed, thirty years ago at Disneyland.
