Disney May Tear Down Disneyland ‘People Mover’ Tracks Soon
Right now the abandoned People Mover feels like a grave. One of Walt’s grand ideas left to rot for a generation.
By kncipat on May 9, 2018
The People Mover was a staple or Walt Disney’s idea for EPCOT, or the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow that he wanted to build at Walt Disney World. It would, along with the monorails, be THE transportation inside of his planned city.
Walt tested many of his ideas (including the monorail) at Disneyland. The People Mover was no different. But, he never got to see it built. Walt passed away in 1966, and the People Mover opened with a new Tomorrowland the following year.
The attraction was replaced by the short lived Rocket Rods in 1998, which allegedly did irreparable damage to the track’s foundations, those foundations are attached to almost all of the Tomorrowland buildings.
Fast-forward to today and the People Mover still sits abandoned in plain view in Tomorrowland. Many people want the company to repair the attraction, and restore the People Mover to it’s former glory, others just want the damn tracks gone. It turns out, Disneyland management is in the latter camp. According to Matthew Gottula, a theme park blogger, those tracks may vanish sooner than you think, opening up the skies above Tomorrowland for the first time since the 60s.
You might want to get your Christmas photos with and bid adieu to the Peoplemover / Rocket Rods track above Tomorrowland. It has been abandoned for most of the 21st century. I'm told management wants it gone, and the budget for its removal could be in place as soon as this fall. pic.twitter.com/KnSjijXnmy
— Matthew Gottula 🏳️🌈 (@DLthings) April 16, 2018
Whatever they do…I hope they do it right. Right now the abandoned People Mover feels like a grave. One of Walt’s grand ideas left to rot for a generation. It’s time to fix this Disneyland, fix it right.
Lead Image: A Flickr Photo by Loren Javier
This article contains some facts, and some opinions. The opinions are those of Kory and Kory alone and do not necessarily represent the view of Mix 96, it’s employees, clients or parent company Bonneville International.