A New Tomorrow

Disneyland’s long-awaited Tomorrowland revamp is set to begin Monday, when construction crews will begin transforming the former Carousel Theater into Innoventions, a hands-on technology expo that will be the centerpiece of the themed area, sources inside the park have confirmed.

But the king of plastic surgery won’t survive the Tomorrowland face-lift. “Captain Eo,” a 3-D film starring troubled pop star Michael Jackson, will be scrapped in favor of “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience,” a family comedy starring Rick Moranis.

Slated for completion in 1998, the New Tomorrowland will also feature a new thrill ride called the Rocket Sled. But park visitors should wave goodbye to the People Mover. The beloved but doddering electric tram that Walt Disney envisioned as the future of public transportation will be scrapped as part of the Tomorrowland redevelopment.

Full details of the New Tomorrowland reconstruction are to be revealed later this month. But Disneyland officials confirmed Thursday that the first phase of the rehab is set to begin next week at the shuttered Carousel Theater, which has been off-limits to the public and used as office space by the park’s Entertainment Division since 1989.

Disneyland spokesman Tom Brocato said park visitors shouldn’t notice many changes during the first stage of the Tomorrowland renovation.

“The lion’s share of the initial construction is all interior work,” Brocato said. “Guests aren’t going to be affected by a lot of dust or noise.”

The reconstruction will be done in phases through 1998. Although some areas of Tomorrowland will be closed off to the public as construction proceeds, the popular Star Tours and Space Mountain attractions will remain open for the duration.

Disneyland officials aren’t wasting much time in starting the project. The Entertainment Division is completing its move to the new Team Disney Anaheim administrative building this week, while construction crews are set to move into the Carousel space to begin work Monday.

*

Veteran park visitors may recall that the theater was fashioned like a turntable, which rotated the audience on a platform around a fixed stage. Former attractions at the Carousel included America Sings, a tribute to American music as sung by robotic animals, and the Carousel of Progress, which portrayed the evolution of technology.

In its place, Disneyland is constructing Innoventions, a high-tech trade expo similar to the one currently operating in Disney’s Epcot theme park in Orlando, Fla., according to sources inside Disneyland.

The Florida version features a 100,000-square-foot exhibit area, where companies such as AT&T;, General Motors, Apple, IBM and Motorola exhibit gee-whiz technology and futuristic gadgets that park visitors can try for themselves.

“The atmosphere is very lively, very hands-on,” said Epcot spokesman Craig Dezern.

Another Florida import will be “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience,” a 3-D comedy starring Moranis, which is currently showing at Epcot and features a moving floor under the audience.

The film will replace “Captain Eo,” whose star, Jackson, has become entangled in scandals unbefitting the Happiest Place on Earth. Jackson is embroiled in highly public divorce proceedings from estranged wife Lisa Marie Presley, has weathered allegations of child molesting and admitted addiction to prescription drugs since the G-rated “Captain Eo” opened in Disneyland in 1986.

Brocato declined to comment on Jackson’s personal life and plummeting popularity, couching the decision to scrap “Captain Eo” as a purely business decision on Disney’s part.

“We’re always looking to improve our attractions and see what’s popular and pulling audiences,” Brocato said. “The new film is a hit in Florida and we think it will be a good fit in California.”

Although New Tomorrowland will copy some futuristic attractions already operating in Disney parks in Florida and Europe, Disneyland officials insist it won’t be a mere clone of the others. The new Rocket Sled thrill ride appears to be an attempt to differentiate Anaheim from the other parks.

“We always like to create our own identity,” Brocato said. “There will be some attraction unique to our own park.”

Announced last year by Walt Disney Co. Chairman Michael Eisner, the Tomorrowland renovation will mark the first major overhaul of the future-themed area since 1967. Portions of Tomorrowland have gotten so dated that some visitors laughingly refer to it as Yesterdayland.

In addition to the official unveiling of Tomorrowland, Disney is soon expected to take the wraps off its long-awaited expansion plans for a new theme park, hotels and night-life district next door to Disneyland.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Tomorrowland’s Yesterdays

Tomorrowland has been a part of the Disneyland experience since the beginning, and has undergone many changes over the years. Here’s how it evolved:

1955: Disneyland opens with Tomorrowland as one of five themed areas.

1959: Vice President Richard Nixon dedicates monorail system, based in Tomorrowland.

1967: Revamped Tomorrowland opens with seven new attractions.

1975: Flight to the Moon attraction updated with the opening of Mission to Mars.

1977: Astronauts Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, Wally Schirra and Alan Shepard dedicate opening of Space Mountain.

1986: “Captain Eo,” a 3-D film attraction featuring pop singer Michael Jackson, debuts.

1987: Star Tours, an attraction designed by “Star Wars” director George Lucas, opens.

1994: Skyway to Fantasyland ride removed.

1996: Plans for refurbishment unveiled: “Captain Eo” to be removed and new attractions added, including Rocket Sled ride.

Past Glories

Some Tomorrowland attractions of yesteryear and the dates they were removed:

* Skyway to Fantasyland, 1994

* Flight Circle, 1966

* House of the Future, 1967

* Flying Saucers, 1966

Sources: Walt Disney Co.; “Mouse Tales: A Behind the Ears Look at Disneyland” by David Koenig; Times reports; Researched by JANICE L. JONES / Los Angeles Times