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February 10, 1994
The Kansas City Star
A Glimpse of Things to Come
"Futuristic creations are packing up and
heading for a revamped Tomorrowland." Page 2
of 2
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Well, not quite, says Disney. The New Tomorrowland, as the
park section will be called when it opens next year, is designed
to provide a 1990s idea of what the future might be. Bobby
Holcombe, a spokesman for Walt Disney World in Orlando, said
Disney wouldn't discuss the details of the work performed by the
Kansas City area companies. But he agreed to discuss the broader
goals of the park.
Tomorrowland is one of seven theme areas
within Disney's 107acre Magic Kingdom in Orlando. Since the Magic
Kingdom opened in 1971, the park hasn't been revamped extensively,
Holcombe said. In that time, Holcombe said, science has
transformed popular notions about the future. Buck Rogers
scenarios don't thrill the imagination as they once did. "The
Tomorrowland of 1971 and the Tomorrowland of 1994 are two
different things," Holcombe said. "Because of advances in science
and technology, our age has caught up with us. We need to stay a
step ahead." Holcombe declined to say how much Disney was spending
on the facelift. But Garnett, who said he saw the contracts signed
by the area companies, estimated their value at $10 million.
"Jobs like this come once in a decade," Garnett said. "The
fact that we are building this right here in Kansas City is quite
a feather in the cap of the community." Garnett said the area
companies built what will be a 30-foottall gateway for New
Tomorrowland. They also built a 60-foot tall "alien tower," three
biomes and a facade for an exhibit called the "Time Voyager." That
exhibit involves "Circlevision," a movie screen that forms a
circle around the viewer. Holcombe said the special-effects that
go with the movie would give the viewer the sensation of being
transported through time.
Maharg, who hasn't visited Disney World, still isn't tempted
to visit. But he expressed the same pride in the project that
Garnett did. "It's a good thing they're doing this here in
Gladstone," he said. |
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