Tomorrowland opened along with the other original parks of Disneyland on July 17, 1955. Walt Disney built the park to showcase the technological advancements of the decade and designed it to project what scientists expected the year 1986 to be like. Budgetary issues caused the park to have more exhibits than rides at the time of its debut. The Monsanto House of the Future became a notable attraction at the theme park’s opening because it was constructed entirely out of plastic and filled with displays of “futuristic” items, such as speaker phones, microwaves, and electric toothbrushes. Other original attractions included 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, Rocket to the Moon, and Autopia.

The first major renovation occurred in 1967 and cost 23 million dollars. This renovation added attractions such as the Carousel of Progress, Adventure thru Inner Space, and Rocket Jets. Disney built Space Mountain in the early 1970s in an effort to compete with the ride-based theme park Six-Flags that had opened nearby. Astronauts John Glenn and Alan Shepard joined the first visitors who rode the new attraction.

In the 1980s Disney capitalized on the popularity of cultural icons like Michael Jackson and Star Wars and created two new attractions- Captain Eo and Star Tours. The designers of Captain Eo created a 3-D movie that combined special effects and performances by Michael Jackson and Angelica Houston, while Star Tours took guests on a flight simulation ride to the “moon of Endor.” Disney eventually closed Captain Eo and replaced it with Honey I Shrunk the Audience.

Since Disney intended the design of Tomorrowland to present the “world of tomorrow” the park must constantly have its rides updated. As time progresses attractions like Captain Eo and the Monsanto House of the Future lose their relevance and must be either removed or modified to better portray ideas of the future. Currently, Autopia and Astro Orbiter remain as the only original attractions of Tomorrowland.