During a scene in the new Marvel film The Fantastic Four: First Steps, music played in the background is the song Nation on Wheels from the Disneyland PeopleMover.
Disneyland PeopleMover Reference in Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four: First Steps officially premiered in theaters on July 25, 2025. In a surprise reference to the Disney theme parks, early viewers have noted that the film includes a nod to Tomorrowland in Disneyland Park.
During a montage in an early scene of the film, the background music is the song Nation on Wheels by George Bruns. The song is included in official film playlists created on streaming services, as well as the film’s extended soundtrack list on pages such as IMDb. The song has occasionally been confused with the Monorail Song, though Nation on Wheels is considered an iconic piece of retro-futuristic music from early Disneyland.
Nation on Wheels was composed by Bruns in 1960 for a Disneyland TV special called A Gala Day in Disneyland, and it was also featured as part of the Magic Skyway attraction at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. When the PeopleMover opened at Disneyland Park in 1967, the song was used as background music that played during the ride. The Disneyland PeopleMover officially closed in 1995, though sections of the song played during the attraction had been altered prior to that year.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Disney has been preparing for the premiere of The Fantastic Four: First Steps with new apparel collections, specialty food and beverage options at theme parks around the world, and a new The Thing Sipper as well as a Mr. Fantastic Straw Clip.
Appropriately, given this new reference, Disneyland Park has announced a new limited-time meet and greet with all four members of the family and their robot assistant H.E.R.B.I.E. will be taking place in Tomorrowland. You can also get a virtual look at the Baxter Building, home of the Fantastic Four as seen in the movie, thanks to a new listing on Zillow.
What do you think of this Tomorrowland reference in The Fantastic Four: First Steps? Let us know in the comments and on social media.
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