Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover

“Paging Mr. Morrow, Mr. Tom Morrow…”

Found in the middle of Tomorrowland in Rocket Tower Plaza, the PeopleMover is another of Walt Disney’s progressive projects originally created for the 1964–1965 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York. The concept stemmed from the desire to devise a new method of city transit that could accommodate passengers as they traveled to their destinations, whether within the confines of a metropolitan area or even commuting from the then-new burgeoning suburbs surround the city centers.

The Magic Kingdom’s version of the attraction has you boarding magnetic levitation (maglev) vehicles which, through a series of linear induction motors (LIMs), are propelled through a fairly long and relaxing course throughout Tomorrowland. Not only is there plenty of scenery to take in, the PeopleMover allows you access to two very special views that no other attraction provides. 

First, after entering the north building, you will see a large portion of the model that was used in the design for the never-realized Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (not to be confused with the theme park, EPCOT) – a fully-fledged cityscape that Walt hoped would lead residential and commercial districts into the future where technologies and innovations merged to form a new symbiosis of comfortable living that benefitted all who were involved. Political and economical fallbacks aside, Walt envisioned a type of metropolitan utopia with the capability of understanding new problems and solving them with ever-evolving solutions from different sectors. Even if you don’t care for such a Pollyanna-esque outlook, the model is sure cool to look at.

The second highlight of your trip is entering the building housing Space Mountain where you can catch a glimpse of the roller coaster and queue area in full swing, but for those who are truly lucky, there’s a chance you can see the internal structure and layout of Space Mountain’s tracks if the ride is temporarily shut down and the work lights illuminated. (The view also provides the opportunity to see just how long the queue is at that moment; a moment that could change your mind on what attraction you will head to after your tour is over.)

The remainder of the track breezes back into the plaza area, zips by Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, then enters another show building where you can peek at the guests experiencing Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, before passing the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor zone and returning to the point where you started.

Behind the Schemes: 

The use of LIMs was groundbreaking and continues to be a viable option for transportation; however, it seems the idea of using this technology on a grander scale – at least in the United States – has fallen by the wayside. You are more likely to experience this innovation in smaller areas, such as downtown areas or airports. There is one commercially produced WED Transportation Systems version of this technology known to exist, in Houston Intercontinental Airport.

The PeopleMover has had numerous name changes, varying from the original Wedway PeopleMover to the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, followed by the even wordier Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover. In the end, brevity emerged victorious and the world (World?) is all the better for it.

The attraction’s safety spiel is given by actress B.J. Ward who is the stepmother of actress Helen Hunt. The narrator of the PeopleMover is a mysterious figure known as ORAC-5 (whereabouts unknown).

Reality Check:

The PeopleMover seems to be the only attraction in the Magic Kingdom that has no accessibility to those in wheelchairs and ECVs. This is due to the lack of an elevator to transport guests to the loading platform. Nonetheless, this is an odd irony considering the name of the attraction itself.