WED Enterprises: A Creative Playground for Artists and Engineers
WED Enterprises, located in Glendale, CA, was Walt Disney's amusement park design firm. It served as a creative playground for artists and engineers who were directed, instructed, and mentored by Walt Disney himself. These talented individuals, known as imagineers, included Herb Ryman, Xavier Atencio, Yale Gracey, Claude Coats, Bob Gurr, John Hench, and George McGinnis.
While Walt's reputation within his animation studio was mixed, the imagineers loved working for him. Walt instilled in them his philosophies of entertainment and storytelling, emphasizing the creation of experiences and stories rather than just rides. Under Walt's guidance, the imagineers became a close-knit family, developing groundbreaking attractions and forming strong friendships.
However, in 1966, after Walt's passing, the imagineers faced their true test. Prior to this, in January 1965, executives from the Monsanto Chemical Company visited Disneyland Park to view their exhibits in the Tomorrowland area. One of the visitors was Dr. Charles Allen Thomas, Monsanto's chairman and a close friend of Walt.
After attending the 1964 World's Fair, where they saw the latest in attraction technology and speculative futures, Dr. Thomas and his associates found Monsanto's Tomorrowland exhibits outdated. Walt and the imagineers had also participated in the fair, creating popular attractions. Following the fair, Walt focused on the Florida project and EPCOT, but he greenlit several projects for WED Enterprises, including a pirate-themed boat ride and a haunted house attraction.
The Tomorrowland Renovation: Creating the World on the Move
The largest post-fair project was a complete refresh of Disneyland's Tomorrowland area, which had not evolved significantly since the park's opening in 1955. Walt had always been dissatisfied with Tomorrowland, as it relied heavily on corporate sponsors and contained outdated attractions.
The renovation aimed to engage in actual speculation of the future, with a particular focus on transportation. The main avenue of Tomorrowland would undergo a complete overhaul, with attractions such as Rocket to the Moon being rebuilt and renamed to Flight to the Moon. The circarama 360 film, America the Beautiful, would be replaced by the Circlevision 360 film of the same name.
The renovation also involved the addition of the Tomorrowland Terrace restaurant, the Rocket Jets attraction, and the PeopleMover transportation attraction. The Carousel of Progress, previously showcased at the 1964 fair, would be relocated to Disneyland, and the Flying Saucers attraction would be replaced with a new Tomorrowland stage.
Monsanto, a sponsor of Tomorrowland, would close their attractions in preparation for a new ride. Disney resurrected the concept of a Tomorrowland pavilion named Adventures in Science or Science Land. One of the proposed attractions, called Microworld, would allow guests to explore the inside of a drop of water. Initially, there was a disagreement between Disney and Monsanto regarding the molecule through which guests would travel. Disney wanted it to be water, while Monsanto preferred a manmade polymer. Ultimately, water was chosen.
The imagineers refined the Microworld concept, transforming it into a visually interesting ride through a snowflake. The ride vehicles were redesigned to resemble snowflakes rather than protozoa. This decision proved to be the right one, considering the changing public opinion towards manmade chemicals.
An entirely new ride system was developed for the new attraction, thanks to the unique ride systems featured at the 1964 New York World's Fair. The fair showcased various attractions with innovative ride systems, such as GM's Futurama and the Bell System pavilion. These attractions impressed Walt Disney and his team, who wanted to create a ride that utilized moving vehicles or a moving sidewalk.
During a brainstorming meeting, Imagineers Bob Gurr and John Hench came up with the idea of placing guests on a rotating vehicle that could move along the ride track. They demonstrated the concept using a toy apple, and this idea was passed along to Imagineers Roger E. Broggie and Bert Brundage, who designed the ride system called the "omnimover." The omnimover used for the new attraction, called the "atomobiles," featured a large blue shell that surrounded guests and restricted their view to only what the Imagineers wanted them to see.
In addition to the innovative ride system, the attraction also incorporated a visual effect proposed by Imagineer X. Atencio. This effect gave guests the sensation of being reduced to the size of an atom and was showcased through a giant microscope. George McGinnis, a new hire at WED Enterprises, contributed to the design of the microscope after sketching his own concepts on a napkin.
The attraction, named "Adventures Thru Inner Space," featured a ceramic mural on its exterior, created by artist Mary Blair. The renovation of Tomorrowland and the construction of Adventures Thru Inner Space continued after Walt Disney's passing, with Paul Frees recruited as the narrator and Buddy Baker composing the unique musical score.
The attraction officially opened on August 5, 1967, and guests could experience a six-minute journey unlike any other. Adventures Thru Inner Space had an elaborate queue and preshow, and it was one of the few attractions in Disneyland that required no additional ticket to ride, thanks to the Monsanto sponsorship.
