Innoventions was a two-story exhibit in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, showcasing near-futuristic technologies from 1998 to 2015. Housed in the iconic Carousel Theater, it replaced America Sings and aimed to embody Walt Disney’s vision of innovation, though it later shifted to Marvel character meet-and-greets before closing to become Star Wars Launch Bay.
Here are 10 fun facts about Innoventions:
- New Tomorrowland Debut: Innoventions opened on July 3, 1998, as part of the “New Tomorrowland” overhaul, aiming to refresh the land’s retro-futuristic vibe with a focus on cutting-edge tech, inspired by Epcot’s Innoventions but tailored for Disneyland’s charm.
- Rotating Theater Legacy: Housed in the Carousel Theater, a round, two-story building with a rotating outer first floor (originally built for Carousel of Progress in 1967), Innoventions used this mechanism early on to shuttle guests between exhibit zones, though it later stopped rotating. The Technology Tree, a massive wire-and-tube sculpture in the building’s center, stretched across both floors, symbolizing innovation’s growth.
- Tom Morrow’s Welcome: Guests were greeted by Tom Morrow, an Audio-Animatronic voiced by Nathan Lane, the fictional mayor of Tomorrowland. He sang an updated “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” and cracked jokes, but was removed in 2012.
- Dream Home Highlight: The first floor featured the Innoventions Dream Home (2008–2015), a tech-savvy house sponsored by Microsoft, HP, and Taylor Morrison. It showcased gadgets like voice-activated cookbooks and Microsoft Surface tables, letting guests play with “future” home tech.
- ASIMO the Robot Star: A major draw was Honda’s ASIMO, a humanoid robot that walked, climbed stairs, and kicked soccer balls in 15-minute shows. Its theater paid homage to Epcot’s SMART 1 robot, thrilling tech nerds.
- Marvel Takeover: From 2013 to 2015, Innoventions pivoted to Marvel Cinematic Universe exhibits, including “Iron Man Tech Presented by Stark Industries” (suit up simulators), “Thor: Treasures of Asgard” (prop displays), and Captain America meet-and-greets, capitalizing on superhero hype.
- Interactive Play: The upper level offered hands-on exhibits like “Stitch’s Picture Phone,” where guests video-chatted with Stitch, and Xbox Kinect games, including Disneyland Adventures.
- Low Crowd Struggles: Despite its tech dazzle, Innoventions rarely drew big crowds, taking up prime Tomorrowland space. A 2012 TouringPlans blog noted its sparse attendance, with fans on Reddit griping it felt like “a corporate tradeshow.”
- Monsanto Nod: The ground floor revived the spirit of the 1957 Monsanto House of the Future with its Dream Home, echoing Walt’s vision of futuristic living. A colorful Tomorrowland mural outside featured nods to old attractions like the Moonliner.
- Closure for Star Wars: Innoventions closed on March 31, 2015, to become the Tomorrowland Expo Center, hosting Star Wars Launch Bay and Marvel’s “Super Hero HQ.”
