Disneyland's Tomorrowland Original Artwork

Here is the artwork topic of this week, and it's a special Disneyland's Tomorrowland artwork. The renderings below were done by great WDI artists such as Herb Ryman, John Hench, Dale Hennesy and more. As usual don't forget to click on each image to enjoy them in big size!

Walt Disney was fascinated by the future. Tomorrowland is an optimistic salute to "what's in store", a world where "tomorrow is just a dream away". Below, a 1954 Herb Ryman concept drawing with a painting by Collin Campbell of Tomorrowland Entrance.



This 1953 concept for Tomorrowland by Dale Hennesy included a monorail, an attraction which, as we know, did not become a part of Disneyland until the technology became available at the end of the 50's.



Another concept for Tomorrowland entrance - probably by Herb Ryman. The waterfalls evolved into pylons as designers searched for ways to create a visual language of the future. Note the boat which looks like a Jungle Cruise boat...



Next is a great watercolor of a Space Mountain early concept by John Hench, 1965. Detail from this painting at the top.



Always in 1965, John Hench proposed a futuristic adventure called "Saturn" that catapulted guests through the rings of Saturn to a space station.



Let's end with this great painting of Space Mountain at night by John Hench, a real master.



Talking about John Hench, i'd like to let you know that his great book "Designing Disney" is now available in soft cover, now at a very affordable price - only $13.57
! This 160 pages book is fantastic, each page with plenty of John Hench's paintings, and you can order it if you wish through the Disney and more Amazon store HERE



Artwork: copyright Disney Enterprises Inc

Disney could start building Shanghai Disneyland in November

The latest news about Shanghai Disneyland released today says - if it's a real one - that "Disney could start building Shanghai Disneyland as early as November". The date is interesting as i always thought that Shanghai will wait for the end of the World's Fair - currently happening in Shanghai - to make a new announcement about the future park. Of course it's also good news as it means that a final concept for the park has been approved......and that renderings will be released which is what we're all waiting for, isn't it?

So, let's quietly wait for November and in the meantime here is the full news, of course not officially confirmed by Disney, but that's not a surprise:

"Disney could start building its planned theme park in Shanghai as early as November, a year after Chinese authorities gave the green light for the project, a report said Tuesday.
"Talks on the Disney project are in the final stages and the construction is expected to start as early as November," the China Business News reported, citing an unnamed source.
The park would be Disney's fourth outside the United States and its third in Asia, after Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong -- the last to open in 2005.
All major construction in Shanghai has been suspended until after the World Expo ends on October 31 as part of efforts to improve the city's air quality during the six-month event.
The Shanghai government announced its long-awaited approval for the project in November last year after authorities in Beijing approved Disney's application.
Neither side disclosed any figures or gave a timeframe for the project, but previous reports have said the US entertainment giant will invest 3.6 billion dollars in the 10-square-kilometre (four-square-mile) park.
When asked about the report, Disney said it looked forward to being able to announce a final deal and a timeline for opening in the future."