More actions
| Watch the on-ride POV |
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| The ride alongside the old Tomorrowland Autopia track | |||||||||||||||||
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| Builder | WED Enterprises | ||||||||||||||||
| Designer / calculations | WED Enterprises | ||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 62 cars seating 16 guests each | ||||||||||||||||
| Propulsion | Friction wheel | ||||||||||||||||
| Speed | 7 mph | ||||||||||||||||
| Track length | 3,500 feet | ||||||||||||||||
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The PeopleMover, occasionally referred to as the WEDWay PeopleMover and the Goodyear Peoplemover, was a transportation attraction formerly located at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, USA. The ride took guests on a grand circle around Tomorrowland, giving unique views of all the attractions in the land. The term "people mover" was coined from this attraction. The name was originally a project name for the ride, but it stuck.[1] The ride closed on August 21, 1995 and was replaced with Rocket Rods.
History
The inspiration for the PeopleMover was originally started with an attraction that premiered at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair, with a ride known as the Ford Magic Skyway. The ride used special Friction wheels to guide the 170 mustang cars along the track. After the attraction had closed at the fair, a new idea arose. A similar attraction to debut alongside a new 1967 revamp for Disneyland's Tomorrowland was in development. The ride was conceived by Walt Disney as the "People Mover" - a highway in the sky that took no energy and was always free to ride.
When Disney approached Ford about sponsoring the ride shortly before opening, they declined, stating that the technology on the ride "appeared to replace the automobile".[2] After two years of construction, the WEDWay PeopleMover would open with the rest of new Tomorrowland on July 2, 1967. The ride was a success, and quickly became a favorite at the park for its relaxing nature and calming atmosphere. Throughout its life, almost nothing about it would go through serious remodeling, after Goodyear's sponsorship contract ended in 1981.[3]
On August 21, 1995, the PeopleMover was shut down permanently. Imagineers thought the ride was outdated and losing popularity, but it was also closed due to the efforts to cheapen park investment costs as a result of Paul Pressler's park leadership at the time. It was replaced with Rocket Rods a few years later, in 1998.[4] The track layout still exists, abandoned on the property.
References
- ↑ "The WEDway PeopleMover Story". web.archive.org. 2016-10-10. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ↑ "A Brief History of The WEDWay Peoplemover". web.archive.org. 2014-07-02. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ↑ "Yesterland: PeopleMover". yesterland.com. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ↑ "People for the Peoplemover |«—»| Be a Part of the Movement!". web.archive.org. 2011-09-03. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
