Walt Disney Treasures: Tomorrowland - Disney In Space And Beyond

 

 

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The contents of these shows are very special - entertaining, educational, and important historically. The first 3 TV shows usually had a fun, animated story for the first half of the show with scientists in the second half giving scientific info on how future space flights might be possible, based on the facts known in the 1950s. All three TV shows were directed by animator/director Ward Kimball.

Man In Space (3/9/55) Walt Disney introduces the show and then turns over the program to director Ward Kimball. The animated story concerns the development of rockets, the action/reaction principle, Jules Verne writing his story "From The Earth To The Moon", a humorous depiction of the medical challenges to man surviving a space trip - such as acceleration, pressure, weightlessness, radiation, and eating/drinking. Later scientists Willy Ley, Heinz Haber, and Wernher von Braun help explain the challenges of space travel and what a space rocket would probably look like.

Man And The Moon (12/28/55) This show was later shown in 1959 as "Tomorrow The Moon". Walt Disney introduces the show and shows scenes from the Disneyland attraction "Rocket Ship To The Moon". Walt then turns the show over to director Ward Kimball. There is a fun animated segment about man's superstitions about the moon over the ages, including stories about trips to the moon and the creatures found there. Literary references to the moon and songs about the moon are shown. Scientist Wernher von Braun introduces how scientists were preparing for a flight to the moon at that time. There is a nice live action/special effects rocket ship flight that photographs the back side of the moon.

Mars And Beyond (12/4/57) This is my favorite of these TV shows. A giant robot GARCO introduces Walt Disney, who is standing next to the robot. Walt presents this mainly animated program about the universe, including the various planets - with special emphasis on Mars. An animated history of mankind's fascination with space is very well done. A fun science fiction story about a female being kidnapped by a robot from Mars includes a very funny scene of Donald Duck being shown as part of a long line of Martian monsters chasing the female. There is fascinating animation exploring wildly imaginative ideas of different lifeforms that might exist on Mars. This animation caused Walt Disney to exclaim to Ward Kimball, "How do you guys come up with all these crazy ideas?"

Our Friend The Atom (1/23/57) Walt Disney uses a scene from the film "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" to introduce the story of atomic energy and then turns the program over to Dr. Heinz Haber, a noted atomic energy scientist of that time. There is a fun animated tale of "The Fisherman and the Genie" included as part of extensive animation showing the history of the atom. This history of the atom also included another scene I much enjoy - how an early Greek theory of the atom was lost for centuries.

Eyes In Outer Space (6/18/59) This theatrical release is an entertaining live-action/animation program which is marvelously produced with several fascinating scenes about the future of satellite's ability to forecast and control the weather. There is a funny animated segment about how "folk tales" predict the weather. My favorite scene is the end of the show in which a high pressure ridge is intensified to keep a hurricane out to sea and away from land. This won the 1960 Thomas Edison Foundation Award. It was later shown on TV as part of the show "Spy In The Sky" (4/1/62).

EPCOT (filmed in 1966, shown in 1967) Walt Disney, in his last film appearance, talks about his company's plans for EPCOT and Walt Disney World. Fascinating and interesting info and very important historically.

I have seen these shows and have loved them over the years. I am thrilled that they are being released on DVD for anyone to enjoy.

It is great to see what Disney thought space travel would be like. It is funny now to watch a TV show about what it will be like to go in space 42 years after we walked on the moon. There is some good stuff in this collection.
This is for Disney fans, Space Fans, SciFi fans and all around fans of the what if.

I saw all these shows except "Eyes In Outer Space" & the EPCOT promotional film, when they were originally broadcast, when I was very young, and they began my education in science and astronomy. Seeing them again 50 years later is a blast. First off, they look GREAT! They are immensely interesting and very entertaining. The stuff they predict correctly is amazing. The first show basically lays out what became the space shuttle program very accurately. In "Mars & Beyond" it apparently didn't occur to them that we would send unmanned probes before sending men. They don't get the first moon trip right. No ships were built in space, and we went to the moon before building any space stations, and to go all the way to the moon and just come back after ONE orbit would have been idiotic. Needless to say, our first trip to the moon involved orbiting for a while. Of course, on the second trip, we landed.
But there's disturbing aspects to these shows also. First off, most of the scientists whom Walt has explain rocketry to us are NAZIS, like Werner Von Braun. They mention his developing of rockets, but omit that he did it for Hitler to use murdering people in England!. When a German scientist, in "Our Friend The Atom" asks what three wishes we should ask of atomic energy, and then says, "Our first wish is for POWER!" I was completely creeped out. We're supposed to just forget that these men had no compunctions about letting Hitler use their genius for mass murder. These guys weren't Mousekateers. They were war criminals who we took for our space programs. They apparently didn't care who they built weapons for. That's what we call whores. It was just ten years after World War II, and Disney was bringing these Nazis into our living rooms to teach our kids. Ew!
Speaking of "Our Friend The Atom", it's a huge commercial for atomic energy, designed to make us baby boomers all want a nuclear power plant in OUR neighborhoods. The atom isn't our friend! They imply that atomic energy COULD have been dangerous, but fortunately, we've tamed it and it hasn't been used to kill and is now not dangerous. Excuse me! Hiroshima and Nagasaki were already history. "Our Friend The Atom" was all about sending us on the inevitable path to Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. Very creepy.
Several of the historical segments make note of the 1000 year gap in scientific development, the Dark Ages, and let us know that this was a bad time of superstition and ignorance, but it never mentions how the Catholic Church deliberately created the Dark Ages, by ruthlessly repressing all learning, and burning you at the stake if you dared to think for yourself. Copernicus and Galilao's discoveries are cited several times, but no mention is made of their being forced to recant by the Vatican, or of any of Catholicism's other crimes against learning and science.
Similarly, "Eyes In Outer Space" suggests that satilites would just be used for weather control. Any more sinister uses, like spying or weaponry, are never even hinted at.
I am amused by the reviewers who think it's a shame that Walt's ideas for EPCOT were never realized, and who wish they could live in Walt's supercity. Actually live in a city owned and RULED by Disney? No thanks.
But this set of programs are fascinating artifacts from my youth. I enjoyed them tremendously.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Some of the Greatest Animation Ever Created, etc.
To say the least, this collection features some of the greatest animation ever produced for television, if not ever. Mind blowing, wildly inventive, and overwhelming. Read more

Published on Jun 28 2004 by tashcrash

5.0 out of 5 stars Immeasurably entertaining
Well, I came along too late to have seen these programs on t.v. in the fifties. But I can't imagine I would have enjoyed them anymore than I did today! Read more

Published on Jun 22 2004 by A. Gammill

5.0 out of 5 stars Tomorrow's Treasures
For those who loved the books "The Art of Chestley Bonestell", "Visions of Spaceflight", and "Imagining Space", this DVD set is a must have for the... Read more

Published on Jun 1 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars EPCOT segment worth the price of admission
I can't believe how great the EPCOT segment is. This is totally worth the cost of the collection.

To see the original concept for EPCOT totally blew me away (there's lots of... Read more

Published on May 31 2004 by Kevin Crossman

5.0 out of 5 stars Lost Treasures - Found
Disney completists, 1950s cultural collectors, animation fans, history buffs and sci/fi fans will be overjoyed with this set. Read more

Published on May 31 2004 by Bruce Aguilar

5.0 out of 5 stars A total joy. A must-have for all Baby Boomers.
This package was originally scheduled for release last December. I drooled in anticipation of buying it, and then was disheartened to see its release had been pushed back six... Read more

Published on May 22 2004 by H. Laser

2.0 out of 5 stars just viewed
I was a little disappointed. compared to the other disney treasures this dvd was not what i expected. Read more

Published on May 20 2004 by M. E. Morra

5.0 out of 5 stars The first treasure I have watched, and it didn't disappoint!
Tomorrowland was one of the Treasures out of wave 3 I was looking forward to the most. This was not because I loved the content but rather I had never even seen any of the... Read more

Published on May 19 2004 by J. A Hayes

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