Adventure Thru Inner Space
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Adventure Thru Inner Space, presented by Monsanto, was an attraction in Disneyland's Tomorrowland. It was the first attraction to utilize Disney's Omnimover system.
Adventure Thru Inner Space opened on August 5, 1967 as part of the New Tomorrowland, and closed in 1985 to make way for Disney and George Lucas's new Star Tours attraction, which opened in early 1987. The attraction was narrated by Paul Frees, who also lent his voice to the Haunted Mansion attraction, another Omnimover attraction which is still open to this day.
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[edit] Synopsis
The attraction was designed to simulate shrinking to a size smaller than an atom (the "inner space"). As riders wait for their journey into the atom, they were able to see other riders entering one end of the Mighty Microscope. The other end of the Mighty Microscope had a glass tube in which miniaturized riders could be seen moving toward the end of the microscope. The end of the microscope was aimed at a panel beyond which snow could be seen falling.
Upon boarding their 'Atommobiles', riders are greeted by the voice of an unseen scientist (Paul Frees) who explains, "I am the first person to make this fabulous journey. Suspended in the timelessness of inner space are the thoughtwaves of my first impressions. They will be our only source of contact once you have passed beyond the limits of normal Mag-ni-fi-ca-tion."
The Atommobile enters the Mighty Microscope and begins to shake back and forth as the riders enter the darkness.
As their vision returns, the riders see giant snowflakes all around them, some still spinning as they fall. As they continue to shrink, the narrator says, "I am passing beyond the magnification limits of even the most powerful microscopes. These are snowflakes — and yet they seem to grow larger and larger. Or can I be shrinking — shrinking beyond the smallness of a tiny snowflake crystal? Indeed, I am becoming smaller and smaller!"
The snowflakes take on a crystalline form, eventually becoming large enough to cover the entire field of the riders' vision. Approaching the walls of ice crystals, the voice of the unseen scientist marvels, "These tiny bits of snowflake crystal tower above me — like an enormous wall of ice. Can I penetrate this gigantic prism? And yet, this wall of ice only seems smooth and solid. From this tiny viewpoint, I can see that nothing is solid, no matter how it appears." The ice crystals can be seen to be not solid but a lattice-like structure that the riders pass through.
"And still I continue to shrink! What compelling force draws me into this mysterious darkness -- can this be the threshold of inner space?"
Next we encounter a matrix of spheres appearing in columns and rows of infinite length. "What are these strange spheres?" asks the narrator. "Have I reached the universe of the molecule? Yes, these are water molecules — H2O. They vibrate in such an orderly pattern because this is water frozen into the solid state of matter."
As we continue to shrink, the molecules become larger, and take on a peculiar Mickey Mouse shape. "These fuzzy spheres must be the atoms that make up the molecule — two hydrogen atoms bonded to a single oxygen atom. And I see that it's the orbiting electrons that give the atom its fuzzy appearance. And still I continue to shrink."
The scientist wonders, "Is it possible that I can enter the atom itself?" As the atommobile enters the atom, a storm of lights flash past on all sides at impossible speeds. "Electrons are dashing about me — like so many fiery comets! Can I possibly survive?"
Suddenly the frenzy of the electrons passes, and the rider is in a large, empty space, surrounded in the distance by a sphere of slow-moving lights. "I have pierced the wall of the Oxygen atom," says the Narrator. "I am so infinitely small now that I can see millions of orbiting electrons. They appear like the Milky Way of our own solar system. This vast realm, THIS is the infinite universe within a tiny speck of snowflake crystal."
A large pulsating red ball can be seen inside the atom. "And there is the nucleus of the atom! Do I dare explore the vastness of ITS inner space? No, I dare not go on. I must return to the realm of the molecule, before I go on shrinking...forever!"
The riders begin the return journey to full size, but are soon greeted with the sight of water molecules swirling rapidly. At first the scientist is confused: "Ah, how strange! The molecules are so active now! They have become fluid — freed from their frozen state. That can only mean that the snowflake is melting!" Around us we see molecules moving faster as their temperature increases. The molecules are depicted in green and yellow, with occasional star-shaped flashes representing evaporation.
"Yes, the snowflake has melted," intones a scientist's voice (also (Paul Frees)), "But there is no cause for alarm. You are back on visual, and returning to your normal size." The riders can see evidence of the monitoring as they pass under a large microscope through which they can see the giant eye of a scientist.
Having returned to normal size, the riders disembark and pass by displays of Monsanto's advances in material science before exiting the attraction building.
[edit] Miracles from Molecules
Like many of the WED attractions of the 1960s including "It's A Small World", the Carousel of Progress and the Enchanted Tiki Room, Walt Disney assigned his staff songwriters, the Sherman Brothers, the task of writing an opening and closing song for the "Adventure Thru Inner Space" attraction. That song was Miracles from Molecules and bridged the ride message of adventure with the Monsanto company's mission statement.
Curt Kirkwood's rendition of the song. Recorded live at Lizard Lounge in Cambridge Massachusetts on 2nd November 2001.
[edit] History
When the ride opened, it was the first ride with an Omnimover system. It was a free attraction unlike most ticket attractions and was sponsored by Monsanto. In 1977, Monsanto ended their sponsorship for the attraction. All visual and audio references were removed, (except for the end line, "This is Monsanto") and the Mighty Microscope's Monsanto logo was replaced with a logo that says "The Mighty Microscope". The Monsanto posters advertising their products were replaced with Disneyland posters. All the items in the display area were taken away and the gift shop took over all the area of the old post show area. Finally, the Monsanto "Fountain of Fashion" that dripped oil down strings tightened to it, was replaced with a series of sculptures that looked like two plates put together with a snowflake on them. However the shape of the old fountain/oil lamp was reused in the new sculpture. It finally closed in 1985 to be replaced with Star Tours in 1987.
[edit] Injuries
- During a suspended sequence (most likely the Eye sequence), a guest exited his Omnimover vehicle and fell from the suspended ride area to the ground, breaking a leg.
[edit] External links
- Yesterland Inner Space page
- Adventure Thru Inner Space fan site, 3-D model of the ride
- Faux Trailer of an Adventure Thru Inner Space return
