The roots of Disneyland revealed from the “Tomorrowland” exposition (Part 2)

Verne: Founders of Plus Ultra

In the film, Eiffel, Edison, Verne, Tesla and others are described as "the founders of Plus Ultra." It is a historical fact that Edison visited Eiffel, who lived here, and a wax figure is actually installed inside the Eiffel Tower. However, Tesla and Verne are fictional.

In fact, Verne also had a deep connection with world's fairs, and visited the "Second Paris World's Fair" held in 1867. A model of a French naval submarine called the Plongeur was exhibited at this fair, and Verne was directly inspired by it to publish his novel " Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea " three years later.

Incidentally, " Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea " was made into a film by Disney titled " Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea " (54), and some of the sets constructed for this film were reused as the "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" attraction in the Tomorrowland area of ​​Disneyland (now Disneyland Park), which opened in 1955.

And Verne's biggest hit, " A Trip to the Moon ," also influenced the attraction " A Trip to the Moon " at the Pan-American Exposition held in Buffalo, New York in 1901. This was the world's first simulation ride and the ancestor of the current "Star Tours: The Adventures Continue." However, the design of "A Trip to the Moon" was more like a "flying ship," which was quite different from the shell-type spaceship that Verne had invented.

"Tomorrowland" (c)Photofest / Getty Images

The "Spectacle" was depicted as a classic rocket, not a bullet, but still, it was clear that the fact that it went so close to the moon was a homage to " A Trip to the Moon ."

PLUS ULTRA FOUNDERS: TESLA

The other Tesla developed a two-phase AC generator with Westinghouse, which was used at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. The AC power transmission was famous for the current war with Edison, who supported DC (mentioned briefly in the film), and has been the subject of films such as " Edison's The Game " (17) and " Tesla: The Genius Who Edison Feared " (20).

Tesla also had the idea of ​​a wireless power transmission system that would deliver electricity to anywhere on Earth, and actually built the Wardenclyffe Tower on Long Island, New York, to conduct experiments. However, Tesla is often spoken of as a mad scientist, talking about the fantastic ideas of earthquake weapons and spirit communication devices (*1). So the basis for Plus Ultra was probably, "What if this spirit communication device had been successful?"

*1 In fact, Edison was also researching spirit communication devices. Also, there are few things that Edison didn't actually invent, such as the light bulb and the movie projector (the light bulb was an improvement on the filament, and the movie projector was purchased from someone else). In the movie business, he made money by pirating Georges Méliès's films, so it can be said that Edison was a much more dangerous person in terms of his personality.