Mouse Extra

WDW News Today had a rumor yesterday that seems to go a bit contrary to many assumptions expressed in recent years.  (Why they are working on St. Patty’s Day is beyond me!!)  It concerns the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway and what may become of it in the not so distant future.

…Sources have been telling me that before Walt Disney World celebrates it’s 40th Anniversary in 2011, the attraction will undergo a huge refurbishment to add electric cars and new scenery. To quote our source:

“The idea behind this refurbishment would be to make our speedway similar to the Autopia attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland, while also including scenery that tells the story of our Tomorrowland.” (ex. Stitch, Wall-E, Buzz Lightyear, and Monsters Inc. character and theming references)

This is one of those attraction that you can just tell from looking at it that it is due for a fairly expansive refurbishment.  Considering the impact Pixar has had on the parks in recent years, many people just assumed that the film “Cars” would be somehow involved in the future of the Speedway.  It made perfectly good sense to me.  We added Buzz Lightyear and then “Monsters Inc.”, so why not add Cars?

Well, I can’t say for sure, but it seems to me that the answer lies in the film itself.  Both “Monsters Inc.” and the Buzz Lightyear character have a futuristic feel to them, if only somewhat loosely.  “Cars” has no such feel whatsoever.  Imagineers would really have to stretch their imaginations to sell that one on the public.