6 Disneyland Easter Eggs We Spotted In Tomorrowland

Though it takes its name from the famed future-focused corner of Disneyland, Brad Bird’s new Disney movie Tomorrowland (in theaters now) isn’t set in the Happiest Place on Earth. The sci-fi adventure, about a girl named Casey (Britt Robertson) who drags a bitter inventor (George Clooney) back to an abandoned land of possibility, is partly inspired by Walt Disney’s avid interest in technology and science, but it’s only tangentially connected to the theme park. Still, the film is filled with nods to Disney attractions. Here’s a list of the references that we caught. (Warning: Minor spoilers to follow)

It’s a Small World

We’ll begin with perhaps the most obvious Disney tie-in: The film opens at the 1964 World’s Fair in Flushing, New York, where Walt Disney was responsible for several major exhibits. Here, young Frank — the wide-eyed boy who will eventually become the inventor played by Clooney — drags around a homemade jetpack that he wants to enter into some sort of contest. He’s told by a young girl to follow her onto a brand new ride, which turns out to be It’s a Small World, the UNICEF-approved celebration of diversity, that features mechanical, multinational children singing the ultimate earworm of a song. Disney actually did premiere the ride, which was sponsored by Pepsi, at that World’s Fair, before having it moved to Disneyland.

Carousel of Progress

Frank’s arrival at the World’s Fair is soundtracked by a chorus of happy people singing, “It’s a great big beautiful tomorrow.” It’s part of the song that is sung throughout the classic Carousel of Progress ride, which also debuted at the World’s Fair (see the video above). The ride tracks the everyday lives of one quintessential American family as they enjoy the technological advances of the 20th century (it has required many updates) It was one of Walt Disney’s pet projects and allegedly one of his favorite rides. In fact, Bird told an interviewer that at one point, the film whisked little Frank through that animatronic-filled vision of the future; while that got cut, the music from the ride still makes a cameo appearance.

Related: New ‘Tomorrowland’ Trailer Puts George Clooney in Action

Animatronics

Speaking of animatronics, there are plenty of them in Tomorrowland, both in the form of intelligent, human-like robots, and the more traditional moving mannequins. The technology for the latter was actually developed by Walt Disney’s Imagineers (engineers who worked at the theme parks), and used in the famed Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln show that debuted — you guessed it — at the 1964 World’s Fair. The attraction later moved to Disneyland. In Tomorrowland, the most obviously callback to the Lincoln animatronic figure can be seen when Frank and Casey stop briefly in Paris and see what look to be animatronics of Thomas Edison and Jules Verne (whose 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was the basis of a Disneyland ride), among others.

Space Mountain

It’s only shown in the distance, but the beloved “dark” ride holds a prominent spot in the skyline of the futuristic city known as Tomorrowland, just as it does in Disneyland.

Related: Brad Bird on Why He Had to Pass Up ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ to Make ‘Tomorrowland’

Monorail

Walt Disney was obsessed with designing a futuristic place that solved the infrastructure problems that plagued American cities in the 1960s (see: EPCOT). He became one of the first champions of the fuel-efficient monorail. He opened the Disneyland monorail in 1959 in Tomorrowland (of course) and it expanded over time; monorails were later installed in Florida’s Disney World, where they served as a major mode of transportation between parks and hotels. In Tomorrowland, the cars actually float, but their design clearly references the original Disneyland monorail.

Rocket to the Moon

One of the original attractions when Tomorrowland opened up was the TWA-sponsored Rocket to the Moon, which used video to take visitors on a simulated space trip. The design of the ship is reflected in the giant rocket that, according to Tomorrowland, is hiding inside the Eiffel Tower.