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Photo by Chris Bales, 2000 Power station in 2000 |
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Welcome to the Tomorrowland Light & Power Co. The main sign just reads “Video Arcade,” but if you look carefully below the large arched window, you’ll see the other name “chiseled” into the surface. |
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There are two ways to enter. You can walk in through one of the outside doors. Or you can ride Space Mountain and find yourself inside the arcade after your ride. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 Power station in 2007 |
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If this is some sort of generating station, what’s it for? Perhaps to power Space Mountain next door? Probably not. The styles of the two structures are so different that it’s hard to see any connection between the two. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 Architecture of indeterminate style and period |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 Another arched window at the other end |
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Based on how the barrel-vaulted structure looks from the outside, you might expect a high ceiling above the video games. But that’s not the case. The ceiling consists of a series of parallel vaults leading to round windows that face the railroad track. The tall ceiling is above retail space, not above the games. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 Video game room |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 Air hockey |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 All the latest games |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 Air Trix |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 Star Wars trilogy and more |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 Claw machines |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 Plenty of games with steering wheels |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 More driving games |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 And still more driving games |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 Daytona USA |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 Panic Park |
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Would you rather shop than play? There’s merchandise in the space with the vaulted ceiling. If you want a quick sugar boost while playing, drop by the candy counter. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 Retail space |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007 Candy Counter |
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Park guests spend a small fortune for admission to the park. The rides and shows are included in the admission. But there are always guests who choose to spend their time and money on arcade games. |
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Tomorrowland at Disneyland Park had a video arcade—Starcade—since May 4, 1977. But what about its Florida counterpart? It would take Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World almost 18 years to catch up. The Tomorrowland Light & Power Co. Video Arcade and shop opened February 1, 1995. It was a late arrival for the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland makeover of 1994, which included a new look for the entire land. Timekeeper opened as the first CircleVision 360 attraction with a plot and animatronics. The Video Arcade was the only major new construction for that project. The Video Arcade operated slightly more than 20 years—until February 9, 2015. Then Disney walled off the games and removed the sign. Space Mountain continued to route its exiting riders into the Tomorrowland Light & Power Co., but only into the retail space. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 How it looked in its final years |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2016 How it looks as just a shop |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2015 Merchandise, but no games |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2015 Phone covers and Disney MagicBands |
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© 2017 Disney - Artist Concept Only Concept art for Tron-themed Attraction |
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During the 2017 D23 Expo in Anaheim, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Chairman Bob Chapek announced that Shanghai Disneyland’s most popular attraction—the Tron-themed thrill ride—was coming to Magic Kingdom Park. The concept art showed a walkway going past the former Video Arcade and under the PeopleMover track. It seems the Tomorrowland Light & Power Co. will survive—just not as a game arcade. |
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© 2018 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated March 9, 2018. |
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