Less than a week after Disneyland opened, a first-of-its-kind attraction, Rocket to the Moon, made its debut on July 22, 1955.
Rocket to the Moon was the perfect attraction for Tomorrowland, a land described, in part, by Walt in his dedication a few days earlier as “A vista into a world of wondrous places, signifying man’s achievements . . . a step into the future, with predictions of constructive things to come.”
This innovative attraction allowed Disneyland park guests the chance to travel around the far side of moon and back in just 10 minutes – all without leaving Disneyland! It’s important to remember that space flight was still years away.
At the entrance, the 76 foot-tall Moonliner welcomed guests to their space flight. The Moonliner only stood for 11 years, but its status as a Disneyland icon remains to this day.
Fifteen years later, almost to the date, only a few steps away from the attraction (then called Flight to the Moon) Disneyland park guests watched in amazement as man stepped foot on the moon.
Flight to the Moon eventually became Mission to Mars, and today, Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port occupies the same “space” in Tomorrowland – complete with a tribute to the original Moonliner right out in front.
