Back in 1957 Disneyland and Monsanto revealed to guests a realistic vision of future home life. The all plastic mod-shaped dwelling called "The House Of The Future" sat perched between Sleeping Beauty Castle and the Matterhorn like a space-age castle of tomorrow. It lasted for ten years before time passed it by and the proverbial wrecking ball tried to have its way.

Now Disneyland is partnering with technological titans of today (Microsoft, HP, and Life|ware) to update that vision for the families of now. A 5000+ sq ft "Dream Home" is being built inside Disneyland’s Innoventions attraction. Actors will portray the fictional "Elias" family (Elias was Walt Disney’s middle name and his father’s first name) as they prepare for a trip to China. As guests follow the families actions they will learn about about home conveniences that will be available in the near future.

Innoventions exists in what was originally the Carousel Of Progress show building. When it opened in 1998 you entered on the main floor, which had a spinning outer-ring, and exited out the second floor. For the last year or so, the main floor has been closed for remodeling. It sounds like this is where the new "Dream Home" is being built.  That’s not to be confused with the "Dream Suite" where a lucky guest can win a stay in Walt Disney’s New Orleans Square Apartment.

Okay, don’t tell anyone. But the new "Dream Home" was essentially the concept for the lower half of the original Innoventions attraction at Disneyland anyway. (Plus a few of the upstairs exhibits too.) You had five ‘pods’ where you entered the life of a family in the future. There was Sports, Communications, Transportation, Health, and Entertainment. Actors would provide guests a vision of what life will be like in the near future. There’s also a "House Of Innoventions" at EPCOT in Orlando, which is very similar in concept to the "Dream Home", but much smaller in scale.

I actually went through the "House Of Innoventions" for the first time a few weekends ago. It was actually more fun and informative than I thought it would be. Not really high on repeatability, but perhaps if there was a more interesting storyline (ie, packing for a China trip) then it would bare repeating every now and then. Plus, I’m a gadget geek at heart, so I was like a kid in a candy store for most of the tour.

So for that reason, I’m looking forward to Disneyland’s Innoventions Dream Home. Right now the new attraction is scheduled to open in May of this year. Soft openings will likely begin even sooner.

See also this AP article with more details and the original press release below the cut. 

Read More »Disneyland goes back to the future, the “House Of The Future”