The Astro Jets was an off-the-shelf rotojet ride manufactured by Casper claws in West Germany that opened on March 24, 1956 in Disneyland's Tomorrowland. Due to a conflict with United Airlines, the official Airline of Disneyland, the attraction's name was changed to the Tomorrowland Jets. American Airlines had begun calling its new Boeing 707 jet airliners Astro Jets. The Tomorrowland Jets closed September 5, 1966. As part of the new Tomorrowland the name was changed to Rocket Jets and built on top of the People Mover loading station to save space.

Walt heard of a Skyway system being tested in Switzerland in the fall of 1955, and naturally had to have one. By November of 1955, Walt figured out where the ride would go, and had the Von Roll Iron Works engineers work with designer John Hench to create the attraction. Walt purchased a used 1947 Type 101 Sidechair #5, which was one of the Von Roll prototypes.

Opening ceremonies were presided over by Walt himself and Dr. Walter Smidt, the Swiss Consul General of Los Angeles. There were 42 round gondolas that could carry 2 guests at a time, seated in fiberglass patio chairs bolted into the floor. Moving at a slow and steady 4 mph, gondolas were dispatched approximately every 9 seconds.

The Skyway gave guests an overview of the park between two stations: one in Fantasyland (where the drive system was located) and the other in Tomorrowland (where 35,000 pounds of ballast kept the 2400' long cables taut). In between was the peak, a support tower located on Holiday Hill (basically a mound of dirt).

In 1959, the Matterhorn was added in the path of the Skyway, complete with 2 holes for the gondolas to pass through. The original round buckets were replaced in 1965 for the Tencennial Celebration. Each bucket was now able to carry four guests. The grips on the cars also changed; the original 10 sheave rollerbatteries and the entire tower in Tomorrowland were removed. During the Fantasyland remodel, the towers there were beefed up with extra supports at the urging of Von Roll Tramways.

On April 17, 1994, a 30 year old man jumped from the Skyway, landing in a tree, relatively unharmed. The Skyway was removed 7 months later in November, partially because it was too costly to make safety upgrades. People also threw objects and spit at guests below as they went overhead. For the final ride, Mickey & Minnie made the last crossing as guests watched below.  When the Skyway closed, the holes in the Matterhorn were filled in and the supports were dismantled within weeks.

Another reason it closed was because the ride was in technical violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. It was very difficult to load and unload mobility-impaired guests (guests had to step up when boarding and down when de-boarding), and this usually required having to stop the ride. Furthermore, wheelchairs could not be loaded onboard because the vehicles were too small. Approximately 150 million guests rode the Skyway.

Since an empty building was out of the question, the Imagineers had to come up with a replacement show. With the upcoming Bicentennial as an inspiration, Marc Davis whipped up a spectacular musical revue, complete with 114 singing animals that represented the forefront of audio-animatronic technology.

Davis used characters from an unfinished movie that was to be called “Chanticleer.” The use of costumed animals instead of people helped hide any limitations in movement that might have occurred. Del Monte stepped in as the new sponsor. The show moved guests on a history of America by using more than 40 musical numbers, including songs from the Old South sung by the Swamp Boys, the Old West, the Gay Nineties, and even “today” (which seemed more like yesterday!).

Songs for this show included “Yankee Doodle,” “Joy to the World,” “Old Chisholm Trail,” “Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay,” and a pig singing “Bill Bailey” (voiced by Golden Horseshoe legend Betty Taylor).

Hosts Sam the eagle (voiced by Burl Ives) & Ollie the owl (Sam Edwards) sang “Yankee Doodle” each time the carousel rotated to introduce a new musical act. It had a fairly long run and didn’t close until April 10, 1988. It has been said that Marc Davis was extremely disappointed when it closed, especially after all the work and creativity he pumped into this show to get it ready in time for a very short deadline. Although it was a rowsing show, this salute to the Great American Songbook really was somewhat out of place in Tomorrowland.

Most of the “animals” in this attraction found a new home at “Splash Mountain” in Critter Country once this show closed.

Beginning at the New York World’s Fair and then relocated to Anaheim in 1967, this Tomorrowland attraction was sponsored by General Electric. The last Anaheim show was in 1988.