One thing you can say about Hong Kong Disneyland’s Tomorrowland is that at least Disney is trying to address the land’s shortcomings. The Hong Kong park is too small, and their Tomorrowland suffers the same fate. The land has a uniquely designed elevated spinner with Orbitron, and a Space Mountain that – with the exception of the loading area – is a carbon copy of California’s. Beyond this, where Hong Kong Disneyland really differs, is with their new mini-Marvel land – a portion of Tomorrowland that has been renovated into the world’s first Avenger Campus. Here is a reskinned version of Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters – now themed to Ant Man and the Wasp, as well as the Iron Man Experience. An eventual Avengers e-ticket ride is promised, which should further round things out. The problem however, is that this Tomorrowland now suffers from a Jekyll & Hyde problem – it really feels like two separate unrelated lands that just happen to share the “Tomorrowland” name. Throw in some uninspiring food outlets and the usual assortment of retail, and there’s not much to get excited about here. If Disney really feels that strongly about Marvel, then just rebrand the entire land and give Space Mountain a new overlay, and let’s stop pretending that there is anything about this land having to do with the future. Until that time it’s hard to make sense of Hong Kong’s Tomorrowland – clearly the worst version in the world.

Tokyo’s Tomorrowland is a bizarre mish-mash of different attractions and styles from around the globe. The entrance and two-story corridor are callbacks to the original Tomorrowland promenade at Magic Kingdom in Florida. Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters are copies from California. Space Mountain, however, desperately needs a complete re-tracking to smooth out the ride, and it is completely missing any on-board audio – a major letdown. Star Tours finds its home in this land, which is a proper placement, but next door is Monsters Inc Ride & Go Seek – an incredible e-ticket headliner, but a complete misfit for Tomorrowland. Beyond that, this land really feels far “too small” for the rest of the Tokyo park, with confined walkways and a very small overall footprint. The Fantasyland expansion didn’t help, as it cannibalized the old Grand Circuit Raceway and Star Jets, while adding a new Baymax spinner. There’s not much more in the way of food or retail that’s noteworthy. Entertainment is at a minimum, and the aesthetic really hasn’t been updated at all since its opening – leaving the land feeling somewhat dated and forgotten. At the end of the day, Tokyo’s Tomorrowland is a bit of a weak link in an otherwise fantastic resort, and it has to settle for fifth place.

Is there a single land in any Disney park, anywhere, that has fallen as far from grace as California’s Tomorrowland? Only marginally better than Tokyo, the California version is not completely horrible, but it’s nowhere near “good”. And when compared to its heyday, it is a shadow of its former self. Rides have been replaced in many cases with inferior new attractions. In some cases, attractions have been removed altogether. Even worse are the constant reminders of what used to be: look up at the 20+ year old abandoned Peoplemover/Rocket Rods track. Look up at whatever that thing is that replaced the old Rocket Jets. Look over at what used to be the boarding area for the Skyway. Look at the carousel building or 3D theater – now shoehorned with flavor-of-the-month IP. The land does get points for still having a submarine voyage attraction, and also for maintaining the quality of fantastic versions of Space Mountain, Star Tours, and Buzz Lightyear. There’s also something to be said for the Autopia here – an attraction far from “futuristic” – but still a beautiful version that winds over a large footprint. But lousy food, a lack of entertainment, and a lot of wasted space result in this Tomorrowland being the weakest link in an otherwise fantastic theme park. The fact that Disney seems completely uninterested in its overhaul gives us little reason to think things are going to get better any time soon. And so it has to settle for fourth place.

Like a broken record, we could rave all day about how beautiful Paris’ Discoveryland is – the only version of Tomorrowland in the world to bear a different name, and go for a completely different approach. Here we see the future as envisioned by Jules Verne, a sort of steampunk inspired, bronzed up, festival for the eyes. And it’s an aesthetic that really works, carrying visitors away to a different time and place, even if that time is in the past. And there are some gems: Autopia and the Orbitron are perfect fits. Café Hyperion is beautiful both outside and in. And Les Mysteres du Nautilus walk-through is an absolute delight. The problem with this Tomorrowland, like California’s, is that any changes over the years have not been positive. First, the overlay of Hyperspace Mountain here is completely misguided, sacrificing the gorgeous space cannon, loading area, and De la Terre a la Lune theming from the original attraction. Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast may be more entertaining than The Timekeeper, but again, it doesn’t fit the Discoveryland theme, having been given a color palette and style that clashes with the rest of the land. And the wedge of the 3D show Mickey’s Philharmagic into the Tomorrowland Theater? We can’t even begin to make sense of this decision. Couple all this with the Paris resort’s sub-par food and no major changes in sight for the future, and Discoveryland is a bit of a tragedy: a brilliant idea, once so cohesive and gorgeous, yet decimated by quick fixes and trendy overlays. Third place will have to do.

If there were an award for “most cohesive Tomorrowland”, Shanghai Disneyland would win hands down. The world’s newest Tomorrowland benefits from being virtually untouched since the park opened in 2016, and it’s nice (and rare these days) to see a fully realized land that hasn’t been subjected to alterations, shoehorns, and other modifications that end up sacrificing its integrity. Shanghai’s Tomorrowland is built with a multi-floor approach, incorporating beautiful green spaces and flowing fountains into an urban landscape of the future, all dominated by the gorgeous Tron Lightcycle Power Run speeding above, beneath it’s fascinating LED canopy. With its sights, sounds, and sleek lines, this Tomorrowland really stands out, and actually feels like a plausible vision of the future, instead of a retro-look or a cartoony outer space motif. It helps that the land contains the world’s best versions of both Buzz Lightyear with Buzz Lightear Lazer Blast, and the classic Tomorrowland spinner attraction with Jet Packs. The food here is actually interesting and palatable as well – Stargazer Grille is a solid step up from all other Tomorrowlands. And then, there’s that music – blaring through the Shanghai park’s massive 360-degree sound system, with a mix of futuristic tunes along with Daft Punk’s score from Tron: Legacy. The music here is so good, it’s almost an attraction in and of itself to just sit down in the wide open plaza and just listen. Shanghai’s Tomorrowland could definitely use another attraction or two, and there is plenty of room to grow, with a large pad at the entry just perfect for their eventual addition of Space Mountain (we hope). But even with a slim (but very solid) attraction count, it is still a fantastic and inspiring vision of the future that truly feels futuristic. And that’s why Shanghai’s Tomorrowland sits comfortably in second place on our list.

Reaching the top of our list, we realize how tight the ranking of the Tomorrowlands is. There is no true “standout” Tomorrowland anywhere in the world. Every Tomorrowland is very comparable when viewed as a whole, and it is easy to argue why one is “better” or “worse” than another (and we spent some time doing just that). That all being said, the Florida resort makes the top of this list for several reasons. First, it is by far the largest Tomorrowland in the world, with plenty of attractions, and others on the way. After a gorgeous entryway, here we find a unique and consistent retro-futurism aesthetic, that is home to a fantastic version of Space Mountain with two separate and unique tracks, and the Astro Orbiter perched in its rightful place high atop a central platform. Florida’s Tomorrowland is also home to Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor which – while out of place – is an entertaining, interactive show. And there is room to grow: the empty Stitch Encounter building will eventually host a new attraction, and work is moving along on the fantastic and massive clone from Shanghai: the Tron Lightcycle Run coaster. All of this would probably be enough to seal the top spot, but where this Tomorrowland really steals the show is with a pair of classic Disney attractions that cannot be over-hyped: Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover. These two attractions are evidence that some things do in fact get better with age, and they are so important to this Tomorrowland that it would surely sink several places on our list without them. Fantastic, engaging, and entertaining for the entire family, there is nothing like singing along to “A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow”, or gliding slowly above, around, and through Tomorrowland from the elevated Peoplemover track. Yes, Florida’s versions of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, and the Tomorrowland Speedway are the worst of their kind, but that’s not enough to overshadow all the good things going on in this land. Throw in a fun dining spot with a great animatronic at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café, and you’ve got a very well-rounded experience that puts this Tomorrowland at the top of our list as the best version in the world.