Beauty and the Beast, Big Hero 6, and Soarin’ Joining Tokyo Disney Resort Attraction Portfolio

Apr 27, 2016 Joe Kleiman Asia, Headlines, News, Theme Parks, World markets 0

Urayasu, Chiba, Japan (April 27, 2017) — Oriental Land Co., Ltd. has announced the plans through fiscal year 2020 (April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021) for the further development of Tokyo Disneyland® and Tokyo DisneySea® Parks.

In the 2014 statement, “Oriental Land Co., Ltd. in 2023,” 2023 was set as the target for achieving a constant attendance level of over 30 million Park visitors annually due to sustained Guest satisfaction. Owing in part to the faster-than-expected increase in Park attendance since fiscal year 2014, the target has been brought forward to fiscal year 2020 and a portion of the previously announced investment plan has been reconsidered accordingly.

Through continued investment of about 50 billion Japanese yen annually in the large-scale development of new areas of the Parks and new major attractions, as well as in enhancing the Guest services and facilities, Oriental Land will continue to improve the two Parks in a variety of ways. Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea will continue to evolve with unforgettable theme park experiences that are unlike anywhere else in the world.

Tokyo Disneyland Facilities Development Plan
Grand Circuit Raceway, StarJets and some food facilities and shops currently in Tomorrowland will close permanently to make way for the proposed redevelopment. The expansion of Fantasyland will include a theater for live performances and a new area anchored by a major attraction themed to Beauty and the Beast. In neighboring Tomorrowland and Toontown, a new attraction and a Disney Character greeting facility will be opened in each themed land respectively. Total investment for the development of the new area and facilities is expected to be about 75 billion Japanese yen. In addition, plans are being developed for new versions of current attractions and entertainment programs.

Beauty and the Beast Area (tentative name)
This new area opening in Fantasyland will let Guests experience the world of the Disney film Beauty and the Beast. With the Beast’s castle and the village where Belle lives, the entire environment of this area will make Guests feel like they are in the film. Located within the Beast’s castle will be a major attraction themed to Beauty and the Beast that can be experienced only in Japan. And in the village, there will be a shop and a restaurant.

On the ride, guests board enchanted serving dishes that dance in rhythm to the film’s well-known music and follow Belle on a romantic musical adventure inside the enchanted Castle where she dances her way into the heart of the Beast, just in time to break the fateful spell. Guests will feel like they have entered right into the film.
Opening: Spring 2020 (tentative)
Investment Amount: About 32 billion yen (tentative)

Live Entertainment Theater (Theater name to be determined)
Opening in a new area of Fantasyland, this will be the first full-scale indoor theater for live entertainment at Tokyo Disneyland. Signature Disney entertainment unique to Tokyo Disneyland and featuring the Disney Friends will be presented in this storybook theater environment.
Capacity: About 1,500 persons
Opening: Spring 2020 (tentative)
Investment Amount: About 17 billion yen (tentative)

New Attraction themed to the Disney film, Big Hero 6 (Attraction name to be determined)
A ride-type attraction themed to the Disney film, Big Hero 6, will open in Tomorrowland. The lovable robot Baymax, from the Disney film, Big Hero 6, invites Guests to join their own personal healthcare companion for an exciting musical “whip ride” that swings them unpredictably round and round. Also, for the first time in either Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea, a shop themed to outer space and selling popcorn in multiple flavors will open next to the new attraction.
Opening: Spring 2020 (tentative)
Investment Amount: About 6 billion yen (tentative)

New Disney Character Greeting Facility (Facility name to be determined)
A new Disney Character greeting facility where Guests can meet Minnie Mouse will open in Toontown. Minnie Mouse, as a fashion designer, will greet Guests in her studio dressed in fashionable costume. After walking through Minnie’s design studio and her work area with interactive elements, Guests can meet Minnie in person, take pictures with her, and generally spend a memorable time together.
Opening: Spring 2020 (tentative)
Investment Amount: About 2 billion yen (tentative)

To make way for the new development areas and the new facilities, the following attractions in
Tomorrowland will close: Grand Circuit Raceway in January 2017 and StarJets in autumn-winter
2017.

Tokyo DisneySea Facilities Development Plan
A large scale, simulator type attraction will open at Mediterranean Harbor in Tokyo DisneySea. In addition, plans are being developed for new versions of current attractions and entertainment programs.

New Attraction at Mediterranean Harbor
A simulator attraction, Soarin’ (tentative name), will open at Mediterranean Harbor in Tokyo DisneySea. This very popular attraction, which has been enjoyed by Guests visiting the Disney parks outside Japan, can now be experienced at Tokyo DisneySea with original scenes and the newest visual images.

Guests who visit the attraction overlooking Mediterranean Harbor will be able experience a journey soaring over famous landscapes of the world, while feeling the breezes and scents that match the various scenes.
Opening: Fiscal year 2019 (tentative)
Investment Amount: About 18 billion yen (tentative)

Human resource development and maintenance of environments at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea Parks
Oriental Land will expand the systems to educate and train Cast Members, thus raising their level of knowledge and skills for providing services to Guests, and together with communication measures and enriched award systems, will further promote the creation of work environments where Cast Members can sense their own growth and feel satisfaction in their work. Through these efforts, Cast Members, who play an essential role in Disney parks, will be able to offer Guests an even higher level of hospitality.

In addition to expansion plans for attractions and entertainment programs, other measures will be taken to improve Guest experiences at the Parks shops, restaurants and service facilities.

Plans for fiscal year 2021 and after
Investment plans for the further development of Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, applicable for fiscal year 2021 and after, are currently being considered by Oriental Land.

For Tokyo Disneyland, the new development plans will apply to all seven themed lands, including Fantasyland as mentioned above. An area-based development for each themed land, to take place in stages, is intended to leave a lasting impact on the Park.

The large-scale development plans for Tokyo DisneySea, making use of multiple expansion sites, are meant to achieve a rapid evolution of the only Disney park themed to the sea, and thereby broadly raising the degree of Guest satisfaction from both a qualitative and quantitative standpoint.

In addition, Oriental Land intends to investigate various ways to add more value to Tokyo Disney Resort® as a whole, such as increasing the number of guest rooms at the hotels within the Resort.

Moreover, regarding plans for further growth through new business other than the Tokyo Disney Resort business, Oriental Land will continue planning for a new and separate business segment that is not constrained by a specific timeframe.