This first part of the article mentions Tokyo Disneyland's castle being the same one that "adorns the California park," but in reality it is the same as the castle at Walt Disney World in Florida.
The Starjets can be seen below. These also resemble Walt Disney World's original Starjets attraction more closely than Disneyland's Rocket Jets. Fortunately, Tokyo's Starjets have not undergone a hideous remodel job like the Disneyland and Walt Disney World counterparts have.
This photo shows a far more crowded "World Bazaar" in comparison to the photo above, which was taken during one of the park's preview days.
The 18 minute presentation of "movies and three-dimensional visuals outlining Japan's 3,000 years of history" mentioned below, was Tokyo Disneyland's Meet The World attaction, which was unique to Tokyo Disneyland, but has since been torn down. :-(
Another attraction that was unique to Tokyo Disneyland at the time it opened was Pinocchio's Daring Journey. As the article mentions, it was only unique to the park until the New Fantasyland opened at Disneyland the following month.
Happy 29th Birthday, Tokyo Disneyland!
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16 comments:
It's too bad your namesake was torn down. It is cool though that you've had the opportunity to visit TDL. From everything I've read and seen online, it sounds like a stellar park.
When did you first visit the park? Was it opening year?
I love the Starjets, although they look strange only one story off the ground. The roof over the World Bazaar has always looked strange to me, even though I get why they did it. It makes the place feel like an indoor mall.
Also, I didn't know that Pinocchio was at Tokyo Disneyland before it appeared in Anaheim!
SWS, stellar is a good word to describe TDL....and Tokyo's second park, Tokyo DisneySea is even "beyond stellar!"
Major, my first visit to the Tokyo parks was in 2004. I've been there eight times now! I remember thinking the same thing about the roof over World Bazaar when I saw it in pictures, but it didn't bother me when I saw it in person.
The StarJets "stand alone" because the Oriental Land Company passed on the WEDWAY PeopleMover. Pinocchio's Daring Journey may have opened first at TDL, but both Tokyo & DL's show pieces were manufactured at the same time. Pinocchio's Daring Journey was developed for Disneyland in the early 1970's as part of Pinocchio's Village addition which evolved into the New Fanatsyland of 1983. The Pinocchio models are shown in Disney Annual Report of 1974 and the DL Backstage 1974 magazine.
Finally got around to visiting your Blog. Very nice site. I wish I discovered it earlier.
Back in 1983 I purchased quite a bit of merchandise from TDL via mail order including photo booklets of each land and several pictorial books and guides. My biggest regret is that I sold most of it later with the exception of one pictorial book.
Look forward to future posts and catching up on your older blog entries.
Mike, I would love to see those 1974 publications!
K. Martinez, Welcome....and thank you!!! I have a few souvenir items from the early years of TDL, but I wish I had more!
I remember seeing a clip of Tokyo Disneyland opening on the Today Show (I think) so many years ago. I can also remember a magazine with a picture of the characters in a snow-covered Tokyo Disneyland during the first few years of the park's operation. Very magical! I gotta get there someday.
Jiminy Christmas I can't believe it's already been 29 years!
I’m sure you know the story of the OLC execs going to the American Disney parks and choosing the attractions they want to come to TDL. I always wonder why Mad Tea Party wasn’t a part of their opening day roster and instead showed up 3 years later. Seems like such an integral part of the Disney formula for that attraction, the carousel and Dumbo to appear at opening. I know that Big Thunder was a part of their 2nd phase which is why it debuted four years later but I can’t imagine why a simple spinner ride was left out. It’s possible due to the budget because it was a crazy expensive full day park when it opened but who knows.
DisneyMike, yes, I do know how the OLC execs went to both park and chose what they wanted in their own park. I know they wanted the Mickey Mouse Revue, and supposedly that story goes....that WED was so busy with designing and building all of the attractions for both TDL and EPCOT at the same time, and stretching themselves so thin, so they just decided to give them WDW's Mickey Mouse Revue, instead of taking the time to build a separate one for TDL. I think I have also read that attendance for WDW's Mickey Mouse Revue had not waned, so it sucks that they had to give up an original opening day attraction, just because Disney was overwhelmed with work, and short on workers or time.
I agree with you that it's odd that the OLC didn't initially choose a classic Disney "spinner," like the Mad Tea Party. We may never know why that was. I believe the Mad Tea Party was also relocated at TDL, about 12 years later. It used to sit on the land now occupied by a portion of the queue for Pooh's Hunny Hunt (more or less). They moved it over only a few yards, closer to the Carousel. Here's footage of TDL's Skyway, right before it closed. It looks like they were already in the process of dismantling the Mad Tea Party, at this time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJuN4rqEU0o
DisneyMike, I forgot to add, that it's sad for me to go back and read what I wrote for this post (12 year ago), about how TDL's Star Jets had not received a hideous remodel job like the Anaheim and Orlando versions had. It's sad, because now the entire attraction has been completely torn down. I wish there had been a way for them to build their Beauty and the Beast attraction, but also leave the Star Jets intact! :-(
It is sad, yes. The classic look is iconic but time gives and time takes away. TDL’s Tomorrowland is such a weird land because it is still stuck in the 70’s even though it was made in the 80s lol. The Magic Kingdom TL aesthetic has not aged well and still lingers after 40 years. It seems as though after all this time, they are trying to change that with the Baymax Ride, New Food Services, a New Wreck it Ralph ride and a new Space Mountain with a new plaza. Grand Prix Raceway and Star Jets were just victims to a new vision. No original 1983 attraction from Tomorrowland will exist after Space Mountain closes.
Alice’s Tea Party was relocated and redesigned in 1998 with the Queen's Banquet Hall opening too serving as a nice backdrop to the attraction. The move seemed like a grand project to add new table service and the new Pooh ride.
Mickey Mouse Revue was very popular but execs also saw that it was never packed, obviously because the preshow only fit 300 while the theater sat 500. What is with Disney and animatronic shows? This mistake, the Epcot Meet the World building mistake and the mistake of building two country Bear theaters in Disneyland CA when you only needed one. Probably why they don’t make animatronic shows anymore, too many design mistakes lol.
DisneyMike, was the relocation of the Mad Tea Party, and the opening of the Queen's Banquet Hall in 1998, the same year that they got rid of the stage in front of It's A Small World?
Prior to 1996, I see no maps with the fountain. This first map link is showing the skyway still along with no banquet hall or relocated tea Party. It’s advertising Microadventure which came in 1997. The other map is blurry but seems to show toon town as a new land which was in 1996 and the fountain is there. So my guess is 1996 is when they took the stage out, most likely due to the area getting super busy during shows.
https://history.aucfan.com/yahoo/d1068223882/bidrank/#&gid=1&pid=4
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1996-tokyo-disneyland-souvenir-506379002
I believe this is the same year that Small World got the garish color scheme it has today, just my opinion
DisneyMike, thanks for that additional TDL information! I prefer Anaheim's "It's A Small World" of just gold and white, but I didn't mind Tokyo's original color scheme of purple pastels and white. I just wouldn't want them to paint the original in Anaheim like that! But I agree with you, Tokyo's replacement/current color scheme is pretty garish!
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