Adventure At Sea...

Last week one of the commenters asked if Tokyo DisneySEA had added anything new...

Of course.  Like any Disney Park, they are always adding to, or expanding their attractions: be it rides or shows.  The Suits at OLC are continually expanding and repositioning the parks in Japan to meet the needs/wants of its guests.  

When the park opened it had about the same number of attractions as Disney's California Adventure, but it was the quality of those attractions that was what set it appart from other Disney Parks.  DCA had a list of clones and off the shelf rides that NEVER should be anywhere near a Disney park, much less the original, Disneyland.

Tokyo DisneySEA had 27-28 attractions upon opening and only two of them were clones.  A much more elaborate version of the Jumping Jellyfish ride, and a clone of the Indiana Jones Adventure set in South America (the Lost River Delta port), and if you are going to have a clone Indy is a great one to have.

This doesn't mean the park was perfect.  When it opened with its seven ports, there was some areas lacking.  The American Waterfront port was a beautiful area that brought you back to a turn of the century New York ambiance.  But it had no attractions.  There was nothing to do there other than walk around and take pictures.  Now, a decade later it has quite a few attractions:  Tower if Terror, Turtle Talk with Crush, and the recently added Midway Mania, not to mention the musicals you can enjoy.

And just when this commenter inquired about this subject the Tokyo Disney Resort announced two new projects, one for Tokyo Disneyland and another for this amazing Second gate:

At Tokyo DisneySeaNew production at Mermaid Lagoon TheaterThe attraction, Mermaid Lagoon Theater, will be revamped, and a new musical production themed to Disney’s The Little Mermaid will be presented. 

Mermaid Lagoon Theater will be renovated with upgraded stage and lighting technology, as well as new display screens to be installed at the rear of the audience seating area. As King Triton hosts a musical concert, familiar Disney characters, such as Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian, will present a mesmerizing world under the sea, just as in the movie, with lively music, songs and dynamic performances.
Show Facts

• Duration: About 15 minutes

• Opening Date: Spring 2015 (tentative)

• Investment Amount: Undecided

Please note that the musical production “Under the Sea,” currently presented at Mermaid Lagoon Theater, will close permanently on April 6, 2014. Mermaid Lagoon Theater will be closed from April 7, 2014 to spring of 2015 (tentative).

The attraction, Mermaid Lagoon Theater, will be revamped, and a new musical production themed to Disney’s The Little Mermaid will be presented.
Mermaid Lagoon Theater will be renovated with upgraded stage and lighting technology, as well as new display screens to be installed (tentative).

So as you can see there are attractions in the planning all the time.  There are many that have been planned only to be canceled months later.  

There are still projects that are slotted to be put into undernourished parts of the park over the coming years.  And a few if these should make the gorgeous park even more beautiful (hard as that is to believe).  Especially by 2015.

There's that year again...

Seven Ports, Twelve Years...

A dozen years has past since the unveiling of a beautiful jewel...

On this day in 2001, the Oriental Land Company introduced the world to Walt Disney Imagineering's masterpiece of theme park design: Tokyo DisneySEA.  It was a prime example of what can happen when you let brillliant Imagineers dream, and dream BIG.  This park is what happens when ideas win out over bean counters and unimaginative Suits.

For those that have never heard or seen this magical place, you can check out Blue Sky's extensive catalog of articles on the Park and the Project that was its inspiration: Port Disney - The Long Beach Project.  If you want to see what is possible, and not improbable, check them out.  

For someone like myself that loves the ocean as well as Disney, it's a magnet of adventurous fun.  Of only more Disney Suits would not only go see this place, but embrace its philosophy.  It redefines what a theme park, not just a Disney theme park can be.  So, from everyone here at Blue Sky I want to wish DisneySEA happy twelfth birthday.  It doesn't need any gift though, it's a gift to you.

May I suggest you go there, open it up and enjoy...

A Numbers Game...

Popularity is a fleeting thing...

The attendance of theme parks shows the popularity of the destination, and from time to time parks rankings will move up or down.  For long periods of history certain spots have been held by the same park.  For instance, the Magic Kingdom in Florida has maintained the top position in theme parks.

Years ago, before Tokyo Disneyland added a second gate, the stunning Tokyo DisneySEA, there was a horse race between the two parks for the top position.  Now, WDW's first park wins outright with the original here on the west coast getting the silver prize.

The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) and AECOM have just released the figures of theme parks for 2012.  How did Disney do this year?  Where did Disney California Adventure get to after the Extreme Makeover?  Where is the rest of the world in themed entertainment?

You can find the answers to all these and many more here.  It's an exhaustive analyses of where, what and why of theme parks.  It's also quite readable with graphs, charts and lists that put in perspective the theme parks of the world, not just Disney's world.  But here is a list of the top 25 theme parks for the Cliffs Notes version:

1. Magic Kingdom 17,536,000  +2.3%
2. Disneyland 15,963,000 -1.1%
3. Tokyo Disneyland 14,847,000 +8.5%
4. Tokyo Disney Sea 12,656,000 +8.5%
5. Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris 11,200,000 +1.9%
6. Epcot 11,063,000 +2.2%
7. Disney's Animal Kingdom 9,998,999 +2.2%
8. Disney's Hollywood Studios 9,912,000 +2.2%
9. Universal Studios Japan 9,700,000 +14.1%
10. Islands of Adventure 7,981,000 +4%
11. Disney California Adventure 7,775,000 +22.6%
14. Hong Kong Disneyland 6,700,000 +13.6%
15. Universal Studios Orlando 6,195,000 +2.5%
19. Sea World Florida 5,358,000 +3.0%
20. Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris 4,800,000 +1.9%
23. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay 4,348,000 +1.5%

24. DeeFTeLING  Kaatsheuvel, Netherlands 4,200,000 +1.8%

25. OcT eAST Shenzhen, China 4,196,000 +7.9%



Now, if this intrigues you then head over to the actual report for a detailed look...

Building A Mystery Vs. Building An Adventure...

Dream a little dream...





Lucky number eleven...

That's how many years ago it opened. The most beautiful, and amazingly conceived Disney theme park to be created swung wide its gates on this day. Eleven years ago Disney fans across the world had their eyes rewarded with a glittering jewel of unprecedented, glorious imagination. It's the most stunning theme park you will ever lay eyes on. It's an incredible accomplishment of creativity over commerce and an unquestionable success.

Tokyo DisneySEA.

Two theme parks opened in 2001. One in the spring, the other in the fall. One in the original park, the other in the first country to have an expansion of a Disney park. On February 8, 2001, the Disneyland Resort opened up its second gate: Disney's California Adventure. It was born of no original thought and no clear direction. It had no purposeful meaning; it was simply a bunch of attractions in search of a theme. THAT was it's problem and the Suits in Anaheim and Burbank were the problem, not the Imagineers in Glendale. On September 4, 2002, the Tokyo Disney Resort opened up its second gate: Tokyo DisneySEA. It was born of an old, unused idea, but a very unique one. It had a purpose, a meaning and a direction. It was a theme park that was born full grown. Simply put, it was the best thought up park since the original.

Since then it has expanded and gotten bigger, gotten better (for the most part), and well rounded. This park is great for chiropractors because you'll spend so much of your time looking up and walking around in wonder that you'll get neck pains. I always wished that it had been built here, but since it was built in Japan I don't want a clone of that one. There are too many things that are cloned. Each park, Disney or not, should be unique. And while I wish that when I walk across the Esplanade at Disneyland, I could look up and see the entrance to DisneySEA, I won't, can't and now really don't want to see it there.

We here in California have our own park, and DCA has finally found it's own identity. It took a decade, but it finally found a place it belongs. So while I love DisneySEA, I only want original parks, no clones please. Disney parks aren't McDonalds and don't/shouldn't be. So the next park that the Mouse creates will hopefully be an original, not a clone. No matter where the next park is, be it in Hawaii, India, or South America (hmmm), there is no limit of ideas left in the minds of WDI, and shouldn't be. We deserve that and so do Imagineers. They deserve to work on projects that hold their heart and appeal to their creativity. We will all be the better for it.

But if you ever get the chance to travel to Japan and go to Tokyo, please buy a ticket to this park and see what a dream is capable of being.

Dreams should all look this wonderful...

The Lost Ranger...

Hi ho, low thinking...






Today was an example of the repercussions of good/bad business...

Good for DreamWorks Animation and bad for the Disney corporation. Not totally bad for them, but an example of what can happen when you are short sighted in your business concerns. And to that I have to thank Michael Eisner for not being able to see over the next hill. Disney California Adventure's birth and squandered first decade for identity aren't the only mistake he made. Now, I'm not using this to say that he's wrong on everything (he wasn't), but I am using it to show how he lost the rights to something that he could have used to expand the already large collection of Disney properties. What am I blathering on about?

The Lone Ranger.

Sure, next year the Mouse will put out a film that will have cost around a quarter of a billion dollars on a property that it doesn't own, but once did. That's correct, the Masked Man was owned by Disney and was sold for a song. And it will now have to pay more for a license to a property that it could have used for free. If you've read Blue Sky regularly then you probably know this because I've mentioned it in the past.

Back in the late Eighties when the Walt Disney Company was looking to expand the Disneyland park into the Disneyland Resort, there were several things they had to do and wanted to do. One of those was reacquire the rights to the "Disney" name and property from those that owned The Disneyland Hotel. That's right, the Disney Company didn't own the rights to the hotel or the use of it's name until it bought them in the late 80's. Back when Walt Disney was planning on opening the park, he knew he would have to have a hotel for them to stay in, but being as he had all his money invested in building the park, he didn't have the cash to build it. So he turned to Jack Wrather, a friend and businessman to build it. In exchange for him building the hotel, Walt gave Jack the exclusive rights to build hotels in California with the name "Disney" for a 99 year lease. He only built one thankfully, or it would have been a much more tangled mess to unravel.

So back to the story. As Eisner and company moved forward to expand the park to a resort and add hotels, he wanted to purchase the Disneyland Hotel. The company played hardball with the company when they weren't really looking to sell. They were going to increase the lease for the Monorail stop at the hotel to a point where it would be excessively cost prohibitive for them to use. Can you imagine how angry guest would have been to stay there and see the Monorail go on by and not stop to allow guests to take it into the park. Well, the negotiations works. But in a different way, because the company that owned the hotel may not have been willing to sell the hotel back to Disney, but it was willing to sell itself to Disney: the entire company.

So, to get the property and name back, the Walt Disney Company agreed to purchase the Wrather Corporation. It was more than just that hotel you see. Now, being as Michael Eisner didn't like having to pay so much for other parts of a business he didn't want, he had the company get rid of part it didn't (he felt) need or want. There were good things that came from this, and bad things as well. You see, Tokyo DisneySEA's seed was planted when this happened, because one of the things that Wrather's company had the rights to was the Queen Mary. And when Disney was looking at making Disneyland into a resort, it also wanted to see what other opportunities were available as well. With this newly acquired area in the Port of Long Beach, Eisner set the Imagineers at WDI to task with finding a way to exploit it. And that is how "Port Disney" came to be. The Long Beach Project as it was known internally had a resort with 5/6 hotels, a shopping district, ports for the Disney Cruise Line and a theme park called Disneysea. Although it wasn't fully formed, it was the fetus that became Tokyo DisneySEA a decade after the American project was cancelled.

But there were other properties that Wrather owned also. And one was the Lone Ranger. It was sold in a fire sale to try to make back some of the millions that were spent on the purchase of the iconic hotel. No thought was given to mining the classic character for television like was done with the Zorro property that Disney didn't own. No thought was given to creating a movie for such a well known character. No thought was given to the merchandising profits that could have been had with Disney's marketing behind them. It was just something to get rid of. Granted, hindsight is 20/20, but fans of pop-culture would see the opportunity that this American character represented to an American institution like Disney. A company known as Classic Media bought the rights to Kemosabe. Let's hope that the rights to the character are locked for a long time if this film is successful. Perhaps Disney's lawyers were forward thinking and included the rights to possible television series as well, otherwise Jeffrey Katzenberg's company could have a DreamWorks television series up on Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon to take advantage of the new Disney film. Don't thing that could happen?

Then you've never heard the story of Antz...

Marvelous DisneySEA...

It's April Fool, you fools...








Atlantis is coming to Tokyo DisneySEA...

No, not the one from the Disney animated film, but the one from Marvel Comics. The one ruled by Namor. If fact, at the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts press conference this morning that was co hosted by WDP&R Chairman Tom Staggs and Toshio Kagami - Chairman and CEO of the OLC, he made a guest appearance. Well, at least an actor portraying him did.

Come 2015, Tokyo's Second Gate will have an eigth port: "Marvel's Atlantis." The area will be located next to the Lost River Delta port and will comprise at least three attractions, restaurants and shops featuring Marvel merchandise. Details about exactly what those rides will be is limited as WDI plans out the designs over the next year and a half. But from what we know of the Oriental Land Company, it'll be a very elaborate expansion.

So we now know where Disney's first expansion of its Marvel properties will go. Now when will we find out about where/when they'll be in Anaheim and Orlando? Soon, from what I hear.

But until then, just imagine what it'll be like traveling to Namor's kingdom in Japan...

A Tenth Of The Tenth...

There were so many events and ceremonies celebrating the anniversary of Tokyo's Second Gate...

No way we could cover them all, but I thought it would be nice to look at a few of them. If you can't be there, at least YouTube can take you there.

Here is the opening ceremony to commemorate the tenth year of the park with the heads of the Oriental Land Company and Walt Disney Company head of parks, Tom Staggs (Take a look around Tom, this is what we expect!).

The musical celebration on the water in the Mediterranean Harbor yesterday. Again, nothing is as good as actually being there with the sights and sounds, but you can get some of the flavor of what it is to see this magical place at this magical time.

Before everything begins, custodial has to be make sure everything is up to the high standards of a Disney Park, but take a look at how much the Japanese Cast Members get into their jobs.

Some of the bizarre musical renditions (with Chip & Dale) you can find at Port Discovery during this time.

And speaking of music. Here's the official song of the 10th anniversary. Now, can you imagine if Disney California Adventure had an anniversary song?

And here are some of the decorations outside the entrance to the park.

If only the tenth of DCA could have been celebrated in such a tradition. We do have another one coming up in five years so perhaps they can take some tips from these celebrations and make it a memorable one. By then the Second Phase will be done if everything works out smoothly, or at the very least will be deeply in development.

And one can only imagine what will be up in Tokyo's Second Park by then...

A Perfect Ten...

Oh, now I sea...






Ten years ago today a miracle happened...

The Walt Disney Company let someone else take their talent and ideas and create something better than they could/would do. They let someone else build their dreams. On this day a decade ago, Tokyo DisneySEA was born.

Born out of the collapse of Port Disney, Tokyo's Second Disney Gate is a masterpiece that all should see.

It is a prime example of what Disney and Imagineers are capable of if given the opportunity.

If you would like to know more about Tokyo DisneySEA or Port Disney click here. If you'd love some great wallpapers of it then get the Disney and More App for it here. If you'd like to go there then go to a travel site and book a trip now. And if you don't then I have to ask, why not?

Dreams are worth seeing as much as believing in...

Coming Magic...

Believe...

It's almost been a decade since the Japanese showed Disney how to be Disney...

The anniversary of the most amazingly beautiful theme park is just around the corner and the publicity is starting to ratchet up. Take a look at this commercial reminding everyone what is coming.

And what Disney can do when it lets itself be free to dream...

APPsolutely Beautiful...

If you visit this site often, you know of my crush on Tokyo DisneySEA...

Alain, over at Disney and More knows the feelings I have and shares them as well. He's offered you guys a tremendous deal. His website has always had a great amount of detailed artwork and great photography. Now, he's created something that will give you instant access to it. Yes. there's an App for that.

Disney and More has released an App that you can get from iTunes that features some photos of the jaw dropping visuals this park offers. For a mere 99 cents and the click of a button, it can be yours. That drab desktop of yours needs a new background, don't you think?

Take a look for yourself...

Seaing Fantasmic...

Sea-nsational debut...



Fantastic Seaside Show...

Well, we've now gotten our first look at the Japanese version of Disney's "Fantasmic!" water show...

And as can be expected, it's a pretty impressive show. It seems to melt much of the original show with projection elements from World of Color. Here it is in two parts: One and Two and alternate versions Here and catch the entire thing in one shot with Joe In Japan's version Here.

It's not an exact duplicate of the original or a cheap copy like Walt Disney World has. It's a beast of a different nature and I like that. If there was one complaint, it would be that at times it feels uneven with the transitions. But this was it's first show and I'm sure there will be fine tuning over the coming months.

Also, some of the rehearsals had dancing metallic birds made of metal that sort of did a ballet duel - not here. It didn't make the cut. Overall, a grand and beautiful show.

Now, on with the rest of the celebration...

The DisneySEA Decade...

The great blue sea opens up to beachgoers tomorrow...





Tomorrow, Tokyo DisneySEA reopens its beautiful gates...

With the tragic situation of the earthquake/tsunami we have rightfully been concerned about other, more important things. But with each passing day the nation of Japan pulls itself out of this unfortunate event. Each day life becomes more and more normal, if that is really possible. Economic experts think it will take at least five years before the Japanese are back to a where they were. The Tokyo Disney Resort was not damaged very badly. In fact, very little was done to the actual parks. The majority of the damage was in the parking lots, which resulted in a condition called "liquefaction." The main problem with opening the parks has been power. It has been inconsistent throughout the last few weeks and waiting for an acceptable level has been time consuming.

The Tokyo Disneyland park opened last week and thankfully, Tokyo DisneySEA will finally join her sister tomorrow. And if that weren't enough, the Japanese version of "Fantasmic!" will premiere tomorrow as well. So with the opening of my second favorite park, I think it's time we focused on the fact that it a celebration. Not just one of opening, but one of having been open for a noteworthy amount of time. It's hard to believe that it has been a decade since this park opened.

Ten Years.

Ten years since WDI showed Disney Suits what could happen if they took the shackles off. If they let them dream to dream. And some of the people in Burbank have been trying to live it down every since. There were those agreements that were put in place to make it so that the Oriental Land Company's Tokyo Disney Resort couldn't advertise outside the country. That was supposed to prevent most from seeing what this place was like. That way there would be no comparisons to the other parks. But those agreements were right as the Internet was taking off. No one could realize back then that the Web would be the gateway for those that didn't know about this place. The Net would be the key to this place and no agreement could stop it.

The secret was out.

Although the official anniversary isn't till September 4, 2011, the Resort will be taking a year long celebration of the park, the start date has been postponed. A revised schedule will likely be announce as we get closer to summer. While DCA's celebration of a decade came with little fanfare, it's not going to be the case with Tokyo's Second Gate. It's going to be lovely and spectacular. It will be not only a celebration of Disney, of exploration and adventure, but of perseverance of the Japanese people and life itself.

And that's something fantasmic, uh, I mean fantastic to realize...

Openings & Opportunities...

We've all been wondering exactly when the Tokyo Disney Resort would be reopening...

Well, today the Oriental Land Company released this:

Reopening Date: April 15, 2011
Operating Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Ticket Prices: Regular prices

- For each guest admitted to the Park through May 14, 2011, 300 yen will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross Society toward the relief and recovery of the disaster-affected areas.

Other: The operating conditions of the Park may change without prior notice depending on the situation of the power supply at the time. Also, some facilities may be temporarily closed for regular inspections or for minor earthquake-related repairs.

Power-Saving Efforts

A number of efforts are being made to conserve electricity in the Disney theme park operations, as follows:

Shortened Park Operating Hours:
Usually at this period of the year, the Parks are open until 10:00 p.m. However, in an effort to save power, Tokyo Disneyland will close at 6:00 p.m. for the time being.

Reducing the Use of Park Equipment:
Indoor and outdoor lighting in the Park will be reduced, but without compromising the safety of our guests. Also, the use of escalators and water fountains will be restricted, the temperature of air conditioning units will be adjusted, and electric hand dryers in the restrooms will be turned off.
Conservation Efforts in the Offices:
Efforts are being made in the back offices to conserve energy, such as reducing lighting in the
offices, lobbies and corridors; adjusting the temperature of air conditioning units; suspending the use of electric hand dryers in the restrooms; limiting the use of elevators, etc.
Implementation of generators is currently being studied as one measure to cover possible power shortages.

Other Facilities in Tokyo Disney Resort

Tokyo DisneySea Park
The Park is ready to welcome guests, and is aiming for reopening at the earliest possible date.

Disney Hotels

Disney Ambassador® Hotel and Tokyo Disneyland® Hotel will reopen on April 15. With the
reopening, both hotels will donate 1,000 yen per room per night of stay through May 14 to the
Japanese Red Cross Society for the relief and recovery of the disaster-affected areas. Tokyo
DisneySea Hotel MiraCosta® is scheduled to reopen at the same time as Tokyo DisneySea Park.

Ikspiari®

Ikspiari has been open since March 28 with shortened operating hours.

Cirque du Soleil® Theatre Tokyo Shows will begin again on April 23.

Disney Resort Line

The monorail has been in operation since April 2 under a reduced operating schedule.

Note: Tokyo Disney Resort recommends that guests use public transportation to come to the Resort.

Slowly, this great destination will rise from the tragedy of last month...

The Cost Of Ownership, Or Not...

Money, money, money, money...









I'm sure that the majority of people that visit this site know that the Tokyo Disney Resort isn't actually owned by the Mouse...

We've had a lot of articles on Blue Sky Disney about the Tokyo Disney Resort, many pertaining to the amazingly wonderful Tokyo DisneySEA, but several on Tokyo Disneyland and their parent owner, the Oriental Land Company.

Even though the economic impact of this natural disaster will dramatically hurt the OLC, it will also have a substantial impact on the Walt Disney Company. Perhaps you were wondering how this could be? Disney doesn't own anything tangible in the company and has no actual fiscal investment in the resort. What it does have is a royalty agreement with the Japanese company. A percentage of everything that the company makes from the resort goes directly into the coffers of the Mouse's vault.

What it boils down to in general, the agreement calls for ticket/gate profits to pay a 10 percent fee on every guest that enters the park. In addition to this, food and merchandise both have to pay a 5 percent fee on every purchase made in the resort. Now, according to The Street in their evaluation of this agreement, that comes to 7.5% of the Oriental Land Company's annual revenue. This comes out to a hefty $230 million dollars every year that the WDC gets for licensing it's characters/properties out. Not bad. This gives you an idea as to the net profit the Japanese partner makes on its Disney affiliation: slightly over 3 billion dollars a year, when converted from Yen.

In addition to this, not taken in to account is the fees that the Japanese are charged for the use of Walt Disney Imagineering. All construction and design has to be done through WDI's work, which helps defray/subsidize cost of technology that will be used throughout all the other Disney Parks. One has to also wonder how the effect of the hiring of Imagineers has prevented or at least lessened the layoffs of these employees when design time was cut and projects were not heavy in the production pipeline.

So can you imagine the dent in the projected sales or profit of the upcoming corporate calendar year for the Mouse? You can already presume that anywhere from $40 to $50 million dollars will be lowered from any fiscal reports in the coming annual earnings that are announced next year. If it last into the fall, you can expect $100 million to disappear from the balance sheet of Disney profits in this business cycle. So the coming year will see a downturn in projected revenue for Disney in regards to something it doesn't really own.

In the business world and the Disney world, it's an example of how mind share and forethought can be very expensive and have lasting repercussions...

Resorting To Delays...

Discover the Recover...


Even if the resort was ready, the areas around are not...

The Tokyo Disney Resort wasn't going to open back up on March 21, after a ten day inspection of the parks, parking lots and hotels/entertainment complexes. While some may have hoped that it would be open close to that date, the country and particularly Tokyo, have a great deal of digging out to do before there will be any opening of the Happiest Place in the Land of the Rising Sun.

With all the power outages and transportation problems it has been determined that the park is closed until further notice. As the nation recovers from a devastating earthquake/tsunami, it has been estimated the rebuilding will take approximately five years to get Japan back where it was. Put this together with the problems happening at that Nuclear plant, and it's going to be a while before things get back to normal.

I've heard that the optimistic plan would be to open the park in time for summer. A more negative assessment would be that the closure could be more than a year, but this one is highly unlikely, though not impossible. Obviously, any delay means a delay in the celebration of Tokyo DisneySEA's tenth anniversary. The start of the celebration and opening of Fantasmic! was supposed to come starting April 23. If the park did open in summer, it's not confirmed yet as to when the show would open, but in all likelihood, it wouldn't be simultaneous. A staged release, with the opening of the parks, hotels, entertainment complex and events planned for the event would happen gradually.

So, expect the news in April to come in bits and pieces as the Oriental Land Company determines not only how and when it fixes any structural problems, but how it coordinates them with reopening of the resort and the country itself. Our hearts go out to the families and friends there who have lost so much in this devastation.

Developing...

Earthquakes & Heartaches...

The earth may fall away, but not the people's resolve...



I'm sure many of you have seen the massive devastation in Japan from the Tsunami/Earthquake...

Literally hours after reading about that "Pacific Rim" script in which monsters destroys Tokyo, a real disaster almost does what that script was pretending to do. Massive flooding, fires and lost lives have resulted from this tragedy.

If you've ever been to the Tokyo Disney Resort, then you know it's in Tokyo Bay and is built upon land fill. While the parks themselves have had limited damage that we know of, the parking lots/structure have pretty much become swamps from liquefaction; a result of earth settling, pipes bursting and soil erosion. A full assessment hasn't been completed yet, so we don't know if there will be a delay in Fantasmic! premiering next month in Tokyo DisneySEA or if it'll affect the opening of Toy Story Midway Mania next year. The days and weeks ahead will provide the answer, slower than we'd like, but an answer none-the-less.

All here at Blue Sky Disney wish the survivors well and pray that you and your families get back to the life you knew before this, as soon as able, with as little disruption as possible...

A Very Different Magic...

When you wish upon a nation with over a billion people...







So Tom Staggs gave us a peek at what Shanghai Disneyland will look like yesterday...

At a Walt Disney Company Investor's Conference yesterday, he released the first piece official artwork of the next Magic Kingdom styled park/resort. And the Net seems to be abuzz about it. Disney and More has a post talking about something Alain and I have had conversations about over the past few months.

It will be a very different kind of a Disney Park, breaking the mold that we are used to when entering that fabled Main Street. In fact, I've stated from my contacts, there won't be a traditional Main Street like what we're used to. Alain, has gone further and states that there won't even be a Main Street. The front entrance will be a very different experience when walking into this new, magical place.

But as you see in the artwork, it's very hard to make out details. Mainly that is by design. Disney has been burned before by cheap knockoffs of things that cost great resources to design and create. So when they make that official announcement during the groundbreaking in a few months, don't expect to see a great deal of detail. The Mouse doesn't want to release a lot of artwork to only have it have a carbon copy out before their park even opens.

Now back to that park. It certainly looks like a beautiful and unusual place, doesn't it? And that castle in the background doesn't look like any we've seen before. As well, as that, there is an extremely large amount of water around and within the park. And there's a large mountain over to the right that could be an Expedition Everest, re envisioned Matterhorn or as Alain says, a version of that elaborate Pirates of the Caribbean that Hong Kong Disneyland was supposed to get. Perhaps even some of the attractions from Tokyo DisneySEA will make it over in some form.

I know a lot of people bemoan Disney Suits for not thinking out of the box and continually copying the original style that Walt created, so in this instance you might get your way with a park that looks nothing like what you expect when you go into something called Disneyland.

Developing...

SEAing Beauty...

How much for the poster...






One of the things that's great about DisneySEA are the attraction posters...

I was planning a post like this one, but my friend Alain from Disney and More beat me to it. The attraction posters at Tokyo's second gate are fantastic. One of the few frustrating things at Tokyo DisneySEA that is hard to accept, is actually a cultural one.

Experiencing this park can be a mind numbing and wonderful experience. But if you're not Japanese, you'll have a hard time finding certain items that we take for advantage. If you try to find a baseball cap, a T-Shirt or say, a nice poster it's almost impossible to find. The things that I enjoy here at Disneyland or in most parks are not prized as much by Japanese. I struggled for days to try and find anything remotely like the shirts I have of attractions or just the park in general when I was there last time. There are plenty of souvenirs to buy, but these specific type of mementos were nowhere to be found.

Remember those three new posters for Disney California Adventure (which you'll be able to buy, btw)? The ones that reflect the old style of Disneyland attractions (which along with a few more will likely go on display under the Hyperion Bridge)? Well, like everything else, Tokyo DisneySEA has some amazing attraction posters to go with their amazing attractions.

But no posters.

None of these are for sale. Well, if you want to see them then head over to D and M and take a look at the lovely beauty that I'd love to have in a frame.

Hopefully the Oriental Land Company is reading this post...

SEAing Dragons...

Believe In Magic...

So the Mouse has finally released another image of the Tokyo version of "Fantasmic!" that will debut in Tokyo DisneySEA in April...

Over at D23, this weeks commentary by the Disney Geek has a peek at the art (go to the 6:40 mark). This illustration helps to understand Steven Davison's comments about Maleficent having wings made of water. You can also see the Sorcerer's Hat which will be filled with LED lights and will rise from a collapsible float. It's going to be interesting to see how this 360 degree in-the-round version will play and compare next to the original in Disneyland and the deplorably, sad clone down in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Only a few more months before we find out...

Oriental Express...

There is a lot of love in and around the Disney community for the Oriental Land Company...

And while I agree with the fantastic job they do, I also want to emphasize that they're a business. Businesses number one priority is to make money. Just like the Walt Disney Company. As much grief as I give the Mouse for the failings from the late 90's/early 00's, I can't call the Japanese company a saint. I believe that because of some special circumstances, there is a very unique situation over there in the land of the rising sun.

I mean, there are ways that company could cut corners, but hasn't, and it's all because of Disney. You see the Mouse has people on site that work directly for them that are responsible for making sure the parks/resort are up to Disney quality. These people have quite a bit of influence and power. The head representative has the power to approve or veto much of what gets done. From a sign that is crooked or paint pealing to the "plussing" of an attraction. And if the OLC doesn't react to this then they're in violation of the contract. So, in a very odd way it's actually the Mouse that deserves some of the credit for the incredible job that this Japanese does.

It all boils down to it being easier for you to have higher standards when you're not paying the bill. Disney can insist on things around the resort being held to the most rigorous of standards. It can do so without any worry of financial penalty. They're not paying for it, so the bar can be set higher. On the other hand, if they're required to foot the bill themselves, like here in the states, then they'll be a little more cautious with the spending of money.

With that out of the way, I thought I'd suggest if you'd like to read more about the Oriental Land Company, then click here and see the list of articles we've posted over the past three years.

It's always nice to see the view from another perspective...