Frozen, Tangled and Peter Pan as Disney finalises multi-billion dollar expansion for Tokyo theme park
Frozen, Tangled and Peter Pan are coming to Disney's Tokyo theme park, after the operator announced a multi-billion dollar agreement with the Oriental Land Company for the largest expansion in the history of DisneySea.
Expected to open in 2022, the development, which has been budgeted at ¥250bn (US$2.26bn, €1.95bn, £1.7bn), will see an eighth port comprising three themed areas opened, as well as a new luxury hotel.
The port, says Disney, is inspired by a magical spring, which will open up into each of the Disney worlds. The expansion will include four major attractions, as well as three restaurants and a retail outlet.
In the Frozen area, guests can explore the kingdom of Arendelle, which will feature the boat ride already in existence at Disney's Epcot theme park and under development at Hong Kong Disneyland. In addition, a restaurant inside the castle will sit at the foot of a snow-covered mountain scene.
Rapunzel's tower will be the iconic attraction for the Tangled area, which will allow visitors to explore the forest and tower where she lives. The area will also include an attraction that follows Rapunzel to the lantern festival and a restaurant inspired by the hideout of the film's thugs.
Never Land, the home of Peter Pan, will be home to two attractions and a restaurant. Landmarks include Never Land's mountains, Captain Hook's pirate ship and Skull Rock. The first attraction will be a flight simulator, taking guests over the jungles of Never Land into a battle with Captain Hook. The second attraction will take guest to Pixie Hollow, the home of Tinker Bell. The area's restaurant is inspired by the Lost Boys' hideout.
The hotel will be themed to Disney fantasy and will offer views of the entire port area. It will offer 475 bedrooms, while a retail store will be available on the first floor, as well as two restaurants.
The development will take up 140,000sq m (1.5 million sq ft), with 100,000sq m (1.1 million sq ft) dedicated to the theme park and hotel. With the expansion, the licensing agreement between Disney and the Oriental Land Company – which currently runs until 2046 – has been extended to 2076.
"Together with the large-scale enhancement of Tokyo Disneyland, scheduled to start
operations in 2020, this new project marks a major step in the evolution of Tokyo DisneyResort into a one-of-a-kind themed resort where guests will enjoy even more magical
Experiences," said a statement from the Oriental Land Company.
"In the 35 years since the grand opening of Tokyo Disneyland, Japan has undergone rapidgrowth and Oriental Land has consistently offered new experiences that can be shared by guests of all ages that they can only have at Tokyo Disney Resort."
Japan’s theme park market has recently shown signs of increasing, as US operators Disney and Universal continue to invest in new attractions.
In recent years, Universal has funded its major Harry Potter expansion, as well as investments into a new area opened last year devoted to Despicable Me’s Minions.
A ¥60bn (US$534m, €451m, £397m) Nintendo and Mario-themed area is also in progress, with the attraction expected to open in 2020 ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Disney is also creating its own competition in Asia. In 2016 it launched Shanghai Disneyland, which drew 11 million visitors in its first year. China is also a hotbed for theme park development, with more than 60 new parks expected to open by 2020, though the government has recently tried to curb this development fearing projects are low quality or financially untenable.
Frozen Tangled Peter Pan Tokyo Oriental Land Company theme park DisneySea Epcot Hong Kong Never Land Captain Hook Japan¥5bn Finding Nemo attraction coming to Tokyo's DisneySea
Disney will invest US$4.5bn in a 10-year expansion of its Tokyo theme parks
Jasmine's Flying Carpets to land at Disney Tokyo
Tokyo Disney visitor numbers on the increase
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
The Peninsula London unveils Peter Marino-designed spa inspired by London’s famous parks
First glimpses revealed of Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair's subterranean spa retreat
"Architecture is alive" says Ma Yansong, as Shenzhen art museum opens exhibition showcasing work of MAD Architects
SHA Mexico to debut in January 2024 with genome-inspired design by Sordo Madaleno
Why shouldn’t sports facilities be beautiful? Across Asia, architects are creating landmark buildings for the public, discovers Christopher de Wolf