Pardon Our Dust - Tokyo Disneyland Resort
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After that first year it became apparent that TDS would need some additional support. Tower of Terror was green-lighted quickly with an all-new theme but the basic ride profile from DCA. The Twilight Zone theme was dropped as not enough Japanese guests would know the series (which is an odd counterpoint to the Parisian version which will feature Rod Serling’s immortal voice-over but where the show is equally unknown) and the hotel itself re-themed to American Waterfront. Instead guests are on a tour from the local preservation society of the famous Hightower Hotel (named after an Indiana Jones-inspired magnate in the mould of Carnegie or Rockefeller) that has been mysteriously abandoned for ten years. Guests will discover that Harrison Hightower was no more than a petty thief misappropriating rare artifacts from around the globe. However one artifact appears to be possessed and has caused the mysterious disappearance of Hightower. The two “stops�? in the elevator shaft are near identical to the DCA version (the mirror effect and the forced perspective corridor albeit re-jigged to feature the cursed idol and Hightower). The attraction will open in September 2006. With a massive $180 million investment OLC are banking on the attraction having a magnetic draw on guests.
So what else is on the horizon?
In July show impresario Steve Davison will unveil his first TDS project the lavish Mythica. The Mediterranean Harbor show will replace the existing Porto Paradiso Water Carnival. This show is one of the largest and most expensive to ever be staged at TDR with a myriad of watercraft and floating stages. Alan Silvestri (the composer of Lilo & Stitch) has created the soundtrack to Steve’s extravaganza. The show will be paired with the lackluster BraviSEAmo! the $30 million nighttime spectacle that has failed to catch the imagination of TDS guests. The OLC has already begun to investigate future projects to replace BraviSEAmo! but has not progressed beyond the concept phase.
As we have already mentioned on LaughingPlace.com Alan Menken has teamed up with his Home on the Range lyricist Glenn Slater to create a brand-new production for the Broadway Theater in American Waterfront. The show is based on The Snow Queen and will debut during the fifth anniversary celebrations. It will be the first Broadway-caliber show to appear at TDR since Anne Hamburger was appointed to run Disney Creative Entertainment. A “filler�? show will replace Encore! this summer. Sail Away is also to close on the Dockside Stage to make way for a new production specifically for the anniversary. Mystic Rhythms on the Hangar Stage is also rumored to be ready for replacement which would mean that all three permanent shows with flexible theater space would be renewed during the fifth anniversary.
Looking further into the future OLC have contracted Walt Disney Imagineering to “fix�? Sindbad’s Seven Voyages the least popular attraction at TDS. Stuck in the furthest corner of Arabian Coast in a non-descript Moorish building Sindbad has failed to attract significant interest from guests who prefer the thrills offered by the Indiana Jones Adventure and Journey to the Center of the Earth and the Disney character-themed shows like the Magic Lamp Theater. It is a tremendous shame as Sindbad is an incredible Audio-Animatronics adventure. A compelling voyage through Sindbad’s trials and tribulations as he confronts legends such as the whale that was an island, spear-wielding monkeys and the hypnotic sirens the attraction has failed to find an audience. Tower of Terror show producer Alec Scribner has been working to improve the coherency of the story and make it more relevant to guests who seem to prefer Disney theme parks to tell Disney stories. Alan Menken is being given his first opportunity to create an original tune for an attraction on Sindbad. Ultimately the attraction will follow the successful Pirates of the Caribbean model for boat rides. Expect Sindbad to shutter during the latter part of this year and re-open in 2007.
OLC are hoping that these changes will be sufficient to drive up attendance during the fifth anniversary celebrations. Beyond that OLC are willing to play a waiting game. The next priority is TDL’s 25th birthday in 2008 which will see a new Monsters, Inc. interactive adventure at the park (think Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters coupled with the Where’s the Fire? attraction from Epcot’s Innoventions) Disney & Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba will debut at a purpose-built theater in the Ikspiari retail complex and outside the main gates the opulent new Victorian-inspired flagship resort the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel. There are only two more expansive expansion pads left at TDS and the OLC is not keen to develop those sites any time soon.
There is no doubt that the fifth anniversary festivities at TDS will attract the hard-core Disney enthusiasts during its short ten month run. However the key to its success will be the ability of TDR to lure regular day guests away from TDL or to extend their visit to the resort to take in TDS. Whether these changes will be enough is debatable but with the vast majority of its income coming from TDR the OLC need to demonstrate to their shareholders that their best years are not behind them.