Park Journey
Menu

Disney Parks

Development Plans Announced for Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea 

10/30/2014

0 Comments

 
URAYASU, CHIBA— Oriental Land Co., Ltd. announced that plans for the further development of Tokyo Disneyland® and Tokyo DisneySea® Parks have been decided.
The plans, outlined in the Oriental Land Group’s “2016 Medium-Term Business Plan” (for the period of March 2015 through March 2017) announced on April 28, include a 500 billion yen level of investment in the theme park business over the next ten years.
Picture
The plan for Tokyo Disneyland Park centers on the redevelopment of Fantasyland, which will nearly double the size of the themed land. Work on implementing this large-scale area development has already begun. In addition to the renovation of the existing Fantasyland, major new attractions, restaurants and shops are being considered for installation in the expansion site.

Under consideration for Tokyo DisneySea Park is the development of a new themed port in the expansion site located south of Lost River Delta. This eighth themed port will include major new attractions, restaurants and shops.
Picture
Oriental Land will also further invest in the two Parks in multiple ways: renovation or creation of attractions and entertainment programs; development of hardware that will enhance the Guest experience in the Parks; further improvement of restaurants; easing of congestion; development of measures to protect Guests from hot and cold weather; and other ways of to make a more comfortable environment for all Guests. Furthermore, investment will be made to strengthen the theme parks’ “backstage” support functions and operational base.

In addition to the above investment in infrastructure, Oriental Land will continue to raise the level of hospitality provided by Cast Members, which is vital to the Disney theme parks, by strengthening human resources development and raising employee satisfaction to an even higher level.
Oriental Land’s aim for the two Disney theme parks is for them to continue to be places where Guests will have unforgettable experiences that are unlike anywhere else in the world. Oriental Land will strive to make this a reality through the above investments to maximize the value of the theme parks.

1. Amount of Theme Park Business Investment
The breakdown of the 500 billion* yen level of investment in the theme park business over the next ten years ( fiscal year** 2014 through fiscal year 2023 ) is projected as follows. 
(Orientation of Investment)
Picture
2. Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea Development Plans 
Centering on the redevelopment of Fantasyland at Tokyo Disneyland and the development of a new themed port at Tokyo DisneySea, as well as the introduction of new attractions and other facilities, Oriental Land’s investment will aim at maximizing the value of the theme parks. Moreover, the amount of the additional investment for the Fantasylandredevelopment is expected to be the largest ever for Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo 
DisneySea. 
Picture
Preparations for creating comfortable environments at Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea Parks
By further enhancement of restaurants, easing of congestion, introduction of measures to protect Guests from hot and cold weather and other actions, Oriental Land will proactively create environments that Guests can enjoy in comfort.

Concrete Examples:
• Restructure the show viewing area
• Enhance restaurants further
• Make service facilities more comfortable
• Restructure the IT environment
Picture
Area of Fantasyland Redevelopment at Tokyo Disneyland
Picture
Site for New Themed Port Development at Tokyo DisneySea
Strengthening the base for operations including support functions 
In order to handle the highest level of Park attendance and provide the best Guest service, business-use land, including the land for the theme parks, will be created in the backstage area (the operations base for the theme parks) by enlarging support facilities and moving some facilities.

Concrete Examples:
• Move and enlarge the Logistics Center and Central Kitchen to company-owned property nearby
• Move part of the administration functions to company-owned property nearby 
Picture
Show Viewing Area Restructuring (concept image)
Picture
Restaurant Enhancement and Improvement (concept image)
The contents of this release are still at the planning stage. Details for each subject will be announced as soon as they are decided.


If you enjoyed this update please share with your friends and make sure you "like" us on Facebook and "follow" us on Twitter and Instagram. 

If you have any comments, please share them below. 
0 Comments

New ride system coming to a Disney Park near you?

10/21/2014

4 Comments

 
Picture
We recently unearthed a very interesting patent application for an innovative new ride system created by the nice folks over at Walt Disney Imagineering. In many ways this system could be a game changer, allowing guests to interact with attractions like never before.

Full Disclosure: This is a patent application. They are typically written in the broadest spectrum possible as to not let on to competitors what the specific plans for the system are as well to have the legal protection of the patent cover as many iterations or ideas as possible.



Picture
Figure 1
At it's essence, this is a ride vehicle you sit on straddling like a motorcycle or even a dragon (hmm) where by leaning (to the side, forward or backward) you can control the direction, speed, or height of whatever you are riding on in a virtual world.

The system works by using sensors (gyroscopes) integrated into the seat. The seats sits on a motion actuated base (think Indy or Dinosaur) that responds to your leaning by moving or angling itself to correspond to your movements.  In different iterations of the patent application, the motion base can be attached to a track as well as projected images.

Picture
Figure 2
So let's blue sky some possible uses of this technology with in the works Disney rides.

Tron Light Cycle at Shanghai Disneyland 

This idea is doubtful as the ride is currently already under construction, but adding a motion base platform to this launched roller coaster where you sit on a "motorcycle" would add a sense of control, freedom, and pitch and yaw that has never been done on a ride of this type.
Picture
Avatar

Many rumors point to Avatar being similar to Soarin' . In this idea you would be able to feel like your were steering the dragon through this space as opposed to a static experience like on Soarin by replacing the large Soarin' screen with an Occulus Rift type VR headset. The tilting action of the motion base with the head tracking of a VR headset would be an amazing 1-2 punch of immersiveness to really bring you into the world of Pandora.
Picture
These are just a couple of ideas. The patent also mentions using the leaning element to free hands for interactive shooting game. You lean to turn in the direction or on the angle you want to to be and have your hands already free to shoot.

So there you have some new technology that Disney is hard at work developing and a few possible scenarios that would make for completely unique experiences. We have no inside information of how or when this system may see the light of the day, but..... I'm just sayin'- The ability to fly your own dragon wherever you like in a completely convincing and free 3d world. I could see even the biggest opponents of the Avatar expansion flying down to Florida to try that.

So what do you think? Excited about this possible new technology coming to an attraction at one of the Disney parks? What would you like to see it used for? Imagineer away!!! 



If you enjoyed this update please share with your friends and make sure you "like" us on Facebook and "follow" us on Twitter and Instagram. 

If you have any comments, please share them below. 
4 Comments

A closer look at Disney's park spending numbers

10/21/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Yesterday our friends over at Screamscape ran an article from Fool.com about how much Disney was actually spending inside it's parks since 2011. 
While the numbers are "technically" correct, what they were actually spent on has been lumped together with numbers from the motion picture and consumer products divisions to make certain things (MyMagic+) seem like it was a higher cost than it was. 

Luckily Chris is a spreadsheet master and put together some numbers to show exactly what was spent and where it was spent. We'll take a look at the Fool.com numbers and show you what was ACTUALLY spent and where. 

The author of the article took the number for ALL capital expenditures for all parts of Disney including movie production and consumer products.. He used the bottom number on the spreadsheet below instead of using the number next to domestic Parks and Resorts. 

As you'll see, the TOTAL for all Parks and Resort expenditures since 2011 is $6.7 Billion not the $14 Billion that is mentioned in the article. 

Picture
Walt Disney World Numbers: 

The article states that $3.8 Billion was spent on New Fantasyland in Florida and an additional $2.8 Billion was spent ONLY on MyMagic+. 
Picture
The numbers break down more like this: 

  • Art of Animation Hotel = $105 Million
  • Grand Floridian Villas = $95 Million
  • Test Track = $50 Million
  • New Fantasyland = $550 Million
  • Disney Springs (Initial Construction) = $200 Million
  • Princess Hall Meet and Greet = $15 Million
  • Lion King Relocation = $10 Million
  • Star Tours 2.0 = $25 Million (Split with Disneyland for a total cost of $50 Million)

  • My Magic+ = 1.5 Billion


So yes, a LOT of $$ was spent on MM+. More than DCA 2.0 and CarsLand combined. And it's an obscene amount of money. But it's still about $1.3 Billion off from what the article states. 
Disneyland Numbers: 

Moving over to the West Coast and the numbers for DCA 2.0 and CarsLand area actually LESS than MyMagic+. Could you imagine what DCA would look like if the numbers were actually $3.8 Billion? 
Picture
  • California Adventure 2.0 and CarsLand - $1.3 Billion
  • Star Tours 2.0 = $25 Million (Split with Walt Disney World for a total cost of $50 Million)
Additional Parks and Resorts Numbers: 

And lastly, not even mentioned in the article was spending for the Disney Cruise line and Aulani. 
Picture
Picture
  • Disney Dream = $900 Million
  • Disney Fantasy = $950 Million
  • Disney's Aulani = $264 Million (Total cost of $800 Million assuming 33% in 2011)


So at the end of the day, Disney is still spending a LOT of $$ in their parks and resorts. MM+ cost a LOT of money, so there is some truth to all those articles you've been reading over the last few years. 

But this just is another example of shoddy journalism to try and prove a point. In this case, you don't really need to fudge the numbers, the proof is already there. 

What are your thoughts? 


If you enjoyed this update please share with your friends and make sure you "like" us on Facebook and "follow" us on Twitter and Instagram. 

If you have any comments, please share them below. 
0 Comments

    Categories

    All
    2016 Attractions
    2017 Attractions
    2018 Attractions
    2019 Attractions
    2020 Attractions
    2021 Attractions
    2023 Attractions
    Avatar
    Avengers
    Avengers Campus
    Avengers Half Marathon
    Candlelight Processional
    Disney100
    Disney California Adventure
    Disney Hollywood Studios
    Disney Interactive
    Disneyland
    Disneyland 60th
    Disneyland Half Marathon
    Disneyland Paris
    Disney Parks
    Disney's Animal Kingdom
    Disney's Blizzard Beach
    Disney's Hollywood Studios
    Disney Springs
    Downtown Disney
    DVC
    EPCOT
    Fantasmic!
    Festival Of Holidays
    Festival Of The Lion King
    Flower And Garden Festival
    Food And Wine Festival
    Frozen
    Frozen Ever After
    Frozen Village
    Future World
    Galaxy's Edge
    Guardians Of The Galaxy Cosmic Rewind
    Guardians Of The Galaxy Mission Breakout
    Guardians Of The Galaxy - Mission Breakout
    HalloweenTime
    Haunted Mansion Holiday
    Holidays Around The World
    Hong Kong Disneyland
    International Festival Of The Arts
    Iron Man Experience
    Jungle Cruise
    Lunar New Year
    Magic Kingdom
    Mickey And Minnie's Runaway Railway
    Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
    Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
    Moana Journey Of Water
    Monsters After Dark
    New Fantasyland
    Pandora
    Phantom Manor
    Pixar Pier
    Pixar Place
    Princess Half Marathon
    Rise Of The Resistance
    Rivers Of America
    Rivers Of Light
    RunDisney
    Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
    Shanghai Disneyland
    Star Wars
    Star Wars Galaxy's Edge
    Star Wars Half Marathon
    Star Wars Land
    Star Wars Launch Bay
    Star Wars Weekends
    Tokyo Disneyland
    Tokyo DisneySea
    Toy Story Land
    Walt Disney Studios Paris
    Walt Disney World
    WDW 50th
    World Of Pandora
    World Showcase

    Archives

    September 2023
    August 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • Six Flags
  • Universal Studios
  • Disney Parks
  • Cedar Fair
  • SeaWorld Parks
  • Other Parks
  • Beyond The Parks
  • The Other Side of the Tracks
  • Industry News
  • Cruise Journey
  • Theme Park Art
  • Past Updates
    • 2021 Updates
    • 2020 Updates
    • 2019 Updates
    • 2018 Updates
    • 2017 Updates
    • 2016 Updates
    • 2015 Updates
    • 2013 and 2014 Updates
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • Six Flags
  • Universal Studios
  • Disney Parks
  • Cedar Fair
  • SeaWorld Parks
  • Other Parks
  • Beyond The Parks
  • The Other Side of the Tracks
  • Industry News
  • Cruise Journey
  • Theme Park Art
  • Past Updates
    • 2021 Updates
    • 2020 Updates
    • 2019 Updates
    • 2018 Updates
    • 2017 Updates
    • 2016 Updates
    • 2015 Updates
    • 2013 and 2014 Updates
  • Contact Us