A Brief History of
Tokyo Disneyland first opened it gates and was dedicated by E. Cardon Walker, Chairman of the Board, Walt Disney Productions on April 15, 1983. The dedication plaque can be found at the point where World Bazaar meets the plaza and at the base of the "Partners" statue. There are two plaques side by side. One is in English and one is in Japanese.
To all who
come to this happy place welcome. Here you will discover enchanted lands of Fantasy and
Adventure, Yesterday and Tomorrow. May Tokyo Disneyland be an eternal source of joy,
laughter, Inspiration and Imagination to the peoples of the world. And may this magical
kingdom be an enduring symbol of the spirit of cooperation and friendship between the
great nations of Japan and the United States of America.
Tokyo Disneyland was the third Disneyland-style theme park to open. It was preceded by Disneyland in California, and the Magic Kingdom in Florida. It was the first Disney theme park to open outside the United States.
When Tokyo Disneyland first opened it had five lands, World Bazaar, Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Attractions on opening day included Main Street Cinema, Main Street Vehicles, Penny Arcade, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Western River Railroad, The Jungle Cruise, The Enchanted Tiki Room, The Diamond Horseshoe, Country Bear Jamboree, Davy Crocket Explorer Canoes, Mark Twain Steamboat, Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island, Westernland Shootin' Gallery, Snow White’s Adventures, Peter Pan’s Flight, Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, Dumbo, the Flying Elephant, Cinderella’s Golden Carousel, The Haunted Mansion, The Mickey Mouse Review, It's a Small World, Circle-Vision, The Eternal Sea, Meet the World, Space Mountain, The Star Jets, Grand Circuit Raceway, and the Skyway.
The other magic kingdom theme parks opened with a base number of attractions, and then rapidly expanded over the first few years of their operating life. This was not the case with Tokyo Disneyland.
Shortly after the park opened, the shake-up that almost cost Walt Disney Productions its corporate life took place. When it was over, the new Walt Disney Company emerged with Michael Eisner at the helm. The change in management may explain why there was no expansion at Tokyo Disneyland for the first couple of years of its existence.
In fact, the first notable change was the closure of The Eternal Sea the year after the park opened. The attraction was a multi screen movie about the importance of the sea in Japanese life. This attraction has never been seen in any other park.
The first additional attraction opened in March of 1986. That was Alice’s Tea Party, an attraction virtually identical to the Mad Tea Party in Florida’s Magic Kingdom. Later that year, in July, The Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour opened. This attraction is unique to Tokyo Disneyland. It is a tour through the layers of several Disney villains. It is the only Disney attraction to include characters from The Black Cauldron, Disney’s 25th animated feature.
1987 also saw the addition of two attractions. In March, Captain EO took up residence in the theater that once was home to The Eternal Sea. And on the 4th of July, Tokyo Disneyland’s version of Big Thunder Mountain sent its first run-away mine train flying over the tracks in Westernland.
In 1989 a huge new building went up in Tomorrowland. It was the new home of Star Tours. And across the way, Pan Galactic Pizza opened its doors. The restaurant includes an automatic pizza machine that is almost an attraction in its own right!
When Splash Mountain opened in 1992, it
also marked the opening of Tokyo Disneyland’s sixth themed area, Critter Country,
based on a similar area at Disneyland in California. The Davy Crocket Explorer Canoes
were moved there and renamed the Beaver Brothers Explorer Canoes to fit in with the
new theme.
It is important to note that across the world Disneyland Paris, the 4th Magic Kingdom, opened in 1992.
The following year marked Tokyo Disneyland’s 10th anniversary. They celebrated by opening three new attractions during the course of the year. One of them, The Visionarium, was originally designed for Disneyland Paris. It is an attraction that utilizes circlevision technology, along with Audio Animatronics, to tell a story.
The second attraction to open that year was The Disney Gallery. Like the Disneyland attraction it was based on, The Disney Gallery showcases concept art for the parks as well as animation art.
And in July of 1993, The Swiss Family Tree House finally came to Tokyo Disneyland.
On April 15, 1996, the park opened it seventh themed area, Toontown. The land is virtually a mirror image of its predecessor, Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland in California. It comes complete with houses for Mickey and Minnie, Donald’s Boat, Goofy’s Bounce House, The Jolly Trolley, Gadget’s Go-Coaster, and Roger Rabbits Cartoon Spin.
The latest attraction to open was in 1997. Replacing Captain Eo is Micro Adventure, a version of Epcot’s Honey I Shrunk the Audience.
In 1998 Tokyo Disneyland celebrated its' 15th anniversary. Although no new attractions were opened, Fantasyland began a major enhancement. A new restaurant, The Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall was built in between The Haunted Mansion and it's a small world. Alice's Tea Party was redesigned and relocated next to the new restaurant. The Skyway and small world restaurant were closed and removed to make way for the new Pooh's Honey Hunt attraction which will open sometime in 2000.
To be continued...
