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Credit: Inside the MagicThe well-loved Toy Story-inspired ride is being closed.
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For decades, The Walt Disney Company has been the pinnacle of theme park entertainment, providing its international Parks with an impeccably crafted guest experience through the near-flawless execution of the Disney formula. Their offerings include cutting-edge technology, such as the augmented reality features in Haunted Mansion, immersive experiences that engage all the senses, and enjoyable rides and attractions for visitors of all ages – at least, most of the time.
Over the years, the Disney brand has become synonymous with high-quality entertainment, and this extends to their theme parks worldwide. From its humble beginnings with Walt Disney’s Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California – known as “The Happiest Place On Earth” – the Disney Resort family has grown significantly, encompassing global destinations such as the Walt Disney World Resort with its Magic Kingdom, as well as international Parks like Disneyland Paris Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Shanghai Disney Resort, and Tokyo Disney Resort.
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Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters
Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters is a popular attraction at Disney Parks around the world. The ride first opened in 2004 at Disneyland in California, and it quickly became a fan favorite. Riders board space vehicles equipped with laser guns and travel through a series of scenes inspired by the Toy Story movies. The goal of the ride is to shoot targets and accumulate points, with the highest scoring riders earning the title of “Galactic Hero.” Since its initial debut, Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters has been replicated at other Disney Parks, including Walt Disney World in Florida (as Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin), Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland.
Why the fan-favorite ride is being “discontinued”
Recently, the Tokyo Disney Resort released the sad news that the popular Tomorrowland staple, Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters would be closed for a whole half a year.
Fan news source TDR Doria posted earlier that starting on May 11, Astro Blasters over at the Tokyo Disneyland Park’s Tomorrowland area would be “discontinued” until November 1, 2023:
[To suspend for about half a year]
Starting May 11, Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters will be discontinued.* Scheduled to resume on November 1st (Wednesday).
https://tokyodisneyresort.jp/tdl/attraction/detail/185/
#TDR_info
【約半年間の休止へ】
5月11日より、バズ・ライトイヤーのアストロブラスターは休止となります。※11月1日(水)より再開予定です。https://t.co/fVJux3lnpf#TDR_info pic.twitter.com/0QR65REulZ
— どりあ@ディズニー情報 (@tdr_doria) May 9, 2023
Fans of the ride responded with confusion, like @0623tatsuya, asking “why?” this was happening:
(translated) Why?!
なんでだ？
— 豊川 達也 (@0623tatsuya) May 10, 2023
Many Disney fans seemed rather upset at the seemingly sudden announcement, like @SKY3216_a who wanted to visit Tokyo Disneyland’s version of the ride tomorrow:
(translated) I wanted to go tomorrow💢
明日行きたかったのに💢 https://t.co/PynYbr22EH
— 藍 (@SKY3216_a) May 10, 2023
There doesn’t seem to be any official statement from the Tokyo Disney Resort as of yet, and fans (and potential Guests) seem on the whole shocked and confused, like @tatibana_321:
! ? ! ? ? ? ! ,,? ? ! ? ? ? ! ,? ? ? ? ? ! ! ? ? ! ? ? ? (a voiceless cry)
！？！？？？！、、？？！？？？！、？？？？？！！？？！？？？(声にならない叫び) https://t.co/HxU0SXmtv2
— ﾀﾁﾊﾞﾅ (@tatibana_321) May 10, 2023
It’s not usually like The Walt Disney Company and the Oriental Land Company to pull something like this seemingly out of the blue, and Disney fans and Guests are frustrated as a result. We can’t know for sure why the ride is being closed, but at least we have a definite date that it is coming back, and not being replaced by another ride altogether.
What do you think of Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters closing suddenly? Share your thoughts in the comments below!