Credit: Loren Javier, FlickrGuests will need to grapple with a new inconvenience when they visit one Disney park’s Tomorrowland after November 25.
One of the reasons why Disney’s theme parks have remained so iconic for so long is because they’re always changing. Just as Walt Disney promised upon opening Disneyland in 1955, the parks are truly never complete, with new experiences and attractions added (and removed) all the time.
Unfortunately, the downside of adding new features to a theme park is that they don’t just pop up overnight. Construction is a sad reality of every theme park, Disney or not, with some areas experiencing lengthy disruptions before they can debut exciting new additions to the public.
For example, EPCOT recently went through a multi-year period of what can only be described as utter disarray.
As the park geared up for what ended up being a relatively disappointing anniversary celebration – one that was originally supposed to include a new version of Spaceship Earth, until this was shelved post-pandemic – it was a maze of construction walls, which didn’t exactly give off the most magical first impression.
Even worse is the current state of Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris. Long considered the runt of the Disney park litter, the movie studios-inspired theme park is in the process of becoming Disney Adventure World.
It will soon welcome its own version of World of Frozen, plus a Tangled (2010) ride and a lake area to host nighttime spectaculars. Somewhere down the line, it will also add an area inspired by The Lion King (1994), complete with a Pride Rock attraction that takes its cues from Splash Mountain.
Right now, the park is more construction wall than ride. This isn’t an exaggeration; during Deadpool’s brief stint at the French theme park over the summer, the antihero made multiple jibes at the park’s ever-growing maze of walls.
Disruptions in Tokyo Disneyland’s Tomorrowland
Now, yet another park is going down the heavy construction route. Tokyo Disneyland closed its version of Space Mountain earlier this year, and is now in the process of demolishing the ride so it can build a bigger, better, more modern indoor roller coaster.
On October 31, it also closed Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters. The Toy Story attraction will be replaced by a Wreck-It Ralph (2012) ride in 2026.
With both rides located in Tomorrowland, the futuristic land is in a state of metamorphosis right now. Unfortunately for guests, that means that it’s pretty tough to navigate, with new traffic restrictions implemented by the park as of November 25.
According to Dpost JP, a small section of the land will be blocked off to all guests each day until approximately 6 p.m.
The area is small and only really disrupts those wanting to go from Stitch Encounter to the likes of Star Tours: The Adventures Continue or Monsters, Inc.
Ride or Go Seek!, or pass directly through from the bottom of Tomorrowland to Toontown or the Beauty and the Beast (1991) section of Fantasyland, it poses more of a logistical issue during parade times when guests will also be unable to cut through the area in front of Cinderella Castle.
For now, there’s no word on how long this Tomorrowland construction will last, but considering the extent of Tokyo Disney Resort’s plans for the land through 2027, we’d say that this probably isn’t the end of the disruption. Stay tuned for more updates.
What do you think of Tokyo Disneyland replacing Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters?