5 years after the foremost venture that added Magnificence and the Beast mini-land and journey, plus Fantasyland, Toontown, and Tomorrowland expansions, the Oriental Land Firm (OLC) has unveiled brand-new idea artwork for future expansions in each parks. This breaks down the redevelopment of Adventureland, with Up, Incredibles, and Moana replacements for Jungle Cruise and extra.
Let’s begin with background, which is usually the identical floor beforehand lined in Port Discovery Growth & Aquatopia Substitute Revealed for Tokyo DisneySea. In case you’ve already learn that, scroll right down to the brand new idea artwork for Adventureland that reveals what’s being changed and added.
This reveal comes through OLC’s 2035 Lengthy-Time period Administration Technique, launched to buyers on April 28, 2025. Together with this, OLC reported document outcomes for the newest fiscal yr, probably fueling the need for additional growth past that Wreck-It Ralph and new House Mountain sights at the moment beneath development in Tomorrowland at Tokyo Disneyland.
This 10-year plan for Tokyo Disney Resort reveals that the objective is to “present shifting experiences and surprises that can’t be discovered anyplace else on this planet by means of growth distinctive to Tokyo Disney Resort.” This will probably be achieved through the “dynamic restructuring of our theme park websites together with attainable large-scale growth equivalent to area-wide redesign.”
OLC additional states that the objective is to “always improve the attraction of our theme parks by redesigning sights and leisure packages, providing time-limited particular variations, and using beforehand unused mental property and new applied sciences.”
To perform this, they plan to create new services and experiences, whereas additionally revamping current venues and increasing companies in pursuit of consolation and comfort to reply to adjustments in company’ conduct and desires inside the parks.
Nothing right here is stop-the-presses information. OLC started providing imprecise summations of its medium and long-term plans in this report from 2016 when first asserting the Fantasyland/Tomorrowland growth (Magnificence and the Beast and Baymax) for Tokyo Disneyland and Hovering: Unbelievable Flight for Tokyo DisneySea. This 10-year plan is fairly near what they introduced as their long-term imaginative and prescient nearly a decade in the past.
In that 2016 doc, OLC signifies that the long-term plan for Tokyo Disneyland is “area-based growth for every themed land, to happen in phases, is meant to go away an enduring affect.” Whereas I’m not going to comb by means of each OLC report over the past decade, the vibe we’ve gotten from all of them has been a mixture of place-making and changing/revitalizing current sights, not outright growth.
Even again then, Oriental Land Firm indicated that leaning extra closely on vacationers is just one of its medium-term targets (as of 2017), and never the primary one. Quite, the highest precedence is to “foster medium to long-term followers (repeat company),” which OLC ties on to the getting older inhabitants and declining birthrate.
That was within the lead-up to the Tokyo 2020 Summer time Olympics, which had been to be instrumental in serving to Japan obtain a brand new document variety of inbound vacationers. That didn’t occur in 2020 for causes that must be clearly. That yr and 2021 set document lows, with worldwide tourism solely beginning to recuperate in late 2022.
Nonetheless, Japan did set a brand new document for inbound guests final yr, and the information I’ve seen to this point in 2025 suggests the nation will probably be breaking that document. Cumulative customer numbers for 2025 reached 10.5 million within the quarter by means of March, up 23.1 %, marking the quickest tempo on document to surpass 10 million, in keeping with the government-affiliated Japan Nationwide Tourism Group (JNTO).
The JNTO has extremely aggressive long-term targets for inbound guests that, frankly, I’m undecided are even remotely sustainable given the present pressure in some locales. However that’s a bit past the scope of this put up. The purpose right here is that OLC desires a much bigger slice of this worldwide tourism pie, as these company are far and away the very best spenders.
Enter the redevelopment and growth proposal for Adventureland:
One of many targets of the aforementioned redevelopment initiatives has been to make Tokyo Disneyland distinctive.
When the park was initially constructed, it was achieved checklist-style with clones of areas and rides from Magic Kingdom or Disneyland. That’s fairly literal, and the way the park in the present day has change into a ‘bizarro’ model of these citadel parks, with vestiges of the previous which might be long-extinct within the home parks.
That is exactly why OLC redeveloped Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, changing legacy sights with the Magnificence and the Beast space, Comfortable Trip with Baymax, and extra. It’s additionally a part of the motivation for the Wreck-It Ralph journey and new House Mountain–and possibly extra to return in Tomorrowland.
It’s thus unsurprising that OLC is now turning its consideration to the opposite aspect of the park. We’ve been anticipating a point of redevelopment in Adventureland and Westernland for some time.
As a part of the 10-year plan presentation, Oriental Land Firm shared idea artwork for a wholesale reimagining of Adventureland at Tokyo Disneyland. This proposal seems to indicate the elimination of Swiss Household Treehouse, Jungle Cruise, Western River Railroad, and Enchanted Tiki Room: Sew Presents “Aloha E Komo Mai!”
If this idea artwork had been to return to fruition, it might in all probability additionally imply the elimination of Theater Orleans, Nation Bear Jamboree and extra in Westernland. Each of the stage present venues are on the periphery of the plans, however Theater Orleans is vacant (and absent from the idea artwork) and Nation Bear Jamboree is correct behind the Tiki Room. So it is sensible to lose all of that–and every part in between–as a part of this growth if the area is required.
Points of interest and areas that look like secure are Pirates of the Caribbean and its adjoining mini-New Orleans Sq. streets (minus Theater Orleans), Crystal Palace, and the Coral Touchdown sub-land of Adventureland.
Coral Touchdown was one of many first areas added to Tokyo Disneyland within the early Nineties. Its strikingly just like Storm Lagoon at Walt Disney World, which is as a result of some Imagineers labored on each initiatives. Anyway, I point out Coral Touchdown as a result of it’s the unique instance of OLC wanting distinctive areas for Tokyo Disneyland–the initiative dates all the best way again to then.
Not pictured within the idea artwork is something in Westernland or the Rivers of America. Nonetheless, these two lands are interconnected–so it’s tough to visualise how eradicating Jungle Cruise occurs and not using a domino impact that has main ramifications for this entire aspect of the park.
From this idea artwork, it seems to be like Adventureland will add an Incredibles curler coaster, Paradise Falls Up-themed attraction, and Moana boats within the center.
The Paradise Falls rockwork might conceal a big present constructing, and there’s the area for that with the elimination of Jungle Cruise and Western River Railroad. The curler coaster is kind of within the place of the Tiki Room (and linked services), whereas additionally winding by means of Adventureland and beneath walkways, a la Slinky Canine Sprint at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
The Moana boat journey would substitute Swiss Household Treehouse, which has but to reopen post-COVID closure. This attraction truly seems to be lots like Aquatopia (which is being changed at Tokyo DisneySea), making me wonder if any of the journey system may very well be salvaged for this venture. On the far aspect, there are a bunch of recent buildings, which I assume is eating places and retail. Tokyo Disneyland wants extra of that in each parks.
In contrast to the Port Discovery proposal, I’m hesitant to learn an excessive amount of into this Adventureland idea artwork. This jogs my memory extra of the unique blue sky daydreaming session for Dinoland that, sarcastically sufficient, revealed a Moana boat journey and Zootopia growth.
Maybe that is wishful considering on my half, however I think this extra impressionistic art work is extra about exhibiting buyers what’s attainable with an Adventureland redevelopment, versus being concrete plans for what will occur.
My expectation is that growth at Tokyo DisneySea will occur first. The Port Discovery venture is decrease hanging fruit, and Fantasy Springs has uncovered simply how badly extra capability is required within the second gate. Not solely that, however the Tomorrowland initiatives are at the moment in progress, so Tokyo Disneyland will get a lift in 2026-2028 on account of these. There’s additionally the fiftieth Anniversary on the horizon, and that will probably be an enormous driver of attendance within the again half of this decade.
Accordingly, all indicators level to Tokyo DisneySea growth being the medium-term venture within the late 2020s. Adventureland growth is extra probably within the 2030s.
With that stated, giant scale redevelopments of Adventureland and Westernland are completely on the desk, and have been for some time.
I’ve talked about this elsewhere, however Automobiles Land changing the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island was first pitched as a venture for Tokyo Disneyland. My understanding is that Imagineering was rebuffed and it went nowhere, however that was over a decade in the past. Quite a bit has modified since.
However, I wouldn’t be shocked if OLC goes with a venture that in some way retains the Western River Railroad. Going with a plan that removes that might explode the size and scope of this, and implies that Huge Thunder Mountain Railroad and the Rivers of America are additionally in play. Perhaps even Splash Mountain (not like different followers, I stay skeptical that there’s any sense of urgency to take away this on OLC’s half–it’s extremely in style and immediately monetized with paid line-skipping).
Lengthy-term, I do suppose the writing is on the wall not only for Adventureland, however for many of Westernland.
In contrast to Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland is space-constrained. The Rivers of America is a big piece of underutilized actual property. I actually don’t need to lose it for the very same causes I don’t need to lose the world at Magic Kingdom, nevertheless it does really feel like an inevitability.
Nonetheless, it doesn’t really feel like an inevitability between now and 2035. Redeveloping each Adventureland and Westernland concurrently would take an excessive amount of of Tokyo Disneyland out of fee, and that park badly wants capability. The attendance dynamics on account of having two sights down in Tomorrowland have already been suboptimal, so it’s onerous to think about OLC going for the all-at-once method with Westernland and Adventureland.
That is very true since development would happen throughout Tokyo Disneyland’s fiftieth Anniversary. That will probably be a blockbuster occasion, and even proper now it’s secure to foretell that Tokyo Disney Resort will set new attendance data in 2033. They merely want the capability, and that is the kind of formidable multi-land venture that can’t be accomplished within the timeframe between the opening of House Mountain and that milestone.
It’s additionally not as if Imagineering couldn’t construct Paradise Falls round the Western River Railroad. They’ve already achieved precisely that previously on a number of events, most just lately with TRON Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom. Earlier than that, the identical occurred with the unique Splash Mountain. It’d be trickier right here, although, as a result of the only real station is immediately above the doorway to Jungle Cruise.
I don’t know the way that works out. There are a few choices, the primary of which goes smaller-scale and being achieved by 2033. The second goes large, however not beginning work till 2034 or 2035. I’d hazard a guess that OLC will select the smaller, fragmented method–that’s the good transfer.
In the end, the jury is out for me on redevelopment plans for Adventureland and/or Westernland at Tokyo Disneyland. Whereas I believe Imagineering in all probability has nice plans for Port Discovery on the shelf that they’ll dust-off, and OLC will present the funds to make sure that’s an enormous enchancment, I’m much less optimistic about creating Adventureland.
My probably controversial opinion is that I’m completely superb dropping Jungle Cruise. I believe one model of that journey ought to exist someplace on this planet for posterity, however I’m superb dropping it nearly in all places else. That’s very true at Tokyo Disneyland, the place there isn’t room for growth and the journey has a big footprint.
I’m far much less comfy dropping the railroad and, with that, Huge Thunder Mountain and the Rivers of America. That nearly assuredly will occur in my lifetime, however I’d like them to stay round for so long as attainable. I’d fortunately sacrifice Jungle Cruise, Tiki Room, and the Swiss Household Treehouse if it meant saving the railroad and rivers–they’re just too invaluable from a placemaking perspective, particularly since Tokyo Disneyland is already a concrete jungle as in comparison with Tokyo DisneySea.
As for the proposed alternative sights, it appears too early to supply complete commentary as a result of, like so many different floated Tokyo Disneyland growth proposals of the final ~15 years, lots will in all probability change. What I’ll say is that Up and the Incredibles are in style franchises with Tokyo Disneyland company, however I’d in all probability guess on darkish rides versus thrill rides (except BTMRR is on the chopping block). Visitor demographics differ at Tokyo Disneyland; the most well-liked sights in Fantasy Springs are sluggish shifting boat rides. It’ll be attention-grabbing to see how this idea continues to evolve.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider the Adventureland growth and redevelopment proposal? Disillusioned to be dropping Swiss Household Treehouse, Jungle Cruise, Western River Railroad, Enchanted Tiki Room w/ Sew, Theater Orleans, or Nation Bear Jamboree? Or do you view all of this as underutilized capability in a space-constrained park? What do you consider the rest lined right here? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions? Listening to your suggestions—even once you disagree with us—is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
