Oriental Disneyland Feasibility Study

A rose by any other name? Were the plans contained within this feasibility study really for a new Disney Resort in Asia to be named Oriental Disneyland? 

Clearly, the study was deemed a success as Tokyo Disneyland was an out of the box hit! Originally the Imagineers were given the direction to make the park as close to the original US kingdoms as possible. That meant a duplicate of Cinderella Castle from the Magic Kingdom, California's version of Pirates of the Caribbean, and an assortment of hand picked attractions that became a "best of" / greatest hits collection of the American parks. 

In the piece of concept art above, World Bazaar remains covered but the main entrance street inside the park bears more than a little resemblance to original and very different plans for Florida's World Showcase. That was once going to be a standalone park with Future World being its own as well. Of course, we all know EPCOT Center would eventually combine both. But is in interesting to think that at one point parts of the first act would in fact take guests into different areas around the globe, mini-pavilions if you will. Thankfully, smarter minds prevailed and the concept was saved for Walt Disney World's second and once groundbreaking theme park.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Tokyo's World Bazaar in Living Color

Here's Tokyo Disneyland's incredible World Bazaar in its original design. The concept art is stunning, and the end result just as good. The Disney Imagineers really hit a home run with this. And it was just the beginning with more to come. Tokyo DisneySea just cemented the resort as being the one fans just have to see.

One more thing - yes, it's 100% true. Yesterday, my good friend and fellow blogger Len Yokoyama took off for a week of fun at the Tokyo Disney Resort. When he returns, expect detailed trip reports from the parks and tons of his amazing photos. The only thing better would be traveling with him!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

A Beauty in Tokyo Disneyland

Much has been written and photographed regarding the incredible Tokyo DisneySea and justifiably so. It is one incredible theme park- the crown jewel of Imagineering's work. It certainly is the envy of theme park fans everywhere.

Less stunning but still fun of unique attractions and design, Tokyo Disneyland is also a fan favorite.  Where else can you ride the groundbreaking Pooh's Hunny Hunt, Monsters Inc. Ride and Go Seek and soon enough, an amazing Beauty and the Beast ride a la Hong Kong's Mystic Manor? Certainly not Shanghai Disneyland!

Here's a look at one of the few new pieces of Imagineering concept art for the first Tokyo park. Imagineer Herb Ryman did an outstanding job showing World Bazaar under a huge canopy that protects guests from Tokyo's extreme weather conditions. It's a beauty!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Tokyo Disneyland's World (Showcase) Bazaar

During the early to middle 1970's, the Walt Disney Company was still hard at work when it came to the theme parks. After the successful opening of the Walt Disney World Resort in October of 1971, and the addition of the Country Bear Jamboree and America Sings at Disneyland in the years following, the Imagineers still had many projects on their plate. Even without their visionary leader, the company forged ahead with revised and constantly changing plans for Walt's last dream, EPCOT Center.

Expansion plans were not limited to the States, however. After finally announcing an agreement with the Oriental Land Company, Tokyo Disneyland, "The Kingdom of Dreams and Magic" would debut to a Japanese audience just months after Florida's second Disney park. The park would draw heavily from its American cousins, yet it would also have some unique features all its own.

The expected attractions would all be there: Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World, and Space Mountain among others, both duplicates from the two parks and originals designed specifically for the new audience.

The city of Tokyo was quite different than the more mild climates of both Anaheim and Orlando, so the decision was made to cover Main Street U.S.A. - renamed World Bazaar- with a glass roof, an elegant take off on the beautiful Crystal Palace restaurant. This feature would provide extra coverage during snowy seasons as well as providing a striking difference to the quaint shops and restaurants on the avenue.

The name World Bazaar developed as the Imagineers played with the idea of creating an entrance plaza that would provide a multicultural shopping and dining experience for the guests. With EPCOT Center's World Showcase fresh in their minds, Imagineering's preliminary plans combined earlier ideas from that park with those from the Magic Kingdom's Main Street. The unique design challenge produced only a few renderings. Above is one of the only pieces of art to surface from the Disney vaults. As you can see, there is even a bit of the Contemporary Resort's open concourse feel to the end result! Although the international concept was eventually abandoned in favor of a traditional Main Street, the name stuck, providing Tokyo Disneyland with yet another feature all its own.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)