by Ray Keating
News/Analysis
DisneyBizJournal.com
June 8, 2024
This past week was big for the Tokyo Disney Resort. Disney CEO Bob Iger and Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, were on hand to open Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea.
The new themed port featured three areas based on Frozen, Tangled and Peter Pan, as well as the Fantasy Springs Hotel.
The Disney Parks Blog offered the following summaries of each area:
• Rapunzel’s Forest. “The romantic boat ride ‘Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival’ leads to the annual Lantern Festival where you can experience Rapunzel’s ‘best day ever’ as she falls in love with Flynn Rider and visits various locations featured in the Disney Animation film ‘Tangled.’”
• Peter Pan’s Never Land. “During your visit to the mysterious island of Never Land at Fantasy Springs, journey through Skull Rock for this eye-catching view of Peter Pan’s Never Land. This scenic view features the home of Captain Hook and his pirate ship, the Jolly Roger, moored in a large, sparkling lagoon.”
• Frozen Kingdom. “The guards have opened up the gates to the kingdom of Arendelle at Tokyo DisneySea. Before you enter Arendelle Castle, immerse yourself in the world of Disney Animation’s ‘Frozen’ with a view of the new Royal Banquet of Arendelle, Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey and Elsa’s Ice Palace sitting high on the North Mountain.”
Meanwhile, the Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel includes two buildings – the Fantasy Chateau and the Grand Chateau.
Taking all of this in, plenty of Disney fans in the U.S. are asking: Hey, why does Tokyo Disney always seem to get the cool stuff? Indeed, that was the question many asked when Tokyo Disney Resort Toy Story Hotel – the fifth Disney Hotel – opened in April 2022. Disney describes the hotel as being “full of playful designs that immerse guests in the creative imagination of Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story films.”
At the opening of Fantasy Springs, Iger said, “I am so proud of the richly immersive experiences we’ve created together, and I look forward to the bright future ahead of us here at Tokyo Disney Resort. We’ve worked alongside Oriental Land Company for more than 40 years, and this new land exemplifies our companies’ shared commitment to excellence in everything we do.”
And there’s the key. The Walt Disney Company doesn’t own the Tokyo Disney Resort, which includes Tokyo DisneySea, Tokyo Disneyland, five Disney-branded hotels, and Ikspiari, which is a shopping, dining and entertainment district. Instead, these are owned and operated by the Oriental Land Co, Ltd., which licenses Disney’s intellectual property.
By the way, the resort opened in 1983, and was Disney’s first theme park venture beyond the U.S., with DisneySea opening in September 2001.
The bottom line is that the Tokyo Disney Resort tends to get the cool stuff because Disney isn’t paying for it. The Oriental Land Company is, and Disney reaps the rewards via licensing. That’s a great deal for regional and international guests, as well as Disney. As for the rest of us not visiting Tokyo Disney anytime soon, we’ll have to see what lies ahead with the $17 billion plans for Walt Disney World.
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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
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