Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast E-Ticket Ride Opening Date!
After a delay of over 5 months, we finally have an opening date for Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast, Happy Ride with Baymax, Minnie’s Style Studio, and the shops & restaurants in the New Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and Toontown “large-scale development of Tokyo Disneyland.” Oriental Land Company just announced that the park’s largest expansion ever will officially debut on September 28, 2020. In this post, we’ll share concept art, offer info & details and provide some commentary.
This large-scale expansion is part of an unprecedented $3 billion expansion of Tokyo Disney Resort that has continued to plow forward in the last few months (even during the closure) without delay or budget cuts. The additions to Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea will bring Beauty and the Beast, Big Hero 6, Frozen, Tangled, and Peter Pan attractions to the parks, plus two new hotels to the resort complex.
The Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast is the marquee addition to the Tokyo Disneyland expansion, which will be Disney’s latest in a string of mega E-Ticket attractions. While specific line item budgets haven’t been released by OLC or Disney, this is expected to be among the most expensive attractions Imagineering has ever created, potentially on par with Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in ambitiousness. (Here’s hoping it’s more reliable!)
Most of this expansion is New Fantasyland, and most of that is a Beauty and the Beast mini-land. This area stretches from Belle’s Village to the secluded forest home to Beast’s Castle. In this area, La Taverne de Gaston restaurant and Village Shoppes line the street. This trio of shops consists of La Belle Librairie, Little Town Traders and Bonjour Gifts.
Leaving the village behind, guests enter the forest and approach Beauty and the Beast’s Castle, which is home to the aforementioned E-Ticket. The Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast is a trackless dark ride featuring magical cups that dance in rhythm to the animated film’s music as they take guests through scenes depicting the story of Belle and the Beast.
Deep in Fantasyland lies Fantasyland Forest Theatre, the first indoor theater at Tokyo Disneyland. This will be the future home to “Mickey’s Magical Music World” show, which will open at a date to be announced later. Other indoor stage shows, including the comparable Big Band Beat and Song of Mirage, are not operating during Tokyo Disney Resort’s phased reopening.
In Tomorrowland, the Happy Ride with Baymax is basically Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree but with Big Hero 6. It looks cute and will have fun music and lighting effects, but it’s a flat ride–hardly a blockbuster addition. Nearby is The Big Pop, a cosmic-themed shop specializing in popcorn.
Moving to Toontown, where Minnie’s Style Studio will open. World-renowned fashion designer Minnie Mouse will greet guests while wearing her latest design, which will change each season. Decked out with a big, polka-dot bow, Minnie’s Style Studio is where she designs, creates and photographs her new fashions.
This is just a capsule overview of what’s opening on September 28, 2020. For more detail and concept art, check out Details for Tokyo Disneyland’s Colossal 2020 Expansion.
To avoid congestion, some of the new experiences have been modified operations and entry will be limited on a temporary basis. A new entry request system via the Tokyo Disney Resort App will be used for assigned time reservations at the new attractions and greeting experience. In addition, entry to the new restaurants and shops will be limited to guests who have made advance reservations.
Last year when Soaring: Fantastic Flight debuted, FastPasses were gone within minutes of park opening for the first several months. That was with the attraction operating at normal capacity. With reduced capacity, this is going to be more akin to the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance boarding pass dash, which is essentially a lottery.
This is on top of the current limitations on entering Tokyo Disneyland. For all of the complaints among Walt Disney World Annual Passholders about the Park Pass system, Tokyo Disney Resort APs arguably have it worse. There, an Annual Pass lottery is held for the chance to visit Tokyo DisneySea and/or Disneyland once in a given month. We know some locals who have not won the lottery at all since the parks reopened!
The recourse in that case has been waiting until the following month, or purchasing 1-day or partial day tickets 30 days in advance. In fairness, the clock has not started ticking on Tokyo Disney Resort expiration dates (meaning they continue to be extended) and single day tickets are only $78, so it’s not quite as bad as it sounds.
As a quick aside, we’ll be curious to see whether Disneyland Resort in California follows the Tokyo or Florida “model” for Annual Passholder entry. From a demographics perspective, the Tokyo approach makes more sense. From a domestic parks infrastructure and continuity perspective, the Florida approach makes more sense. Both are going to cause a ton of outrage among Disneyland APs, as there is way more demand than there is park capacity, but I digress…
It’s not bombshell news that Tokyo Disneyland has announced an official opening date for this large scale expansion, as Cast Member previews have quietly been held for the last week. Given that, it seemed like that the new land and attractions would debut sooner rather than later. However, we’re nonetheless a bit surprised that this is the direction OLC has chosen to go with the blockbuster additions to Tokyo Disneyland.
Our expectation has been that Oriental Land Company would just sit on the large scale expansion until it could have a splashy, full-capacity opening. We were really thinking it wouldn’t open until Spring 2021. It’s been finished for months, so they’ve already been sitting on it for a while. However, with OLC’s recent financial woes and issuance of bonds, perhaps the thinking is it’s better to get the expansion open and guests spending money on tickets and merchandise.
Ultimately, this is bittersweet news. It’s exciting for those who get to experience it, but a bit anticlimactic–and will likely be a frustrating process even for those able to score park tickets. This expansion is a really big deal, and deserves a truly grand opening. Also, we are (admittedly) jealous. Perhaps part of that “belief” the Tokyo Disneyland expansion wouldn’t open until Spring 2021 was wishful thinking on our part. We were scheduled to be there for the original opening day back in April, and have been closely watching Japan’s reopening process for the last few months.
During that time, it’s been increasingly clear that travel to Japan in the next few months is out of the question. At this point, even Spring 2021 feels overly optimistic. Suffice to say, if you have a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort planned for 2021, you might want to read our post When Will Japan Reopen & Allow Foreign Tourists? That covers a timeline of Japan’s reopening progress, and when we can realistically expect to resume leisure travel to Japan.
Planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort? For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea Trip Planning Guide! For more specifics, our TDR Hotel Rankings & Reviews page covers accommodations. Our Restaurant Reviews detail where to dine & snack. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money post. Our What to Pack for Disney post takes a unique look at clever items to take. Venturing elsewhere in Japan? Consult our Ultimate Guide to Kyoto, Japan and City Guide to Tokyo, Japan.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of this news? Are you surprised by the announcement of an opening date for the Beauty and the Beast land’s and other components of the large scale expansion? Do you have a trip planned to Tokyo Disney Resort in the next six months or so that you anticipate being impacted? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Glad for all the people who have the money to travel to Tokyo, but it’s annoying that WDW is cutting projects in Florida and doing all these things overseas. So much for the Americans that made you.
Hi Susan, The Tokyo parks are owned by The Oriental Land Company and they license everything so Disney isn’t spending anything on these projects, they’re just making money 🙂
Yeah I wish they would spend more money on rides in DAK and Epcot. Need some more rides for sure. Epcot is the neglected second child. I’m blown away that the demand is so great for WDW even when cost cutting and reduction in hours due to increase in hard ticket events has occurred.
Just think of it as an overly prolonged soft opening, perhaps?
It’s hard to tell from the photo, but with outside of the Happy Ride it looks like they may have figured out a modern take on TDL’s version of the early-80s WDW Tomorrowland aesthetics that I love! I can’t remember; is that a new plot of land or a replacement attraction?
I am very excited being in Australia and a WDW passholder who cannot get over to Florida I am hoping and hoping that Japan will open up to us sooner rather than later, especially as we are discussing a “travel bubble.”
Japan is gorgeous and this expansion is definitely a must do!
Travel bubble is never going to happen, Australia is CDC Level 3. Much more likely travel bubble with New Zealand. They’re CDC Level 1. You should consider moving there for travel bubble.
Well a girl can dream especially when NZ and Sydney are discussing a bubble themselves. I think as long as you aren’t in Melbourne you’re doing fine, and Perth where I live has closed state borders and is going well.
Hi Tom,
Can you explain what an e ticket ride actually means.
Thanks
Oh, I know this one! When Disneyland originally opened, admission to the park was really cheap but to ride anything you had to purchase and present a separate ticket (kind of like a county fair). There were different, lettered tiers of attractions based on how elaborate they were. Originally there were A (less popular) to C (more popular/elaborate) ticket attractions, with D and then ultimately E tickets being added as time goes on. E tickets were the biggest, most elaborate and technologically advanced attractions and therefore the most popular. I think the Matterhorn Bobsleds and Submarine Voyage were the first E tickets. Eventually the ticket system went away in favor of the general admission pricing used now but fans still use the term E ticket to describe what are considered the most groundbreaking/advanced rides at the time of their debut (things like Tower of Terror or Rise of the Resistance would be E tickets if that system was still used).
I’m sure the ride will be epic. Too bad most foreign visitors won’t be experiencing it anytime soon, although with reduced capacity. the wait times would’ve been astronomical even if they were allowed in!
I feel that the problem with this castle is the purple brickwork is too dark and the red roofs are too bright – there isn’t enough of a contrast between them.
I was suppose to be there in May, and I’m still eager to go! Hopefully the travel restrictions are lifted by Spring 2021, because I’d love to go during that time! If not, I’ll just continue waiting patiently, because Beauty & the Beast is my faaavorite so I have to see this!
Travel restrictions will not be lifted until just prior to the Olympics start in July
It has been 5 long years since visiting Tokyo Disney and Japan and we can’t wait to return. This news pushes me over the edge! I think I need a Japan trip on the books. Even if it is just something to look forward to on paper only. However, I can’t help but remember that overly crowded (not at all physically distanced) commuter train experience out of Maihama station on the way to Tokyo station. Has the commuter experience changed at all since COVID? Spring and fall are definitely the best times to go. When will us travelers from the US no longer be personna non grata? That remains to be seen! I think I will book it anyway. Tom, why do you tempt me so? You know you are the reason we went to Tokyo Disney in the first place. We are now forever spoiled!
Ridership has dropped on trains, but it’s still fairly high.
Japan is a good case study in what works and doesn’t, what’s high risk and isn’t. Almost all of Japan’s cases have been traced to restaurants, karaoke bars, and host & hostess clubs. Thanks to masks, air circulation, and the briefer (under 15 minutes, in most cases) nature of encounters in them, trains and train stations haven’t really been identified as an issue.
I know Tokyo Disney has a reputation for doing everything top-notch, but I have to say that I really dislike that castle. It looks more like a cheap kids playset than anything from the movie, to me. I’m sure the ride will be great, though.
We had debated visiting Japan in spring 2020 (luckily that didn’t work out), and instead debated 2021. I was hoping things would be “good” by then as of a few months ago. As things stand right now, 2022 looks like it might be a better option.
To each their own, but I think Florida has a monopoly on the Beast’s Castle that looks like a cheap kids playset (and sized appropriately for that). 😉
At some point, Japan will have to accelerate their reopening plans if they want the Olympics to happen in normal form. I’m a bit surprised their approach has been so slow–but in more ways than one it reflects Japanese culture as a whole, so it shouldn’t be shocking.
Actually, maybe it’s Tom’s playful colour edit that might give you the impression that Beast’s castle looks like a cheap playset (?) but if you look at any close-up pic, the details on this castle are gorgeous! I’m flabbergasted and can’t wait to see it in person. Tom’s right: it really makes ‘our castle’ in WDW look like a sad joke… LOL!
That’s a TDR PR edit. I don’t recall it looking that ‘pastel’ in person, but it’s been an eternity (November) since I’ve seen it.
This expansion sounds amazing! My husband and I went to a Tokyo a few years ago and definitely regret no going to either of the parks. Someday we will make it happen!
If you’re willing to wait even longer, consider ~2023. That’s when Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea should be finished. That’s an even bigger budget expansion than this!
Full details & concept art here: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/tokyo-disneysea-fantasy-springs-concept-art-groundbreaking/
Yeah I’m waiting for 2023/2024 for the new Fantasy Springs expansion. 🙂 Japan is pretty far from the East Coast so cant just jet over there all the time. That’s what we fo with Europe over here 🙂
Thank Tom!