Fantasy Springs Model “Fly-Through” of New Peter Pan, Frozen & Tangled Rides
We have new a detailed new look at Fantasy Springs, the $2.3 billion expansion containing new Frozen, Peter Pan, and Tangled mini-lands, plus an in-park luxury hotel at Tokyo DisneySea. This post will share more details and “fly-through” videos of Imagineering’s 1/50th scale model of this record-setting addition to what’s already the world’s best theme park.
For those who haven’t been following its development, the overarching theme for Fantasy Springs is a magical spring leading to a world of Disney fantasy–it’s basically a loose concept for a Fantasyland-style port that brings Frozen, Tangled, and Peter Pan to Tokyo DisneySea, with separate areas for each tied together via magical springs.
Not calling it FantaSea Springs is a huge missed opportunity, but given the level of investment, we can’t complain too much. Fantasy Springs will be the most expensive expansion to any theme park anywhere, ever. It’ll cost triple the amount of last year’s Tokyo Disneyland ‘large scale’ addition that included a Beauty and the Beast mini-land and more, and over double the cost of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. We don’t yet have an estimated cost of the EPCOT overhaul, but we also don’t know what’s being built since some of those plans have been paused…
Over the last year-plus, it has been full steam ahead of Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea, with construction moving forward even during the closure of Tokyo Disney Resort and states of emergency in Japan. We haven’t seen this ourselves in over a year, but see regular photos on social media from our friends in Japan. It is now very vertical and coming along nicely for its fiscal 2023 opening.
The luxury hotel now appears topped out, its signature golden dome has been installed, and the green show buildings for each attraction are fully built. The operative word for all of it is massive. It’s also quite impressive that construction has progressed from site prep work to enclosure in the span of ~16 months (the difference between my last photos and the current status is striking). Meanwhile, Walt Disney World managed to knock down one side of Innoventions in that same time.
Above is the aerial concept art Disney and OLC have released for the expansion. It’s from the perspective of the new hotel’s golden dome, which is in the middle of that.
For some pre-video context, the new hotel will abut Bayside Station, so more or less “across the street” from the Hilton and Sheraton. The Tangled and Peter Pan areas will roughly be located behind Arabian Coast and Lost River Delta (respectively) in Tokyo DisneySea, and the Frozen area will be behind Toontown and the Beauty and the Beast area in Tokyo Disneyland.
All of the fly-through videos begin by entering through an archway that reveals Fantasy Springs. This entrance will be located at literally the deepest point of Tokyo DisneySea, between Raging Spirits in Lost River Delta and Jasmine’s Flying Carpets in Arabian Coast. Save for a parking lot and backstage facilities, nothing is being lost to gain Fantasy Springs–it’s pure expansion.
Here’s the scale model fly-through video of the new Tanged area, which will be immediately to the right after entering Fantasy Springs:
This Tangled area will feature a restaurant inspired by the Snuggly Duckling, the tavern inhabited by boisterous ruffians in the film. A version of this already exists as Tanged Tree Tavern, a counter service restaurant at Shanghai Disneyland.
The area will also offer a boat ride where guests board gondolas for a romantic tour of Rapunzel’s “best day ever” as she journeys with Flynn to the lantern festival. This will culminate in countless flickering lanterns that illuminate the attraction’s finale while Rapunzel and Flynn sing an iconic song from the film. Sounds better than bathrooms. Maybe.
Next up is the Arendelle-inspired area scale model video. Another restaurant will be located here, and set inside Arendelle Castle at the foot of beautiful, snow-capped mountains.
The Frozen mini-port is set after the first film, and will feature a ride telling the story of Elsa and Anna with iconic songs from the film and surprising thrills.
Finally, the Peter Pan area. This will be home to two attractions and a restaurant, and showcase the fantastical world of Never Land. The landscape will include mountains, Captain Hook’s pirate ship, and Skull Rock. One attraction immerses guests in the oversized world of Pixie Hollow. Never Land’s restaurant will be inspired by the Lost Boys and their hideout, affording lovely views of Never Land that Guests can enjoy while they dine.
The main Peter Pan attraction will be a boat ride as guests board boats to chase Captain Hook and his crew of pirates who have captured Wendy’s younger brother; Tinker Bell sprinkles the boats with pixie dust, Guests fly through Never Land on an adventure that features iconic music and dynamic 3D imagery. Based on the description and some semi-informed speculation, we’re expecting the main Peter Pan attraction to use technology similar to Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure at Shanghai Disneyland, and be the port’s flagship attraction.
Based upon information from the Tokyo Disney Resort fan community coupled with visible construction progress and the near-certain layout of Fantasy Springs, the Frozen area will be largest of all, thanks to having both a boat ride and a table service restaurant, plus some impressive rock-work to conceal a tall theater behind it in Tokyo Disneyland.
Per unconfirmed show building sizes, both the Peter Pan and Frozen rides will be massive. The Tangled boat ride is more modest, but still large. Given the huge size of this plot of land and the lack of retail (only one gift shop in the entire port), those show building sizes are at least credible on their face.
If this is your first exposure to Fantasy Springs, the model fly-through might seem a bit dry and uninspired. OLC takes a very different approach from Disney when it comes to revealing new information; this is straight-forward, letting the substance of the blockbuster expansion speak for itself. It may not be as superficially “exciting” as using fluffy language to manufacture enthusiasm for an ordinary shop for creations, but it gets the job done.
Suffice to say, we are beyond hyped for Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea, but we’ve also been very closely following its development. While initially apprehensive about Tokyo DisneySea losing its more sophisticated quality, the park admittedly does need more for younger audiences, and the port’s ambition level is just off the charts. As should be expected with a budget of $2.3 billion for what’s essentially a single land and hotel. We can’t wait to get back to Japan, finally experience the Tokyo Disneyland expansion, and then by able to enjoy yet another large scale expansion in 2023!
If you’re thinking of visiting Japan for the first time and are overwhelmed with planning, definitely check out our Tokyo Disney Resort Planning Guide. It covers much more than the parks, from getting there to WiFi to currency and much, much more. For more photos and an idea of what we did day-by-day during our first visit, read our Tokyo Disney Resort Trip Report.
Your Thoughts
Are you excited for Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea? Happy to see several rides and only one gift shop? Which area–Peter Pan, Tangled, or Frozen–is most intriguing to you? Do you find this massive construction project more compelling that other additions at Disney Parks around the globe or not? 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!
In reply to Mike who would love to get to Tokyo Disney but has money as the biggest obstacle: I totally understand! But I got a credit card with a good flight rewards program. So even if it takes me a few years, it helps a LOT when the flights are ‘free’ 🙂 Also, Sheraton and Hilton do have sales that really make it worthwhile if you’re flexible on dates (alternatively, some folks have membership rewards with the hotel chains for free nights and whatnot). Both hotels are directly on the monorail loop and are super convenient. Also, the park tickets and food were cheaper than what I would spend at WDW. However, merchandise and various souvenirs were more expensive. Agree that you would need at least 4 days (I needed 4 BEFORE the expansions! LOL). I’m sure Tom has plenty of suggestions to tour Tokyo on a budget on Travel Caffeine (there’s so much good info there). I also like to read TDR Explorer’s blog (the Brickers and Chris are my go-to planning sites for Japan). If you start looking into it, you may realize that a trip to Japan is more accessible than you thought 🙂 I hope it happens for you!
This is so incredible. I’ve had Tokyo Disney on my radar since reading this blog, and have been avoiding spoiling my photographer partner so I can surprise them with a trip in a few years. I think they’re going to be blown away by the details! Given how many comments there are of people who’ve made trips to the Tokyo Disney Resort…it seems like it might not be the culture shock that I feared going to Japan would be? I like to be respectful of different cultures and learn as much of the language as I can before I go and I know passable Japanese, but my companion doesn’t. How easy is it to get around to the parks and in the parks? How comfortable is it?
Your first time, the biggest obstacle will be public transportation in Tokyo. It’s massive, there are tons of people, and it can be overwhelming. We’ve spent months in Japan, and still take the wrong train on occasion. In the city, sometimes it can also be difficult to find a particular restaurant if it’s down a back alley and the sign doesn’t match what’s in Google Maps.
That’s about it, though. Signage pretty much everywhere is in English, and most Japanese people know at least a passable amount of English. If they don’t, they will help you find someone who does. That’s all in the cities–Tokyo Disney Resort is a total nonissue. It’s super easy to visit.
Japan is the most comfortable place I’ve ever visited, domestic or abroad.
I can only hope that i would ever get to Disney Tokyo.
The big issue is money – because i never been to Japan and of course can’t just go to Disney and would need to see Tokyo. I am only guessing Disney Tokyo would be at least 3 or 4 days minimum and then guessing to see Tokyo surrounding areas another 3 or 4 days. Quickly adds up.
YMMV, but we’ve had great success with Airbnb in Japan. Much more spacious than hotels, and you can find places that are ~$100/night. If you book by the week, you can often save considerably more.
The big ‘difference maker’ is the flights, which obviously will cost more for larger families than solo travelers or couples. Otherwise, we’ve found everything to be cheaper at TDR/Japan than WDW/Florida.
Yet another example of how OLC does Disney better than Disney. Can’t wait to get back to TDR!
Three new boat rides? Am I reading that right? Whatever floats your boat, I guess…
Technically, only two of them are confirmed to be boat rides. The Peter Pan one could theoretically have boats/ships as ride vehicles, but no water.
Permitting people to call anyone with a tattoo, piercing, or hairstyle of which the commenter disapproves a disgrace or something similar is your idea of moderation, eh? I have no tattoos or piercings but I’m smart enough to know that’s disrespectful, childish, rude behavior which, my apologies, is being allowed via moderation. I assumed given the vitriolic nature of the comments that it was a free for all. I now understand this is considered permissible or desirable “reader conversation”. A thousand pardons.
“FantaSea Springs” is indeed a missed opportunity for a killer portmanteau, but I could also see it conjuring images of a bubbling ocean of orange soda…
Is there a time frame for when the land is scheduled to be finished?
Only fiscal 2023 at this point, which could be from April 1, 2023 through March 2024.
Frankly this blog is continuously devolving into a typical internet repository for hate and negativity. Why it even needs a comment section is beyond me. Oh wait! Because money! How silly of me. I can’t even type this out without having to “X” out of pop up ads taking up the screen repeatedly, and Tom needs this cesspool of a comments section to keep those sweet Google dollars rolling in. Like any internet personality he’s monetizing people’s propensity for hate and negativity. I’m disappointed in the site, I’m disappointed in the readers, and I’m just disappointed something about Disney magic serves merely as a jumping off point for misplaced angst and sheer rudeness. This entire affair is a disgrace and I’m ashamed to even be a small part of it. Won’t be coming back until Tom decides to actually moderate this thing, which we all know he won’t do. Because money! Sigh.
I assume you’re voicing your frustration on this post because I closed the comments section on the “Disney Look” article. Doesn’t that sort of undercut your argument about fueling people’s propensity for hate and negativity?
As for moderation, the comments on that were moderated–heavily. That may not seem apparent given what got through, but there was much more that did not. There are a lot of comments on this blog that I don’t agree with, but I try to stay fairly hands off until things get political or devolve into personal attacks. As for it being about monetization, there’s a reason many websites have eliminated comments sections entirely–they do almost nothing for revenue and are just generally a hassle. I happen to like having reader conversation here, though.
Is the frozen ride a copy of frozen ever after? Or something different?
Unclear at this point. Given the popularity of that, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a plussed version of Frozen Ever After with some upgrades and changes made since it’s not a retrofit, but I hope it’s something original.
I’m wondering if this is some of the ideas they have for the Disneyland expansion. From the concept art, it looked like there could be a Peter Pan themed land and there looked to be a Tangled attraction as well. Fingers crossed that it goes through!
Those were simply examples of possibilities. Optimism certainly doesn’t hurt, but we cover why this probably is not what will be built here: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/disneyland-proposes-huge-expansion-to-theme-parks/
In reply to Melissa, who asked: Why are all of the amazing lands being built in Tokyo Disney??
Answer is simple: because Tokyo Disney is NOT owned or operated by Disney. The OLC’s vision, budget, and execution are very different from Disney’s. Sad but true… I feel your frustration because I’ve rerouted my Disney trips from WDW to TDR a few times since I felt that, at those times, TDR was giving me the best Disney bang for my buck. Now I’ve missed a lot at WDW (Galaxy’s Edge, new rides in Toystoryland, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway), but I’ll surely go back only once TRON, Guardians, and Ratatouille have opened. No rush since international travel isn’t open yet (I’m Canadian).
I’m over the moon excited for this expansion and I can’t wait to experience it. Been following its development since the very beginning. While Tangled is my favourite (Punzie is looking down on us from her tower!!!), Neverland seems the most impressive at this very early stage. And now that you mentioned the flagship ride might very well use the tech from Pirates in Shanghai?!? I’m waaaaaaaaaaaay too excited about this… And judging by the impressive Beast’s Castle in the BATB area (my current favourite Disney castle), I’m sure the Arendelle castle will also be breathtaking. Ugh… 2023-4 is so far away… but I’m already planning outfits 😉
“And now that you mentioned the flagship ride might very well use the tech from Pirates in Shanghai?!?”
That’s just a guess. I’ve been wrong with ride system guesses before.
Why are all of the amazing lands being built in Tokyo Disney?? This makes me so sad, because I’ll be lucky if I’m ever able to go, and I LOVE all of these animated Disney movies. Honestly, I could care less about Star Wars & Marvel. They don’t symbolize the heart and values of Walt Disney, which was fairytale characters and animation.
Two big reasons are guest demographics and ownership. First, Japanese guests LOVE the animated films and are far less interested in Star Wars or Marvel. Second, OLC owns the parks and foots the bill, so the types of projects that get approved and funded are often fundamentally different in nature.
I am so excited for this! Even though Tangled is my favorite of the three movies, I think the Peter Pan section is going to be my favorite because of Hook’s ship and Skull Rock! But they all look fantastic.
I obviously had to cancel my first ever trip last May, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to go next May. If not, I’ll impatiently wait until later in 2023.
Why are trips to Japan cheap? And is there any good time to go? I’m disappointed that Disney puts so much money into overseas parks, and Disneyland, while letting WDW kind of stalemate. Upgrades to some of the areas are long overdue and new projects seem slow. Philosophy on this?
I wouldn’t say that trips to Japan are necessarily “cheap” but it can be cheaper than Walt Disney World. That’s largely dependent upon airfare, though. The parks are not owned by Disney, which does result in some fundamental differences in how they’re operated. There’s also the fact that several third party hotels are located on the monorail loop, which means you can stay in a Hilton or Sheraton that are literally nicer than the Contemporary for ~$150-$200/night.
As for planning, start here: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/tokyo-disney-trip-planning-guide/
Tom, do you know when OLC’s fiscal year starts? We have started looking into a probably once in a lifetime Japan trip in a couple years and would hate to plan it for just before this all opens (the lantern scene in Tangled is one of my husband’s absolute favorites).
New fiscal year starts at the beginning of April for OLC.
If it’s your first time, I would not recommend visiting around the opening. Tokyo Disney Resort fans are the most dedicated Disney fans in the world, and they will wait hours for anything new.
Hopefully/presumably you’ll be venturing elsewhere in Japan. Personally, I’d plan around fall colors or the following cherry blossom season. Here’s some of our when to visit advice centered around Kyoto, but it’s more or less the same for Tokyo: https://www.travelcaffeine.com/when-visit-kyoto-japan-best-worst-times/
As beyond excited as I am for these additions, I’m also strangely interested in what the finished product will look like here from the Hilton. It was basically just a giant hole when I stayed at Hilton Tokyo Bay in 2019. The new view could turn out to be really awesome.
I wouldn’t get your hopes up too much–it should pretty much just be a view of the new luxury hotel. Maybe a little of the Frozen mountains beyond that.
Each new Disney thing is neat and inspiring. But I have always thought, looking back now fifty years, that Disney would be better served by having four or five bigger rides and attractions in each land. That would be exciting!
I was all set to book a Thanksgiving trip for 2020, because of your blog I had made up my mind that I was going to go! Flight costs to Japan dropping is what finally triggered me to lock it in. It was only about a week later that I figured out WHY the flights got so cheap. I cannot wait until I am back on track to make this trip. Neverland and Pixie Hollow are places I have always wanted to go!
Yeah, sadly it’s looking like even Thanksgiving 2021 may not be a viable option for visiting Japan. We’re still holding out hope, but I’m not overly-optimistic at this point.
Hope you get to take that trip soon, though. It is absolutely worth it!!! 🙂