Tokyo Disneyland's new themed area 'Beauty and the Beast' park costs tens of billions

Text by MOOK Scenic Spots Shun | Photo source: Disney

Oriental Land, which manages Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, and the resort, has recently announced plans to invest about 75 billion yen (approximately NT$20.6 billion) to build a brand-new themed area at Tokyo Disneyland. A groundbreaking ceremony was also held recently. In anticipation of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which is expected to significantly boost the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan, the plan involves constructing new attractions on approximately 4.7 hectares of land on the western side of Tokyo Disneyland. The new area will recreate the world of Beauty and the Beast, restoring streets from the movie and building a ride-type attraction. Additionally, a performance theater and an attraction based on the animated robot film Big Hero 6 will also be developed.

The Beauty and the Beast-themed ride, which will cost around 32 billion yen (approximately NT$8.8 billion), has set a record as the most expensive ride-type attraction ever built and is scheduled for completion in spring 2020. Meanwhile, another new ride currently under construction at Tokyo DisneySea, with an investment of about 18 billion yen (approximately NT$5 billion), is planned to be completed in fiscal 2019.