The Oriental Land Company has just announced that a new attraction is coming to Tokyo Disneyland, replacing Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. The new attraction, based on Wreck-It Ralph, will open in 2026. In this post, we’ll share the news before adding our own commentary! Let’s get to the news.
Oriental Land Co., Ltd. announced that a new attraction based on the world of the Walt Disney Animation Studios film Wreck-It Ralph will debut at Tomorrowland in Tokyo Disneyland Park, during fiscal year 2026 or later.
This new attraction at Tokyo Disneyland will be an indoor interactive game play experience, perfect for children and adults, that will be created by transforming the existing Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters attraction.
Wreck-It Ralph, which serves as the theme for the attraction, is an arcade-game-hopping adventure from Disney Animation. Ralph, who has played the bad guy in his popular video game, embarks on an action-packed journey as he sets out to prove to everyone that he is a true hero with a big heart. As he explores exciting new worlds, he teams up with some unlikely new friends including feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz.
In the attraction, enter the candy-themed racing game Sugar Rush, which is being attacked by Sugar Bugs – glitches created by King Candy. Guests team up with the beloved film characters Ralph and Vanellope to transform the Sugar Bugs back to their original “kawaii” confectionery such as cookies and cakes.
Guests can look forward to this new attraction at Tokyo Disneyland and immerse themselves in the world of the candy-themed racing game, Sugar Rush, while embarking on a thrilling adventure. To prepare for the change, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters will close in October 2024.
Commentary
This is a surprise! We knew that Tokyo Disneyland would be reimagining Tomorrowland, with Space Mountain undergoing major changes in the coming years. To be honest, I thought that would mostly be it for Tomorrowland. Space Mountain will be quite a bit different and I assumed there would be major cosmetic changes but, after that, I thought the other attractions would stay the same.
Part of the reason for that is because Tokyo Disneyland’s Tomorrowland is fairly strong. Yes, it’s probably the weakest of TDL’s lands, outside of Toontown. But the attraction lineup is impressive between a reimagined Space Mountain, Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek, the wild card Baymax hit and Star Tours. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters is one of the least popular rides in that land but it still draws a crowd and looks good!
I also think the current ride fits in well with the area, with the equally campy Pan Galactic Pizza Port right next to it. In short, this change isn’t all that necessary. But it’s not the first time we’ve seen Buzz changed in one of the Asian parks, as an Ant Man attraction took it’s place in Hong Kong Disneyland.
And don’t take this as me saying I’m against changing Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters to a Wreck-It Ralph attraction. That’s not the case, as I’m thrilled to see the Oriental Land Company continue to invest in the park. Everything I said about Tomorrowland above came from my own expectations. That there’s more to the Tomorrowland reimagining than just the Space Mountain redo is really exciting to me.
Two other minor thoughts come to mind, as I’m not going to ramble on about an attraction we don’t know much about yet. The first thing that came to mind is that I’m guessing this will be a massive hit with the Tokyo Disney crowd. Between the cute source material, Wreck-It Ralph’s box office success and the interactivity, it feels like a no-brainer. I don’t know how well it will fit into a redone Tomorrowland but that’s a different post for down the road. Making this attraction on an already done omnimover ride system is a fun change and one that should be for the better!
My other thought was how funny it is, at least to me, that this attraction was announced for Tokyo Disneyland before Magic Kingdom. For years, a Sugar Rush (Wreck-It Ralph) ride was rumored to be replacing Stitch’s Great Escape. And still, nothing has happened with that building. Hopefully, this will set Magic Kingdom in motion and serve as a reminder that not everything needs to be a massive expansion. Just using empty buildings to put in a different attraction can be an upgrade to a park.
Regardless of what happens in Walt Disney World, I’m encouraged by this news. Even though I enjoy Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters quite a bit, widening the scale of the Tomorrowland project is exciting. I’m eager to see more of what they have planned. I imagine we’ll hear more of that after Fantasy Springs opens. Until then, this is a fun surprise coming to a park with an already impressive attraction roster.
Are you excited for a Wreck-It Ralph ride? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below. Planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort? Check out our planning guide to help you along the way. If you enjoy what you’re reading here on Wandering in Disney then please subscribe to the blog via email or WordPress and like our social media accounts. You can find all of those on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!
Categories: News, Rumors and Commentary
I’m not sure how a Wreck-It Ralph attraction fits with Tomorrowland, but I love the visuals for those two films, so I think it will be really cool!
Yeah, I think they crossed that bridge already with Monsters Inc. in Tomorrowland. Heck, even Star Tours is based in an IP that “a long time ago…” At this point, Tomorrowland is just misnamed but is probably not worth renaming.
You bring a good point about Monsters Inc. Doesn’t fit in with the original concept of Tomorrowland at all. I wish Disney would create more original attractions that weren’t based on movies. Where’s the originality?
I agree. Everything is so IP focused, I’d like to see some more original attraction. I don’t think that will happen under Iger though.
Is Iger really that bad? I haven’t been paying attention to anything going on behind the scenes with that. I try to stay away from the politics, leadership, and all that stuff.
No, I actually like Iger just fine in general! He just has his strategy in the parks and that is very IP focused. It could be much worse than that with someone else, just the downside is a lack of original rides.
On the other hand, many of the expansions under his watch have been well done.
Oh ok, so he’s a decent leader. He just lacks creative ideas! You’re definitely right, it could be worse. But ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and ‘The Haunted Mansion’ were original attractions too, and those are Disney classics. I’m surprised none of the imagineers have took a hint yet.
What do you mean by took a hint? Like that they haven’t tried more original attractions as of late? Just wanting to make sure I understand what you mean.
Sorry, I worded that weirdly. I meant considering that two of their most popular attractions are original rides, Disney should’ve took that as a sign to make more original rides. But that hasn’t happened yet.
I completely agree. I think the Imagineers would love to do that but it’s out of their hands.
By the way, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens at WDW on June 28. I know you just went there, but are you planning to check out the attraction later this year?
Yes, we’ll be there in the first week of September to check it out. Would have liked to be there for a preview but we’ll be coming back from Tokyo right around then.
Oh, well if you do a review on the new attraction, I can’t wait to read it!
I’ll plan to!
By the way, I’ve read bits about Universal Studios in Japan, but do you prefer Universal there or in the states (Orlando and California)?
I prefer Universal Orlando but have only visited there once and it’s been 5+ years since I’ve been to the Orlando Universal parks. We’re waiting to go back to Orlando until Epic Universe opens.
As for Japan, that park felt spacious and had a lot of character. I’m excited to go back once they open the Donkey Kong ride!
I have a soft spot for Hollywood too, just because of how incredible the studio tour is. The rest of the park is cramped but the studio tour makes the entire experience worth it.
Ah, I see! My dad and I loved Universal Orlando when we went in January 2023. I completely forgot about Epic Universe! Now, we have an excuse to go back when it opens. What was your favorite ride there?
Oh a Donkey Kong ride? How exciting!
The studio tour is fantastic. Have you rode the Jurassic World ride at Universal Hollywood? The last time I rode it, it was still the Jurassic Park version. Unfortunately because there isn’t enough space in Universal Hollywood, the rides don’t compare to Universal Orlando.
My favorite attraction at Universal Orlando? This is a boring pick but I’d still probably go with Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. I’m not as big of a roller coaster junkie as some haha. How about you?
Yeah, the Jurassic World ride is solid but I don’t think it’s much of an upgrade over the original. But I loved the original too! I’m sure Universal Hollywood would like to take over some of CityWalk but don’t know how feasible that is.
Oh my gosh, I love Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey!!! It’s like a dark ride and a haunted house in one! The effects are so cool! I’m a thrill seeker, so my favorite is tied between the VelociCoaster and Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure (as long as I hold on for dear life on the latter because I’m worried I’ll fall off the bike if I don’t lol).
I love the original Jurassic Park ride because of how old school it is! I think it’s good to keep a balance between the old school and the new school stuff. Yeah, I agree about CityWalk. I heard they’re doing a new Fast and Furious coaster. What are your thoughts on that?
I’m excited to try Hagrid’s especially! It looks like a great ride.
Yeah, the Fast & Furious coaster opens in 2026. They’ve already started working on it quite a bit. I’m intrigued based on where it is, loading on the top lot before going down some of the hill. Hopefully it’s a really good coaster, USH needs one. I don’t care much about the franchise tie-in but it’s fitting that it’s a roller coaster!
Oh it is! One of the best coasters I’ve ever been on and it goes backwards, I believe!
I agree with you! I like that Universal Studios Hollywood is a getting a good coaster, but I don’t think the franchise is relevant or popular with enough people for it to be successful.