This week Oriental Land Company, operators of Tokyo Disney Resort, released their 10 year management strategy. This included fiscal plans, future investments and some vague concept art. I’m not sure I’ve got the repertoire to adequately discuss the first two from a business perspective but vague concept art is right up my alley! One of the ideas appeared to be a brand new Adventureland. In this post, I’ll share five questions and answers about that Adventureland concept art, including whether or not this will actually happen in Tokyo Disneyland.

The goal for this post will be to separate fact from fiction, in black and white terms before diving into more commentary. There’s some very well-written posts already out there about this subject, and there’s some that have jumped the gun a little bit. Addressing the ideas through questions and answers seemed like the most efficient strategy. Plus, asking myself questions that I have (some) answers to is good for my self-esteem. Let’s get to it.

Is Tokyo Disneyland’s Adventureland being replaced?

Officially, the answer is no. Unofficially, the answer is more convoluted. We’ll start with the clear answer. The concept art released are renderings of projects that the Oriental Land Company could do in the next 10 years. OLC hasn’t been afraid to take on big projects lately like Fantasy Springs, Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast and the new Space Mountain that will open in 2027. Before all of those were completed, they were ‘blue skied’, meaning they were ideas before actual projects. Avid theme park fans know, many ideas die before they ever get anywhere. There’s a decent chance that this concept art is just something to show off to investors, which is who the 10 year management strategy package is made for.

Unofficially, an Adventureland refresh, or full on makeover, makes a ton of sense for this park and is clearly on OLC’s radar. Between the two parks, there is usually at least one big project going on at a time. Right now, Space Mountain and Tomorrowland is being worked on. Once that is completed (or shortly before) I expect a project to be announced for DisneySea, most likely a Port Discovery project. Following that, I bet Adventureland is in the plans. That’s still at least 5 years down the road, with 10 years being more likely.

Why would this not happen sooner?

I mean, technically it could. As I mentioned, OLC usually has one big project going between the two parks. That has been the case for over a decade now. Nothing is stopping them from having two going at once but it would be (largely) unprecedented. One big year lies ahead though – Tokyo Disney Resort’s 50th anniversary will be in 2033.

You could look at this in two ways. To answer the question in big font above, it wouldn’t happen sooner because these plans are very expansive. With nothing announced and more Tomorrowland work happening through 2027, having this (vague) concept art done by 2033 would be a monumental task unless they really push this. I guess they could be working on this during their 50th anniversary but I’m guessing that OLC doesn’t want an entire land under construction during that celebration. A phased opening and construction could be possible.

On the other hand, Tokyo Disney Resort doesn’t do anything small. Seeing a 50th anniversary ahead could cause OLC to make one of their biggest investments yet, and do a couple of projects at the same time, to get this done for a huge extravaganza. This would be a little risky, as there’s not much time for delay unless a project is announced quickly. But I’m sure the company would love to show off several new and unique attractions to guests for a big anniversary. I don’t think this last paragraph is likely but it stands to reason.

What attractions would be in this new Adventureland?

Let me caution that this is an initial piece of concept art for a project that may or may not happen. Keep expectations in tow and don’t take my squinting eyed predictions of vague concept art as gospel. But here’s what I see:

• A Moana boat ride
• Paradise Falls Up-themed attraction
• Incredibles roller coaster
• Maybe a walk-through attraction?
• Shops and restaurants

I feel like I’m doing the Super Troopers enhance bit. Here’s a brief takeaways about attractions that might not be. The Incredibles themed coaster looks similar to Slinky Dog Dash in terms of how it interweaves through the land. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Moana boat ride is a similar style to Aquatopia in DisneySea. Paradise Falls appears to be hiding a giant attraction building. Shops and restaurants are needed and would be a welcome change. I might be seeing things with the play area but that bridge leading to those yellow cylinders looks like either a walkthrough attraction or the start of a queue. That’s all I’ve got!

Would all of the current Adventureland be replaced?

According to this concept art, not all of Adventureland would be replaced. The mini New Orleans Square that’s at the front of Tokyo Disneyland’s current Adventureland looks to be intact. Nearly everything else is gone though, including Jungle Cruise, Western River Railroad and the Swiss Family Treehouse. A number of current shops, restaurants and a theater would also be impacted. Naturally, any of the attractions could still exist in a different capacity. For example, the railroad could have a new entrance. But this current concept art shows no signs of any of the four attractions I’ve mentioned.

Are you in favor of this happening?

Oh, thank you for asking. That’s very kind. While the goal of this post was to give some clear details, this answer will be as murky as the Jungle Cruise waters (do not swim in there). I would be sad to lose some of the attractions replaced here. Both the Western River Railroad and Jungle Cruise are top 15 attractions in Tokyo Disneyland for me. I prefer this Jungle Cruise over every other iteration. This would be an even harder loss if the infrastructure from a possible change took out parts of Frontierland, like Rivers of America or Country Bear Theater. Personally, if it got to that point, I would be disappointed.

But Oriental Land Company and Tokyo Disney Resort have a very good history with new attractions. The budgets are typically astronomical and Imagineers are given quite a bit of freedom. This has been seen in the glorious Fantasy Springs Frozen and Peter Pan attraction, as well as Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast. Digging further back in history, Pooh’s Hunny Hunt was groundbreaking and a massive upgrade over what it replaced.

All that to say, it’s hard to imagine an Adventureland without Jungle Cruise. But having new offerings would be exciting and I can’t think of a better place to usher in new experiences for that land than Tokyo Disneyland. I’d be eager to see what they come up with and how unique the area could be. Time will tell on the whole project, if it happens in the first place.

What do you think of an Adventureland replacement at Tokyo Disneyland? Let us know, and add any questions you have, in the comments below! If you are planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort, check out our Trip Planning Guide. If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!