Tokyo Disneyland’s latest and greatest attraction is Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast. Debuting shortly after the pandemic, the new E-ticket attraction is still drawing massive crowds. The expansion cost north of $600 million (USD) and included a few other minor attractions like Happy Ride with Baymax, as well as a theater, restaurant and shops. This Fantasyland trackless dark ride based on the Disney animated classic is the centerpiece though. In this post, we’ll review the attraction in a (mostly) non-spoiler format and give some tips on when to go on the attraction.

Tips on When to Ride Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast

We’ll start with the tips before we get to the actual review, in case anyone is trying to stay away from any details about the ride. At this point, the attraction has been open for a good amount of time and the strategy on when and how to ride is pretty well set. Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast is going to be busy for the foreseeable future, regardless of what time of year you’re at Tokyo Disneyland. That said, and I’ll save the rest of the review for the actual part of the post that’s titled ‘Review’, I recommend making a point of riding this attraction. It is worth strategizing and waiting for.

But how do you minimize that wait? There are a couple of options. The one that doesn’t cost any extra money besides a park ticket is the tried and true strategy of getting up really early and being one of the first people in line to get into Tokyo Disneyland. I’d recommend getting to the gate an hour (probably earlier on a weekend) before park opening. Do that and you’ll get on the attraction within the first hour of park operation.

Better yet, if you’re staying at one of Tokyo Disney Resort’s hotels then you’ll get the extra 15 minutes to get in the gate before anyone else and go get in line. This doesn’t seem like a big deal but it absolutely is in this case and would have you on the attraction within the first half hour, most likely.

If neither of those options are achievable then paying for the ride’s Disney Premier Access would be worth it. This is a different name but the same thing as the individual Lightning Lanes we have in the states – you’re paying to skip the line essentially. It’s not cheap to do this at 2,000 yen per person (about $15 USD) but it might be worth it if you only have one day in the park and can’t get there early.

Finally, you can just wait it out. I wouldn’t advise this if the wait time is over 100 minutes, which it probably will be. This just takes up so much time from a park full of rides that you should go on. I’d typically recommend waiting until the last few hours of park operation to hop in line but Tokyo Disney Resort has been capping lines earlier in the park night so this isn’t advisable at all.

Getting to the attraction, if you’re in a rope drop race, is fairly simple. Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast is in the spot that Disney World fans would associate with New Fantasyland. Guests can either walk past the castle on the right side (probably the fastest bet) or go through Tomorrowland. Chances are that if you’re going first thing in the morning then you should just follow the flow of the crowd.

That’s about it for strategy! Please let me know if you have any questions about when to ride. I’ll add in here that the attraction is very family friendly and in no way a thrill ride. All ages will enjoy it! On to the review.

Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast Review

I do not like watching ride through videos. No shade to those who do, we all need our fix somehow, but I don’t like watching a ride video especially if it’s one I’ve never been on. Holding off on Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast took some restraint though, as Japan was locked down and inaccessible as the attraction opened. I persevered and that made me enjoy the ride all the more because I had no idea what to expect outside of a trackless Beauty and the Beast dark ride.

That’s my clumsy lead in to telling you that this review will talk about each scene in the ride individually but won’t reveal any huge surprises outside of busting out a few Owen Wilson “wow” impersonations. I’ll add in some photos of the ride too but not anything big. If you want to know nothing about this attraction then stop reading now. If you want a review without spoiling any of the major surprises of the ride then I will try to accomplish that. We’ll go chronologically through the attraction, starting with the queue.

That queue starts outside and will for years to come as I don’t see the attraction’s popularity ever dipping below the inside queue capacity. Along with the ride building, which I’ll get to in a second, the expansion included a little village, Belle’s Village, just outside of the ride that is very reminiscent of what you see in the first scene of Beauty and the Beast. Gaston’s Tavern is there along with a few shops. It’s well done, cute and a perfect stroll into the attraction.

The actual queue, not the overflow, leads guests into Beast’s Castle. Unlike the Magic Kingdom version, this is an actual built out castle that looks extravagant. It’s not huge but it is whimsical and impeccable. Mist rises from below the bridge and gargoyles protect the entrance. Like the film, the castle is beautiful but mysterious.

Moving past the bridge leads to a little courtyard in front of the big castle doors, that guests don’t actually go in. Tokyo Disney Resort does a great job of clearing space for views void of people throughout the parks, even when it’s crowded. That’s exactly what happens in this courtyard.

Following that is a little bit of a pre-show that sets the scene. There’s a few tricks done here that I won’t get into but it’s a captivating scene. I’m assuming most anyone reading this has watched Beauty and the Beast so there’s not a ton to spoil about the actual plot. This pre-show scene is in the castle lobby, framed by a magnificent dual staircase and tells the story of Belle and Beast meeting. It is in Japanese but, again, assuming you’ve seen the movie, that shouldn’t matter.

There’s still a good amount of queue left after the pre-show as the line winds its way through the castle halls. There’s gorgeous paintings and wall paper, there are fantastic effects, both practical and screen based, with familiar characters and detailing everywhere you look.

The obvious comparison is the Hogwarts Castle queue for Universal’s Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. They both go through castles and there are characters to see throughout. It’s really well thought out and there’s never a spot to get bored. One big difference in the two is that guests are an active participant in Forbidden Journey and passive in Enchanted Tale of the Beauty and the Beast. Characters aren’t necessarily interacting with you, the rider, in this ride. But that doesn’t make them any less interesting.

Finally, the queue ends in the kitchen, met by Chef Bouche. It’s a smart transition as there’s no way they could make the loading room for the ride as ornate as the rest of the queue and it leads well into the first scene in the ride. As a whole, this is one of the best queues I’ve ever seen. That’s been a point of emphasis for a while for theme parks around the world but this one threads the needle well, being meticulously designed and having a few things to watch.

In the kitchen, guests board a giant teacup that sits 10 guests in a circle. These are huge ride vehicles and really add to the capacity of Enchanted Tale of the Beauty and the Beast. A smart and fun experience, as I did not find the extra riders in the vehicle distracting at all. There was almost a theater aspect of it, considering how musical the ride is.

The trackless ride takes off and immediately enters a scene in the dining room where, you guessed (guest?) it, Be Our Guest is played as the riders observe Belle partaking in dinner and the show. For all intents and purposes, this is a classic Fantasyland dark ride. It’s a book report of the movie where guests get a unique view of the classic story, similar to Peter Pan’s Flight. There are no real plot changes or original songs.

That first scene is absurdly captivating though. Part of that speaks to the power of the movie all of these 30 some years later. The other part is just how fun it is for the teacup to dance around the scene as animatronics perform this banger of a song. It’s incredibly whimsical from not only a show perspective but also a nerdy theme park perspective, as the vehicle waltzes effortlessly without a track. I was really taken by this opening!

The next scene continues our musical as Belle is outside with her horse and we get our first glimpse of Beast as Something There plays. I love the song, it’s one of my favorites from the movie and the first minute or two of this scene are really lovely. After the wild Be Our Guest scene, this does center the ride some but it also lingers here a beat too long in my opinion. I can’t believe I’m nit picking a Fantasyland ride for being too long, but here we are. I thought the pacing was just a little bit off and that’s my biggest critique of the ride. This scene could have used a little visual surprise or one other piece to look at. Still, the animatronics are brilliant and the song is undeniable.

What follows that scene is a hallway that the teacups go down and there’s a few things to watch. Those all culminate in the ride’s biggest trick and, honestly, it’s amazing. I have no idea how they did it and I don’t want to look it up, I want to keep the disbelief. The technical achievement of this ride, that’s otherwise a book report attraction, is something else. I’m not going to spoil anything here and hope that you all get to experience this in person and are as wowed as I was. Here’s where that Owen Wilson impersonation comes in.

That leads us to the final scene in the attraction where Belle is dancing with her prince in human form. The room is absolutely gorgeous, Beauty and the Beast plays and all of the characters, all in human (animatronic) form, look stunning. It’s a fitting end to the ride and a more appropriate slower paced scene than Something There gave. Once again, they let the whole song play. I would have happily stayed there for another round though if someone hit repeat.

If there’s a fair criticism of the ride it’s in the pacing of Something There and in that there isn’t much of a plot to the attraction. The ride is based on three songs and uses the space in between the second and third song to quickly tell the climactic points of the story, from the perspective of being in Beast’s Castle the whole time. This isn’t so much about storytelling as it is about grandiose. That may seem critical but I don’t think it’s a bad thing in this case.

The Disney renaissance films (notably The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin) have received very few theme park attractions. Little Mermaid is the only one with a substantial ride presence and that attraction is subpar. But we all know those stories. Those 4 movies are some of the most watched that the world has ever seen. The problem with the Little Mermaid attraction in California Adventure and Magic Kingdom is that they still try to tell all of the story but it’s so fragmented without a clever way to play the hits for the rider. No, going backwards down a track with some loose effect simulating going underwater doesn’t count.

What does count is boarding a teacup that dances to the classics from one of the best Disney soundtracks. Blending the movie’s undeniable songs with the spectacular technical side that Tokyo Disney excels at works extremely well. I don’t think any child of the 90’s is looking for a quick book report of their favorite animated movie of that time. Instead, getting immersed in those scenes was the goal and that was definitely achieved, especially in the ballroom and dining scenes.

If you couldn’t tell, the ride really works for me. I don’t have it at the top of Tokyo Disneyland’s attraction rankings because Pooh’s Hunny Hunt is undeniable but I currently have it in 2nd place. It might fall a spot or two eventually but the music and visuals alone will keep it in my top 5. This won’t top the best attractions in the world for me but it’s just a tier or two below that, making it one of the best attractions in the park and one that shouldn’t be missed!

What do you think of Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast? Let me know that, as well as any questions, in the comments below! Planning a trip to Tokyo? Check out our guide to help you along the way! 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!