Oriental Land Company and Tokyo Disney Resort have announced the closure of Aquatopia. A year ago, the OLC made everyone aware that they were eyeing Port Discovery, the area Aquatopia resides in, for a reimagining. Since then Aquatopia has been on borrowed time. In this post, we’ll share the news about the upcoming closure and add our commentary.

The announcement has happened rather informally, as OLC has buried the news inside of their Summer Cool-Off update. We’ll share more about those offerings in the coming days. Here is the blip about Aquatopia:

The limited-period “Get Soaked” version will return to Aquatopia, an attraction where guests can enjoy the unpredictable movements of an automated water vehicle. As Aquatopia prepares to close permanently on September 14, guests have one final summer to make unforgettable memories with this inescapable “Get Soaked” experience.

So, there you have it. Aquatopia will close on September 14th and you have a chance to “Get Soaked” if you’re visiting before then. I will not make a joke about phrasing and will just steadily plod along in this news.

This permanent closure doesn’t come out of the blue. Last April, Oriental Land Company announced a 10 year plan and included some vague concept art for a new Port Discovery. In that rendering, Aquatopia was gone and replaced with a large show building that seemingly extended well into the park.

At that point, it seemed inevitable that this would be Tokyo Disney’s next major project. The resort has generally worked on one major expansion or reimagining at a time. That’s different from Disneyland Resort where currently there seem to be about 4 things being worked on at California Adventure but before that there was nothing for a long while. I’ll take the slow and steady approach at Tokyo Disney because the payoff almost always proves worth it. With the new Space Mountain (and other Tomorrowland additions) nearing completion, this Aquatopia closure comes right on schedule.

The concept art above might give us a sneak peek into the new land. While I caution against trying to glean too much from some early ideas, there are a few clear things. Horizon Bay Restaurant and the current Finding Nemo SeaRider building are still in the concept art. It appears that those won’t be going anywhere for the time being. That makes sense given the extreme popularity of DisneySea right now. The park needs capacity right now and closing either of them is not necessary. I expect the SeaRider building to make it through the Port Discovery transition but then that simulator can be changed to a different attraction without much downtime.

The new building (on the left side) in that concept art is massive. It also looks gorgeous. The positive about a DisneySea expansion, or in this case a reimagining, is that I have no doubt the finished product will be beautiful. When looking at the art, it’s hard not to be excited about the possibility of DisneySea’s most undercooked port-of-call getting a thorough reworking.

I do have a few concerns though. Until we know what is replacing it, concern that this will be a shoehorned IP attraction is valid. Tokyo DisneySea, known for pristine theme, has inched closer and closer to getting Disney-fied like Epcot Center was. In fact, the worst case of this is the Finding Nemo SeaRider which just doesn’t make much sense within the park. The much larger example is Fantasy Springs, the recent expansion that doesn’t necessarily fit into the park organically despite a lengthy backstory. I really like Fantasy Springs but the critiques of it’s fit are valid.

There is some cherry picking of expansion projects there. Soaring: Fantastic Flight has been added in the last decade and wasn’t connected to an IP. Tokyo Disneyland is going to debut a Space Mountain that has no IP attachment. Both of those are beloved Disney attractions without much risk of failing but some credit is due for not being a tie-in. I should also point out that Oriental Land Company has less incentive to add IP to the parks from a synergy perspective.

IP isn’t the actual problem here, the shoehorning is the worry. Indiana Jones, Toy Story and, to a lesser extent, Aladdin and Little Mermaid are integrated into DisneySea well. Port Discovery has a broad enough theme where a number of different ideas would work inside of the port, as it explores a vision of tomorrow, a time where science and nature are in balance.

Of course, my hope is that this will be Imagineering’s first IP-free original ride since Shanghai Disneyland opened with the Challenge Trails. Man, it’s been a while (apologies if I’m blanking on something) and even that example is a walkthrough attraction! I don’t think my dreams will come true here but I’d be very excited to see that come to pass.

As for the loss of Aquatopia, I like the attraction more than most. The ride is a good amount of fun and aesthetically pleasing. It also usually has a quick moving line and those are in short supply at Tokyo Disney Resort right now. Aquatopia is one of those attractions where it’s impossible not to smile while riding, like Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree or a good spinner. The ride punches above its weight.

That doesn’t mean it’s a big loss though. Port Discovery is the most obvious port to reimagine in DisneySea and now will have a chance to measure up to all of the other areas in the park. The aesthetic was there before, although on a smaller scale, but the land fell behind in offerings. Now it will have a chance to catch up.

Somewhat surprisingly, Oriental Land Company has not addressed their expansion pad along Lost River Delta instead opting for this reimagining. The park is already huge but is struggling with capacity right now. More is needed, without a doubt. That’s why I expect this project to happen as quickly as possible. I think we could see an announcement of what’s coming to Port Discovery at D23 or before. OLC usually announces things pretty early on so closing out the ride without knowing what’s replacing it would be a bit of a surprise. Until then, we sit and wait while bidding farewell to Aquatopia.

What do you think of Aquatopia closing? Let us know, as well as any questions you have, in the comments below! Planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort? Check out our planning guide to help you along the way. Want to go to Japan with Wandering in Disney? Fill out this questionnaire! 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!