Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast
Tokyo Disneyland
AreaFantasyland
StatusOperating
Soft opening dateSeptember 21, 2020
Opening dateSeptember 28, 2020
ReplacedGrand Circuit Raceway
(Tomorrowland)
Ride statistics
Attraction typeTrackless vehicles
DesignerWalt Disney Imagineering
ThemeBeauty and the Beast
Capacity1800 riders per hour
Duration7:50

Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast (Japanese: 美女と野獣 “魔法のものがたり”) is a trackless dark ride at Tokyo Disneyland based on Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991). It opened on September 28, 2020.[1]

Summary

Guests board enchanted serving dishes that dance in rhythm to the film's well-known music and follow Belle on a romantic musical adventure inside the enchanted castle where she dances her way into the heart of the Beast, just in time to break the fateful spell.

History

On October 14, 2016, The Oriental Land Company (OLC) announced they would close Grand Circuit Raceway and open "Beauty and the Beast" theme area with a budget of 32 billion yen.[2] The construction started on April 5, 2017.[3] It was scheduled to open Spring 2020,[4] however it got delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic in Japan and opened on September 28, 2020.[5]

The Imagineering, OLC and contractor teams that built the attraction completed the project on time and turned it over to OLC Operations in March of 2020, ahead of the planned opening, despite having to deal with the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the Imagineers were away from their families during this time.

Exterior

Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast is one of the most technologically advanced attractions at Tokyo Disney Resort. The Imagineers created a 108-foot-tall castle, with over 100 pieces of architectural ornamentation,[6] which serves as the entrance to a 7,309 square meter dark ride.

Technology

This attraction is an E-ticket and features 35 electric Audio-Animatronics figures and a trackless ride system[7] that includes both a transport base and an on-board motion base that simulates a wide variety of dance moves.[8] The climax of the attraction uses a Pepper's Ghost illusion that includes projection mapping on an animated figure that moves on the end of an invisible robotic arm through three-dimensional space while spinning 360 degrees.[9]

The attraction features a first for Tokyo Disney Resort; the figures were animated to the Japanese dialogue from the very beginning—complete with Japanese gestures and posture. Walt Disney Imagineering show writer Charlie Watanabe coached the American animators on how to make their performances play better to the target audience.

Layout

Pre-Show

The pre-show takes place inside a large hall. A stained glass window shows the story of how the Prince became the Beast. After this, Belle and the Beast briefly interact before the Beast roars in loneliness. The doors open and guests enter the loading area.

Ride

Once guests are seated, the tea cups whisk guests into the dining room where “Be Our Guest” begins to play. As the song progresses, more dinnerware begins to appear on the table, along with dancing plates in the cabinets. Once the sequence finishes, the cabinets close up and guests proceed to the next scene.

The tea cups are now in the Courtyard, where “Something There” is now playing as Belle pets her horse and the Beast watches.

Leaving the scene, guests enter a hallway where Belle and the Beast are on a balcony. A curtain behind them closes and a loud knock is heard. From the windows on the opposite side, the mob can be seen attempting to storm the castle, and the servants are blocking the doors as pitchforks attempt to break through.

Following this, Belle professes her love for the Beast, restoring his human form. Projections can be seen showing the castle being repaired as the vehicles enter the final scene.

Guests are now in the ballroom, where “Beauty and the Beast” (reprise) is now playing. The servants are now human and Belle and the Prince dance happily. The song concludes as the tea cups exit the ballroom and enter the unloading area, where guests disembark.

Music

All the vehicle movement, animation, practical effects, projection and lighting are synchronized to the music. The guests themselves are inside a vehicle that is a part of the show--dancing along with all of the characters. Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast was inspired by the Disney tradition of animating to music. The score by Alan Menken has been arranged to become one continuous piece of music that begins when the ride vehicles are first dispatched and ends just as the vehicles park at the unload platform.

Critical response

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan the attraction opened without the usual publicity as travel was severely limited. Despite this, the critical response among those who were able to experience the attraction has been strongly positive.[10][11][12]

References

  1. ↑ "New Fantasyland and Beauty and the Beast Dark Ride Opening September 28th at Tokyo Disneyland". Blog Mickey. September 17, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea Development Plans ConfirmedThroughFiscal Year 2020" (PDF). October 14, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Groundbreaking Ceremony Launches New Tokyo Disneyland Development". April 5, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Tokyo Disney announces five new attractions". April 27, 2016.
  5. ↑ "New Experiences at Tokyo Disneyland Park Featuring New Fantasyland, Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast and More Open Today!". September 28, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Travels With Figment: On the Road in Search of Disney Dreams".
  7. ↑ "Sneak Peek at 'Beauty and the Beast' Attraction Coming to Tokyo Disneyland" – via www.youtube.com.
  8. ↑ "【公式】美女と野獣"魔法のものがたり" | 東京ディズニーランド/Tokyo Disneyland" – via www.youtube.com.
  9. ↑ "Tokyo Disneyland's $200 Million Dollar Beauty & The Beast Dark Ride" – via www.youtube.com.
  10. ↑ "REVIEW: Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast at Tokyo Disneyland". 28 September 2020.
  11. ↑ "Tokyo Disneyland's $200 Million Dollar Beauty & the Beast Dark Ride". YouTube.
  12. ↑ ""Everything RUNAWAY RAILWAY Isn't" - Tom's Honest Review of Tokyo's INSANE Beauty & the Beast Ride". YouTube.



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