TOMORROWLAND
TOKYO Disney RESORT
東京ディズニーリゾート
Attraction Design
The Oriental Land Company (OLC) don't tend to do things by half measures, and the plans for this Tomorrowland upgrade are substantial. OLC initially committed ¥56 billion for a completely rebuilt Space Mountain and the surrounding area, and a further ¥29.5 billion for a Wreck-It-Ralph replacement of the old Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. With the Space Mountain price tag rising to ¥70.5 billion per the revised reports, we have a total budget of ¥100 billion for the land expansion. At today's rate this is a staggering US $640 million, and this number arguably understates the cost given the current weakness of the Yen. Using the rate from the time at which this project was announced, we'd be looking at a US $800-900 million total cost. To put this into some perspective, estimates suggest that Rise of the Resistance cost around $700 million (per park) while EPCOT's Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is estimated to have cost around $500 million.
Space Mountain: Earthrise
Official details on the ride design are scant but the fact that the ride track has been assembled largely in the open to date has allowed for some very solid guesses as to what the track is going to look like. An architectural design student in Tokyo named Matsu has created this incredible track layout based on what we have seen with the installed track to date. A couple of elements are worth a closer look:
Helix
TILTING TRACK PIECE
Keen observers first noticed what looked like it could be a "drop track" piece, suggesting an element like we have seen on attractions like Hagrid's Magical Creatures at Universal Orlando. However, based on the track placement it looks like what we actually have is a track piece which "tilts" once the ride vehicle rolls onto it. This suggests that the train will leave the dual stations (purple), make a sharp right and then immediately stop onto the "tilting" track piece which then pivots the ride vehicle at a steep angle with a launch then kicking in to send us onto the red track (and into "space").
The tight helix (blue track) in the top right of the track layout is something that is synonymous with "omnimover" or "rotating" car coasters such as Cosmic Rewind as well as other space-themed rides with rotating vehicles such as Universal Studios Japan's Space Fantasy, or the wild Comet Express at Lotte World. Given Disney's past success with Cosmic Rewind, the early consensus was that the new Space Mountain would follow a similar design. However, some sources say that this won't be a rotating coaster at all, but follow more closely to the original Space Mountain theme of tight turns and speed as you cut your path through space.
When I first saw this track layout, my initial assumption was that it likely wasn't going to feature rotating cars as I would expect that track to feature longer, wider turns rather than the sharp turns more akin to the original Space Mountain. If we look at Park Lore's lovely track layout for the EPCOT attraction - and ignore for a second that Cosmic Rewind is essentially split into two show buildings - we can arguably see that the turns are generally less sharp than those modelled above. Technically speaking, I am unsure if an omnimover ride vehicle could handle those turns, but I am fairly confident that too many tight turns with rotating vehicles would create a ride experience that likely wouldn't fit into a Disney park.
Sugar Rush
Whereas Space Mountain has largely been built in the open, the new Wreck-It-Ralph / Sugar Rush attraction has been constructed completely under wraps so we have almost nothing to go on other than a single piece of concept art and a two year old press release:
"[E]nter 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."
On it's face, although this is just a single piece of artwork, given what we already know about the Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters attraction, we can make several assumptions:
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The blasters look like the handheld variety which recently debuted at Mgaic Kingdom, rather than the old static ones from the old Tokyo Disneyland attraction.
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While the press release references a "thrilling adventure" and being immersed in a "racing game", the ride vehicle doesn't seem to have materially changed to the point where the basic structure of the ride would change. I also wondered whether Disney would take a shot at Universal Studios' Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge with some kind of augmented reality headset to generate some kind of "driving" sensation, but that doesn't seem to be the case from the artwork.
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Though a minor point, and possibly just a case of concept art not matching reality, it would be slightly surprising if the lasers for each guests are indeed the same shade of purple as pictured. Not knowing where you are firing was a common complaint on Buzz Lightyear attractions around the world, but something Disney seem to have fixed with the latest upgrade at Magic Kingdom. It would be surprising if that tech didn't find it's way into this iteration too.
That all sounds fairly straight forward then, but there is one piece of information that doesn't really square with this simple explanation: the price tag. OLC have set a budget of almost ¥30 billion (US $190 million) which seems like an enormous amount to merely upgrade an existing attraction. Comcast recently spent a reported ¥40 billion to build the entire Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan, which includes not only Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge but also the smaller Yoshi's Adventure, not to mention retail, food & beverage locations, and some fairly elaborate theming. We do know that the refurb includes some extensive work to the exterior and a newly appointed gift shop, but that still doesn't feel like enough to justify that price tag.
Perhaps this project budget has just ended up eating a bunch of shared costs for the new Tomorrowland courtyard area - which as we already mentioned is huge - and that's the driver of the surprising budget. I'm hopeful though that the Imagineers have snuck a few surprises into the new attraction though and eagerly await seeing some more news on this one.
Tomorrowland Plaza
The two new attractions (understandably!) get the attention here, but there is potentially a bit more to see in the new plaza area, located where the old Space Mountain used to be. First, it's worth noting that this area is huge. In a time where Disney parks around the world are jamming attractions into relatively small, previously backstage areas, or tearing up beloved rivers to accommodate them, it's somewhat surprising (perhaps refreshing) to see this area planned, which:
"represent[s] a future where humans are in harmony with nature. It will also give guests areas to rest and relax, while enjoying various icons and design elements that will create a sense of hope for the future. In the evenings, guests can enjoy lighting and sound effects that will further enhance their experience in this new area." (Disney Parks Blog)
The three or four displays in the front of the plaza (as we look at it above) look like art installation pieces which presumably have a theme around space / earth / nature. They have a great EPCOT vibe and will undoubtedly look outstanding at night. I think there's a subset of Disney fans who are my age (older millennial) who really grew up with Tomorrowland being their favourite place in their home Disney park, and capturing those visuals and messaging would make this somehow both cutting edge and nostalgic.
We don't seem to have any details on it yet but I'm intrigued by that area at the top right of the image, which seems more substantial than a mere art piece / fountain. It's not easy to line up the concept art with the overhead construction shots from Google Earth but it looks like some below ground work is being done in that area. This is probably just underground pipework or electrical equipment but the size and scale of it suggests it could be a very cool addition to the area rather than simply a small structure. Some kind of interactive walkthrough attraction like Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana at EPCOT would be a great fit here and add energy to the area while also being able to tie together the positive message the Imagineers are trying to tell.
Attraction Location
No speculation is needed here as we know with certainty where the two new Tomorrowland attractions will be located. Sugar Rush will be housed in the former Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters show building and there's no indication that space will receive any material changes in size. As for Space Mountain, we haven't needed any insider reports to know exactly where the new coaster will go, as we've been able to see it grow over recent months; at first alongside the original Space Mountain, and more recently taking over that space for itself:
SPACE MOUNTAIN
STICH ENCOUNTER
HAPPY RIDE WITH BAYMAX
sugar rush
tomorrowland plaza
STAR TOURS
With the benefit of Google Earth's historic images, we can also see nicely how the new space mountain building is set a bit deeper into the expanding Tomorrowland. Also of note is that - unlike the original space mountain - the new version also includes an additional show building and the whole attraction is no longer held in the stylized circular structure. This is similar to other newer coasters such as TRON: Lightcycle Run or Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which feature a large "gravity box" hidden behind a more ornate facade:
Mar 2022
NOV 2024
NOV 2025
The newly created plaza area is bigger than the entire footprint of the original Space Mountain attraction, which will bring some useful space to alleviate crowds for what is going to be the focal point of crowds when these new attractions open. Indeed, the opening of these new attractions is going to create a huge centre of gravity towards the right side of the park, with Space Mountain (and possibly Sugar Rush) joining The Happy Ride with Baymax and Monsters Inc, Ride & Go Week as top-five most popular attractions, all located in Tomorrowland, along with Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast which is just outside in Fantasyland.
Timeline
As is often the case with new attractions, the big question here is when can we expect them to open? The original announcement said the new land would be fully open "by 2027", while the OLC's 2035 Long Term Management Strategy told us that the Sugar Rush attraction would open in "FY2026 or after" with Space Mountain joining in 2027.
OLC's fiscal year runs through March 31 so FY2026 would have meant Sugar Rush was originally expected to be open by March 31, 2026, which has now come and gone. With the announcement of the budget increase for Space Mountain, it is fair to conclude that this project is slightly behind schedule, though details of how and why are not really forthcoming.
Online speculation suggests that an April 15, 2027 opening dates makes sense, to align with Tokyo Disneyland's anniversary. There are a few reasons why this makes sense, but also some why it doesn't:
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We have seen a handful of attractions open on April 15 in past years so there is precedent here, such Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters (now being replaced by Sugar Rush) in 2004, Monsters Inc, Ride and Go Seek (2010), and the re-opening of it's a small world (2019). However, this is hardly a conclusive trend with recent openings like The Happy Ride with Baymax and Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast debuting in September.
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More common has been the launch of new parades and fireworks shows on the anniversary date, which have tended to accompany new celebration events, such as the Sparkling Jubilee celebration kicking off in 2026, or Disney on Parade in the early 2000s. This is arguably an argument against Tomorrowland opening on April 15, as they might prefer to generate excitement from that event separately from any other events launched that day.
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In a recent Q&A for the release of the 2026 financial statements, management were asked what factors led to their confidence in growing revenue as expected by 2030. To this they responded that "[i]n the fiscal year ending March 2029 the new Space Mountain will be operational for the full year, and we will hold Tokyo Disney Resort® 45th Anniversary events, creating a convergence of two major content initiatives". This is curious wording because while it is true that Space Mountain will operate for all of FY2029 (April 1, 2028 - March 31, 2029), if the ride was going to open earlier than April 15, 2027 then the same would also be true for FY2028. This might be reading too much into a small comment, but this makes me slightly less bullish on anything happening before that April anniversary in 2027.
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In the OLC's management plan section of the website, at the time of writing (May 2026), the opening date for Sugar Rush is set as "Spring 2027" while Space Mountain is ominously listed as just "2027". Given the recent upwards revision to the budget, one wonders if the project is slightly behind schedule.
For anyone visiting in early 2027 (like me!) who might be hoping this Tomorrowland expansion is open for their visit, it is worth noting that the last couple of additions to the Tokyo Disney Resort have all "soft opened" shortly before their official opening date:
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The Happy Ride with Baymax and Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast both soft opened on September 21, a week before their formal opening on September 28.
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Fantasy Springs soft opened several weeks early on May 15, before the official June 6 opening.
Opening an land expansion like this possibly falls in the middle of these two. With two attractions, an interactive plaza that will draw crowds at night, and at least one retail location this opening requires more than simply turn a new attraction on and testing ride operations. It isn't, of course, also as complex as opening Fantasy Springs at DisneySea which boasts four attractions, multiple dining locations, and huge crowds and thus has a bigger need to test crowd patterns and operations.
In short then, we don't really know much for certain, but spring 2027 still seems like a decent bet, although I would bet later than that if I pick one way or the other. We can probably expect soft openings for a couple of weeks earlier than the formal date, which we'll update here when it's available.