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MousePlanet is blessed
with some wonderful readers, many
of whom write in, offer suggestions, give tour reports, and generally
help out so we can assemble our content for you every weekday. Sometimes
we get something really special from those nice folks - and we want to
share it with you. A few weeks ago a kind reader, Ted, sent me the
following note:
Al, In surfing the
web I have found several good photo essays of Tokyo DisneySea
including the one you have run on MousePlanet.
However, I have seen very little information on, or reviews of the
actual attractions. There has been a little information here and
there, but nothing that really examines each ride or show in depth. If
other fans are anything like me, there is some pent up demand for this
type of thing.
As part of a longer
trip through Japan my wife and I will be spending 5 days at the Tokyo
Disney Resort , staying at the Hotel Mira Costa. Would you and your
readers be interested in ride reviews and a peek inside the
attractions of Tokyo DisneySea?
Were we interested? Of
course we were, and thanks to Ted,
we now have a new series of photos and reviews to share with you from
this terrific new park - showcasing the attractions themselves. As this
series will run as Ted's time permits, keep checking back for his latest
installments. I'm sure you'll agree with me that's he's done an
absolutely spectacular job, and the staff here at MousePlanet thanks him
for allowing us to present his tour to you here.
And before I forget, YES THERE
ARE SCADS OF SPOILERS HERE. In fact just close this browser window
right now if you don't want to know anything about this ride. I assure
you Ted gives it all away here, so don't say we didn't warn you!
Part Four: Indiana
Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull
Photos and text
by Ted
(Please note that he retains the copyright to all photos and
they may not be used without his permission.)
When Disneyland debuted
Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye in 1995 it
was a smash success from day one. Fully immersive and full of
technological breakthroughs the Indy Adventure became a major draw for
the park, often seeing lines snaking all the way to, and even past the
central hub. This attraction manages to pull together everything Disney
does best; great story telling and an exciting and unique presentation
made for a real winner of an attraction. Many consider Indiana Jones and
the Temple of the Forbidden Eye to in fact be Disney's, if not the
world's greatest theme park attraction to date.
With such a solid track record and a world
known license it was a given that some version of this attraction was to
be built in Tokyo as part of the new Tokyo DisneySea park. As the main
focus of the Lost River Delta area of DisneySea the Indy adventure has
been slightly rethemed and rechristened Indiana Jones Adventure:
Temple of the Crystal Skull.
Set in a thick South American
jungle (as the original's Asian/Indian theme was not considered
as exotic, nor far away enough for Japanese visitors) the first thing
you will notice is how much more prominent the temple structure is as
compared to the Disneyland version.
In the American park space is tight. The
Adventureland location simply could not provide enough land to build any
sort of show building. The ingenious solution was to nestle a small
temple holding the entrance next to the Jungle Cruise and then have a
long and incredibly intricate queue lead would be riders outside of the
park's berm to the ride itself. The net result is that the queue creates
an enormous sense of anticipation.
More than any attraction before it (and
perhaps since) Temple of the Forbidden Eye uses the queue as part of the
attraction itself. You are not simply standing in line, you are gaining
clues as to what awaits you. You are flirting with disaster and avoiding
a myriad of booby traps. It adds tremendously to the enjoyment of the
ride once you finally make it on board.
On the other hand, space was
not an issue in Tokyo. The Indy attraction was part of the
DisneySea design from the get go. It wasn't as important to create the
same sense of seclusion which the attraction benefits from at
Disneyland. Rather than hide the show building as they did in America
the Imagineers took the exact opposite approach, they prominently
display the entire building for all to see. Themed as an ancient Aztec
pyramid the building looms over the entire land. It creates a wonderful
beacon drawing people to it's location at the very back end of the park.
Fortunately the Imagineers did not forget
the impact that the queue could have on this attraction. Therefore they
have designed a wholly unique queue experience which is almost as
successful in setting the attractions tone as it's Anaheim Cousin's.
As we approach details are everywhere,
torches flicker with flame, huge stone blocks have tumbled from the
temples corner and the surrounding jungle is slowly reclaiming the
structure. Moss and vines engulf portions of the pyramid and birds and
other creatures can be heard in the dense underbrush. An
archeological dig is in progress and we can see various treasures crated
and ready to be sent off for study.
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