Tokyo Disneyland’s Space Mountain ride is permanently shutting down in 2024. Oriental Land, which owns and operates Tokyo Disney Resort, announced the impending closure of the classic attraction on Wednesday.
Tokyo Disneyland’s Space Mountain ride
The permanent shutdown of Tokyo Disneyland’s Space Mountain is part of a planned renovation of the park’s Tomorrowland. By 2027 the new area will see a newly rebuilt Space Mountain, which will maintain the ride’s original concept as an indoor roller coaster but will have enhanced performance and immersive special effects that will give guests even more thrills throughout the experience.
Disney Parks has shared a rendering of the new concept for Tokyo Disneyland’s new Space Mountain, which you can see below:
“I’m thrilled to introduce this attraction to guests,” Walt Disney Imagineering producer Kathleen Davis said of Tokyo Disneyland’s upcoming Space Mountain. “It’s not only a whole new ride experience, but the story also has so much emotion. Through the queue and then on the ride, we see our connection to our planet and gain a new perspective for how special it is in all the universe. It’s a roller coaster with both thrill and heart.”
Tokyo Disneyland will also get a revamped version of the Tomorrowland Plaza. According to Disney Parks Blog, the new improved plaza “will represent a future where humans are in harmony with nature.” The park 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.” There will also be lighting and sound effects in the park at night, further enhancing the guest experience in the new area.
Disney Parks’ Space Mountain attractions
Space Mountain is a space-themed indoor roller coaster attraction located at all Disneyland-style Disney Parks, except for Shanghai Disneyland Park. While Disney Parks’ Space Mountain rides are not identical to one another, all have a similar conical exterior façade that is a landmark for the respective park. The original Space Mountain ride opened in 1975 at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
Meanwhile, Tokyo Disneyland’s Space Mountain opened with the park in 1983, becoming the first version of Space Mountain to open concurrently with the park. From its opening in 1983 and until late 2006, Tokyo Disneyland’s Space Mountain was an almost exact clone of Disneyland’s Space Mountain in California. The ride was then redesigned to have a more sci-fi futuristic look to it similar to the refurbished Walt Disney World version, with new effects, and a new spaceport that features a futuristic spaceship hanging from the ceiling.