TOT 1899?

Hmm, I was perusing Jim Hill's informative site and read about possible upcoming Disney projects based on internet domain names the company has reserved. I decided to do the same thing with Oriental Land Company, which owns, operates and maintains TDR. It is also in charge of promotion and marketing of the Parks here. Look what I found when I checked out their Japanese name in the WHOIS registrar: Just today, OLC registered TOT1899.jp as in "Tower of Terror 1899!". Could it be that this will become the official site for the attraction due to open officially this September 4th? Stay tuned!

The company has created special sites in the past outside of their regular official site for attractions: Pooh's Hunny Hunt opening in 2000; special events: Tokyo DisneySea's 2nd, 3rd and 4th anniversaries, and currently Lilo & Stitch's Big Panic: Find Stitch! at hulihuli.jp.

Cinderella Castle Under Wraps

It sure ruins a nice picturesque shot, doesn't it? Cinderella Castle is undergoing maintenance and renovations following the closing of the Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour attraction last week. It will be covered by scaffolding for at least a few months. The entire castle perimeter, as well as The Glass Slipper gift shop, is closed off to the public. Guests trying to take a picture in the forecastle area of the Plaza have to contend with a construction wall painted by Stitch! Also, at least two cranes working there all day.

To see the last time the castle was covered this way, we have to go back to 1992. During the Park's 9th Anniversary, the special event Disney's World's Fair was performed on the other side of the Plaza near where the Partners statue stands today.

A Future Disney Composer in the Making

This following blog entry is not for Tokyo Disney Resort, but it is kinda related! A good friend of mine Rick McKee has composed the official theme for the Disney Music Convention 2006 titled "Celebrate the Magic!" We are honored to have the music available for download here at JTCEnt.com! Rick's inspiration has been his love for Disney theme park and show music. Many of his favorites are from TDR!

Another connection this special tune has with TDR is the fantastic duo supplying the main vocals. David Wise and Michelle Amato provide a wonderful tribute to this original McKee composition. I invite all of you to download and listen to it, as well as the accompanying video of the premiere performance. Read more about Rick, the song and the upcoming music event!

Orange Bird at Tokyo DisneySea

Last Friday April 14th was officially declared "Orange Day" at Tokyo DisneySea. All guests attending the Park were given a special medal present. According to the note in the back of the plastic wrapping, "Orange Day" is meant to symbolize the love between two people. (Huh?) It goes on to read, "Orange Day was brought about from the Disney-created character Orange Bird and finally there is a special notice saying, "The Orange Bird greeting character does not appear in the Park." (Hehehe)

A little background here, TDR celebrates Valentine's Day on February 14th and White Day on March 14th. On Valentine's, ladies give their favorite man some chocolate. On White Day, men are supposed to reciprocate with an appropriate gift. So I guess Orange Day is another commercial festive day here. Sigh....

Happy 23rd Birthday TDL!

Tokyo Disneyland celebrated its 23rd birthday on Saturday, April 15th. This year's theme has Mickey as a playful pirate. TDL and Tokyo DisneySea are the only Disney parks worldwide that celebrate their opening anniversaries with special lines of merchandise. TDS will have its 5th Anniversary celebrations starting on July 14th.

The TDL anniversary themes in recent years have been "20 Years Mickey" (2003), "Space Ranger Mickey" (2004) and "Bandleader Mickey" (2005).