Demolition has seemingly officially begun on the beloved Disney ride Space Mountain.
Change is a constant at the Disney Parks, any Disney fan knows the feeling of their favorite ride closing for refurbishment, being given a seasonal overlay, or occasionally the opening of a brand new ride like TRON: Lightcycle/Run in Magic Kingdom Park in the Walt Disney World Resort. In some more extreme cases, rides can close for good, as with Splash Mountain in Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort.
Space Mountain at the Disney Parks
Few rides are as popular and iconic as Space Mountain at the Disney Parks. Found in practically every Disney Resort around the world (it’s in five of six Disney Parks—Magic Kingdom, Disneyland Park, Hong Kong Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Tokyo Disneyland), it’s one that is universally loved and cherished.
In 2022, Disney announced that changes would be coming to one Space Mountain; it’s the one at Tokyo Disney Resort. And per the latest photos, it appears demolition has officially begun at the attraction.
ドーム部分の杭打ちがもうすぐ始まりそう。 pic.twitter.com/G8tqajatff
— まっつー (@Sea_Mattsu) July 19, 2023
Per the tweet seen above, Guests can see cranes surrounding the ride. The translation reads, “The piling of the dome is about to begin.”
In October 2022, we shared photos that depicted work had officially begun on the transformation. Earlier this year, we reported that Disney officially broke ground. It appears Disney is continuing to make sure they meet their 2027 deadline for the newly revamped Tomorrowland area. The Oriental Land Company—the owners and operators of the ride—shared in a press release at the time of the announcement,
“Space Mountain, an exhilarating, indoor roller coaster that takes guests on a high-speed joy ride through space, has been a favorite of guests since the Grand Opening of Tokyo Disneyland in 1983. This entirely new attraction will maintain its original concept as an indoor roller coaster, but will have enhanced performance and immersive special effects that will give guests even more thrills on this exciting rocket ride.”
The transformation will reportedly cost Disney ¥56 billion, around USD 390 million.
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