PHOTO: Disney Park Begins Massive Space Mountain Revamp

It appears that work has begun on Disney’s first next-generation Space Mountain and its surrounding Tomorrowland area.

Since it was introduced to the world at Magic Kingdom Park in 1975, Space Mountain has become a Disney Park–and overall roller coaster–icon. But beyond temporary overlays on some of the variants at Disneyland Park, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland, the different versions have remained essentially the same at their respective Parks since their creation. Meanwhile, other sci-fi roller coasters like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and TRON: Lightcycle Power Run have emerged, making the world’s first completely indoor roller coaster and its variants appear more and more outdated. But that is about to change at Tokyo Disney Resort.

Related: OpEd: After ‘Guardians,’ I Am Ready for a Space Mountain Revamp

Earlier this year, we at Disney Fanatic reported that the Oriental Land Company (OLC), the owners and operators of Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, was going to give its version of Space Mountain and the surrounding Tomorrowland area a complete overhaul, essentially turning what is arguably one of the “untouchable” Disney Park attractions into an entirely new experience.

According to OLC’s press release,

“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.”

Read More: Disney Announces MASSIVE Revamp of Space Mountain

The surrounding area will also be transformed to inspire Guests’ hope for the future by creating a landscape that displays humanity’s new harmony with nature.

The project is set to cost the Resort ¥56 billion, roughly $390 million USD.

Now, Tokyo Disney’s Space Mountain, presented by Coca-Cola (Japan) Company, Ltd., is not expected to close until 2024 in order to complete the entire construction project by 2027. But, it appears that the preliminary work has already begun.

Tokyo Disney insiders TDR Explorer caught pictures of the Space Mountain area just a few days ago, which appear to show that Disney’s oldest international Theme Park has already broken ground on the project.

Related: OpEd: Disney’s Next Resort Should be like Tokyo Disney

Specific details regarding the new roller coaster experience remain shrouded in mystery at this time.

The Space Mountain transformation update is just the latest Disney news to come out of the Land of the Rising Sun. Last month, the nation announced that it was finally reopening to individual tourists and that it would add an entirely new section to Tokyo DisneySea, which will house space for Peter Pan, Tangled, and Frozen, called Fantasy Springs. The Resort is also beginning testing on a Single Rider Pass to help optimize Guests’ movement through the queues.

Tokyo Disney Resort will soon begin its 40th Anniversary Celebration.

We at Disney Fanatic will continue to update our readers on Disney Park news and stories as more developments come to light.