Tuesday 10th June 2025
DISNEYLAND – What an amazing day.
We arrived at Disneyland at about 11.30am. The crowds were okay and we were lucky as it wasn’t raining as forecast a few days ago. On the way to Disneyland we walked passed the Disneyland Resort, it was a magnificent building on the outside, I can just imagine the opulence inside. We then went straight to the entrance which was minus crowds today. We feel very lucky that the weather forecast improved a little and we thought it was okay to leave our visit to Monday as the weekends are supposedly packed. Once again, we were blown away by the colour and detail of all the buildings. There were Disney characters everywher, talking to the children, signing autographs and posing for photos with the guests. It was amazing.
David had downloaded the Disney App which enabled us to check which performances/shows and rides had the least wait time. The most we saw on any activity was 160 mins (2 hrs 40 mins) which was way too long to just stand in a queue. So unfortunately we missed out on this one. We saw a few live performances, some animated ones, some singing and dancing, and some incredible rides with the most amazing audio-animatronics. Walt Disney created the most amazing characters and storries that brought to life make believe for adults and children alike. We experienced yet again another day where we feel so lucky to live the life we have. We are so fortunate to be able to experience all these wonderful things around Australia and the World.
We love how the Japanese are so in to their characters, they dressup and where hats, hMickey and Minnie headbands, and many other Disney characted headbands and hats. I joined in this time with some Minne Mouse ears and bow. My favourite show was the Mickey Mouse Club show which was a fantastic song and dance gala. My favourite ride was The Small World which had animatronics of characters from all over the world with the theme song “It’s a small world” playing as we rode around the river trail in a boat. This was a ride with sensory overload. It was so great. My next favourite was the Star Wars ride which was in a very small room, you were strapped into your seat wearing 3D glasses and with the assistance of digital screens we felt like we were in a spaceship flying through the galaxy. It was amazing. There was a parade during the day which was a spectacular display of characters and floats that went for about 30 mins. There was to be anothert one at 7.30pm but unfortunately the light drizzle that started about 4pm meat tthis was cancelled.
In the last 3 hours from about 6pm we kept finding rides/shows with 5-10 min wait times and went on or to a continuous stream of activities/rides. We were like little kids rushing off to the next one as soon as we finished the last. The night ended with a light show on the castle and a little fireworks display at 9pm. After this finished we followed the steeam of people back to the station. We tried to find somewhere for dinner but unfortunately all the kitchens closed at 9.30pm and we didn’t make it to the station shops until 9.35pm. So we caught the train to Tokyo Station, had dinner there (Soba noodles for DB and udon for me.) We then caught the next train to Otsuka and arrived home just after 11pm. Exhausted once again.
“Tokyo Disneyland is a 115-acre theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to be built outside the United States and it opened on April 15, 1983.
The park has seven themed areas: the World Bazaar, Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Critter Country and Toontown. Many of these areas mirror those in the original Disneyland as they are based on American Disney films and fantasies. Fantasyland includes Peter Pan’s Flight, Snow White’s Scary Adventures, and Dumbo the Flying Elephant, based on Disney films and characters. The park is noted for its extensive open spaces to accommodate the large crowds that visit the park. In 2023, Tokyo Disneyland hosted 15.1 million visitors, making it the fourth-most visited theme park in the world and the second-most visited theme park in Asia.
Audio-Animatronics are mechatronic puppets, a form of robotics, created by Walt Disney Imagineering for use in shows and attractions at Disney theme parks. They are the source of the term “animatronics” and are known for their lifelike movements and synchronized sounds.
Definition: Audio-Animatronics are robots, typically figures of Disney characters or creatures, that move and make sounds, often speech or song.
Mechanism: They are controlled by radio or cables and use prerecorded movements and sounds rather than responding to external stimuli.
Early Examples: Some early Audio-Animatronics include a toy bird, a dancing man, and the figures in The Enchanted Tiki Room.
Walt Disney’s Influence: Walt Disney’s initial interest in animatronics was sparked by a mechanical bird, which he took apart to understand how it worked.
Modern Advancements: Disney continues to develop increasingly sophisticated Audio-Animatronics, with the A-1000 program focusing on creating high-fidelity figures.
Animatronics are robots or figures, often designed to resemble living creatures, that are controlled by computers and motors to move in a lifelike way. They combine elements of robotics, electronics, and mechanics to create realistic movements and appearances. Animatronics are commonly used in entertainment, such as theme park attractions, films, and video games, to portray characters or create dynamic displays.
- This was the most amazing day. Up there with one of the best..
- ..The characters were amazing..
- ..the Japanese are so into their characters, it made me want to be one too!..
- ..a little excited as we head through the entrance tunnel..
- ..and walk straight in to a band performance..
- ..the first view of the Disney Castle..
- ..we thought these people were having a rest, but they were lined up waiting for the parade later in the morning..
- ..so into their Disney..
- ..close-up of the Disney Castle..
- ..Our first pavillion..
- ..was Cinderella..
- ..the opulence and attention to detail was amazing, not just here but in every place, in every way. Just keep looking at it!
- ..the glass slipper, there was even one to try on..
- ..an outlook through the park..
- ..more charactyers, they even get their autographs in a special autograph book..
- Our first show was the PhilharMagic Show..
- ..lining up for the 3D show featuring Donald Duck appeared in all different disny movies, water sprayed out from the screen, you had to duck flying objects, and it was amazing!
- The Pinnochio ride..
- ..the characters of pinnochi and Gipetto were all animatronics and the ride was like going through the ghost train at Luna park, you just wound through the different scenes of the movie. It was great..
- ..It’s a small waorld ride..
- ..this was spectacular..
- ..you travelled through the pavillion on a boat..
- ..it featured scenes from all over the world..
- ..the detail was incredible..
- ..and it was sensory overload..
- ..you couldn’t take it all in at once..
- ..everything was moving..
- ..you were moving. There were displays in front of you, to the left and to the right, and above..
- Whinney the Pooh store..
- ..we chanced upon the parade..
- ..the characters were amazing..
- ..the floats spectacular..
- ..some of the characters are too modern for me..
- ..Buzz Lightyear..
- ..it was amazing..
- ..apparently this is Hero Five..
- ..I am so out of date now..
- ..there were dancers..
- ..and so much colour.
- ..Sorry for so many pictures but hopefully you can see the enormity of this place..
- We went to a Stitch show..
- ..which was a cartoon show that interacted with the crowd, if you could understand what he was saying. Hehehe!..
- Sweetheart Cafe, such incredible detail everywhere you look..
- Star Tours Ride entrance..
- ..walking through the tunnel, everywhere you went there was facility to make your queuing time go faster..
- ..the Star Wars robots..
- ..up close.
- ..another 3D experience, this one you were in a spaceship flying through the galaxy, your chair evenmoved back and thrusted forward to make you feel like you were there..
- The pizza making machine, this was huge and so detailed..
- ..the machine upstairs, and the people downstairs ordering their pizza. This can help you see the size of the machine..
- The Pirates of the Carribean ride..
- ..it really was like the ghost train, dark and scary..
- ..and the characters were so life like..
- ..and once again moved with animatronics (animated electronics)..
- ..then on to the Jungle Cruise..
- ..which wandered through the jungle..
- ..with great scenery. Another bnoat just behind the waterfall.
- ..beware of the elephant spray..
- ..On to the Western River Railroad..
- ..the train..
- ..as we road the railroad through more movie scenes..
- ..through the canyons..
- ..passed the indians. It was a treat.
- The Country Bear Theatre..
- ..was an amazing show of animatronics
- ..the singing and actions in this show was amazing. The bear characters, so detailed. I loved it and they also sang some country songs in English. A real bonus..
- Snow White Adventure ride..
- ..another one that goes along a train track through tunnels..
- ..to different scenes in the movie, Don’t eat that apple!
- ..Hi Ho Hi Ho, its offto work we go.
- As the sun goes down we get to see the park under lights. The Magnificent Disney Castle..
- ..the shortened parade, which was a real shame..
- ..it would have been even more spectacular tan we saw, but it was still worth hanging around until the night time..
- ..the light show on the castle..
- ..time for a few more rides..
- ..the Alice in Wonderland teacup ride.
- ..Back in to “It’s a Small World..
- ..to try and capture a little more….it really was amazing..
- ..the Australia exhibition..
- Minnies Photo shoot hall..
- ..the Gag Factory..
- ..The Roger Rabbit Ride..
- ..was like a zig zagging jolting ride through tunnels..
- ..this was the only photo that worked as we were gliding out the exit door..
- Toon Town..
- ..My own Minnie photo shoot..
- Tree House..
- ..another little scene along the way..
- Our last ride was spectacular. Beauty and the Beast..
- ..as you walk through the halls, designed to ease the frustration of the long queues..
- ..we needed the queues a little to take in the enormity of the detail..
- ..this ride you spin around in a bowl..
- ..through the tunnel..
- ..to scenes in animatronics from the movie….
- ..as the beast becomes the prince..
- ..the waltz..
- ..the ballroom was incredible..
- ..we didn’t have time for the dodgems, but they looked like fun..
- ..the light show on the castle was the finale of the night at about 8.30..
- ..this was one of my favourite photos of the day/night. Walt and Mickey in silhouette..
- ..the throng of people as we exit..
- ..stil enjoying the scenery amd excitement at 9pm..
- ..the Disneyland resort looked opulent. Apologies for the number of photos but I thought you would like to experience the mammoth day we had. Take Care!! Big hugs xx