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.