Disney Park’s $2.1 Billion Land Officially Fails, Attendance Declines (Again)
Despite its best efforts, one Disney resort is struggling on the attendance front as of late.
Every Disney park has had its ups and downs over the years. Back in 2023, reports of dwindling attendance hit Walt Disney World Resort as both Memorial Day and Fourth of July failed to bring in the usual major crowds. Even Josh D’Amaro, Chairperson of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, acknowledged a drop in demand.
Fast forward two years, and fans have also claimed that Disneyland Resort is struggling to bring in its usual masses amid reports of an ICE presence at the Southern California theme park (reports Disney has strongly denied).
Of course, these reports haven’t put Disney off investing more money into its resorts. Both Disney World and Disneyland are receiving major upgrades in the coming years, with the former preparing to welcome Cars Land, Disney Villains Land, Tropical Americas, and an area inspired by Monsters, Inc.
Meanwhile, Disneyland Resort – which just debuted the first-ever Walt Disney animatronic for its 70th anniversary – will add two Marvel attractions to the roster at California Adventure Park, as well as a Coco ride and a new Avatar area.
But is pouring billions into the parks a surefire route to success?
Fantasy Springs would beg to differ.
Disney’s $2.1 Billion Land Fails to Bring in New Guests
Tokyo Disney Resort’s Fantasy Springs area — which features subsections inspired by Frozen (2013), Tangled (2010), and Peter Pan (1953) — debuted to guests for the first time in 2024, after years of construction and a whopping $2.1 billion (¥320 billion) bill.
The expansion includes new attractions like Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey, a boat ride retelling the story of Frozen; Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival, which brings guests into the glowing world of Tangled; and two Peter Pan-themed rides: Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure, a 3D flight simulator, and Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies, a whimsical ride through Pixie Hollow.
As part of Tokyo DisneySea, technically, Disney didn’t foot the bill for once. Instead, The Oriental Land Company was the financial backer for the park’s new fairytale-esque area. However, Walt Disney Imagineering served as the creative force.
And yet it doesn’t seem like its creative efforts have translated to an attendance boost.
According to Nikkei Business, attendance dropped at Tokyo Disney Resort between April and September 2024 for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. For context, Fantasy Springs opened in June – right in the middle of this period.
While sales from the theme park business increased compared to the same period in 2023, they fell 7.4% below expectations.
Theoretically, Fantasy Springs should have had the adverse effect. Part of its issue may lie in who Fantasy Springs is actually targeting. The land offers four attractions, all of which are family-friendly and visually immersive — but none are high-thrill rides designed to entice teenagers or repeat local visitors seeking adrenaline.
Unlike Universal Studios Japan’s SUPER NINTENDO WORLD, which blends nostalgia with kinetic gameplay and active exploration, Fantasy Springs leans heavily on passive storytelling and slow-moving ride systems.
There’s also the question of timing. Fantasy Springs opened just months after the resort celebrated its 40th anniversary, an event that already saw a major uptick in local attendance throughout 2023. With that momentum behind them, many fans may have already made their big trip to the parks — leaving fewer return visits for 2024.
The biggest challenge to drawing guests back to the parks is reportedly Tokyo’s increasingly intense heat, which continues to worsen each year. In response, the company is prioritizing countermeasures to help ease the impact on visitors.
“The intense heat is not something we can do anything about, and we recognize that it will always be hot. Even in that environment, we are thinking about how to make sure our guests can have a comfortable stay,” said Oriental Land President Wataru Takahashi.
Ironically, Tokyo Disney Resort is renowned for viral videos of dense crowds outside its entrance before its opening. As guests will tell you, however, these aren’t always necessarily representative of the park’s conditions and often have more to do with the resort’s entry procedures.
Reports have emerged in recent weeks that the parks simply aren’t as busy as one would expect in peak summer. Should temperatures stay high, this may very well be the new norm for summer at Tokyo Disney Resort.
Do you plan on visiting Tokyo Disney Resort?
Yes I plan on going to Tokyo Disneyland for splash mountain since I was letdown with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and very uncomfortable with the 1927 Mississippi river flood disaster problematic American history I’m reminded of. I hope my sister will take me to Tokyo Disneyland, I’m not sure if jungle Cruise will be around. I wish a shimajiro mascot character from the shimajiro TV show and movies by benesse company would come to Tokyo Disneyland for meet and greet.