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Tuesday we discussed Tokyo Disneyland,
today we take a look at its companion second gate, Tokyo DisneySea. The idea here is to play off a theme (disneyLAND is contrasted by
disneySEA), but the basic concept won't surprise you.
Pretty!
There are themed lands exploring different points in time, space, and
fantasy, not too different from a mundane description of Disneyland. But
that's a pretty prosaic way to sum up some of the most heavily-themed and
beautiful architecture on Earth. It's the most photogenic park I've seen.
At the Mira Costa hotel straddling the TDS entrance, some
windows are painted on,
others are real but have painted shutters, and some
windows are real and
have real shutters. Where does reality stop and illusion
begin?
The theming is so complete and all-encompassing, it's the clear successor to
Disneyland's crown (and mind-vaporizing to imagine if they had built this park
next to Disneyland in the late 1990s, rather than DCA). If I sat down and came
up with twenty principles I look for in an ideal, optimized theme park, TDS
would adhere to at least nineteen of them. It's that good.
An aqueduct in ruins. For no reason other than to look awesome.
We were drawn first to the impossibly large volcano in the middle.
It's the park's main 'weenie', so you can't help but focus on
it.
Imagine something taller than the Matterhorn (is it twice as tall?) and also
twenty times thicker, filling out all that volume, and themed right down to the
blades of grass.
Theatrical lighting
adds to the excitement.
It's impossible to stand here and not feel a thrill running up
and down your spine, landing in your stomach. Inside the caldera is the world of
Jules Verne, even better than at Disneyland Paris. It's insanely, intensely
themed.
It's so themed, it hurts to think about it.
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