I visited Tokyo DisneySea few weeks ago. It is one the best Disney theme park in the world, mainly because of the level of details and invested money. Disney in general is omnipresent in Japan. They successfully responded to the compulsive attractiveness that Japanese people have for cuteness. They even did a better job than local brands and are very consistent in their marketing across the country. While I was queuing to enter the park, I noticed that the Japanese people were already wearing quantities of Disney merchandising. This is probably why the park is of such a high level of execution, Japanese people seem to spend more than any others in Disney products, and shopping is truly part of the magical experience here.
The main reason why everyone comes to DisneySea is the “Mysterious Island” with its two blockbuster rides, the 20,000 leagues under the sea and the Journey to the centre of the earth, both extremely well themed. Don’t expect however huge thrills in DisneySea, Japanese taste for adventure and exotism seems to be limited to experiences that still feel very safe. And like for the new Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride at Universal Studios Orlando, theme park imagineers need to resolve the consumer’s dilemma stretched between a desire for adventure and a reluctance for extreme situations.
The little Mermaid section is also very well designed with one of the best themed shop of the park. As Seth Godin puts it, “The product is nothing but a souvenir of your trip to the store, and a reminder of the way you felt when you bought it.”
- There is a kind of European renaissance section too in DisneySea, an unusual theme for Disney!
- Characters appear in the afternoon and are always situated near shops selling items related to their universe, in this case, teddy bears.
- This is what the goodness of the sea and the qualities of Japanese food inspired Disney: sweet dumplings with a processed shrimp filling.
Various other examples of themes in rides of DisneySea, always perfectly executed!
Shows are also impressive. Even though the stories are always more or less the same. Read my analysis of the heterotopia of Disney World if you are interested to know why.
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