Paramount Movie Park Korea – New Park

Status: Under Construction
Expected Opening: 2009
Theme: N/A
Cost: $1.6 billion
Flagship Rides: N/A

Description: Despite the fact that this park is already under construction, there are few details available at the moment. Paramount, along with Daewoo Motor Sales Corp, are building the theme park resort on a plot of land in Incheon, South Korea. The master plan calls for not only a theme park, but a water park, studio facility, 300-room hotel, media center, and a shopping mall. The plan is for all of this to be completed prior to the year 2014, as that will be the year that the city of Incheon will be hosting the Asian Games. When completed, Paramount Movie Park Korea will be the only theme park in the country operated by a non-Korean company. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

Updates:

5/20/08 – Reported that construction has already begun on the theme park.
12/12/07 – Paramount and Daewoo sign contract making new theme park resort a done deal.
5/10/07 – Announced that Paramount and Daewoo will form a joint venture to construct a $1+ billion theme park in South Korea.

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Space World

Location: Yahata Higashi, Kitakyushu, Japan
Cost: N/A
Season: Year Round
Maps: Google Satellite
Website

History/General Info: N/A

Roller Coasters:

• Black Hole Scramble (Nippon enclosed)
• Boogie-woogie Space Coaster (Senyo-Kogyo family)
• Clipper (Togo sitdown)
• Titan V (Arrow hypercoaster)
• Venus GP (Maurer Söhne custom)
• Zaturn (Intamin accelerator coaster)

Other Major Attractions:

• Space Shot (shot tower)
• Luna Swing (top spin)
• Enterprise (enterprise)

Construction Projects:

• None

Trip Reports:

• None

Ride Reviews:

• None

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Tobu Zoological Park

Location: Minami, Saitama Saitama, Japan
Cost: N/A
Season: N/A
Maps: Park Map – Google Satellite
Website (no english)

History/General Info: This hybrid park features a theme park and a zoo. The park is owned by the Tobu Railway Co., and the park is managed by Tobu Leisure Planning Co.

Roller Coasters:

• Crazy Mouse (Togo looping mouse)
• Kawasemi (Intamin mega-lite)
• Regina (Stand Company wood)
• Tentomushi (Zierer tivoli)

Other Major Attractions:

• G-Max (drop tower)
• Music Express (music express)
• Fire Bird (pirate ship)

Construction Projects:

• None

Trip Reports:

• None

Ride Reviews:

• None

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Tokyo DisneySea

Location: Urayasu, Chiba, Japan
Cost: ¥5,800 ($54 USD)
Season: Year Round
Maps: Park Map – Google Satellite
Website

History/General Info: Tokyo DisneySea flung open its gates on September 4, 2001. DisneySea is without a doubt the most unique of all Disney theme parks around the globe. The park is themed around myths from the ocean, and many of the parks’ rides are themed around mystery and adventure, two aspects that do not dominate other Disney parks.

Roller Coasters:

• Flounders Flying Fish Coaster (Togo family)
• Raging Spirits (Custom)

Other Major Attractions:

• Tower of Terror (custom dark/tower ride)
• Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull (dark ride)
• Journey to the Center of the Earth (dark ride)

Construction Projects:

• None

Trip Reports:

• None

Ride Reviews:

• None

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Monsters Inc. Dark Ride

Fast Facts:
    Expected Opening: 2009 
     Class: Confirmed
     Status: Under Construction
     Manufacturer: N/A
     Model: Dark Ride; Shoot-em-Up

Description: The new Monsters Inc. dark ride will be going into Tokyo Disneyland for the 2009 season. Specifically, the park will be constructing a new building in the Tomorrowland section of the park to accomodate the new ride. The basis of the ride is that the riders in swiveling cars will play ‘hide and seek’ with various monsters around the city. More appropriately, you’ll probably be trying to scare them off than actually finding them. Another possibility is you (playing Mike or Sully) trying to find Boo, the little girl that everyone is after in the original movie. The ride will cost $88 million to develop.

Updates:

• None

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Tokyo Disneyland

Location: Urayasu, Chiba, Japan
Cost: ¥5,800 ($54 USD)
Season: Year Round
Maps: Park Map – Google Satellite
Website

History/General Info: Tokyo Disneyland first opened its doors in April of 1983. The year 2008 marked the parks’, and the resorts’, 25th anniversary.

Roller Coasters:

• Big Thunder Mountain (Custom mine train)
• Gadget’s Go Coaster (Vekoma junior coaster)
• Space Mountain (Custom enclosed)

Other Major Attractions:

• Splash Mountain (log flume)
• Haunted Mansion (dark ride)
• Pirates of the Caribbean (dark ride)

Construction Projects:

• 2009: Monsters Inc. dark ride

Trip Reports:

• None

Ride Reviews:

• None

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Prospective Third Park

Status: Planning
Expected Opening: N/A
Cost: N/A
Flagship Rides: N/A

Description: Very little is known about this future project, but it is clear that the Oriental Land Company (owner and operator of the Tokyo Disney Resort) would like to add a third park someday. Interestingly, there is a chance that this third park would be off of the main resort property (assumably to help reduce and attendance hits the other two parks would take). Additionally, the company is thinking about having the third park be indoors. OLC would like to have their plans together by sometime in 2011. Stay tuned for updates.

Updates:

5/8/07 – OLC announces that they would like to pursue an indoor, off-site theme park.

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Tokyo Disney Resort

Location: Tokyo, Japan
Parks:
     Tokyo Disneyland
     Tokyo DisneySea
Hotels:
     Disney Ambassador Hotel
      Tokyo DisneySea Hotel Miracosta
      Tokyo Disneyland Hotel
Other Attractions: 
     Ikspiari (no english) – A large shopping district.
      Bon Voyage – Funky gift shop.
      Disney Resort Line – Monorail system.
Resort Map
Website

History/General Info: While the resort carries the Disney name, it is not actually owned by the company. Rather, Oriental Land Company owns and operates the resort. The beginning of the resort, Tokyo Disneyland, opened its gates to the general public on April 15, 1983. The original idea for the creation of Tokyo Disney occurred as early as the 1960s, but Disney was far more focused on their Orlando resort than anything else at that point. However, in the 70s, the Oriental Land Company once again approached Disney about the possibility of opening a resort, and Disney was intrigued enough to agree to a deal that led to the opening of Tokyo Disneyland in 1983. The resort didn’t receive a significant expansion until 2001, when Tokyo Disney unveiled Tokyo DisneySea, a theme park unlike any other Disney park around the globe.

Construction Projects:

• Unknown: Possible 3rd Disney park.

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Universal Studios Japan

Location: Osaka Osaka Japan
Cost: ¥5,800 ($54 USD)
Season: Year Round
Maps: Park Map – Google Satellite
Website

History/General Info: The park opened its gates for the first time in 2001.

Roller Coasters:

• Hollywood Dream: The Ride (B&M mega coaster)
• Snoopy’s Great Race (Custom family)

Other Major Attractions:

• The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman (simulator)
• Jurassic Park: The Ride (splash down)
• JAWS (boat tour ride)

Construction Projects:

• None

Trip Reports:

• None

Ride Reviews:

• None

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Universal Studios Korea – New Park

Status: Approved; Awaiting Construction
Expected Opening: 2012
Theme: Some Korean films will be used
Cost: $3.1 billion (full resort)
Flagship Rides: N/A

Description: Back in 2007, Universal Parks & Resorts signed a deal with a consortium of companies to construct a theme park resort in South Korea. Some of these companies include USK Property Holdings (exclusive park operator), Korea Development Bank, and POSCO Engineering and Construction. Once completed in 2012, the resort could top $3.1 billion. The current working location for the new development is Hwaseong in the Gyeonggi Province, about 20 miles from the South Korean capital city of Seoul. With a lot of attention being paid attention to the new Universal Studios Singapore, not too many details have surfaced about this park, so stay tuned.

Updates:

11/27/07 – $3.1 billion price tag announced, as well as the working location.
11/1/07 – Universal states that they would like to incorporate some Korean film products into the park to help distinguish it from the nearby Universal Studios Japan.
5/22/07 – Announced that Universal Parks and Resorts would construct a resort in South Korea.

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