TDS Journey to the Center of the Earth Queue Decor Artwork

Tokyo Disney Sea Journey to the Center of the Earth is undoubtedly one of TDS top E-ticket ride, a non-to-be-missed attraction - even if there is a two hours wait! - and today we will have a look at some of its artwork. Not the WDI "concept-arts" artwork - these you can see them in a previous article HERE - but some of the artwork that guests can see in the queue decor, part of the decor itself. They are done in the old fashioned way, like the 19th century images you could se in Jules Verne original printings, and they look great. The first one below is showing "the crystal caverns"...

...and this next one - i should say  three - are three artworks showings three different scenes of a journey going down to the center of the earth.

You're going to like the one below as it is showing the famous "Terravator", the elevator that TDS guests take to go down "to the center of the earth" where the ride boarding room is! Sorry, the picture is not perfectly sharp but these are located in pretty dark area and they were shots at TDS opening, more than ten years ago at a time where the high-def digital cameras that are available today didn't exist yet.

If you like Tokyo Disney Sea, i remind you that my TDS Wallpapers app for iPhone - iPad with hundred of stunning HD pictures is always available on the App Store HERE for $1.99 only! You can see a preview of it in a previous article HERE. 



Artwork: copyright Disney

It's Tokyo Disney Sea 11th Anniversary !

It was Tokyo Disney Sea 11th Anniversary yesterday - the park opened on September 4, 2001 - and since then all the new attractions added to the park were "over the top" with an amazing quality created by WDI Imagineers at their best.

For many, Tokyo Disney Sea is considered as the best themed park in the world, and it certainly is. I did previously dozens of article about TDS, whether it was about the WDI TDS original artwork, TDS attraction posters, night and day pictures of this beautiful park, or even pics of TDS from above, but today, to celebrate this 11th anniversary this new article - thanks to great pictures from D&M contributor Daniel Rous - is all about something that i've never show you before: the TDS signs and attractions marquees, as well as others TDS posters, which are all beautifully designed like everything in this park.

There we go, and we start by signs of the Mediterranean entrance, Cape Cod and the American Waterfront, from where is also coming the poster on the top.

















Next, signs from Mysterious Island and Mermaid Lagoon.















Let's have a look to Arabian Coast and Lost River Delta signs.















We will end with Port Discovery this great Aquatopia attraction poster.



It's also the right time to remind you my great Tokyo Disney Sea Wallpapers app for iPhone and iPad, which is a fantastic tribute to TDS. The application includes 117 gorgeous high-definition wallpaper pictures AND will be updated with new gorgeous HD pictures in a very near future ( note that the update will be free for those who will have previously downloaded the app ). There is pictures of each "land" of the park and each picture will look fantastic on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. The TDS Wallpapers HD app cost a ridiculous $1.99 or 1.59€ on the iTunes Store, so don't miss it! Click HERE for direct access to the TDS Wallpapers HD iTunes page or READ my article first HERE.






All pictures: copyright Daniel Rous

Soarin' Over... Tokyo Disney Sea

There we go with my next Soarin' around the world article and today we will soar over the magnificent Tokyo Disney Sea! But before we start the flight i want to let you know that James Hilger who did this beautiful iBook for iPad - that i've reviewed recently in my article HERE - has now released it as a PDF eBook "viewable on Mac, Pc and most eBook readers and tablets", so everyone who don't own an iPhone or iPad can know order and enjoy this great digital book. To order, all you have to do is to go HERE.



So, let's fly over Tokyo Disney Sea, and as you will see sometime you don't need to be aboard a plane or to risk your life in a jungle trek to get great pictures of a Disney park from above. All you need is to remember that something called Google Earth exist and there you go!

The top picture shows the whole TDS park, and the one below the entrance with the Mediterranean part and Mysterious Island. While we soar above TDS we will also have a look to the land available for future expansion. Definitely click on EACH picture to see them in larger scale!



Next, a closer shot over Mysterious Island. As you will see, and here it's logical as it is almost an "island", there is not really any room available in Mysterious Island. However i remember asking at TDS opening WDI Imagineer Steve Kirk who was TDS Main Show Producer why there was no walk-through inside the Nautilus like we have at DLP. And, if i remind it well, Steve answered me that they've kept the room to eventually do it in the future. Which means that there is some room available somewhere inside Mysterious Island either to create the inside Nautilus decor or eventually something else. Although i'm a big fan of Harper Goff Nautilus i wouldn't bet that they will add at TDS a Nautilus walk-through like the one at DLP as it seems that for the japanese the Nautilus didn't reached the mythical dimension that it did in occidental countries.



Let's fly now over Arabian Coast (top) and Mermaid Lagoon (bottom) where there is not a lot of room available too, specially considering that the Google Earth picture was shot before the Jasmine flying carpets ride was installed at the right of the entrance of the Sindbad ride.



It's not the same in Lost river Delta as there is a big land available on the right of the Indiana Jones ride, near the sea. I'm wondering what they will put here in the future... On the left of the Indy ride you can see the Raging Spirits roller coaster.



The two next pictures show Port Discovery which is literally blocked between Mysterious Island and the sea itself with the outside road in between. No need to say that there is not really any room available for future expansion.





Close to Port discovery is Cape Cod and although it's a small land without any attraction and not a lot of room available they might have enough room for something small...if there is any ride idea that can fit with the land theme.



We'll end this Soarin' over Tokyo Disney Sea with these two shots over American Waterfront. On the left of Tower of Terror and on the right of the parking lot you can see some room available but it's where is now the new Toy Story Mania which opened recently. However on the first parking lot - the one colour grey, not the one colour black - they still have some room. Yes, the backstage road run in between but i'm sure that if they need the land in the future to build something there they will "move" the road.





Hope you'll enjoy the flight, see you tomorrow for another destination! In the meantime don't forget James Hilger TDS book and also my great TDS Wallpaper application available on the iTunes Store. Click HERE for direct access to the TDS Wallpapers HD iTunes page or READ my article first HERE.

Pictures: copyright Google Earth

" Tokyo DisneySea In Photographs " is the great TDS iBook your were waiting for

Since i've published the Disneyland Paris, From Sketch to Reality book ten years ago i can't count all the readers who asked me to do the same kind of book about Tokyo Disney Sea. For sure i'll love to make one, but unfortunately so far it's not on the program. That said, i have a good news for you as a great ibook about TDS has just been released on the iBooks Store and so far it's the best book ever done about Tokyo Disney Sea! (two others pictorial books were published in Japan but are out of stock). It's an iBook for iPad only, so it's only for iPad owners - lucky iPad owners, in this case! 
Edited: If you don't own an iPad the iBook is now available as a PDF file HERE!

James Hilger, a really talented photographer went twice at TDS in 2011 and came back with plenty of gorgeous pictures of the park. You'll find in this iBook 132 pictures with a chapter for each land, and even one on the beautiful TDS Miracosta Hotel. And, although it is definitely a pictorial essay on Tokyo Disney Sea each chapter also have some text, so it's definitely closer to a book than was my TDS Wallpapers app which also included beautiful pictures of Tokyo Disney Sea.

Each chapter have a great opening page...



...and from that point you can either "turn" the pages just like you do in a book or access directly the page you want by choosing it at the bottom of the page.



Most of the pictures are "full page", but not always, and on other pages you'll find two or three different pics which will pop up in full screen mode just with a tap on them.



As i've said the quality of the pictures is fantastic, most of them were shot either during the famous "magic hour" or at night and James succeeded to find different angles than the one we've seen already on others TDS pictures. And the result is just beautiful, really.





As you can see on the screen captures above and below each picture have a caption but James did things intelligently and when you tap on the picture the caption will disappear, so you'll be able to enjoy each pictures in all their beauty.



This iBook is called "Tokyo DisneySea In Photographs" and you'll find it HERE on the iBooks Store for $12.99 which is a fair price for such a beautiful book on the most beautiful theme park in the world. No need to say that i strongly recommend!

Note: James TDS iBook is now on sale on the iBooks Store for each country. Please read James answer in the comments. Also, very good news for those who don't own an iPad as you can now purchase it as a PDF file HERE! 

Pictures: copyright James Hilger