Thousands of guests tearfully applauded as the final riders entered Space Mountain before the permanent closure of the opening day Tokyo Disneyland attraction.
Space Mountain Closure
Space Mountain opened on April 15, 1983, coinciding with the opening of Tokyo Disneyland. Now, the attraction has permanently closed to make way for a new Space Mountain that will open in 2027.
In the late hours of the evening, guests huddled around the entrance of the attraction, as the final riders joined the queue and rode the speed ramp to Space Mountain. Guests tearfully applauded as the opening day attraction was officially closed for the final time.
A new version of Space Mountain has been in the works for a couple of years now, as the original concept art for the attraction was released near the end of 2022. Site clearing began in the fall of 2022, shortly after the concept art was revealed. A groundbreaking ceremony took place in May 2023.
Since April 9, 2024, the attraction has been operating as Celebrating Space Mountain: The Final Ignition. During this time, new artwork was installed in the attraction’s exit tunnel teasing the new ride. During the farewell tour, merchandise and other offerings were announced to coincide with the closing of the attraction.
The new attraction will cost Oriental Land Co. approximately ¥56 billion ($437 million). The Space Mountain name and theme will be retained. Coca-Cola will remain the sponsor of the attraction. The new Space Mountain building design seems to take inspiration from Tomorrowland at Shanghai Disneyland.
History of Space Mountain
In 1975, the original version of Space Mountain opened at Magic Kingdom. The attraction was an instant success. Due to its popularity, versions of the ride were built at Disney Parks around the world, including Disneyland Park, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland. Shanghai Disneyland never obtained Space Mountain. TRON Lightcycle Power Run was built instead.
Space Mountain has changed at various times at each park around the world. Some of the biggest changes came at Disneyland Paris where the attraction was originally called De la Terre à la Lune and inspired by “From the Earth to the Moon” by Jules Verne. Later, the attraction received a “Star Wars” Hyperspace Mountain overlay. That temporary overlay became permanent in 2017, but will likely be retired soon as the attraction converts back to the original Space Mountain.
Hyperspace Mountain has become a permanent fixture at Hong Kong Disneyland as well, and it has been added as a temporary overlay to the Disneyland version of the attraction from time to time. This year, the Disneyland version of Space Mountain received new projection mapping and projection effects.
Below, you can check out our video from the moment that the final guests boarded the speed ramp to ride Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland.
How do you feel about the closure of Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland? Let us know in the comments.
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