Full disclosure: I've never been to the award-winning theme parks of the Tokyo Disney resort, but I really want to. From the hours of info and videos of the parks, how are they able to do everything so perfectly and in reasonable time frames. Let's look at their new fantasyland for example: it's slated to open in 2017, only a 2 year project that I'm sure will be done beautifully. It took Disney world to build a parking garage, yes a parking garage in that same frame as well. Plus, Tokyo Disney Sea is widely considered the best theme park IN THE WORLD. I'm sure that the Oriental Land Co. has some say in it, but why can't Disney world hold themselves to that high standard that Tokyo does (I'm looking at you, future world)?
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Actually, Disney does, and doesn't. The contract with the Oriental Land Company actually gives Walt Disney Imagineering great creative control over the resort, unencumbered by the type of veto-power that Disney corporate can have over creative plans in the US theme parks. So the creative types get their say, and the bean-counters don't.
And thus, was the word's greatest theme park built. ;^)
I think the greatest theme park in the world is Universal Studios Japan, but I'm in the minority here. It was amazing before Harry Potter and now that Hogsmeade is here, it is simply amazing.
Think of it as a US disney resort with the same creative people, but without the bean counters.
I think it's Japan's higher standards in general. The people that own Universal and Disneyland Japan are more concerned about quality than budget. Japan, as far as I know, cares much more about their community and country as a whole than Americans do. It's much cleaner and up to date then the U.S. is because the people of Japan care much more about having a nice and clean environment. While Disney and Universal in the U.S. are by no means dirty or run down, Japan as a country is much cleaner and more modern, and that translates to its theme parks. To impress the people in Japan, the quality has to be higher, and the people that have control over the parks know that. Parks that underperform in the U.S. such as the original DCA get the money and attention from Disney because they don't meet Disney's expectations. When people respond with their wallets Disney listens. It's the same in Japan, just with a different company calling the shots, and they take more proactive approach. The result is a superior theme park, and that goes for both Disney and Universal.
I think having the Oriental Land Company keeps the parks fresh since they are watching two parks. The Walt Disney company is watching 6 parks in the US ALONE.
Question to Robert Niles (or anybody else who has been to TDLR): How large is Tokyo Disneyland/Disneysea? Is it Disneyland Resort compact or WDW huge? I think that matters. WDW has to build the lands for the masses!
WDW-sized parks on a Disneyland-sized property.
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Because Tokyo Disney Resort isn't owned by Disney.
According to Wikipedia, "It [Tokyo Disney Resort] is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company with a license from The Walt Disney Company." So it's not Disney being fast in Japan and no where else, but rather the Oriental Land Company being fast.
Correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm not the biggest Tokyo Disney guy, but from what I know, Disney has very little say in what happens at Tokyo Disney