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Start Date
13-6-2025 2:00 PM
Description
Tokyo Disney Resort (1983) is fully owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company, or OLC Group, under a license from Disney that includes design and intellectual property usage. Previous literature documents the success and importance of the resort to Japanese culture as well as the theme park industry’s expansion in Asia (e.g., Clavé, 2007; Kawamura & Hara, 2010; Raz, 2004; Toyoda, 2014). Tokyo DisneySea (2001) is widely considered a pinnacle of theme park design filled with elaborately themed lands. This presentation will provide a case study of the importance of music in one of these lands: Fantasy Springs. According to OLC Group, Fantasy Springs, opened in 2024, cost a hefty $2 billion. While it shares several design elements with other immersive areas, Fantasy Springs is also a master-planned musical environment. The land has both original and intellectual property-based soundtracks as well as theming and musical motifs that are carried over to the adjacent Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel. Musical styles differ between the four distinct land sections. For example, the Magical Springs area is represented by water motifs and peaceful, wistful orchestration (as in “Fantasy Springs Suite”), whereas the songs of Peter Pan’s Never Land are often jaunty and playful such as the new sea shanty entitled “Jolly Roger Boat Song.” Of particular importance to the land is “Journey to Fantasy Springs,” the land’s theme song, which served as a marketing tool that garnered excitement, visitation, and multiple covers. The music’s success generated three albums with a single, a regular album, and a deluxe compilation. This presentation will detail how music is used throughout the experience to establish the setting and create a detailed and evocative space that stands apart from other global themed lands.
Transcript
Recommended Citation
Baker, Carissa, "What Story Will You Find? – The Role of Music in Tokyo DisneySea’s Fantasy Springs" (2025). Theme Park Music and Sound. 7.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/tpms/2025/friday/7
What Story Will You Find? – The Role of Music in Tokyo DisneySea’s Fantasy Springs
Tokyo Disney Resort (1983) is fully owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company, or OLC Group, under a license from Disney that includes design and intellectual property usage. Previous literature documents the success and importance of the resort to Japanese culture as well as the theme park industry’s expansion in Asia (e.g., Clavé, 2007; Kawamura & Hara, 2010; Raz, 2004; Toyoda, 2014). Tokyo DisneySea (2001) is widely considered a pinnacle of theme park design filled with elaborately themed lands. This presentation will provide a case study of the importance of music in one of these lands: Fantasy Springs. According to OLC Group, Fantasy Springs, opened in 2024, cost a hefty $2 billion. While it shares several design elements with other immersive areas, Fantasy Springs is also a master-planned musical environment. The land has both original and intellectual property-based soundtracks as well as theming and musical motifs that are carried over to the adjacent Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel. Musical styles differ between the four distinct land sections. For example, the Magical Springs area is represented by water motifs and peaceful, wistful orchestration (as in “Fantasy Springs Suite”), whereas the songs of Peter Pan’s Never Land are often jaunty and playful such as the new sea shanty entitled “Jolly Roger Boat Song.” Of particular importance to the land is “Journey to Fantasy Springs,” the land’s theme song, which served as a marketing tool that garnered excitement, visitation, and multiple covers. The music’s success generated three albums with a single, a regular album, and a deluxe compilation. This presentation will detail how music is used throughout the experience to establish the setting and create a detailed and evocative space that stands apart from other global themed lands.