"Turtle Talk" (with Crush) is the brand new attraction at Tokyo Disney Sea and it will open October 1st, but here at Disney and more, thanks to D&M correspondant in Tokyo Yumi Murata who was at the press event yesterday we already have all the pictures to show you (yeah, i know, we're good!), so there we go, and double click on each to see the pictures in big size!
Turtle Talk is located at the American Waterfront inside the Columbia ship, and i must say that it's a genius idea, you'll see why in a few seconds.
As usual at Tokyo Disney sea, WDI Imagineers did a fantastic job of theming. Turtle Talk is not a E-Ticket, but they did a great queue decor, a great pre-show and a more than perfect decor inside the show theatre. Here is the entrance, outside the Columbia.
Guests enter then inside the Columbia and here is the queue decor which looks beautiful.
It's time now to enter inside the pre-show of the attraction.
Let's have a closer look at the decor of the pre-show room and especially to the sea animals visuals displayed on the walls.
This next picture introduce a genius idea: Although we're in 2009 we must not forget that the "time" of all the American Waterfront land is supposed to be early century. So the Imagineers found this excellent idea to justify the principle of the attraction: "The invention of the century: Hydrophone allows us to talk with fish!"
And the pre-show movie follow this concept as the movie is supposed to have been filmed early last century. It shows first how the "Hydrophone" is working and then a little girl talking to a turtle with this invention. What a perfect introduction to the show.
Then it's time to enter the show theatre - the Columbia "Undersea Observatory" - and look at this great theming! Everything from the lights to the whole decor is fantastic. AND the best idea is the screen which looks like a "window" of the ship looking on the sea - and i remind you that at TDS the real sea is just behind (or almost) the Columbia!
Guests enter the theatre...by the way, look at the incredible high-definition of the screen...stunning.
...and "on with the show"! You all know the principle of the attraction, so i don't think it's necessary to explain what is happening...however, have a closer look at the picture below and you'll see that a supposedly "real" Hydrophone is located inside the theater on the left side of the screen.
Here comes Crush!
Ooops! Here comes a whale...
A last goodbye to Crush before we exit the attraction...
And the Imagineers didn't forgot to theme the exit too!
Outside, guests can find some Turtle Talk merchandise.
The cost of Turtle Talk - officially announced by Oriental Land - is approximately ¥1.3 billion, more or less US$13.1 million. We all know that WDI attractions are expensive but when i see this quality of theming for a "C" Ticket attraction, i can't stop thinking that the money was well used and that WDI Imagineers are simply the best. Lucky Japanese!
All pictures: copyright Yumi Murata and Disney and more
Have a look to Yumiko Murata and Paul Hsu web site about Entertainment called Premiereport !
Thanks to leave a comment or discuss this article on D&M english forum on Mice Chat
15 comments:
Formidable!
I was dismayed when I first heard Turtle Talk was going to get shoe-horned into the 1908 American Waterfront, assuming that - like Team Disney Orlando/Anaheim would have - OLC was going to drop in a clone of The Living Seas attraction and not worry about maintaining the story of the land.
What WDI/OLC has done here vastly exceeds my expectations. Not only are the entertaining and aesthetic details there, but it is educational (identifying the various species of sealife) as well.
The photo report is fantastic. I hope the show is the success it deserves to be. This raises the bar for Midway Mania!
I couldn't agree more with RandySavage! I shared with him the greatest fears of a cheapening of Tokyo Disney SEA and (luckily!) the sense of awe at how once again OLC managed to reimagineer this attraction. Great!
Waw, all I can say! This is what we expect from WDI and Japan simply gets it. So cool and amazingly well done!
'Only' 13,1 million dollars and look what they came up with. Breathtaking! I also love Stitch Live at our Studios. The theming in Tokyo is so good.
Turtle Talk in EPCOT seems so disjointed and haphazard to me. But at TDS, with a proper backstory and theming it looks like it all fits together. And while I am still not crazy about Crush's "surfer dude" personality, I think the context at TDS might just make it memorable (whereas at EPCOT I tried to forget it as quickly as possible).
^Anonymous, you'll be happy to know that I read an interview with the lead TDR Imagineer (Joe Lansizero?), and he said they did not include the surfer dude personality this because it would be completely lost on the Japanese audience. So thankfully no "Hey little dudes and dudettes!" here. Crush is just a friendly turtle.
Alain, would you have a shot of the entry into the Columbia's hull? I can partially see it beyond the portable enterance gate which is great themeing in itself. I wonder if they used the simulated loading doors we put in the hull. The framed cross section of the Columbia's hull looked very interesting and will have to look at it closer. There are the four Bears in the Teddy Bar, so perhaps the Turtle in the ships bay fits right in.
Awesome Alain, and a thanks to the photographer. I always thought Turtle Talk was an appropriate secondary attraction to add to TDS, but the theming / presentation here exceeds anything I could have anticipated. Bravo TDS.
- Tasman
Thanks I acctually got tears in my eyes looking at the pics.This is what disney is suppposed to be and I believe this is how all the parks would look like if Walt was alive today.It certainly puts the Paris version (Stich)to shame when you think our pre show is standing in an empty hallway.
Thanks for the great update Allain .
Does the Crush character fit in with how he is characterised in the Japanese version of Finding Nemo??
Absolutely genius! I assume the show is done in Japanese? I desperately I hope I can make it to that park someday...
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