Five months ago, foundation work had begun on the new Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland. Now, the skeleton of a large circular building is taking shape.
New Space Mountain Construction
Behind the current ride, a patch of land has been set aside for the new attraction. Three cranes tower over the new structure. One side is round, with steel beams surrounded by scaffolding.
On the right are more squared sections. Paneling to enclose the building has not yet been installed. There are openings for construction vehicles to move in and out of the space.
Dozens of pieces of plywood cover the ground around the construction site, which was previously a Cast Member parking lot.
The shape of the building as it currently stands roughly reflects how the new building will look, as seen in concept art (below). However, most of the final shape will come from decorative white paneling.
The current version of Space Mountain, which is a clone of the Disneyland version, will close permanently on July 31, 2024. Tokyo Disneyland is honoring the old ride with Celebrating Space Mountain: The Final Ignition featuring a themed sparkling jelly drink, decorations, a photo op, and farewell merchandise. The exit queue teases the new iteration.
The Oriental Land Company announced the new version in 2022 and it’s scheduled to open in 2027. OLC is spending ¥56 billion ($437 million) on the attraction, which is rumored to be named “Space Mountain Earthrise.” Crews began clearing the construction site in late 2022 and OLC held a groundbreaking ceremony in May 2023.
The original Space Mountain opened at Magic Kingdom in 1975. The Disneyland version opened in 1977, the Tokyo Disneyland version opened with the park in 1983, the Disneyland Paris version opened in 1995 (originally as De la Terre à la Lune before becoming Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain), and the Hong Kong Disneyland version opened with the park in 2005 (later becoming Hyperspace Mountain).
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