While Disney is taking the world to Florida as part of its Epcot project, it also has plans to take Disneyland to the world-first to Japan and then elsewhere.
A final agreement has been reached in the much-discussed Tokyo Disneyland project between Walt Disney Productions and Oriental Land Co. According to Donn B. Tatum, Disney chairman, the Tokyo project is the first step in Disney's overseas expansion. "It will serve 88 the model for setting up Disneylands in other parts of the world when the time is right." Just where and when the next step beyond Tokyo might be was not discussed.
Representatives of Keisi Electric Railway Co. and Mitsui Real Estate Development Co., the principal stockholders of Oriental Land Co., first approached Disney in 1974, but financial and other difficulties stalled the project until now.
The $300 million park is to be constructed on a 60-acre landfill. peninsula in Tokyo Bay-due for a 1983 opening. According to the final agreement, Disney is responsible for design and master planning as well as guiding all construction and operational aspects of the park. Disney will receive a royalty percentage from gross revenues from rides, admissions, food sales and merchandise sales.
Disney previously announced it would invest $2.5 million in the project for an undisclosed percentage of the equity in a company to be formed to build and operate the park.
E. Cardon Walker, Disney president, said the park will have five major theme areas: Adventureland, Fantasyland, Westernland, Tomorrowland and World Bazaar.
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