Posted by Today I’m excited to bring you never before seen photos of Tokyo Disneyland’s Meet the World attraction under construction in WED/Imagineering’s facilities in Glendale. These were taken all the way back in 1982.These photos offer a fascinating look at scenes from the show being constructed in California before being sent off to Tokyo Disneyland for installation.
If you’re a current of former Imagineer who worked on these back in the 80s I’d love to hear from you for more information.
If you’re unfamiliar with Meet the World, it was a 19 minute show at Tokyo Disneyland that told the story of the history of Japan’s interactions with the world. Meet the World had a unique set up where each scene of the show was on the outer wall of the building, while the audience viewing area in the center of the building rotated through each scene. It’s like Carrousel of Progress but in reverse. Take a look at this recording, which is the clearest recording I’ve seen so far. Meet the World ran in Tokyo Disneyland from the park’s opening on April 15, 1983 until closing on June 30, 2002. A show building was built for the attraction in EPCOT Center’s Japan pavilion, but the attraction itself was never built or installed.
Here we have some shots from Act 1 which shows some fishermen on the beach, along with a closeup of rockwork and sand. It’s nice seeing these up close shots considering you’d never get anywhere near the
Next we see some of the miniature ships that sailed to meet other countries and trade goods. I’m not sure the scale of these ships, but in Meet the World these were on stage with a projected background and simulated water effects.
This scene featured Japanese representatives visiting China during The Tang Dynasty.
Here’s Meet the World’s recreation of The Great Buddha of Nara.
This is great to see because so many videos and images from inside Meet the World don’t show much of the scene with the Buddha statue due to the low level of light. It’s fascinating to see how the artists were able to make flat pieces of material appear to look like real aged pieces of wood, all with paint.
This picture shows the black ship the Americans arrive to Japan on. The scene shows the Americans attempting to end over two hundred years of Japan’s isolation from the rest of the world.
Here’s the other side of the scene where the black ships arrive.
These flats were painted to appear like the back sides of people. I’m not sure which scene these would have been used in.
This image shows a stage, which I assume is from the scene with the great Buddha. However I’m unable to see it in any of the videos or images I found.
I hope you enjoyed this rare look behind the scenes at one of Disney’s most obscure attractions ever. Share this post with people and be sure to leave a comment.
