Finding Nemo

Rising from the sea, somewhere in the South Pacific, is a mysterious volcanic island. Inside the smoldering caldera of the volcano, we discover the hidden scientific base of the infamous Captain Nemo. Inspired by the works of Jules Verne and the 1954 Disney film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Mysterious Island is one of the most awe-inspiring ports in Tokyo DisneySEA.

Nemo's Guests on Mysterious Island are invited into his Victorian era industrial stronghold to witness firsthand the fantastic secret worlds he has discovered. Aboard vehicles of Nemo's own design, the Guests can explore the depths of the ocean or journey to the center of the earth itself.

Visitors begin their journey by boarding one of a bank of Terravators, specially-designed lifts that transport the Guests down to an immense subterranean cavern. Here, a row of tunneling vehicles awaits to carry us forward on our voyage of discovery.

Along the way, we marvel at crystal caverns and luminous forests with giant mushrooms, waterfalls and phosphorescent pools. We happen upon what appears to be the lair of some sort of creature, its egg sacs suspended in a volcanic chamber. Then as we admire the Subterranean Sea, we begin to notice that we're being followed.

The creature, an enormous lava monster, feels threatened by our presence. With a burst of flame, the creature rears up to attack. In that moment, the volcano suddenly erupts, blasting our vehicle through a spiral lava tube. We fly out the top of the mountain and speed along a trough in the rim of the caldera before finally being able to regain control of the vehicle and return to base.

The volcanic peak of Mt. Prometheus, the central icon of Tokyo DisneySEA, plays a central role in the story of Mysterious Island, a port which is entirely contained within the mountain and its adjacent crater. The mouth of the volcano smokes throughout the day, periodically sending balls of flame into the air, an effect created by a series of jet engines built into the top of the mountain.

The details that tell the Mysterious Island story, along with all the stories of Tokyo DisneySEA, are seemingly infinite and range from very large to very small. On one hand, Mt. Prometheus itself is one of the largest single rockwork efforts ever undertaken by Walt Disney Imagineering. At the other end of the spectrum, even something as small as this sponsor identification plaque (Journey to the Center of the Earth is presented by the Dai-Ichi Mutual Life Insurance Company) carries on the design aesthetic of the land and fits right into the story being told.

S.E.A. HQ

Mediterranean Harbor, the "Main Street" of Tokyo DisneySEA, transports us to the fictional Italian village of Porto Paradiso, inspired by the real life cities of Portofino, Naples and Venice. Across the bay from Porto Paradiso looms Mt. Prometheus, the volcanic icon of the park, and at its base Explorers' Landing, the headquarters of the international Society of Explorers and Adventurers (S.E.A. for short).

S.E.A. is comprised of a group of scientists, engineers, explorers, artists and archaeologists from around the world, dedicated to the continued navigation and exploration of the seas. At Explorers' Landing, the members of S.E.A. come together to share knowledge with each other, along with the rest of the world.

Guests visiting Explorers' Landing set out on Fortress Explorations, a self-guided tour of the Quay (wharf area), the sailing ship Renaissance and the Fortress itself, a 15th-century Spanish-built citadel. The Fortress includes several levels and many fascinating chambers, among them Explorers' Hall where we are introduced to the founding fathers of S.E.A. In the Chamber of Planets (pictured below), a huge mechanical model of the solar system is set into motion as Guests turn cranks at its base, staring up into a planetarium of constellations.

From the Navigation Centre and Camera Obscura to a Da Vinci-inspired flying machine and Alchemy Laboratory, the Fortress is a collective of innovative ideas and inventions of the day.