With the name “Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage,” you’d think it’s a cute little ride. In many ways, it is. But underneath the surface of this dark ride unique to Tokyo DisneySea, you can catch glimpses of the nightmare it once was. Originally “Sindbad’s Seven Voyages,” the attraction started out with ominous music and a tone closer to its source material. The 2001 version didn’t have cute animals, unless you consider threatening monkeys cute. Sindbad himself was bearded and commanded a crew that pretty much plundered.
In 2007, the attraction was drastically revamped into its current form. Now Sindbad travels with a cute tiger named Chandu, and the ride starts off with him being hailed as a hero to his people. The plundering crew are still there, but now they are definitely Sindbad’s enemies. Our valiant hero must keep them from destroying great treasures. All the while, he sings about it in a fantastically sticky song called “Compass of Your Heart” by Alan Menken. At least, that’s the translated title. It’s in Japanese. This is, after all, Tokyo.
But as I alluded to in my overall take on Tokyo Disneysea, if I’d ridden this as a kid, it would still have been pure nightmare fuel. Because the ride has massive set pieces, each room is cavernous. That makes the fabled Roc dropping down from above effective. It’s not coming for you. It’s punishing a pirate.
In the land of the giants (think genies), the first scene features Sindbad attempting to free a giant imprisoned by those nasty pirates. Then you turn the corner to see the giant looming over you with an instrument in his hand. The singing may be joyous, but dang, he’s huge. Phew. That Chandu sure is cute.
One scene seems to have gotten the Anaheim “Pirates of the Caribbean” treatment. The monkeys may not have been repositioned, but allegedly they originally held weapons and threatened Sindbad. Now it’s all about bananas, and Sindbad befriends them by joining them in a drum circle. Where once were spears, there are piles of bananas. Except they missed one. The shadow of the original scenario looms large.
See for yourself. If you go to Tokyo Disneysea, ride for yourself. It’s a hoot, lasts almost 10 minutes, and for some reason I never saw the line grow longer than 15 minutes.
