Disney’s ‘most romantic’ attraction is the hotspot for marriage proposals – Orange County Register

A new Tangled-themed attraction in Japan, dubbed Disney’s “most romantic” attraction ever and touted as a possible alternative to Disneyland, is quickly becoming a popular spot for marriage proposals.

The new attraction “Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival,” which opened at Tokyo DisneySea in June, has been proposed as a possible project for the recently approved expansion plan for the DisneylandForward theme park.

SEE ALSO: Check out Tangled Land, proposed for Disneyland expansion

Emily “Emo” O’Brien, Executive Creative Producer of the Walt Disney Imagineering Portfolio, described an iconic moment in Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival as “one of the most romantic scenes we’ve ever created in an attraction” during the “Bringing the Worlds of Disney Animation to Life in Disney Parks” panel at the D23 fan event at the Anaheim Convention Center.

“The overwhelming feeling of romance is actually palpable,” O’Brien said during the D23 fan event. “So much so that we know of two, not one, but two marriage proposals that have actually taken place in the attraction. And both were successful. They both said ‘yes.’ It has to work.”

The new attraction “Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival” takes visitors on a romantic gondola ride as Rapunzel escapes from her prison tower, falls in love with the thief Flynn Rider and explores the Kingdom of Corona.

The ride begins outdoors, with Rapunzel singing “When Will My Life Begin” from her tower window while Flynn and Maximus watch nearby. Rapunzel and Flynn visit locations from the film before singing the duet “I See the Light” beneath the film’s iconic scene of countless floating lanterns.

Rapunzel’s Forest plays a key role in Fantasy Springs, Tokyo DisneySea’s newest port, which is also home to Frozen Kingdom and Peter Pan’s Never Land.

SEE ALSO: Disneyland unveils plans for new Avatar land based on ‘Way of Water’

The backstory of Rapunzel’s Forest brings to life the fairytale story of the kidnapped princess with magical long, golden curls, her kingdom of Corona, and the annual Lantern Festival from Disney’s 2010 computer-animated film.

A Tangled-themed land was one of the possible projects in the DisneylandForward expansion plan approved by the Anaheim City Council in early May. The plan updates a city plan from the 1990s and calls for a mix of theme park, hotel, retail, dining and entertainment on the eastern and western edges of the Disneyland resort.

DisneylandForward announced 10 themed lands based on Tangled, Avatar, Frozen, Peter Pan, Zootopia, Toy Story, Black Panther, Coco, Tron and Encanto as possible expansion projects in Anaheim.

Disney announced during the D23 fan event that a new Coco attraction will open at Disney California Adventure in the near future and an Encanto attraction will open at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida in 2027.

Originally published: August 12, 2024 at 1:05 p.m.