Tokyo Disneyland ranked the happiest place on earth

It's all smiles at the Japanese outpost of the family theme park

Happy patrons at Tokyo Disneyland (Getty)

If you’re suffering from the mid-winter blues, you might want to reconsider your holiday plans for 2019 and make a beeline for the happiest place in the world: Tokyo Disneyland.

The “Most Magical Place on Earth” was named the “happiest geo-tagged place in the world” by Instagram in its 2018 year in review, based on the number of smiley face emojis used in image captions.

The park also encompasses Tokyo DisneySea, which includes seven themed ports inspired by ocean tales and legends.

Pictures shared on the social media platform show visitors of all ages enjoying the family fun park, with some even opting to get married there.

Popular attractions at the park include the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which recreates the successful film franchise, complete with Captain Jack Sparrow; Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, a trackless dark ride; and the classic Big Thunder Mountain – a rollercoaster designed like a runaway mine train that takes passengers on a high-speed chase around a rocky edifice.

Instagram’s announcement follows news that construction on the world’s first Beauty and the Beast ride was underway at Tokyo Disneyland. Due to open in spring 2020, the attraction forms part of the theme park’s reported £526 million expansion.

Other winners from Instagram’s year in review include the simple red heart emoji, which users posted in comments 14 billion times, while the most used face filter was the heart eyes.