After a decade of planning, five years of construction and investment of $5.5 billion, the Shanghai Disney Resort will open its doors on June 16, 2016. Located on 963-acres, Shanghai Disney Resort will be one of the largest Disney theme-parks. The park will be “a one-of-a-kind, world-class destination that is authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese,” Disney CEO Bob Iger says. It will include “some of the most creative and innovative experiences we’ve ever created.”
The park will include Shanghai Disneyland, which will have six themed lands: Adventure Isle, Gardens of Imagination, Mickey Avenue, Tomorrowland, Treasure Cove and Fantasyland, around the company’s largest and tallest Enchanted Storybook Castle. Beside Shanghai Disneyland which is actually the centerpiece of this whole enterprise, the Shanghai Disney Resort will also include the shopping, dining and entertainment district next to the entrance – called Disneytown.
It will include the Walt Disney Grand Theatre which will house the first Mandarin production of The Lion King. Of course there’ll also be a World of Disney Store. Two hotels – the Art Nouveau-inspired Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and the Toy Story Hotel are also planned, as well as the Wishing Star Park – a recreational area the size of 56 football fields with gardens, a walking path and a lake.
The Shanghai Disney Resort represents a major bet that China’s growing middle class will spend more and more of their money on travel, tourism and leisure. We’ll see this Summer.