Shanghai Disneyland Park
Shanghai Disneyland Park is a theme park located in Pudong, Shanghai, China, that is part of the Shanghai Disney Resort. The park is operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products and Shanghai Shendi Group, through a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and Shendi. Construction began on April 8, 2011. The park opened on June 16, 2016. The park operated in its first half-year with a visitor attendance of 5.60 million guests.
The park covers an area of, costing 24.5 billion RMB, with Shendi holding 57% and Disney holding the remaining 43%. The park has seven themed areas: Mickey Avenue, Gardens of Imagination, Fantasyland, Treasure Cove, Adventure Isle, Tomorrowland, and Toy Story Land.
On January 22, 2019, Disney Parks announced that an eighth themed land, City of Zootopia, based on Disney's animated film, Zootopia would be coming to the park. Construction on the land officially began on December 9, 2019.
History
Preparations
The Chinese government approved the resort on November 4, 2009. The Walt Disney Company announced on November 5, 2010 that it had signed an agreement with Shanghai Shendi Group to build the resort and park in Shanghai, with a planned opening in 2015. On April 7, 2011, groundbreaking began at the Shanghai Disneyland Resort site. On June 29, 2013, construction on the Enchanted Storybook Castle began.Construction
Major construction work started on April 8, 2011, targeting a 2016 spring opening. The resort was planned to cover an area of and it was expected to cost . The project is financed by several large Chinese state-owned enterprises in Shanghai forming a joint venture with the Walt Disney Company. "The first-phase of the project will be to the South of Huanglou Area, an area in Chuansha Town, the southeast suburbs of Shanghai's Pudong area; the second phase will extend further southwest," an urban developer from Shanghai stated. DeSimone Consulting Engineers were the structural engineers behind the construction work.On March 8, 2013, the company announced that the park would open in late 2015. On February 2, 2015, the opening date was pushed back to early 2016. On January 12, 2016, the park's opening date was announced as June 16, 2016. The final opening date was June 16, 2016.
The cost was initially estimated at 24.5 billion yuan for the theme park and an additional 4.5 billion yuan. That rose to around US$5.5 billion before delays, which was partly due to more attractions opening to the public on the first day, which added US$800 million to the cost.
In addition to the attractions and two hotels, a high-speed rail system is being built to get visitors to and from the site.
Disney owns 43% of the property, and the state-controlled Shanghai Shendi Group owns the remaining 57%.
Opening
On May 7, 2016, Shanghai Disneyland Park had started soft openings.Disney aired the live broadcast of the grand opening show on its Facebook and the Disney TV stations on the night of June 15, 2016. Bob Iger, chairman and chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company was joined by nearly 3,000 distinguished guests and celebrities for a showcase of choreography, acrobatics, costumes, and technology on grand scale, with dazzling lights, Disney music, pageantry, special effects, and fireworks. The show featured world-renowned pianist Lang Lang, who performed a custom arrangement of the musical sensation “Let It Go” and China's television and actress Sun Li took center stage. The historic event included the debut of an original song, “Ignite the Dreamer Within,” written especially for the grand opening of Shanghai Disneyland. Acclaimed composer and conductor Tan Dun, widely known for his stirring scores for the films “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Hero,” led the Shanghai Symphony with an original composition of the new song.
Ticket pricing
Tickets for the park went on sale on March 28, 2016, with a two-tiered pricing scheme. On most days, day adult tickets will be, while child and elderly one-day tickets will cost, roughly 20% cheaper than Hong Kong Disneyland. During busier periods, including the first two weeks of the park's operation, adult day tickets will cost, while child and elderly tickets will cost. The park will be the first Disney park to feature tiered pricing.According to the International Business Times, the equivalent of park ticket pricing will cost about US$75 for adults and US$60 for children on holidays and weekends, and around US$60 for adults and US$45 for children on weekdays. IBT notes that "a two-day weekend ticket for two adults and one child comes close to China's average urban monthly wage."
Opening day tickets sold out in a few hours after they had gone on sale at midnight, March 28. However, more tickets were put on sale several days before the official opening day.
Response to COVID-19
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the park temporarily closed from January 25, 2020 following the actions of Ocean Park Hong Kong and Hong Kong Disneyland Park. It remained closed the following three and a half months, reopening to guests on May 11, 2020, becoming the first of the Disney Parks to reopen. It reopened under strict rules that included, but was not limited to, social distancing, reduced capacity, temperature screenings, and mandatory face masks.Dedication
Layout
Upon the company's promise that the Shanghai resort would be "authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese," Chinese architects and designers and teams of researchers were hired to find ways to incorporate Chinese cultural elements. Many usual Disney park features have been redesigned or are absent from Shanghai Disneyland Park to cater for Chinese visitors' preferences. The park does not feature a steam railroad surrounding the park's perimeter and has no earthen berm to obscure the outside world from guest view. As a replacement for a central-spoked/hub, the center of the park features a collection of Chinese zodiac gardens called the Gardens of Imagination. Main Street U.S.A. has given way to Mickey Avenue, which introduces Chinese visitors to Disney characters. Conventional-themed lands such as Adventureland are reimagined into Adventure Isle, and other lands, such as Frontierland, are omitted entirely. Several staple attractions, such as Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, and It's a Small World, are excluded as Disney wanted to avoid criticism of cultural imperialism. Restaurants seating has been revised upwards after studies found that Chinese guests take longer over meals, and extensive picnic areas are better adapted to extended families with grandparents. Also, there is more live entertainment as many Chinese patrons prefer that to thrill rides.In regards to the layout of other Magic Kingdom parks, this park's layout is mirrored. Instead of being on the left side of main hub, Adventure Isle is on the right side; while as Tomorrowland is now on the left side instead of the right. Fantasyland is located in the back behind the castle.
Mickey Avenue
Mickey Avenue, the entrance of the park, is the park's equivalent to Main Street, U.S.A.. The area is inspired by the personalities of Disney cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Chip 'n' Dale as well as Disney films, including 'Ratatouille', The Three Caballeros, and Lady and the Tramp. Avenue M Arcade, the largest gift shop in the park, is modeled after the Carthay Circle Theater. The Storytellers statue, which depicts a young Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse, is at the end of Mickey Avenue and in front of the Gardens of Imagination.Gardens of Imagination
The hub of the park, this land features seven Chinese gardens with each of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac represented by Disney characters. Attractions include Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Fantasia Carousel, and Marvel Super Heroes at Marvel Universe, a meet-and-greet pavilion featuring Marvel characters. Entertainment includes castle stage shows as well as the nightly Ignite the Dream, A Nighttime Spectacular of Magic and Light. Mickey's Storybook Express, a parade with a musical soundtrack and colorful performers, runs on the longest parade route in a Disney park.Fantasyland
Fantasyland is the park's largest land themed to Disney animated films. The land features the Enchanted Storybook Castle, themed to Disney princesses. The castle is the largest in any Disney theme park and features the Royal Banquet Hall restaurant, a boutique, and Voyage to the Crystal Grotto, a boat ride around and under the castle that takes guests past scenes from films including Tangled, Aladdin, Mulan, Fantasia, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Attractions include Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan's Flight, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh,, Alice's Curious Labyrinth, a walk-through hedge maze inspired by the 1951 and 2010 versions film adaptations, and the Hunny Pot Spin, a spinning Teacups-style ride themed to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.Treasure Cove
Treasure Cove is themed to an 18th-century Spanish harbor town located on a Caribbean island that has been captured by Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. The land's marquee attraction is, a dark ride based on the films. Guests, riding in magnetically propelled boats, travel past audio-animatronic and projected depictions of Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones as the two battle against each other in attempt to seize the cove's sunken riches.The land also is home to Eye of the Storm: Captain Jack’s Stunt Spectacular, a stunt show inspired by the films and Siren's Revenge, a shipwreck-themed three-story interactive play area set aboard a wrecked French galleon. Explorer Canoes are also located in this area.