Shanghai Disneyland Model Photo Released (Hi-Res); Resort Slated to Open End of 2015
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Earlier today at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of The Walt Disney Company, chairman and chief executive officer Robert A. Iger unveiled the first image of a model of Shanghai Disney Resort, featuring the resort’s theme park, Shanghai Disneyland.
“With Shanghai Disneyland, we’re creating a one-of-a-kind destination that is authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese,” said Iger. “We believe this will be one of the most spectacular Disney experiences yet – and an important part of our future. We look forward to opening the gates at the end of 2015 and welcoming the first of the millions of guests who will enjoy Shanghai Disneyland for generations to come.”
The image illustrates a portion of the model of Shanghai Disneyland, and provides a first look at a beautiful, 11-acre green space at the center of the park, and a closer look at the unique design and scale of Enchanted Storybook Castle, the iconic central attraction of the theme park. On opening day Shanghai Disney Resort will include Shanghai Disneyland, two themed hotels, a 46,000-square-meter (495,000 square feet) gross floor area retail, dining and entertainment venue, recreational facilities, a lake and associated parking and transportation hubs.
“We are incredibly excited about the developments and progress of the Disney resort in Shanghai, one of the world’s most vibrant cities,” said Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “Shanghai Disney Resort will bring a classic Disney Parks experience to mainland China and will immerse Chinese guests in a whole new world of creativity, imagination and adventure that only Disney can deliver.”
Targeted to open at the end of 2015, Shanghai Disney Resort will be a world-class family vacation destination that combines classic Disney characters and storytelling with the uniqueness and beauty of China.
Categories: Shanghai Disneyland, Theme Parks Tags: China, Disneyland, SDR, Shanghai, Shanghai Disney Resort
Disney Breaks Ground on Shanghai Disneyland Resort; Concept Art Revealed
The Walt Disney Company and Shanghai Shendi Group, its joint venture partner in China, have broken ground on the Shanghai Disney Resort following approval from the Chinese central government in Beijing. Both companies marked the start of construction on the first Disney resort in mainland China at a groundbreaking ceremony held earlier today.
“Today marks a significant milestone in the history of The Walt Disney Company,” said Robert A. Iger, President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “Our Shanghai resort will be a world-class family vacation destination that combines classic Disney characters and storytelling with the uniqueness and beauty of China. Working with our Chinese partners, the Shanghai Disney Resort will be both authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese.”
“We’re incredibly excited to build a Disney resort in Shanghai, one of the world’s most vibrant cities,” said Thomas O. Staggs, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “We are hard at work designing Shanghai Disneyland, which when complete will be a special place where guests of all ages will discover a world of imagination, creativity, adventure and thrills.”
Today’s groundbreaking ceremony paid homage to the culture and people of China. Traditional Chinese drum music, a female soloist singing in Mandarin, a 50-voice Shanghai children’s choir and Mickey Mouse dressed in a traditional Chinese costume were on hand to mark this special occasion. Following the entertainment and remarks, Iger and Staggs were joined by Shanghai Party Secretary Yu Zhengsheng and Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng to officially break ground on the project.
The new Shanghai Disney Resort is slated to open in approximately five years.
The Shanghai Disney Resort will be home to Shanghai Disneyland, a Magic Kingdom-style park that will blend classic Disney storytelling and characters with all-new attractions and experiences tailored specifically for the people of China. The park will feature several themed lands complete with exciting, iconic Disney attractions and experiences. At the heart of the park will be an interactive Disney castle that is truly an attraction unto itself with entertainment, dining and performance experiences that will be unique to Shanghai Disneyland. The park will also contain other large-scale entertainment venues, indoor and out, that can be used for various purposes throughout the year.
A beautiful, 11 acre (46,130 square meter) green space at the center of the theme park will differentiate Shanghai Disneyland and reinforce the themes of sustainability and nature that will be integrated throughout the park. The space will also be a place where friends and family can enjoy local cultural celebrations and customs together.
On Opening Day, the Shanghai Disney Resort will be located on a 963 acre (3.9 square kilometer) site in Pudong, Shanghai, with additional room to expand in the future. At opening, the resort will include Shanghai Disneyland, two themed hotels, a large retail, dining and entertainment venue, recreational facilities, a lake and associated parking and transportation hubs.
There will be an initial investment in the project of approximately 24.5 billion yuan (US$3.7 billion) to build the theme park and an additional 4.5 billion yuan (US$0.7 billion) to build the other aspects of the resort, including the hotels and the retail, dining and entertainment area. The investment amounts will be split between Disney and the Shanghai Shendi Group with Disney holding 43% of the shares of the owner companies and the Shanghai Shendi Group holding the remaining 57%. Financing will be proportional to ownership. In addition, a joint venture management company will be formed with Disney having a 70% stake and Shanghai Shendi Group having a 30% stake. The management company will be responsible for creating, developing and operating the resort.
Concept art courtesy Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide
Categories: Shanghai Disneyland, Theme Parks Tags: China, Events, SDL, Shanghai
Is Disneyland Shanghai’s ‘Animal Kingdom’ a Call-to-Action for Giant Pandas in Orlando?
Take a leisurely stroll along the Maharajah Jungle Trek at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the Walt Disney World Resort and you’ll encounter many of Asia’s exotic animal inhabitants from the Komodo dragon of Indonesia to the Bengal tigers of India. What you won’t find, however, are the coveted giant pandas of China.
As rare as they are in the wild (with a count of around 1600), they’re even rarer in zoological parks. Zoos in less than ten countries exhibit them and in the United States, only four zoos have them on display: the National Zoo in DC, Zoo Atlanta in Georgia, the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee and the San Diego Zoo in California. Perhaps more shocking than their rarity is the price at which they come. Each of these institutions pay a minimum of $1M per year for a pair of adult pandas with a standard contract length of ten years. That amount is then doubled as money is contributed to China for panda wildlife preservation and research as dictated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who has mandated that at least 50% of the fees goes to research in order for a zoo in the U.S. to import pandas.
If the zoo is lucky in that the pandas mate and produce a cub (a feat that’s so famously near impossible that artificial insemination has become the norm), the annual fees to China increase by $600,000 and the cub is property of the Chinese government, and soon ‘returned.’ Add to that the initial expense of building the habitat and the ongoing care and maintenance and it becomes an immediate financial challenge for many zoos that rely on park admissions and donations to keep operations at full steam.
Of course this certainly wouldn’t be as much an issue for Disney Parks and Resorts (aside from Disney’s Animal Kingdom being nahtazu) and in many ways, it seems like a natural and perfect fit. So we ask: where are the pandas?
At this point, we can only presume there are political concerns. Not Disney-China relations, but Disney-United States relations. Given that pandas are a primary source of tourism for the few zoos that do have them, adding them to the most visited theme park resort in the world would most certainly prove detrimental to the other zoos to some extent, so it may be that there are some ‘exclusivity’ concerns being tossed about. Also worth noting is that in the grand scheme of things, Disney is still the cub in the family when it comes to exhibiting animals in the zoological arena.
Still, it’s hard to ignore that Disney has been wooing China and its people in overt and covert ways with more prominence as time goes by. Given the well publicized non-successes of Hong Kong Disneyland, The Walt Disney Company has focused serious attention on China (in addition to India and Russia) over the past few years. The company has produced localized films (such as China’s Trail of the Panda by mere coincidence) and introduced syndicated and original local Disney Channel content. In China in particular, where Disney-brand recognition has been a struggle, the company has opened Disney English, a chain of schools that teach English to Chinese youth while equipping them with strong knowledge of Disney characters and, in a further attempt to reach out to the people, is now incorporating Chinese lore and characters into its theme parks.
Now, with the recent news that Disney will be opening an Animal Kingdom park in addition to Disneyland and Epcot at Shanghai Disneyland, the missing element becomes that more obvious. Could Disney be using an Animal Kingdom annex to prove to the Chinese government once and for all that it is more than capable when it comes to the care and feeding of one of the country’s national treasures?
(image source)
Categories: Animal Kingdom, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: Conservation, DAK, DWCF, Giant Panda, Shanghai
Disney and CLOT Launch ‘Man Is In The Forest’ Concept Store in China
In late June, Disney, together with leading Asian independent retailer CLOT officially opened the highly anticipated concept store Man Is In The Forest- the first store in the world where ground breaking Disney collaborations with leading designers will be sold under one roof.
Already established fashion leaders in Asia, CLOT has four retail outlets in Asia selling the latest in cutting edge street wear design and labels such as HeadPorter, OriginalFake and much more. Man Is In The Forest will be the fifth retail offering and their second in mainland China.
“We are excited about the launch of this unique retail concept in Shanghai. Man Is In the Forest is such a exclusive offering and the only place in the world that will house all of these iconic designers. CLOT has always been inspired by the enduring legacy of Walt Disney- we’re confident that consumers everywhere will be eager to come and check out such a complete offering,” says Kevin Poon, co-owner of CLOT.
“To work with Disney is a dream come true – I have been a fan since I was young and it has followed into my life to now with Toy Story and the upcoming release of TRON Legacy. Being able to work with this whole magical kingdom of Disney and to educate and present them is an honor and I hope what we’re doing now is in line with the high standard that Disney holds,” adds Edison Chen, co-owner CLOT.
This one- of-a-kind retail concept is a tribute to Walt Disney himself- the reference “Man is in the Forest” dates back to the days of the animated movie Bambi, when Walt was heavily involved in the production process; workers used it as a code phrase to hint that Walt was in the studio.
Man Is In The Forest will feature limited-edition Disney-inspired fashion, accessories and collectables from designers all around the globe including Campana Brothers, Charlotte Tarantola, Dr. Romanelli, Han Cholo, Kidada Jones, MindStyle, Tom Binns,Violette Van Parys, X-Girl and X-Large to name just the designers on board for the launch.
“The Man Is In The Forest store is a tribute to all the wonderful fashion and design collaborations that Disney has been a part of. The one-stop designer store elevates Disney designer collaborations to a whole new audience, which proves you can love Disney at any age,” says Guenther Hake, senior vice president, Disney Consumer Products, Greater China.
Hot on the heels of the release of Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story 3 and to celebrate the launch of the store, Toy Story takes center stage, taking inspiration from the lineup of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Rex, Jessie and Hamm. A collection of limited edition t-shirts designed by leading fashion designers such as Cassette Playa, Costello Tagliapietra, Henry Holland, Jonathan Saunders and Victor Glemaud will be sold in-store.
“Graphic imagery and placement print has always been an integral part of my work. I also love to combine different patterns and prints together like collage. I have used all these techniques in the Toy Story piece,” says designer Jonathan Saunders of his “Rex” inspired design.
For more information about the store and products, log onto www.manisintheforest.com.
Categories: Merchandise Tags: China, CLOT, Clothing, DCP, Fashion, Man Is In The Forest, Merchandise, Shanghai
The Walt Disney Company to Donate $150K to Aid Quake-Affected Schools in China
The Walt Disney Company announced today it will contribute $150,000 to the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF) to help rebuild schools devastated by a powerful earthquake in the western Chinese province of Qinghai.
“On behalf of The Walt Disney Company, I extend our deepest condolences to the people of China and hope our contribution can help the children and families affected by this terrible earthquake,” said Robert A. Iger, president and CEO, who announced the donation while visiting Shanghai.
Disney worked with the non-governmental CYDF after the devastating 2008 earthquake in Sichuan and Gansu provinces to build both temporary schools and to help in the long-term reconstruction of damaged facilities. The temporary schools have served as an important refuge for children and youth, providing them a nurturing environment where they could regain a sense of normality and continue their education.
“We believe CYDF is well positioned to provide immediate and effective aid to the communities in Qinghai during their time of need,” said Stanley Cheung, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, The Walt Disney Company, Greater China.
Report: Shanghai Disneyland to Receive Land in July
According to China Daily, the Shanghai Disneyland project will receive land appropriated to it in July. The report goes on to say that 97% of the approximate 2,000 households and 300 companies have been relocated to make way for the new Disney resort. The report quotes the district’s head who suggests the project will take 5 or 6 years to complete, which would go past the anticipated 2014 opening for the newest theme park.
Categories: Theme Parks Tags: SDL, Shanghai, Shanghai Disneyland
The Walt Disney Company Reports China OKs Shanghai Disneyland Project
BURBANK, Calif. — The Walt Disney Company today announced that the Project Application Report (PAR) for a Disney theme park in the Pudong district of Shanghai has received approval from the relevant authorities of the central government of China.
“China is one of the most dynamic, exciting and important countries in the world, and this approval marks a very significant milestone for The Walt Disney Company in mainland China,” said Robert A. Iger, president and CEO of The Walt Disney Company.
The PAR approval will enable Disney and its Shanghai partners to move forward toward a final agreement to build and operate the park and begin preliminary development work. Upon completion of the final agreement, the project’s initial phase would include a Magic Kingdom-style theme park with characteristics tailored to the Shanghai region and other amenities consistent with Disney’s destination resorts worldwide.
Categories: Business, Theme Parks Tags: Shanghai
Reuters: Shanghai Disneyland Still Awaiting Approval from Central Government
SHANGHAI/HONG KONG, Nov 2 (Reuters) – The Shanghai government may soon give preliminary details on plans for a new Disney theme park it hopes to develop, as it awaits Beijing’s formal approval for the project, a government source said on Monday.
The official Xinhua news agency cited Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng as telling a media briefing on Sunday that the city would hold a news briefing soon to reveal the latest developments concerning the proposed park.
“This project will surely go forward, but first it must be approved by the central government,” said the government source on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
“They will seek to clarify the situation with this upcoming news conference,” he said.
Rumors have swirled in Chinese media in the last two weeks that Shanghai could soon announce final plans to build a park with Walt Disney Co (DIS.N), possibly to coincide with a planned trip to the city later this month by U.S. President Barack Obama.
Categories: Business, Theme Parks Tags: Shanghai
Auditing the Disney English as a Second Language (ESL) Schools for Chinese Children
The Wall Street Journal has published an article which peeks into life at Disney’s schools that teach English to China’s youth. Focusing on apparent attempts by Disney to push its brand throughout the country, the article questions the motives and effectiveness of the school. Well received by the Chinese middle class, Disney plans on creating new schools in both Shanghai and Beijing and is contemplating introducing the schools to other countries in the future. Article here.
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