ShanghaiDisneyland, the First Disney Resort in Mainland China

Shanghai Disneyland is a theme park locatedin Chuansha New Town, Pudong, Shanghai, China. It is part of the ShanghaiDisney Resort. The park is operated by Disney Parks, Experiences and Productsand Shanghai Shendi Group, through a joint venture between the Walt DisneyCompany and Shendi. The construction of Shanghai Disneyland began on April 8,2011. The park opened on June 16, 2016 and operated in its first half-year witha visitor attendance of 5.60 million guests.

The Chinese government approved the resorton November 4, 2009. The Walt Disney Company announced on November 5, 2010 thatit had signed an agreement with Shanghai Shendi Group to build the resort andpark 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.

ResortConstruction

Major construction work started on April 8,2011, targeting a 2016 spring opening. The resort was planned to cover an areaof 4 km2 (1.5 sq mi) and it was expected to cost CN¥ 25,000,000,000(US$3,660,000,000). The project is financed by several large Chinesestate-owned enterprises in Shanghai forming a joint venture with the WaltDisney Company. "The first-phase of the project will be to the South ofHuanglou Area, an area in Chuansha Town, the southeast suburbs of Shanghai'sPudong area; the second phase will extend further southwest," an urbandeveloper from Shanghai stated. DeSimone Consulting Engineers were thestructural engineers behind the construction work.

On March 8, 2013, the company announcedthat the park would open in late 2015. On February 2, 2015, the opening datewas pushed back to early 2016. On May 7, 2016, Shanghai Disneyland had startedsoft openings.On January 12, 2016, the park's opening date was announced asJune 16, 2016. The final opening date was June 16, 2016.

The cost was initially estimated at 24.5billion yuan (US$3.7 billion) for the theme park and an additional 4.5 billionyuan (US$700 million). That rose to around US$5.5 billion before delays, whichwas 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 twohotels, a high-speed rail system is being built to get visitors to and from thesite. Disney owns 43% of the property, and the state-controlled Shanghai ShendiGroup owns the remaining 57%.

Disney aired the live broadcast of thegrand opening show on its Facebook and the Disney TV stations on the night ofJune 15, 2016. Bob Iger, chairman and chief executive officer of The WaltDisney Company was joined by nearly 3,000 distinguished guests and celebritiesfor a showcase of choreography, acrobatics, costumes, and technology on grandscale, with dazzling lights, Disney music, pageantry, special effects, andfireworks. The show featured world-renowned pianist Lang Lang, who performed acustom arrangement of the musical sensation “Let It Go” (from Disney's“Frozen“) and China's television and actress Sun Li took center stage. Thehistoric event included the debut of an original song, “Ignite the DreamerWithin,” written especially for the grand opening of Shanghai Disneyland. Acclaimedcomposer and conductor Tan Dun, widely known for his stirring scores for thefilms “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Hero,” led the Shanghai Symphonywith an original composition of the new song.

As the opening was met with rainy weather,Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang told Iger that the rain is an auspicious sign ofdollars and renminbi to come. Wang then read a brief message of congratulationsfrom President Xi Jinping, who said: “By adding to the classic Disney style astroke of Chinese characteristics, and by blending international standards withbest local practices, the resort demonstrates our commitment to cross-culturalcooperation.”

Upon the company's promise that theShanghai resort would be "authentically Disney and distinctlyChinese," Chinese architects and designers and teams of researchers werehired to find ways to incorporate Chinese cultural elements. Many usual Disneypark features have been redesigned or are absent from Shanghai Disneyland tocater for Chinese visitors' preferences. The park does not feature a steamrailroad surrounding the park's perimeter and has no earthen berm to obscurethe outside world from guest view. As a replacement for a central-spoked hub,the center of the park features a 4.5-hectare (11-acre) collection of Chinesezodiac gardens called the Gardens of Imagination. Main Street U.S.A. has givenway to Mickey Avenue, which introduces Chinese visitors to Disney characters.Conventional-themed lands such as Adventureland are reimagined into AdventureIsle, and other lands, such as Frontierland, are omitted entirely. Severalstaple attractions, such as Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, and It's a SmallWorld, are excluded as Disney wanted to avoid criticism of culturalimperialism. Restaurants seating has been revised upwards after studies foundthat Chinese guests take longer over meals, and extensive picnic areas arebetter adapted to extended families with grandparents. Also, there is more liveentertainment as many Chinese patrons prefer that to thrill rides.

ResortLayout

The park covers an area of 3.9 squarekilometres (1.5 sq mi), costing 24.5 billion RMB, with Shendi holding 57% andDisney holding the remaining 43%. The park currently has seven themed areas:Mickey Avenue, Gardens of Imagination, Fantasyland, Treasure Cove, AdventureIsle, Tomorrowland, and Toy Story Land.

In regards to the layout of other MagicKingdom parks, this park's layout is mirrored. Instead of being on the leftside of main hub, Adventure Isle (Adventureland) is on the right side; while asTomorrowland is now on the left side instead of the right. Fantasyland islocated in the back behind the castle (Enchanted Storybook Castle).

Mickey Avenue

Mickey Avenue, the entrance of the park, isthe park's equivalent to Main Street, U.S.A.. The area is inspired bythe 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, thelargest gift shop in the park, is modeled after the Carthay Circle Theater. The Storytellers statue, which depicts ayoung Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse, is at theend of Mickey Avenue and in front of the Gardens of Imagination.

Gardensof Imagination

The hub of the park, this land featuresseven 4.5-hectare (11-acre) Chinese gardens with each of the twelve animals ofthe Chinese zodiac represented by Disney characters. Attractions include Dumbothe Flying Elephant, Fantasia Carousel, and Marvel Super Heroes at MarvelUniverse, a meet-and-greet pavilion featuring Marvel characters. Entertainmentincludes castle stage shows as well as the nightly Ignite the Dream, ANighttime Spectacular of Magic and Light. Mickey's Storybook Express, a paradewith a musical soundtrack and colorful performers, runs on the longest paraderoute in a Disney park.

Fantasyland

Fantasyland is the park's largest landthemed to Disney animated films. The land features the 197 ft (60 m) EnchantedStorybook Castle, themed to Disney princesses. The castle is the largest in anyDisney 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 thattakes guests past scenes from films including Tangled, Aladdin, Mulan,Fantasia, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Attractions includeSeven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan's Flight, The Many Adventures of Winnie thePooh, For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, Alice'sCurious Labyrinth, a walk-through hedge maze inspired by the 1951 and 2010versions film adaptations, and the Hunny Pot Spin, a spinning Teacups-styleride themed to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

TreasureCove

Entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean:Battle for the Sunken Treasure

Treasure Cove is themed to an 18th-centurySpanish harbor town located on a Caribbean island that has been captured byCaptain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. The land's marqueeattraction is Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure, a darkride based on the films. Guests, riding in magnetically propelled boats, travelpast audio-animatronic and projected depictions of Jack Sparrow and Davy Jonesas the two battle against each other in attempt to seize the cove's sunkenriches.

The land also is home to Eye of the Storm:Captain Jack’s Stunt Spectacular, a stunt show inspired by the films andSiren's Revenge, a shipwreck-themed three-story interactive play area setaboard a wrecked French galleon. Explorer Canoes are also located in this area.

AdventureIsle

Adventure Isle is the park's counterpart toAdventureland. Focused around a mysterious lost world full of hidden treasures,the land features Roaring Rapids, a river rapids ride through the land'stowering Roaring Mountain and Soaring Over the Horizon, a hang gliding flightexperience across the world. Additionally, the land features Tarzan: Call ofthe Jungle, a live acrobatic stage show, and Camp Discovery.

Tomorrowland

The TRON Lightcycle Power Run

Main article: Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland is the park'sfuturistic-themed land. Unlike the other Tomorrowlands, this version does nothave Space Mountain and instead is home to TRON Lightcycle Power Run, an indoorTron-themed roller coaster. Similarly, instead of an Astro Orbiter attraction,Shanghai's park includes a spinning Jet Packs ride. Other attractions includeStar Wars Launch Bay, Stitch Encounter, and Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue, avariant of previous Buzz Lightyear dark rides.

ToyStory Land

This Toy Story franchise-themed land, thepark's first expansion, opened on April 26, 2018. The original plans forShanghai Disneyland called for a Toy Story area with three rides, tworestaurants, a show, and a gift shop. The Celebration Café, a restaurant that openedon opening day, was meant to be in Toy Story Land. Additionally, the nearbybathrooms are the same as the Toy Story Green Army Men attractions found at theother parks.

Ticketpricing

Tickets for the park went on sale on March28, 2016, with a two-tiered pricing scheme.[19] On most days, day adult ticketswill be CN¥ 370, while child and elderly one-day tickets will cost CN¥ 280,roughly 20% cheaper than Hong Kong Disneyland (which charges HK$539 for a dayadult ticket).[19] During busier periods, including the first two weeks of thepark's operation, adult day tickets will cost CN¥ 499, while child and elderlytickets will cost CN¥ 375. The park will be the first Disney park to featuretiered pricing.

According to the International BusinessTimes (IBT), the equivalent of park ticket pricing will cost about US$75 foradults and US$60 for children on holidays and weekends, and around US$60 foradults and US$45 for children on weekdays. IBT notes that "a two-dayweekend ticket for two adults and one child comes close to China's averageurban monthly wage."

Opening day tickets sold out in a few hoursafter they had gone on sale at midnight, March 28. However, more tickets wereput on sale several days before the official opening day.