Disney Experience Expands to Shanghai and Hong Kong

The start of a new year always brings with it new “projects” to any household.  What color should we paint the kitchen?  If we extend the patio, would we have room for a fire pit?  Those are our big decisions.

There are always much larger projects taking place and much bigger things on the horizon for Disney theme parks and resorts as they are constantly evolving and improving, and in the case of the Asian theme parks, expanding.

It was announced late in 2009, that a new Disney theme park would be constructed in Shanghai, China. Slated to be built in the Pudong district, the new theme park has received approval from the necessary authorities.

This approval puts Disney one step closer to creating the theme park. It is hoped that this park will include a Magic Kingdom – like area with characteristics tailored to Shanghai.

In another announcement, Disney ended speculation as they mentioned the $3.63 billion expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland (map)set to open 2013.  This expansion will include the addition of three theme parks; Toy Story Land, Mystic Point and Grizzly Trail and increase the size of the park by 23%.

Toy Story Land will be an area devoted to children with rides shaped like giant toys and making reference to the Disney/Pixar movie by the same name.  Who wouldn’t love parachuting gently from a tower just like Green Army Men from the film.  Food kiosks, gift shops and other similar features to other parks will be added as well.

Mystic Point  will be an area full of mysterious forces, in the heart of uncharted rain forces, relying on Mystic Manor as its primary attraction in this area of the park. 

A trackless ride, Mystic Manor will take guests on a tour of an ancient artifact collection owned by a world famous adventurer, explorer, Lord Henry Mystic.  As guests travel through the early 1900′s Victorian home of Lord Mystic, it appears that things liven up quite a bit as his mischievous monkey opens an enchanted music box.

Picture Indiana Jones Adventure meets the Enchanted Tiki Room meets the Haunted Mansion, without the ghosts, of course, and you have a great idea of what this new attraction will be like. 

In the theme of reuse and recycle, Mystic Point will also contain the Adventurer’s Club Restaurant thought to be reusing the items from the former restaurant of the same name at Downtown Disney’s Pleasure Island, which has closed.

The final addition will be Grizzly Trail, set in an abandoned mining town called Grizzly Gulch founded in 8-8-1888 (the luckiest day, in the luckiest month in the luckiest year, according to Chinese belief).

Geysers and audio-animatronic bears will set the scene for Big Grizzly Mountain Coaster where guests will travel backwards through twists and turns and in a final blast will be launched out of the mountain- remember, mining town theme.

What mining town would be complete without a Saloon for refreshments and photo ops?

Don’t buy your airline tickets or book your hotels just yet, as construction in Shanghai has yet to begin and with ground breaking  just begun in Hong Kong, these additions will not be ready for guests until 2013 at the earliest.

 

Photo Selection: flickr

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