When Disney first announced that it was planing to make a new theme park in Mainland China that was "Authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese," there was both excitement and trepidation for the future park. Though Disney had found huge success with Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea, Hong Kong Disneyland was a disappointment. Despite trying to be more relevant within the Chinese culture, Hong Kong Disneyland remained unpopular and continues to under-perform. So fans were rightly worried that Disney would similarly mismanage a park in Shanghai.
However, as more news came out about the upcoming park, fear gamed way to excitement. Concept art showed that Disney was trying to appeal to the Chinese and that no expense would be spared to make the newest Disneyland the best Disney Park in the world. Earlier this week the $5.5 billion park finally opened. The much awaited park is bigger, better, and bolder than any other Disney theme park, but is still working out the kinks.
The Shanghai Disneyland park is 963 acres, three times as large as Hong Kong Disneyland and 11 times as large the original Disneyland in California. The Enchanted Storybook Castle is the first castle in a Disney Park not based off of a Disney movie. It is also the largest and tallest castle in any Disney Parks. Standing 196.8 feet high, the inside of the castle contains a restaurant, a ride, a walk-through attraction, a character meet and greet, and a child's salon. The park even includes two new "lands," Treasure Cove and Gardens of Imagination. The former plays into the idea of the park being distinctly Chinese, as parts of it are directly based on the Zodiac animals.
Not only is Shanghai Disney the largest of all the Disney Parks, but it is also constructed of the best quality.There are many new rides and attractions based off of both new ideas and classic Disney stories. These rides make use of technology like holograms and projections, creating unforgettable experiences. Even classic rides like Peter Pan's Flight and Pirates of the Caribbean are enhanced and are of much better quality than their American counterparts.
The opening day was a success. The opening festivities started the night before with a concert that was televised across the world and continued in the morning with another celebration. Both events were filled with Chinese celebrities, Disney executives, and of course, Mickey Mouse. The crowd was huge and people loved the park, despite the rain and cold weather.
Despite the overall popularity, however, Disney is running into some major problems. The ride wait times are outrageous and cultural differences are still creating complications. Despite seeing these issues during soft openings, Disney is still looking for ways to discourage bad park etiquette. Though the Chinese government previously issued statements against these behaviors, vandalism is still a problem in the parks and there are still reports of public deification. But hey, even the original Disneyland had a terrible opening day, and it is still one of the most visited theme parks in the world.
