Tourists watch a parade, featuring some famous Disney animation characters, along the Mickey Avenue of Shanghai Disneyland yesterday. The Shanghai Disney Resort is to open today.(Xinhua)
The Walt Disney Co will expand the Shanghai Disney Resort, which opens today, "sooner rather than later" and some construction work has already begun, Disney chairman and CEO Robert Iger announced in Shanghai yesterday.
"When we open, we will continue the construction to expand what is on the opening-day menu and we are already discussing what to do next year," he told media assembled at the jungle-themed Adventure Isle attraction at Shanghai Disneyland.
There is a 7-square-kilometer parcel on which the company can add more attractions, Iger noted.
The $5.5 billion Disney resort, which took about five years to build, is a joint venture between Disney and the Shanghai Shendi Group.
In another interview, Iger said more attractions are already in the pipeline, including one supported by the automobile brand Chevrolet, which will open later this year, and one opening early next year based on the Disney cartoon franchise Toy Story.
On the longer term, the second phase of the theme park, which will cover 3.9 square kilometers, will be situated between the current park and the Value Retail Shanghai Village, an outlet adjacent to Disneyland.
The company has altered its plans since breaking ground in April 2011, increasing capacity and adding attractions that give the park a uniquely Chinese flavor.
Iger said the attractions Soaring over the Horizon, Frozen: A Sing-Along Celebration, and the Wandering Moon Teahouse were added with Chinese tastes in mind.
Zootopia cartoon characters will also be joining the iconic parade at the theme park because they are particularly popular in China, Iger added.
"After we broke ground, we saw that there was a growing number of Chinese tourists visiting Shanghai and a general growth of the Chinese market, so we decided that we should build something bigger than we had planned," he said yesterday.
The capacity of the theme park has been increased to 40,000 people from the planned 30,000.
Iger yesterday said the Shanghai Disney project needs to show "great respect" for the Chinese people and culture, calling Disney an "invited guest" of the Chinese government.
He said the resort's guiding principle from the beginning has been that it must be "authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese."
He added: "We didn't just build Disneyland in China. We built China's Disneyland."
One opening celebration will be held in front of the castle at 10:30am today. The resort will officially welcome its first guests from 12 noon to 10pm. Guests must have a ticket to enter as they will not be sold on site on the opening day. For the grand opening, the city's Metro operator will extend operations at Line 11's Disney Resort Station through 11pm for three days. Three additional trains will depart from Disneytown station at 10:40pm, 10:50pm and 11pm from today through Saturday.
Residents will also be able to visit Shanghai Disneyland via seven Shanghai International Tourism and Resorts Zone Express bus routes.
The routes cover major transportation hubs including the city's three railway stations, Pudong airport and Hongkou Football Stadium.
Passengers can book tickets at www.shitrzexpress.com.
