Exclusive attractions unveiled for Shanghai Disney Resort

Image: Architectural rendering

SHANGHAI, July 15 -- The Shanghai Disney Resort will feature attractions unseen in the five other Disney resorts worldwide when it opens next spring, according to a plan unveiled in Shanghai on Wednesday.

New attractions including ones based on Marvel comics and Star Wars, and others inspired by Chinese culture will distinguish the Shanghai resort from its peers in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Spanning nearly four square km, the resort "not only showcases the best of Disney's storytelling but also celebrates and incorporates China's incredibly rich heritage," said Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger.

The Garden of the Twelve Friends will use Disney and Pixar characters to recreate the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, and a section inspired by the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie will feature a live stunt show.

Wandering Moon Teahouse honors the restless, creative spirit of China's itinerant poets, and the diverse and beautiful landscapes that inspired them. The restaurant will recreate authentic Chinese architecture, with symbols from the mountains, ocean, desert, forest and rivers.

In addition, the resort will provide traditional Shanghai food including Shaomai, a steamed dim sum made of glutinous rice, pork mince, Chinese mushroom and onion, to cater to Chinese visitors.

Xu Chang, a Chinese culture analyst with Walt Disney Imagineering, said they introduced classical Chinese literature works and showed them "A Bite of China", a TV documentary series on China's culinary history, to American engineers during the design process to acquaint them with what young Chinese people are thinking about.

The Shanghai park's Enchanted Storybook Castle, a Disneyland resort signature, will be the biggest of its kind, and The Walt Disney Grand Theatre, located in a shopping and dining district modelled after local architecture styles, will stage the Mandarin version of Broadway show The Lion King.

The resort also has two hotels -- the 420-room Art Nouveau-inspired Shanghai Disneyland Hotel, and the 800-room Toy Story Hotel, themed around the Pixar animated film series.

The resort is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company and Shanghai Shendi Group. Initial investment stands at 24.5 billion yuan (4.01 billion U.S. dollars). An undisclosed amount of additional investment was announced in April last year. The companies expect 10 million visits to the resort each year.