The Walt Disney Company and Hong Kong Disneyland have revealed plans for a new multi-year expansion, costing $1.4 billion, to bring the likes of Marvel and Frozen to the resort. The plans are still being approved by the Hong Kong Government, but if given the go-ahead, we can expect construction to start in 2018 and complete in 2023.
As part of the expansion, Disney are going to be increasing the Marvel presence in the park to create what they call an “epicenter of Marvel Super Heroes”. What this will consist of is a little vague as Disney have said that the plans for this area will “continue to unfold”. What we do know is that Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters will be updated to be Marvel themed. Based on the concept picture above, it looks like it’s going to be Ant-Man themed. There will also be a brand new attraction which will be dedicated to “one of the most popular Marvel franchises”.
Both of these attractions will join the new Iron Man Experience which opens January 11th, 2017.
Listeners of our podcast will know that Ryan will be pleased about this one. For the first time (in forever), a Disney resort will be getting a Frozen themed area. Fans of the animated film will be able to visit the kingdom of Arendelle and enjoy themed dining, shopping and entertainment, as well as two new attractions.
The next announcement I thought was quite unexpected. Adventureland will play host to “Moana’s Village Festival” which will feature a new stage show based on the upcoming animated film. There will also be a meet and greet with Moana. The only reason this surprises me is due to the film not being released yet, so Disney won’t yet know whether it will be a big hit.
Last, but certainly not least, the castle and surrounding area will be getting a face lift. I say face lift, it’s more of a face transplant. Currently the Hong Kong Disneyland castle is a replica of the castle found in Disneyland, California. Well as part of the plans announced, the castle will be getting a brand new look to make it unique across the Disney resorts. The surrounding area will be reworked to allow for more daytime and nighttime shows.
Although all these announcements will mean a lot of work going on and potentially a number of closed attractions, Disney have said that we can expect new attractions to open almost every year between 2018 and the finish date of 2023. It’s also nice to see that Disney aren’t giving up on Hong Kong, especially after the park made a financial loss after a 9% drop in attendance in 2015. It certainly sounds like these announcements could bring a lot of new guests into the park.