While Disney California Adventure has quite the evolutionary story to focus on, becoming almost an entirely different park in its two decades of existence, the Shanghai Disney Resort has been a success right out of the gate.
Hosted by Leslie Iwerks, who not only brought us the last presentation but also the hit Disney+ Original Documentary Series, The Imagineering Story, we take a long look at the development of the 6th “castle park” on the globe.
Iwerks is familiar with a lot of work done in the park, having visited the construction zone numerous times for work on her documentary, The Imagineering Story.
He also mentions, though he didn’t elaborate on why, that negotiations between Shanghai and Disney would take a lot longer than Hong Kong, which is why they were working on both at the same time.
He also explains that they got in the negotiations at a perfect time because the city knew where they were going to have to expand into rural areas, and where already designing bridges and roads, even a new airport in the area, and worked together to develop recreation zones, not only for Disney but for future offerings in the area.
A lot of his explanations seemed familiar, channeling the modern-day tale of the Disneyland Forward project, which is seeing the Disneyland Resort work with residents of the city of Anaheim to get areas of the Disney-Owned land in California re-zoned so they can make future adjustments as needed.
Doris talks about how she started her journey with Wing Chao many, many years ago searching for the entry point , knowing full well they would eventually be doing a project in Mainland China, and also more about her personal journey, noting that it felt comfortable because her and Chao are native to the country.
She also cites the Gardens of Imagination in the park, noting that it came to mind because most visitors from this culture are from a concrete jungle and aren’t used to the nature and the gardens and it would truly be something special, along with the opportunity for photos since photo taking is more appealing than those E-Ticket attractions that are also prevalent in the park.
Before wrapping up the origins of Shanghai Disneyland, Weis wanted to add a story that even though Disney Legend Marty Sklar had retired, he had been present at every other Disney Park opening so Weis invited him to the opening of Shanghai Disneyland to keep the tradition alive.
After all the anecdotes, the resonating idea was that after all that work, after all that negotiation, after all that design, after all that construction, after all the hubbub building up to opening day, it literally was only the beginning.
He shares some well wishes and a little bit of information about the park, but the primary focus of his is showing off the Mickey Floral, present at every Disney “Castle Park” around the globe, but notes how this one is different because it changes throughout the year, with the addition of Duffy, Donald, and Minnie throughout the year.
We also get a glimpse of Toy Story Land, one of the newest areas to open at the park from Chris Yu, Associate Show Design & Production Manager, Walt Disney Imagineering Shanghai.
She also talks about the installation of the Marvel Characters in Stargazer’s Grill in Tomorrowland, Chip and Dale into new experiences in Adventure Isle, and just in time for the parks anniversary, she showcases some of the “Hidden 5s” that can be found throughout the park, noting that there are over 10 out there in the park before showing off some of them in the castle rotunda, and on the Zootopia construction walls.
Earlier though, Schofield worked on Camp Discovery, saying that many of his colleagues thought he was insane for designing an intense ropes course around the artificial mountain but was more excited when he saw that concept art come to life.
He shares that it was inspired by the original show, Ignite!, but takes it to a new level, celebrating with Rapunzel, Miguel, and even Raya, who try to find a light to be inspired.
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