Shanghai Disneyland facts for kids
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The Enchanted Storybook Castle, landmark of Shanghai Disneyland
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| Location | Shanghai Disney Resort, Pudong, Shanghai, China |
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| Coordinates | 31°08′38″N 121°39′25″E / 31.1440°N 121.6570°E |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | June 16, 2016 |
| Owner | Shanghai Shendi Group (57%) The Walt Disney Company (43%) |
| Operated by | Shanghai Shendi Group Disney Parks International (Disney Parks, Experiences and Products) |
| Theme | Fairy tales, future, pirates, adventure and Disney characters |
| Website | Shanghai Disneyland |
Shanghai Disneyland is a super fun theme park located in Shanghai, China. It's part of the bigger Shanghai Disney Resort. This amazing park is run by Disney Parks, Experiences and Products and a Chinese company called Shanghai Shendi Group. They worked together to build it! Construction started on April 8, 2011, and the park officially opened its gates on June 16, 2016. In its first six months, over 5.6 million people visited!
The park is huge, covering about 3.9 square kilometers (that's like 960 acres!). It cost a lot of money to build, around 24.5 billion Chinese Yuan (RMB). The Shanghai Shendi Group owns 57% of the park, and The Walt Disney Company owns the other 43%. Shanghai Disneyland has seven cool areas to explore: Mickey Avenue, Gardens of Imagination, Fantasyland, Treasure Cove, Adventure Isle, Tomorrowland, and Toy Story Land.
Contents
History of Shanghai Disneyland
Getting Ready to Build
The Chinese government gave the green light for the Disney resort on November 4, 2009. Then, on November 5, 2010, The Walt Disney Company announced they had signed a deal to build the park in Shanghai. They hoped to open it in 2015. The actual groundbreaking, which is when construction officially begins, happened on April 7, 2011. A really important part of the park, the Enchanted Storybook Castle, started being built on June 29, 2013.
Building the Park
Big construction work began on April 8, 2011. The goal was to open the park in the spring of 2016. The resort was planned to be about 4 square kilometers (about 1.5 square miles). It was expected to cost around 25 billion Chinese Yuan (about 3.66 billion US dollars). Many large Chinese companies in Shanghai helped pay for the project. They teamed up with the Walt Disney Company to make it happen.
On March 8, 2013, Disney said the park would open in late 2015. But then, on February 2, 2015, the opening date was moved to early 2016. Finally, on January 12, 2016, the official opening date was announced as June 16, 2016. That was the day it really opened! The total cost ended up being around 5.5 billion US dollars. This was partly because they added more attractions to open on the first day.
Grand Opening Day
Before the big opening, Shanghai Disneyland had "soft openings" starting on May 7, 2016. This was like a test run for the park.
The grand opening show was broadcast live on June 15, 2016! Bob Iger, who was in charge of The Walt Disney Company, was there with almost 3,000 special guests and famous people. The show was amazing, with dancing, acrobatics, cool costumes, and special effects. There were dazzling lights, Disney music, and fireworks! Famous pianist Lang Lang played a special version of "Let It Go" from Frozen. Chinese actress Sun Li also performed. A new song, "Ignite the Dreamer Within," was created just for Shanghai Disneyland's opening.
Even though it rained on opening day, a Chinese leader named Wang Yang told Bob Iger that rain is a lucky sign for money to come! He also shared a message from Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He said the resort mixes classic Disney style with Chinese features, showing how well different cultures can work together.
Ticket Prices
Tickets for the park went on sale on March 28, 2016. There were two different prices. On most days, an adult ticket cost 370 Chinese Yuan (CNY). Tickets for children and older people cost 280 CNY. This was a bit cheaper than Hong Kong Disneyland. During very busy times, like the first two weeks, adult tickets cost 499 CNY, and child/elderly tickets cost 375 CNY. Shanghai Disneyland was the first Disney park to have different prices for different days.
Opening day tickets sold out in just a few hours! But don't worry, more tickets were made available closer to the official opening day.
Park Layout and Attractions
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Disney promised that the Shanghai resort would be "truly Disney and clearly Chinese." So, Chinese architects and designers helped add Chinese culture to the park. Some parts of Shanghai Disneyland are different from other Disney parks to fit what Chinese visitors like. For example, there's no train around the park's edge. Instead of a central "hub," the middle of the park has 11 acres of Chinese gardens called the Gardens of Imagination. These gardens feature the animals of the Chinese zodiac.
Also, instead of "Main Street, U.S.A.," Shanghai has Mickey Avenue, which introduces visitors to Disney characters. Lands like Adventureland are reimagined as Adventure Isle. Some classic rides like Space Mountain and It's a Small World are not here. Disney wanted to make sure the park felt special and unique to China. Restaurants have more seating because Chinese guests often spend more time eating. There are also more live shows, as many Chinese visitors enjoy watching performances.
The layout of this park is a bit like a mirror image of other Disney parks. For example, Adventure Isle is on the right side of the main area, and Tomorrowland is on the left. Fantasyland is located behind the big castle.
Mickey Avenue
Mickey Avenue is the first area you enter in the park. It's like Main Street, U.S.A. in other Disney parks. This area is inspired by famous Disney characters like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Chip 'n' Dale. You'll also see nods to Disney movies like Ratatouille and Lady and the Tramp. The biggest gift shop, Avenue M Arcade, looks like the Carthay Circle Theater. At the end of Mickey Avenue, you'll see the Storytellers statue, which shows a young Walt Disney with Mickey Mouse.
Gardens of Imagination
This is the center of the park! It has seven beautiful Chinese gardens, each representing one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac with Disney characters. Fun rides here include Dumbo the Flying Elephant and Fantasia Carousel. You can also meet Marvel characters at Marvel Super Heroes. At night, you can watch the amazing Ignite the Dream, A Nighttime Spectacular of Magic and Light show at the castle. Don't miss Mickey's Storybook Express, a colorful parade with music and performers that travels on the longest parade route in any Disney park!
Fantasyland
Fantasyland is the biggest area in the park and is themed to Disney animated films. It features the huge, 197-foot-tall Enchanted Storybook Castle. This castle is the largest in any Disney theme park and is themed to Disney princesses. Inside, you'll find the Royal Banquet Hall restaurant and a special shop. You can also take a boat ride called Voyage to the Crystal Grotto around and under the castle. On this ride, you'll see scenes from movies like Tangled, Aladdin, Mulan, and Beauty and the Beast.
Other exciting attractions include Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan's Flight, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. You can also enjoy For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. There's also Alice's Curious Labyrinth, a fun walk-through maze inspired by Alice in Wonderland, and the Hunny Pot Spin, a spinning ride like the Teacups, but themed to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
Treasure Cove
Treasure Cove looks like an old 18th-century Spanish town on a Caribbean island. It's been taken over by Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies! The main attraction here is Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure. This is a dark ride where you ride in special boats that move with magnets. You'll see amazing robots and projections of Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones fighting over sunken treasure.
This area also has Eye of the Storm: Captain Jack’s Stunt Spectacular, a cool stunt show based on the movies. You can also explore Siren's Revenge, a three-story play area that looks like a wrecked ship. You can even paddle canoes in this area!
Adventure Isle
Adventure Isle is Shanghai Disneyland's version of Adventureland. It's themed like a mysterious lost world with hidden treasures. Here, you can ride Roaring Rapids, a thrilling river ride through the tall Roaring Mountain. Or, you can experience Soaring Over the Horizon, which makes you feel like you're hang gliding over famous places around the world. There's also Tarzan: Call of the Jungle, a live acrobatic stage show, and Camp Discovery for more adventure.
Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland is all about the future! Unlike other Tomorrowlands, this one doesn't have Space Mountain. Instead, it has the super fast TRON Lightcycle Power Run, an indoor roller coaster themed to the Tron movies. Also, instead of an Astro Orbiter, Shanghai's park has a spinning Jet Packs ride. Other attractions include Tomorrowland Pavilion, which used to have Star Wars Launch Bay (now closed for a new Avatar area), Stitch Encounter, and Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue, which is a fun shooting game ride.
Toy Story Land
This area is themed to the Toy Story movies and was the first new part added to the park. It opened on April 26, 2018. Original plans for Shanghai Disneyland included a Toy Story area with three rides, two restaurants, a show, and a gift shop. The Celebration Café, a restaurant that opened on the park's first day, was meant to be in Toy Story Land. Even the nearby bathrooms look like they belong in the Toy Story world!
Upcoming Areas
City of Zootopia
On January 22, 2019, Disney announced an eighth themed land called City of Zootopia! It's based on the animated movie Zootopia. This will be the very first Zootopia-themed area in any Disney park around the world. It will be located next to Fantasyland. The new land will have a major attraction with really cool technology to make the movie come to life. There will also be shows, shops, and places to eat and drink. It is expected to open in 2023.
Visitors to the Park
Shanghai Disneyland has welcomed millions of guests since it opened!
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Worldwide rank |
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| 5,600,000 | 11,000,000 | 11,800,000 | 11,210,000 | 5,500,000 | 2 |
See also
In Spanish: Shanghai Disneyland Park para niños
- Shanghai Disney Resort
- Hong Kong Disneyland
