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Park News - (11/4/09) Disney has confirmed that they have received approval from the Chinese Government for their Project Application Report for the Shanghai Disneyland project in the Pudong district. Approval of the PAR is necessary before Disney will be able to move forward and finalize any agreement to build and operate the park or begin construction. From the sound of things, all that’s left now is the formal announcement to come when the deal is signed.
    (10/29/09) Reuters reports that when President Obama visits China next month, there is reason to believe that Disney may be ready to make the official announcement about Shanghai Disneyland. The estimated price tag on this new resort is thought to be in the range of $3.6 billion, and could be ready to open as early as 2013.
    (10/22/09) A Screamscape sources tell us that Disney has asked the Imagineers to start studying up the huge collection of Marvel Comics characters and stories. Don’t get your hopes up just yet for any new attractions stateside however, as they tell us that the first Disney park that could get new Marvel based attractions will likely be the new Shanghai park.
    (9/3/09) According to the news, Disney and the Chinese government may be very close to finalizing the deal to build a massive new Magic Kingdom park, rumored to four times the size of the Hong Kong park, to Shanghai. The new park could open as early as 2013
    (3/29/09) Want to know where Shanghai Disneyland might go? Our traveling friend, The Theme Park Guy, took a trip to China just to take a look around at the site, as well as talking to the locals about it a bit.
    (3/12/09) Disney shareholders quizzed management about the new proposed park in Shanghai this week. Iger stated that Disney had “signed off on a framework agreement” with the local area government for the project, and as long as the government was willing to work on it, they were ready to move ahead.
    (3/2/09) From what little I’ve heard so far about the proposed Disney park in Shanghai… it’s pretty much a done deal at this point. Right now they’ve just got to wait for the Chinese government to sign all the paperwork to make it all official and the project will become a reality.
    (1/12/09) Disney has finally confirmed to the media that they are preparing to submit their plans to build a new theme park resort in China as part of a joint venture with the Shanghai government. It is believed that the $3.6 billion project may be open as early as 2014. Nothing has been signed or approved yet as the project still has to be reviewed and approved by the central Chinese government first. Sounding quite a bit like the basic plan used for Hong Kong Disneyland, Disney is planning on having a 43% ownership stake in the park with the rest owned by the government.
    (1/8/09) According to Reuters and Forbes Disney and the Shanghai government have completed their talks and plans on paper and may be set to make an official announcement in the near future. The project still needs final approval from China’s central government however before getting the final green light, but could be open as early as 2013.
    (12/5/08) Disney is still denying that they’re close to any deal in Shanghai for a new park, but this article takes a closer look at the site under consideration, which is currently mostly empty farmland and forested areas.
    (12/2/08) According to this news report the Chinese government’s economic planning agency has now given their approval for a proposed Shanghai Disneyland Resort theme park project. They claim that Disney officials are coming in for talks later this month that could go a long way towards finalizing this project.
    (11/20/08) According to this article the Shanghai government is said to be in the final stages of negotiation with Disney to build a new theme park, with a possible site within a 10 minute drive from the Shanghai Pudong International Airport being eyeballed. The really interesting thing is that to help make the project more friendly to travelers, the government is likely to adopt a “48-hour visa-free” window policy to allow for better access to the park.
    (7/17/08) Does Disney have a deal set for a mainland China park after all? According to the latest update at Jim Hill Media they do and will be holding back the announcement until just after the Olympics are over. If all goes well he says the park could open by 2012 in what could be the first Disney park designed from the ground up with a bigger focus on the modern Pixar characters and new attractions based on them. According to the article Adventureland could be heavily themed around the characters of Woody, Bullseye and Jessie, Tomorrowland’s Autopia could be heavily themed to the characters from Cars. Though Adventureland may focus heavily on Capt. Jack and the Pirates while Fantastyland could tie in to the new Rapunzel film, along with her tower.
    (6/30/08) According to this news site Disney and the Shanghai government have come to an agreement to build the next Disney park in Pudong and hope to make the big announcement during or just after the Olympic Games this August. According to their sources the resort project would be eight times the size of Hong Kong Disneyland and would follow a different business plan than the park in Hong Kong. The government will provide the land, finance the construction and own the majority stake in the park while Disney will be given Management rights as well as royalties and a percentage of the income, which sounds a bit more like how the Japanese Disney parks are run. If this report is true the park could open as early as 2012 and cost an estimated $5.7 billion US Dollars for the entire resort.