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Park News - (5/4/12) Disney and More talks a bit about why we will probably see a third TRON film hit the theaters in the future, and makes note of something interesting about the Tron ride building in the artwork for Shanghai Disneyland. If you look at it just right… it does almost look like a LightCycle actually. 
    (5/1/12) We’ve got a few pieces of new concept artwork for Shanghai Disneyland to share this week, thanks to our friends at Disney & More.  Notice the huge ‘skull rock’ in the Adventureland side of the park, and on the left side in Tomorrowland, you’ll see the huge building that will house the Tron Lightcycle coaster.
    (2/8/12) The latest report from Disney and More has quite a bit to share about the possible attraction lineup we could be seeing at Shanghai Disneyland, which also involves a possibly scaled back “Phase 1” plan, with more attractions left up in the air as possible future expansion space. Please keep in mind that there is a lot of time left before we see this park open and the plans are bound to go through a ton of changes along the way still before the first guests are allowed in through the gates.
    From the sound of things currently, Fantasyland may be the most fleshed out land designed for the park. This makes sense as it is also the most likely land to contain the most “off-the-shelf” style attractions installed at other Disney parks. The list implies we can count on seeing classic rides like Dumbo, a Carousel and Peter Pan’s Flight, with the Winnie the Pooh dark ride said to be a close copy of the Florida and Hong Kong versions, and not the Tokyo version. The land is also supposed to feature a copy of the new Seven Dwarves Mine Train ride currently going into Walt Disney World, in addition to the unique “Castle Boat Ride” we’ve talked about previously. Disney and More believes that the Tea Cups ride however may not make the cut.
    Adventureland sounds like it will match up quite well with what I’ve also reported lately, and feature the Lost World River Rapids ride as well as a heavy themed pirates area that will be home to a new generation Pirates of the Caribbean ride as well as a possible Pirates themed stunt show. Disney and More believes there may be some kind of walk through attraction named “Sunken Treasure” here as well. (I’ve got to wonder if this may be more of an exportable environment style thing to appeal to the kids much like the Pirate’s Lair built on top of Tom Sawyer’s Island at Disneyland.)
    All that is known about the parks other major land, Tomorrowland, is that it will feature that long rumored Tron Lightcycle themed indoor coaster. There is also a desire for an Astro Orbiter, an interactive Stitch Encounter as seen in Hong Kong as well as a possible new Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters style dark ride concept that could have more in common with Toy Story Mania than previous Buzz Lightyear rides.
    (1/10/12) While I’m still hearing that not every facet of Shanghai Disneyland has been locked down, I have heard about a very interesting new take on just what the park’s version of Main Street would be like. So far we have seen versions of Main Street installed at both American parks as well as Disneyland Paris and even Hong Kong Disneyland. At Tokyo Disneyland they build World Bazaar instead, but it still has the same look of Main Street USA, just with a canopy covering it all from the rain.
    Shanghai Disneyland however will very likely have a unique looking Main Street of it’s own, incorporating all the Disney Characters into the mix. I’ve been told to think of Shanghai’s Main Street as almost a ToonTown style concept, where each retail store front will be themed as if run by a specific character proprietor. (ie: Minnie’s Bowtique, Candy Cauldron, etc…)
    (1/4/12) An interesting UCLA-USC panel held back in October all about the “Globalization of Theme Parks” has been posted to YouTube. The panel features Brent Young (Super 78 Studios) and Bob Weis (Exec. VP for Disney Imagineering) amongst others who discuss quite a bit the new focus on theme park development in China. Weis in particular gives some interesting insight on China and Disney’s plans for Shanghai Disneyland.

    (1/3/12) Disney and More has posted details about a fan’s work to uncover and create a possible layout map of Shanghai Disneyland and the attractions that may be included. Check it out.
    (1/2/12) According to this article, construction on the actual new Shanghai Disneyland park as well as other resort features and hotels will begin this Spring, at a cost of $4.6 billion.
    (12/13/11) Disney and More caught an interesting look at a picture showing off what seems to be the layout map of Shanghai Disneyland (partially obscured) in the background of a Christmas Tree themed blog picture. Check it out.
    (8/18/11) Blue Sky Disney has posted a great new update bringing everyone up to date on the latest rumors we’ve had out so far about Shanghai Disneyland, as well as dropping a few new ones, like a Pirates themed Stunt Show. Check it out.
    (8/15/11) Screamscape sources tell us that while Shanghai Disneyland will have an Adventureland, the new Pirates ride and themed surrounding area will actually become it’s own designated land tentatively called Pirates Cove. Speaking of the unique high-end version of Pirates of the Caribbean, it’s been said again that it will be themed entirely on the movies and not based on the other rides. One juicy detail of the new ride system claims that the mostly slow moving boat ride may include some exciting new technology on-board, that will use a magnetic linear-induction (LIM) system to control the speed of the boats through certain portions of the dark ride. Not only will this “supernatural” force be used to push the boats around, but apparently it may cause the boats to “tailspin” at one point and get pulled “backwards” in another.
    (8/12/11) Disney and More has posted a couple of new pieces of art showing off different views of the castle planned for Shanghai Disneyland. They also talk about that water ride we had previously mentioned that will go under the castle, as well as Fantasyland having Peter Pan and Pooh dark rides in addition to the Tea Cups and Carousel and their own version of the Seven Dwarves Mine Coaster.
    (8/1/11) The Theme Park Guy is back with some new pictures from the construction site of Shanghai Disneyland, though the process is just starting, it’s kind of amazing to see what the general area looks like now, because once Disneyland opens, it will change completely.  The interesting thing is that it does appear that they are going ahead with that giant “moat” that will surround the property, as they are hard at work building something that looks like a moat right now.
    (7/11/11) Screamscape sources tell us that some new details about Shanghai Disneyland may be part of the Imagineering display at the D23 convention next month, so keep your eyes open.  Now… while we’re talking about Shanghai, I’ve heard a few new details about the park’s version of Fantasyland.
    Two iconic ‘dark rides’ seen at other Disney parks are said to be planned (for now at least) for Fantasyland. The list includes rides themed to Peter Pan and Winnie The Pooh. No word on which version of Pooh they may base this new ride on, or if Peter Pan will be re-imagined as something new or stick with the classic style. I’ve also been led to believe that a ‘slow flume ride’ will be put in Fantasyland that will run though outdoor scenes (much like the Storybook ride at Disneyland) but also apparently run under the castle itself for some indoor scenes.
    (7/1/11) Screamscape sources tell us that the Tron themed coaster planned for Shanghai Disneyland is a fairly solid lock-in project at the moment, though very little is 100% locked in for sure until the final budgets are approved. The coaster will have a Lightcycle theme and use the Vekoma Motobike coaster system… indoors… kicking things off with a high speed launch start and run through an intense but inversion-free layout through the world of Tron.
    Meanwhile on the other side of the park, I’ve also been told about a new River Rapids style attraction in the works that has been described as being very similar to Grizzly River Run in California Adventure. But instead of being themed to bears… this one will have dinosaurs and be called the Lost World River Rapids. Sounds very exciting and new. From what I’m told, the Lost World River Rapids is the dark mountain near the front right side of the park (sitting where one would normally expect to see Space Mountain) in the original park aerial concept art image.
    Now for those keeping track of the things we wont see in the park, you can add Frontierland up there next to Space Mountain on that list, which isn’t all that surprising as I don’t think the Chinese have any love for the American Western genre. As one might expect, the park also wont have a Main Street, and perhaps the biggest surprise to some is that this will be the first Magic Kingdom park to not have a train making a loop around the park’s perimeter. (Note: Tokyo has a train, but it only makes a loop around Westernland.)
    (6/29/11) While we’re still working on hammering out the details of what rides people can expect to see show up in Shanghai Disneyland, I’ve been told that Space Mountain will not be included in that park’s version of Tomorrowland. There has been quite a bit of speculation that the Shanghai version of Tomorrowland would be significantly different than anything we’ve seen built before at a Disney park, which seemed to be backed up by the odd-looking overview look of the land, as well as it’s placement on the left side of the hub instead of placing it on the right side where Tomorrowland normally resides.
    I’ve heard from a few people that the main anchor attraction under consideration for this new Tomorrowland concept, which may not even be called Tomorrowland, could be an indoor Tron themed coaster concept. I hope to have more details on this soon.
    (6/28/11) The latest rumors indicate that a copy of the new Seven Dwarves mine coaster going into Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom park is expected to also go into the new Shanghai Disneyland park as well.
    (6/13/11) According to a report at Coaster-Net, Shanghai Disneyland may revive an old ride concept for the Jungle Cruise once proposed for Hong Kong Disneyland, where the normal slow boat ride will be replaced with a River Rapids ride system, similar to the Grizzly River Run attraction at California Adventure.
    (5/30/11) Things set to move right along at the Shanghai Disneyland site it seems. According to the latest post at Disney and More, no less than twelve difference Chinese banks have been involved in the completion of the finance package to build the new $3.8 billion resort project.
    (4/22/11) While we still don’t know a lot about just what will be included in Shanghai Disneyland, I have heard that it will include some classic Disney attractions mixed in with some brand-new never before seen attractions. Add in a whole top layer of that rumored “NextGen” goodness all over the place from Day 1 and this could be a very very interesting project that will have ramifications that will trickle down into the rest of the Disney theme parks around the globe.
    Thanks to some better version of the concept artwork released so far, we know the park will feature at least three major themed lands… with an amazing new highly detailed version of Adventureland taking over the spot normally reserved for Tomorrowland, just to the right of the castle / hub area.  We can see a HUGE pirate fortress to be built here, so it seems a sure thing that the rumored new high concept version of Pirates once proposed for Hong Kong will instead find a home in Shanghai. There is also a good chance than a new version of the Indiana Jones Adventure may find a place in Adventureland as well, as you can make out what looks like a temple structure there as well.
    Fantasyland will take up it’s normal location behind the castle, but the exact attraction lineup is a mystery, other than to assume it will feature normal Disney staple flat rides like a Carousel, Dumbo and Tea Cups. If I had to guess, I’d assume a Philharmagic would also fit in here quite nicely, but as for dark rides… it’s anyone’s guess. Though I think we would have to keep an eye on what is taking place in Florida’s Fantasyland rehab and to see what may make the leap to China, like a Little Mermaid dark ride perhaps?
    Meanwhile the left side of the park has what can only be the stand-in for Tomorrowland. Odd modern building structures are seen there, plus a large roundish DOME standing in for Space Mountain. With insiders assuring me that Marvel characters will not have a land in Shanghai, this should still be Tomorrowland… but perhaps remained into some new vision entirely. This makes sense in a way as well, as a Tron themed roller coaster ride is also heavily rumored to be in the pipeline awaiting final approval for Shanghai… but only if they believe the film franchise will still be alive and a hot topic by 2016. Meanwhile I’ve got to wonder if the other big Tomorrowland project of today will make an appearance in Shanghai… and I’m talking about Star Tours 3D. I guess we’ll have to wait for it to open next month and see how people react.
    (4/13/11) With the official announcement about Shanghai Disneyland out of the way, a slew of other projects to be built in the area surrounding the Disney resort property has also been confirmed. Read more about it over at Disney and More.
    (4/12/11) Sources tell us that while the official statement from Disney regarding the timetable for Shanghai Disneyland is “about 5 years”, putting it at 2016, the park could be ready to open by late 2015. It seems that ample additional time was built in to handle any construction delays, as well as for a lengthy test & adjust period ahead of the grand opening.
    (4/11/11) You can find more images of the groundbreaking ceremony for Shanghai Disneyland over at the Disney Parks Blog this week, as the work has now begun to open the new park in 5 years time. They’ve even launched the official Shanghai Disney Resort website.
    Still, many suspect that Disney and their new Chinese partners are keeping the detailed designs of the park very close to the vest right now. 2016 is a long time away… and we’ve seen what kind of amazing looking theme parks have arrived out of the blue in China already over the last 2-3 years… and clearly they don’t want anyone attempting to copy what they’ve got planned. It has been mentioned that the central castle to be built in this park will be the largest one of them all and that the park itself is indeed estimated to cost about $3.7 billion US dollars.
    If you want to go into more detail about the concept artwork released so far, Disney and More had a good write up about it this week.
    (4/8/11) I don’t have much in the way of official details yet, but just as I posted tonight’s update, I received a link to this video taken moments ago showing off the official ground breaking ceremony for Shanghai Disneyland.
Check out the video embedded below.

    Meanwhile Disney has also updated their official blog to confirm the park here. (CLICK HERE) Few details about the park are confirmed (and more semi-vague artwork shown) but they do confirm it will have two themed hotels, a retail/dining/entertainment venue zone and outdoor recreation areas.
    (4/5/11) I teased it last week and now everyone else has picked up on it, but the official groundbreaking event for Shanghai Disneyland is set to take place this Friday. From what I’ve been told, all the big players who are to be involved with the announcement and media events are already in China or currently in-route.
    (3/30/11) I’ve heard a quiet rumor suggesting that a major announcement regarding Shanghai Disneyland may take place sometime late next week.
    (3/18/11) For anyone still wondering if Disney may drop their new Marvel characters into a new special land at Shanghai Disneyland, I’m told that there are no plans for this on the table right now. While everyone is still curious to see just what Disney may be planning for these characters, China just isn’t the right market to try it out.
    (3/17/11) According to one Screamscape contact, the ‘moat’ seen surrounding the Shanghai Disney resort area on that leaked map image will very likely not be built. According to this source, that map image is old and the man-made perimeter river has long since been cut from the plan.
    (3/16/11) With all the problems in Japan, which has forced the closure of the Disney Tokyo Resort parks, it’s rumored that the upcoming official announcement showcasing Shanghai Disneyland may be delayed for a little longer.
    In other news, check out the latest update at Disney & More to see exactly what that large square ‘moat’ around the entire Shanghai Disneyland Resort area is supposed to visually represent to the Chinese people. It’s an interesting concept for sure, as you will see it looks very similar to the moat around the Forbidden City, making the resort property seem like it’s very own royal kingdom.
    (3/9/11) Disney and More has posted a graphic showing off the official resort plan for Disneyland Shanghai Resort layout. The giant central lake, where the hotels will go, parking lots, public transit, roads and, of course, the theme park itself, as well as the large open space left for future expansion. According to the rest of the article, the plan also includes an interesting giant fake river that will surround the entire Disney property like a huge moat.
    (3/7/11) According to the latest update at the Disney & More Blog, Shanghai’s mayor has announced that the “approved investment” for phase 1 of the Shanghai Disneyland project, “stands at 24.5 billion yuan”which is $3.7 billion US.
    (2/21/11) According to Disney and More the small mountain looking structure in the artwork for Shanghai Disneyland may very well be a new version of Pirates of the Caribbean. The popular theory, which I’ve heard elsewhere as well, is that the modernized version of Pirates, based entirely off the film series and not the old classic ride, that was designed once for Hong Kong Disneyland may very well be built in Shanghai as one of the premier E-Ticket rides.
    Back when it was being served up for Hong Kong the ride had been nicknamed, “Splash Pirates” by a few insides, since the ride system would feature a few large thrilling drops along the way as well that were more in line with the drops on Splash Mountain that what you would see on the American “Pirates” attractions.  The Hong Kong plans also left room for a Louisiana style swamp themed land next door to the ride, which was said to contain an all new version of a Haunted Mansions style ride experience, but with a story that would tap into the Pirates story as well. Could all this now be part of Disneyland Shanghai? It certainly would fit the bill of serving up something quite a bit different in this latest version of the Magic Kingdom. Plus it would only make sense in a way to tie any new ride version of Pirates into the films series and less into the original ride story, which isn’t as familiar to the Chinese people as the new films would be.
    (2/18/11) I’m not entirely certain, but this seems to be an early but vague piece of concept artwork for Shanghai Disneyland (see below). With the official groundbreaking getting closer, a few early rumors about the park itself are starting to come in. Though in every case, it has been pointed out that the design is still pretty fluid, with very few things locked down.
    What has been made clear to me however is that this will likely not be your standard Magic Kingdom style park. While it is still expected to have a classic “hub” style layout the “Lands” themselves will likely not be what anyone expects. The plan is for this park to act as a complimentary experience to the Hong Kong park and not a copy, so expect Shanghai Disneyland to offer new lands and new experiences.
    That said, about the closest thing I have to a near-guarenteed land would be one designed to make use of Disney’s newest license, the Marvel comics universe. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Marvel Superhero Land take the place of a Tomorrowland. I’ve also got to wonder if the park may still have a Frontierland as one was designed but eventually cut from Hong Kong, but could be brought back for Shanghai. Just some ideas to think about.
        (2/7/11) The early word is that Disney may be ready to finally pull back the curtain on Shanghai Disneyland in early to mid April where a official groundbreaking ceremony will take place for the media.
    (1/20/11) According to this report a Shanghai official has confirmed that the long term plan for the resort is to open three separate theme parks at the resort. While nothing has been set in stone, they are currently said to be planning them out as their own versions of Epcot and Animal Kingdom, though a lot can change between now and when they start work on them.
    The resort will also feature it’s own special Metro line to get guests into the parks by 2015.
    (1/18/11) According to the details listing for this job opening at Disney, they are looking for someone who will be involved with “the design, development, construction, and turnover phases of the two hotels associated with the Shanghai Disney Resort.” So right from the Mouse’s mouth... we now know there will be at least two official Disney Resort Hotels in the Shanghai Disney Resort when it opens.
    (1/12/11) Screamscape sources believe that we could see an announcement about Shanghai Disneyland this Spring. The access roads to the property are now slated to be complete by mid April with full construction on the park property to begin in May. They announcement is still being held back while the final terms are being negotiated between Disney and the government regarding budgets and who is paying for what.
    (1/11/11) While the Oriental Land Company has come forward to deny the stories about involvement with Shanghai Disneyland, Screamscape sources once again tell us otherwise. I’m told here that the key is to look at the exact working being used by the OLC.  For example, here they state that “We have approached neither Walt Disney Co nor the Shanghai municipal government about jointly running the Shanghai Disneyland theme park.” 
    While this is true… OLC’s reported involvement is not to come in and take it over or manage it for the Shanghai government. Instead OLC is apparently being asked to be involved with the project in more of an advisory role. As they have had the best experience in coming to an understanding between the Walt Disney Company’s western views and transforming it into something that would work in Japanese culture. While there are many cultural difference between Chinese and Japanese, it is felt that the OLC could aid things and help mediate and bridge any gaps between Disney management and the Shanghai government. It is hoped that this could help prevent some of the culture related problems that took place during the start-up of Hong Kong Disneyland.
    (1/7/11) According to Disney & More, the Oriental Land Company has now denied the persistant rumors that they may be involved somehow with the Shanghai Disneyland park. According to their director of public relations, the ‘media reports are not true.”
    (1/6/11) The latest news reports mention that the major construction for Shanghai Disneyland could start this May. Two main access roads to the site are currently under construction and are expected to be complete by April, which will allow proper access to the main resort site. The article also mentions that a fake 60 wide river will be built, and at 10 km in length, will surround the entire resort site.
    (12/7/10) According to this article, the Oriental Land Company is on board to help manage the new Shanghai Disneyland resort.
    (11/8/10) Disney has now signed an agreement with Shanghai Shendi Group to build the new Disney park. According to this article, Disney is still awaiting the final green light from China’s central government regarding a few issues before the project will begin to move ahead full steam.
    (11/3/10) The Theme Park Guy has returned to Shanghai to check out the site he spied last time that was rumored to be for the new Disneyland park. Turns out the site was right on the money, as the site has now been cleared of buildings as they prepare to begin construction on the new theme park resort.
    (10/19/10) According to this article full scale construction on the new Shanghai Disneyland park is expected to begin in November, as soon as the 2010 Shanghai Expo comes to an end.
    (10/6/10) Screamscape sources tell us that Shanghai Disneyland may hold an official groundbreaking event sometime before the end of the year if all goes well.
    (6/28/10) Disney & More goes into a bit more detail about how the involvement of the Oriental Land Company with the Shanghai park would likely be a good move right now.
    (6/24/10) According to Business Week Oriental Land Company, the company who owns and runs the Tokyo Disney Resort, may team up with Disney for the new Shanghai resort project.
    (5/31/10) According to the latest post at the Disney And More Blog, the Shanghai Disneyland project is said to be “Ahead of Schedule”.
    (4/17/10) The land for the Disneyland Shanghai project will to be transferred over to the project sometime in July. By then 97% of the residents who were once on the property will have been relocated. From there, it will take between 5-6 years to complete the project, putting the opening in 2015 – 2016.
    (3/10/10) According to this article, the new Shanghai Disneyland Resort is likely to take 5-6 years to build. This will push the opening date back to somewhere between 2015-2016 according to Shanghai’s Mayor.
    (2/10/10) According to this report Shanghai will begin working on the new road system leading into the new Disney theme park area later this year. The new road project has a budget of $23 billion.
    (12/15/09) According to this article, Disney expects to get final approval for the new Shanghai Disneyland project, “in a few months.” After that, it will take 5 to 6 years to build the new park and resort complex.
    (11/25/09) China’s planning agency has formally approved the plan to build Shanghai Disneyland in the Pudong district, as expected. The article also mentions that China had already started to move farmers off sections of the property months ago in anticipation of the project.
    (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.