After years, and years, and years of waiting, Disney finally broke ground on the Shanghai Disney Resort. This destination which will feature a shopping, dinning, and entertainment district, two hotels, and Shanghai Disneyland. With Storybook Castle and themed lands, this Disneyland style park will be familiar to Disney fans, yet will have some unique characteristics. Check out the resort’s official website for details regarding the size, ownership structure, and lots of pictures taken at Walt Disney World with Chinese guests.
With 330 million prospective guests within a three-hour drive, one might think this park will be more like Disneyland than Walt Disney World. With so many locals, repeat guests will be key. From opening, the park should be targeting annual passholders by constantly changing the program of the resort. The press release seems to understand this by mentioning the park is already thinking about expansion. They also market the resort as a place to commemorate local cultural events and celebrations.
More details about the resort will come to light in the next five years as we countdown to opening day, but what I will be focused on is how they are positioning the park. I am especially curious to see the differences between the Shanghai and Hong Kong resorts. What type of guest will each attract? One thing to note is that the Hong Kong expansion of Toy Story Land, Grizzly Gulch, and Mystic Point, will not be duplicated in Shanghai. This is to try and make sure the parks are different enough that visitor cannibalization will be minimized. Perhaps Shanghai Disneyland is the park mainland guests visit several times a year, while Hong Kong Disneyland will be reserved for special occasions.
In the end, I am just happy that I have one more destination to visit. I also enjoy that Disney is one more step closer to global domination of the entertainment industry. For that is how it is supposed to be.
Quick Takes:
Studio Entertainment: D23 takes a look at The Ballad of Nessie a new short which will be attached to Winnie the Pooh. I am excited about this short finally being released. When Disney acquired Pixar and the shorts program was revived at Disney Animation, I was excited to see shorts in front of most Disney releases. However, with the exception of How to Set Up Your Home Theater, we have yet to see this come to fruition. I do not know what the status of Glago’s Guest or Tick Tock Tale is, but I hope that these shorts are attached to an upcoming Disney release soon.
Consumer Products: Speaking of D23, members of the official Disney fan club can get 30 percent off Tron: Legacy inspired men’s and women’s jewelry designed by award-winning Parisian sculptor Robin Rotenier. This is part of the Walt Disney Signature line, Disney Consumer Products high end line. If you want jewelry that screams underperfoming sequel to a 28 year old movie. Check it out.
Media Networks: I downloaded an app for my iPhone called Watch ESPN that lets me watch ESPN on the go. Not just ESPN, but ESPN2, ESPN3, and ESPNU. This is awesome! The streaming quality is high and the registration process if fairly easy. If you have Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, or Verizon; check it out.
Interactive Media: Disney is continuing to embrace 3D gaming with their Cars 2 video game. Do you think 3D video games will catch on? 3D broadcasts seem to only be embraced by Disney’s ESPN, yet there has some been some success with 3D Blu-rays.
Marvel: The folks at Marvel have released a new clip from the upcoming “Thor” feature. If you watch carefully you will get your first glimpse of Hawkeye as performed by Jeremy Renner (he is the one with the bow and arrow). Hawkeye was unveiled as one the Avengers that will be a part of the team in next year’s film, but until recently it was a secret that he would have a cameo in “Thor”. This is an example of what Marvel calls the “Avengers Assemble” initative where their films interlock in a Marvel Cinematic Universe. While each film stands on its own, the interlocking creates a bigger story for those interested. It also helps consumer products, by having a big brand that can encompass all these superheroes. This is similar to what Disney did with the princess line when they were combined to great success (although they do not appear in features together). I recently had the opportunity to ask Joe Quesada, chief creative office of Marvel, how far they have these films planned out. He said 6-7 years and that they have different plans depending on what is successful. So expect to see the Marvel Cinematic Universe continue to expand.