The $5.5 billion Shanghai Disney Resort, Walt
Disney Co.’s first resort on mainland China, began three days of grand-opening
festivities Tuesday and will officially open to the public on Thursday.
Shanghai Disney’s festivities on
Tuesday include the first Mandarin production of “The Lion King” at the
resort’s 1,200-seat Walt Disney Grand Theatre.
Wednesday marks a concert led by
Chinese composer Tan Dun, whose credits include the film score for “Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” And on Thursday, the park will hold an official
dedication ceremony and open to the public.
Covering 963 acres, the theme park
includes six themed lands — Adventure Isle, Gardens of Imagination, Mickey
Avenue, Tomorrowland, Treasure Cove and Fantasyland — all of which surround the
Enchanted Storybook Castle.
Shanghai Disney has two hotels: the
800-room Toy Story Hotel and 420-room Shanghai Disneyland Hotel. Disneytown is a shopping, dining and entertainment district.
The theme park, which broke ground
in Shanghai’s Pudong district in 2011, is Disney’s sixth and is its
largest non-U.S. investment. Joint-venture partners Shanghai Shendi Group and
Disney own 57% and 43% of the resort, respectively.