Soarin' Over... Shanghaî Disneyland

Today we are going to soar above Shanghaî Disneyland! I know, there is not a lot of things to see right now on the SDL site, but the pictures above and below are the first one showing from above the site which seems to be ready for the big construction. We'll probably have to wait two more years to see something really interesting on it, though.



But in the meantime have a look at this video from a chinese TV which is the first i've seen filming from helicopter the SDL site!




Talking about Soarin' a Mice Chat member think that one of the Adventureland layouts on the SDL map released recently on different forums and on Screamscape shows a Soarin' theatre, with the usual two theaters back to back. Look at the picture below where you have the red circle. It's true that it looks like something with two theaters and you can even guess the Soarin' concave screen in each. So - and if this SDL map is the latest one which remains to be prove - may be it shows a theater for a Soarin' ride in which they will show the long awaited "Soarin' over the world" movie. But it's hard for me to imagine a ride like this in Adventureland. I mean, you have all the Soarin' machinery which fit better in a Tomorrowland or Epcot environment and which is not that easy to hide or themed with an Adventureland style, right?



Then, someone else said that it is located where we have seen a Mayan temple in the first SDL bird's eye view released when the project was officially announced. In fact if you look well - see picture below - the Mayan temple is ( was? ) located higher, and this supposed Soarin' theater is much below and right behind the big mountain of the Dinosaurs raft ride. Now, everything is possible, specially in a Disney theme park and they could eventually have written a storyline based on how the mayans have found a way to fly - after all they DID had a storyline like this for a never done flying coaster project for Disneyland Paris Adventureland, one more DLP project that never was. And then take this storyline alibi to have the guests soaring all over the world... Still, i may find a little bit too hard to swallow a Soarin' ride inside a Mayan pyramid... But it's true that the layout looks like a Soarin' theatre, so let's give for now to this Mice Chat member the benefit of the doubt for his discovery!



You can see more pictures shot on the SDL site on the always excellent Theme Park Guy Board HERE!

Pictures: copyright Disney, Eastday.com

Shanghaî Disneyland Update

A little update about Shanghaî Disneyland today with an interesting info coming from the official SDL website. At last D23 Expo Tom Staggs revealed that there will be a Fantasyland boat ride which will go or start from under SDL "Enchanted Storybook Castle" before moving outside for a slow cruise in SDL Fantasyland. The very first rendering showing one of the boats was shown, is now posted on the SDL website and thanks to a closer look at the caption we can learn interesting details about this particular scene which will in fact be happening in the finale of the "Fantasyland boat ride": "In a secret chamber beneath the castle, fountains of light ( will ) leap and dance in shimmering pools, surrounding the boat with magic, music and color". This should make a nice finale.

Also, as revealed last week by Doris Woodward, senior director and producer, Shanghaî Disneyland castle "will be the biggest among Disney's castles worldwide. Instead of being home to any single princess, the castle in Shanghai will be home to all of Disney's princesses, including Snow White and Pocahontas". Good to know, but where exactly these princesses will be located in the castle? We can learn this with a look at the caption of the picture below: "In the heart of Enchanted Storybook Castle a magnificent winding staircase that leads guests on a " Once Upon a Time Adventure", featuring the Disney Princesses". In two words, it will be located in the upper floor of the castle and it is supposed to be a walk-through and not a ride. Don't know yet if each princess will be an audio-animatronic or if the whole thing will be just a Princess meet and greet...



Talking about Shanghaî Disneyland, Screamscape had a good scoop last week when he posted a SDL map which seems to be the real thing - although it's impossible to know if its the final version of the SDL project or not. Unfortunately for you - but fortunately for WDI - the picture is not sharp enough to see the attractions titles. Still, Screamscape succeeded to find interesting infos and we can see a bit more of the track of some SDL rides like this Fantasyland boat ride which will have some twist and turns like the Jungle Cruise ride have except that this one is located in the heart of Fantasyland and have a Fantasyland theme.

On the same map we can see that a Toy Story Land has been added, and that's not good news. Don't get me wrong, i don't dislike Toy Story Land, but not in a Magic Kingdom. What i specially don't like about it is the visual intrusion of the RC Racer half pipe coaster ride as well as the Parachute Drop towers. What i also don't like in TSL is that almost each time it was added to the park it was for cost reasons, to save money. It was the case of course at the WDS where a Toy Story Mania was previously envisioned exactly where TSL was finally built, and for the reasons we know about DLP they've built instead Toy Story Playland. Okay, it was also a good way for the WDS to have three new little attractions instead of one, but TSL was also costing much less money than TSM. At Hong kong Disneyland where there is a Toy Story Land too it's a bit different. Basically it seems that the HK administration wanted to add several new rides and mini lands and don't exceed a certain amount. And that's one of the reasons why the great Pirates of Caribbean land was cancelled, because the cost of it was not allowing to have others and different rides/lands. So WDI came with the Grizzly Gulch and Mystic Manor concepts and needed a third one which ended to be Toy Story Land. As i've been told a while ago that some cuts had to be done in the Shanghaî Disneyland original concept this might explain why - again for money reasons - Toy Story Land has been added. TSL is very successful everywhere it's built, that's not the problem, but i still think it doesn't have its place in a Magic Kingdom.

It's not enough clear on the SDL map to be sure but on the left of Fantasyland, behind the castle, i think that the building on the very left, close to TSL, might be the one for Peter Pan's Flight as i know the ride will be at SDL. Would WDI Imagineers have the good die ago create an "expanded" and longer version of the ride? That would be a good idea.

That said, a closer look at the Adventureland part of this SDL map reveal a huge Adventureland and what seems to be a big Pirate land too with, as we know, a new version of the POTC ride and may be, too, a POTC stunt show. Screamscape think that the pirate boats that we have seen on previous renderings located in the Adventureland lagoon might be used for this stunt show and if it's right it's not a bad idea. I don't know if you remind the free pirate stunt show which was played in front of the Treasure Island Hotel at Las vegas - in which a huge pirate ship was even sinking at the end - but if you've seen it you know that there is something good that WDI could do with a POTC stunt show located in the lagoon.

That's all for now about SDL and those of you who have never seen this Las Vegas pirate stunt show - which was not created by WDI - can discover its original version on the video below posted by gregman01.




Pictures: copyright Disney

Shanghaî Disneyland will have Unique Rides and Attractions, says Tom Staggs

Here is some interesting news about Shanghaî Disneyland! According to China Daily latest article:
"When the Shanghai Disney Resort opens in 2015, all the attractions will look amiable and adorable.
But the process that helped create them was the product of creative opinions, challenges and discussions involving many different voices and backgrounds, including leading Chinese artists and designers.

More than 500 designers, or what Disney calls "imagineers", have worked for years to create the design concept for the first Disney resort on the Chinese mainland, in the hope of making the 3.9-square-kilometer resort 100 percent Disney, but with distinctive Chinese flavors.

For these Disney imagineers, who have already designed five Disney resorts, ensuring their designs are genuinely Disney is not as much of a challenge as ensuring Chinese elements and consumer tastes are appropriately considered and incorporated.

To achieve that goal, the designers launched numerous focus groups and undertook countless field research trips to hear from audiences, and witness and experience Chinese culture firsthand. They also welcomed into their design group top Chinese creative talent to ensure Chinese participation in the project from the very beginning.

During a lunch at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, the Shanghai Disney Resort's creative head, Bob Weis, and three LA-based Chinese imagineers shared with China Daily some of the exciting stories about their work on the Shanghai project.

According to Weis, many of the designers involved with the Shanghai resort have visited China multiple times to experience Chinese culture, and have incorporated elements into their work and discussed improvements with colleagues. Every design in the Shanghai Disney Resort is subject to critical review and debate. "We encourage the exchange of ideas so we can select the best concepts while recognizing there are no stupid ideas," he said.

One of the most debated designs has been of the main castle, the centerpiece of every Disney resort. To ensure a perfect castle for the Shanghai theme park, the team pinned many drafts on a giant wall to solicit opinions from visitors and partners. Lead castle designer Doris Woodward, a senior director and producer who traces her family background to Shanghai, said Shanghai's castle will be the biggest among Disney's castles worldwide. Instead of being home to any single princess, the castle in Shanghai will be home to all of Disney's princesses, including Snow White and Pocahontas.

Beijing-born and raised Yu Xuan, one of the LA-based imagineers, is in charge of organizing creative design focus groups and the immersive trips across China. "We get ideas of what Chinese audiences want through questionnaires and face-to-face interviews with thousands of people in many cities. One key thing we have found is that they all want to take away from their Shanghai Disney Resort experience a collective memory that can be shared among family members throughout their entire lives," she said.

Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said some of the designs in the Shanghai park have been pinned down but some are still up for modification. Designs will be constantly improved and refined during the development phase and visitors will be "surprised" when they enter the park at the end of 2015, he said. He added that the Shanghai park will also feature plenty of rides and attractions, many of which are newly designed and cannot be found at other Disney theme parks.

Text: copyright China Daily

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Shanghai Disneyland Update : New Artwork, Latest News, and more

Here is a new Shanghaî Disneyland update and those who are desperately waiting for new SDL artwork are going to be happy today as i've found new SDL artwork for you! This artwork was shown in a special tribute to Bob Iger organized by the National Committee of U.S - China relations and the video was posted on Youtube last October. Although these images are six months old - it means that it happened after the D23 Expo where Disney didn't show a lot about the SDL project - my guess is that the artwork shown in the video presented to the committee is the good one - i mean that Shanghaî Disneyland will probably look like this.

I did my best to enhance the screen captures, but the images are still not perfectly sharp due to the low definition in the original video. That said, on the first artwork above, a new bird-eye view of the park, we can see a bit more clearly and you'll notice instantly the Skull Rock on the right, in Adventureland. It seems - but not 100% sure - that a boat is falling from it, which in this case would confirm that the Pirates of Caribbean version envisioned for HKDL by Imagineers Tim Delaney and Tom Morris would be built at SDL. On the left, the huge futuristic building in Tomorrowland is supposed to be the one for the TRON motor-bike coaster attraction that we've talked about previously, and even if Fantasyland located behind SDL castle is not sharp enough to see clearly what-is-what you'll note on the right of the castle the expected maze.

One of the most interesting thing is SDL entrance which will have a spectacular architecture and apparently the part between the entrance and SDL "central plaza" will be totally indoor. By the way, the big dome on the top of it reminds me the one on the top of Paris Grand Palais where you have also a very famous stained glass dome. it seems there is some reminiscences of art nouveau style, too, but again, it's hard to be sure because of the medium-res of the rendering.



That said, when SDL guests will exit they will arrive on SDL "central plaza" as i've said (even if it might be called differently) and in front of the castle. On this next rendering we can see on the left and the right of the indoor building exit different kind of building architectures, perhaps paying tribute to different countries architectures from all over the world - it looks like. In the garden we find back the expected Dumbo ride, Carousels and small chinese pavilions, but you'll note also that the water parts should probably allow SDL to have a fountain show in the future if they wish - at least they have more water in front of the castle than we have at DLP!



Strangely the artwork below related to the WDS Ratatouille attraction was also shown in the video. Would it mean that the Ratatouille ride will come at SDL - or may be only a "Gusteau" restaurant? We'll have to wait to know the answer!



Today was also the day for fresh - and good - news from Shanghaî Disneyland as works on the SDL site are apparently "speeding ahead". A SDL press conference apparently just happened and you'll have more details below coming from CriEnglish.com as well as a video. Also, Bob Weis, SDL Main show producer revealed on his site that Bob Iger was in China very recently - apparently in the last days - to meet chinese officials. You can see Iger on a video HERE discussing with a chinese official whom i don't know the name, but apparently an important one if i can judge by the attitude of Iger towards the official , and the reception room was pure classic chinese nomenklatura decor! As i don't understand chinese i can't tell you what they were talking about (but if one of my reader do please let us know) or why Iger was there but obviously it seems that it was for something important.

O-Kay, here are the latest news about SDL from the press conference:

"Builders will soon start constructing the infrastructure of the much-anticipated Shanghai Disney Resort, after preparations on the ground formation work were completed, attendees of a ceremony held at the site on Thursday were told.

Bill Ernest, president and managing director of Disney Parks and Resort Asia, praised the ground work by the project's Chinese partner -- Shanghai Shendi Group -- and the support from the Shanghai municipal government, at the build site hand-over event.

"We are incredibly excited to begin building the resort and to develop a world-class family vacation destination in Shanghai," he said.

Ernest promised construction of hotels will start later this year, with developers studying Chinese culture in order to add local elements to Disney's latest attraction.

"We are talking a lot about 'authentic Disney, unique Chinese.' We are really working hard to incorporate it in the overall design story," he said.

The Disney chief disclosed that Shanghai Disneyland is likely to celebrate local events like Mid-Autumn Festival. Visitors will also see food, snacks and souvenirs with local elements in the park.

Intended to open at the end of 2015, the resort will initially be comprised of Shanghai Disneyland, a Magic-Kingdom-style park as well as two themed hotels, a large retail, dining and entertainment venue, recreational facilities, a lake and parking and transportation hubs.

Covering an area of 1.16 square km, the theme park inside the 3.9-sq-km Shanghai Disney Resort will be the world's sixth Disney amusement park and the first on the Chinese mainland. It will also be the third of its kind in Asia, after the company's theme parks in Tokyo and Hong Kong.

During preparation work over the past year, the Shendi Group adopted cutting-edge vacuum preloading technology to level and consolidate the ground formation to prevent from it subsiding in the coastal site.

Howard Brown, senior vice president overseeing development of the Shanghai Disney Resort, said the soil formation project is the largest ever undertaken anywhere.

Builders are now working on road network construction, as well as the site's central lake and perimeter canal.

The ground-breaking of the Shanghai Disney Resort project started on April 8 last year. Robert Iger, president and CEO of the Walt Disney Company, has promised the park's signature castle will be the biggest and tallest of all those in the world's Disney theme parks.

The resort is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Co. and Shanghai Shendi Group, with Shendi holding 57 percent of the shares and Disney the remaining 43 percent."

And, as there is nothing better than the real thing, here is the video of this SDL press conference, part in english, part in chinese. If the video don't appear below please go on the new Theme Park Guy board HERE.

Picture: copyright Disney

SDL News Text: copyright CriEnglish.com

Cracking the Shanghaî Disneyland Case

Sam Wilson is a huge Imagineering fan and a faithful Disney and more reader since i've started the site. Recently he has created his own site and yesterday he did a great article about Shanghaî Disneyland.

For the reasons we know WDI don't disclose any infos about SDL rides - mostly because Disney want to avoid SDL ideas to be stolen by other chinese theme parks - but this lack of infos didn't stopped Sam Wilson to try to crack the Shanghai Disneyland case. So, after analyzing all the infos available on different sites like Screamscape or Blue Sky Disney as well as official renderings or the SDL model displayed at D23 he did this very first Shanghaî Disneyland map that you can see below - click on it to see it in larger size.



You will read in Sam article how he did to create this map. Is he right? He probably is for some of the rides and may be not on others but that's not the problem as SDL won't open before three or four years and some of WDI choices might change. Also, in his article Sam is saying that SDL Tomorrowland might have a People Mover. It would be a good idea and we'll see if it will be the case or not but recently i've found this picture shot during an Imagineering presentation at the last D23 Expo. This rendering was apparently done for a new People Mover ride at Disneyland Anaheim, so there is no relation with SDL. Still, it's an interesting artwork as if you have a closer look to it you'll see that this new People Mover had a totally new ride system. In fact you can see that riders are sit on a platform attached to a robotic arm which obviously have the ability to move in all directions while also moving all around Tomorrowland.



What was probably envision here was to use the Kuka robot arm technology, the one that Universal used in the Harry Potter land E-Ticket ride. Universal succeeded to have an exclusivity on the use of the Kuka robot arm technology in theme park rides for the next ten years, but if i remember it well they only have this exclusivity for the U.S. Which means that Disney might be free to use this People Mover / Kuka arm idea for other theme parks, and why not at Shanghaî Disneyland? To be honest i don't think they will use it at SDL as they probably wouldn't have shown the artwork at D23 if they were planning to include this ride at Shanghaî Disneyland.

Now, to come back to SDL and Sam's map i suppose that you're interested to learn how Sam did it and how he put all the infos together to create this great map, so it's time to jump to Sam Wilson's article on his site to learn more about Shanghaî Disneyland secrets! It's right HERE.

Picture: copyright Disney

Map: copyright Sam Wilson

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