Hong Kong Disneyland Starts Construction on Multi-Year Expansion

Hong Kong Disneyland starts construction of multi-year expansion and soon you’ll be able to step into the storytelling world of Frozen, Marvel and more like never before at Hong Kong Disneyland! "Today’s special moment marks the start of six years full of exciting new attractions and entertainment, with experiences opening almost every year through 2023. This comes on the heels of several amazing additions to the resort this year, including the opening of Iron Man Experience and Disney Explorers Lodge."



In case you missed it, we previously shared that we’re opening two new immersive areas themed to the incredibly popular Frozen and Marvel brands. Both will include exciting attractions that transport you into your favorite stories and bring you face-to-face with some of your favorite characters. We’re excited to share that the thrilling new Marvel attraction will feature Ant-Man, The Wasp and S.H.I.E.L.D. Check the opening dates on the map above.









We’ll also open a new entertainment venue in Adventureland which will feature lively entertainment with the newest heroine from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Moana. To top it off, we’re transforming the castle to pay tribute to all of the Disney princesses, and we’re creating new daytime and nighttime entertainment to showcase the incredible new backdrop.



 It’s all coming to Hong Kong Disneyland starting next year, in 2018, with the opening of a Moana-themed stage show and the Marvel Ant-Mann ride where was before ether Buzz Lightyear ride!






Pictures: copyright Disney

Hong Kong’s Legislative Council Approves Hong Kong Disneyland Expansion Funding for $1.4 Billion!

Great news to start the day as Hong Kong’s Legislative Council approved the  funding for $1.4 Billion of Hong Kong Disneyland Expansion!

From Variety: "Hong Kong’s Legislative Council has approved the government plans to co-finance the $1.4 billion (HK$10.9 billion) expansion of the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park.

The expansion plan was proposed in November last year, but came under increasing fire from lawmakers who challenged it in finance committee and other council sessions. After months of procedural delays, LegCo today approved it by 30 votes to 24.

Lawmakers became hostile to the spending plans due to a combination of the park’s losses last year and publicity about Walt Disney’s continuing to receive management fees despite the facility’s poor performance.

In March, Disney offered to equally split the cost of the expansion, despite being the minority owner. It also offered to waive variable management fees for two financial years. In return, the government’s ownership stake will fall from 53% to 52%, while Disney’s will increase from 47% to 48%.

“We have gone through a lot of analysis. We have also pushed very hard in the negotiation. We believe that this package is really the best package that we can achieve,” said Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Gregory So.

“Hong Kong Disneyland Resort’s multi-year expansion that will leverage some of the most popular stories of the Disney brand including Marvel and ‘Frozen’,” said Samuel Lau, executive VP and managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort."

Basically, it means that everything on the rendering below, including the new castle, will be build between 2018 and 2023. The new HKDL castle will "open" in 2019 ( picture on top ).


But before, in 2018 HKDL guests will be able to enjoy a new Marvel attraction at Tomorrowland in the building where is now the Buzz Lightyear ride - which will become an "extinct" attraction. The ride will apparently use the same Omnimover vehicle and guests will meet different Marvel super heroes, including Ant-Man...




 Also opening in 2018, Adventureland show place with a Moana show.



 In 2019 it will be the  inauguration of the new castle, as i've said, and in 2020 a big "Frozen" themed land will open in the back of Fantasyland!





Last but not least, in 2023 a major Marvel "Avengers" E-Ticket attraction will open in Tomorrowland, build where is currently the track of Utopia, which is now closed.



This is great news for Disney Parks fans, may be a bit less for Hong Kong taxpayers as more than 50% of this $1.4 Billion expansion will be financed by Hong Kong government - so with the money of Hong Kong tax payers - but we'll see what the future will tell!

Pictures: copyright Disney

Hong Kong Disneyland Expansion is Far to Be a Done Deal, and Here is Why

Remember when Disney announced the expansion and all the new attractions coming to Hong Kong Disneyland - including a new castle, a Frozen land a a big Marvel area in Tomorrowland  - last November, and how exciting you were? Well, not so fast as it's far to be done deal. All this would come at a cost of HK$10 Billion and because Disney owns only 47% of HKDL and the Hong Kong Government 57%, it means that Hong Kong tax payers will pay 57% of this HK$10 Billion amount and Hong Kong lawmakers are outraged about this, specially because the expansion comes after the park’s first descent into the red in five years and large-scale layoffs earlier this year. HKDL lost a total of HK$148 million last year, while the number of visitors dropped 9.3 per cent. Let's have a look at all this in more details with excerpts below of SCMP articles and renderings of the proposed expansion, which are in big size so they may take some time to appear on the page.

"Even before the world’s smallest Disneyland officially opened in Hong Kong on September 12, 2005, there were plans for the theme park to eventually expand. After 11 years of operation, a major new facelift has been announced. While the need for further development is beyond doubt, the question is how to go about it. With a price tag of HK$10.9 billion – more than half of which is to come from the public coffers – taxpayers have to be fully convinced that the investment will be worthwhile.

The figures provided by Disney and the government appear to be reassuring. The number of attractions will increase from 110 to 130 between 2018 and 2023. Visitor numbers are expected to grow from 6.8 million last year to 9.5 million by 2025. Up to 8,000 jobs will be created across the tourism industry following the upgrade. The total economic benefit could reach HK$41.6 billion over a 40-year period.

Only time will tell whether the numbers are correct. If history is any guide, officials tend to be overly optimistic. During the early years, the theme park was struggling to meet some its business targets. It fell into the red again earlier this year, and some staff had to be laid off. The future is further clouded by competition from its Shanghai counterpart, which has just announced an ambitious expansion plan of its own just months after its opening in June. Its impact and that of other theme parks in the region on Hong Kong Disneyland cannot be ignored.

As the major shareholder in the venture, the government has a role to play in the expansion. But the public is also entitled to ask whether there are alternative financial arrangements. In the previous expansion, the government contributed its part through converting an old loan into equity in Hong Kong Disneyland, effectively sparing taxpayers from committing new capital. This time, the government is to ask the Legislative Council to approve an injection of HK$5.8 billion.

The funding request will no doubt be carefully scrutinised by Legco. This is, after all, the constitutional duty of lawmakers. While officials can expect a tough sell, it should not become ammunition for filibustering in the legislature."

"Commerce Minister Greg So Kam-leung played down concerns about the difficulty in securing funding from a deeply divided legislature, insisting it was “the right time” to expand for the sake of long-term tourism development. So urged lawmakers to look at the “big ­picture” and approve the spending of public money. The capital injection by the government for the expansion and development plan will be capped at HK$5.8 billion,” he said. “[Disney] is confident that the works will be completed within budget.”

Disney will brief lawmakers on Monday in an attempt to lobby enough support for the funding. Holden Chow Ho-ding, vice-chairman of the pro-establishment DAB party expressed support for the expansion, ­expecting it to attract more ­tourists to the city, but the pan-democrats raised concerns.

“The attractiveness of the park is not as good as before, and it will face competition with Shanghai opening a new Disney Park. Its competitiveness is lower than Ocean Park,” lawmaker Wu Chi-wai said, doubting whether new attractions would improve the park’s operational situation. The Civic Party’s Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu was concerned that ­Disneyland might feel the pressure to increase its admission fees in the future, resulting in fewer ­locals visiting the park."



As you see, lot of debates about HKDL expansion and considering the amount to be spent it's understandable. Some like Peter Kamerrer - full article HERE - are going as far as saying that "it’s time that the government admitted the venture is a failure, and put the precious land it occupies to better use" and ask to "scrap loss-making Hong Kong Disneyland and put public housing on the site instead":

"Not only has it turned a profit only three times in its 12 years, but falling attendance numbers also seem to indicate it’s not going back into the black any time soon. Logic says that, given the theme park takes up 126 hectares and Hong Kong’s severe housing shortage is due to a lack of useable land, the natural conclusion is that it should be knocked down to make way for public flats. 

This is an idea that has also been floated for the Hong Kong Golf Club at Fanling, which has an area of 170 hectares. Hong Kong could build housing for 120,000 people in such as space, using a calculation of 705 people per hectare. The Disneyland site could provide for a further 89,000. The combined figure of 209,000 is a good chunk of the one million people the government has projected will need somewhere to live in the coming three decades. Most pressing is reducing the average four-year-and-eight-month wait for applicants for public housing."Most pressing is reducing the average four-year-and-eight-month wait for applicants for public housing."




But the situation is now getting worse in Hong Kong as the "City wants a new deal with Disney because Hong Kong Disneyland sends billions of dollars back to US parent company while reporting losses - Hong Kong Lawmakers told that HKDL needs to pay between 5 and 10 per cent of its revenue to its US parent as royalties every year, meaning a possible HK$3.37 billion since 2009"

"The government – the biggest shareholder in Hong Kong Disneyland – has been urged to renegotiate what critics call an “unfair treaty” with Walt Disney after it was revealed for the first time that the theme park needs to pay between 5 and 10 per cent of its revenue to its American parent as royalties every year. This means the Lantau-based park could have paid between HK$1.68 and HK$3.37 billion to the California-based conglomerate since it started releasing financial figures in 2009, the Post has calculated – despite recording losses in eight of its 11 years.

The Hong Kong government, which holds 53 per cent of the park’s shares, was pressed by lawmakers last month to disclose details of its financial agreement with Walt Disney – especially the amount of royalties and management fees paid. The request was made as part of a government bid to obtain approval for a HK$5.8 billion funding application for a six-year expansion project at the park.

“The royalty rate charged by the Walt Disney Company on Disney resorts outside the United States is largely the same at 5 to 10 per cent of revenues,” according to a Legislative Council paper submitted by the government. Tourism Commissioner Cathy Chu Man-ling told members of Legco’s economic development panel on Monday that the terms the city got were not “inferior” to those for Disney resorts elsewhere.




According to a report by Reuters in 2015, about 10 per cent of annual revenue from Paris Disneyland’s operator is taken up by such fees, while the figure for Tokyo Disneyland was 7 per cent. Simon Lee Siu-po, assistant dean of undergraduate studies at Chinese University’s business school, said the amount was “reasonable”, but the government could have been in a stronger position when negotiating the deal in the first place.

However, some lawmakers were not convinced. They passed a non-binding motion put forward by Michael Tien Puk-sun, a pro-estabilishment member who threatened to veto the park’s funding application if better terms were not guaranteed. The motion urged the government to renegotiate its financial arrangements with Walt Disney, including the possibility of exempting management fees and royalties for an appropriate period, as well as excluding interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation in calculating the fees. Tien said the motion was meant to improve the financial position of the park and was in the best interests of taxpayers."

As you can see, the HKDL expansion is far to be a done deal and i have the feeling that HK lawmakers won't give any approval before Disney accepts to reduce its royalties fee. For sure D&M will follow the case and will let you know what happen at the end in a near future!

Original full articles of the South China Morning Post are HERE, HERE and HERE.

Pictures: copyright Disney

What's Next for Hong Kong Disneyland ? All About Mystic Manor, Opening Spring 2013 !

After Grizzly Gulch, what's next for Hong Kong Disneyland? Mystic Point and the highly awaited Mystic Manor attraction will be the next to open at HKDL in 2013. How will it be? What is the storyline of the Mystic Manor ride? In this great article posted previously you will find all the answers with WDI original artwork, and the good news is that the ride will be almost identical as it was unveiled at D23 Expo three years ago.

That said, you may have heard some months ago rumors of major changes in the Mystic Manor ride, including that the trackless vehicle system was cancelled, but apparently it still will be part of the ride. If we except the "toonified" style for Henry and Albert, the ride two main characters, some of the figures have also changed their appearance, such as the Lava God in the Tribal Room which apparently had some changes to don't look too "human". But as i've said the ride system is still there and is now in place and all the works could be finished next fall. The opening date of the ride is still scheduled for spring 2013.

Soooo, Mystic Point will be the last of the three new lands to open at HKDL and when Mystic Manor will open it will be probably an "instant classic" attraction. Before i go further i want to warn you that there will be major spoilers all along the article. If you don't want to know anything about the storyline, this is definitely not the right article! Also, click on each pictures to see them in big and explore details.

In the story line that WDI Imagineers imagined, the Manor owner is an explorer called Lord Henry Mystic, a member of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. If you remember well, Harrison Hightower III, the owner of the Hightower building at Tokyo Disney Sea - i.e the Tower of Terror - was also part of the same society. At HKDL action is supposed to be in 1908 and Lord Mystic is still alive and exploring the world. He is inviting us to this remote outpost in the Jungle. Mystic has a friendly companion, a monkey called Albert.



In the first scene above Henry Mystic will appear and warn us that a new artifact - a box - that he just bring back from one of his expeditions is supposedly enchanted and must be open very carefully.

We will then enter the loading room and board in the attraction vehicles which, let's remember it, are not omnimovers like in the Haunted Mansion and will be able to move in any directions or even spin.



Albert the monkey is intrigued by the box and will try to open it. And when he does, just like the box of "Pandora", the forces inside the box will be unleashed. A mysterious smoke will get out of it and will start to take over the different rooms. All the artifacts that guests will see in all the rooms will suddenly and magically come to life.



Inside the next room - the Music room - music instruments will start to come to life. I won't be surprised if we find in this room some Haunted Mansion effects - remember the piano who play by itself in the doors corridor?



The Greco-Roman Mediterranean room will be the next one, and statues or paintings will suddenly be alive. Here too, Imagineers can use improved Haunted Mansion effects, and we should probably have audio-animatronics for the "live" statues.



In the next room, the "Nordic Chamber" , expect a cold temperature when the Vikings will come alive!



Scene seven, "The Armory", should be more frightening with suits of armors coming alive - hi again to another Haunted Mansion effect - arms trying to chop towards us and even canons will blast at us, allowing the Imagineers to take advantage of the spin motion of the ride vehicle that will spin away like if we've been hit for real. When i look at the blast effect in the rendering it reminds me the "ring of smoke" effect used in the Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull attraction at Tokyo Disney Sea, and i won't be surprised if they use the same effect for the canon blast.



Egyptian Mummy lovers should be delight with the next room - the Egyptian room - where we can expect mummies coming alive and interesting special effects on the Egyptians bas-reliefs.



The next scene is called "The Tribal Room" and there is two renderings for it. The first one below is not only a dramatic scene with the "lava" statue but is also interesting on other points. If you look at the left of the artwork you will see a Tiki room tribute with not only Tikis masks but also a Tiki drummer , exactly the same one that we can see in the Disneyland beloved attraction. If you look at the right part of the artwork you'll see other tribal masks who obviously are throwing darts. i bet you that Imagineers will use the same effect used in Indiana Jones Adventure when you go through the "dart" room, just before the scene with the huge rolling ball.



The second rendering seems to confirm what i've just said - but Albert the monkey have more difficulties to escape the darts and arrows...



In scene 10 - the Chinese room - a monkey king statue which stands in its center will come alive and create a turbulent vortex, like a tornado. Four vehicles will join together and, due to the tornado wind effect, will begin to spin in an amazing choreography. At this point Albert the monkey understand that if he doesn't stop all this hell he will be in trouble forever...



In the final scene Albert will try desperately to close the enchanted box. Of course, at the last second he will succeed and bring everything back down to normal. Right after that, Lord Henry Mystic will pop up and say "Hi everybody, i hope you enjoyed your trip, i'm sure there was no problem with any of the artifacts and that everything is fine. Please come back and visit again when you're in the neighborhood!".



Looks like an instant classic attraction, doesn't it? Personally, i can't wait for its opening which unfortunately seems to be schedule for 2013.



Let's have a look at other Mystic Manor artwork and model pictures beginning by the ride vehicle design researchs.









































Let's end with two more pictures with the "big" model of Mystic Manor.





The story line of the attraction as described above is coming from an Imagineer video interview that you can see on Youtube HERE. The technical aspects are my own speculations.

For those of you who love WDI artwork i remind you that the Disneyland Paris "From Sketch to Reality book" which will tell you all about the creation of DLP include 250 WDI Artwork (!) and 500 pictures of the park on 320 pages. Have a look at the video below which will show you the whole book!

The book is still available either in its english or french edition and you can still enjoy a 20% discount special offer and the book is now available with an immediate shipping! Reviews from all those who have already received the book are "over the top" so, place your order now for a gorgeous collector's edition copy while the special offer on this wonderful book is still available! To know more about the book and how to order and send your payment please go HERE or use the Paypal one-click purchase button below.

Pictures: copyright Andy Castro

All artwork: copyright Disney - Disney Enterprises.