Hong Kong Disneyland
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| Disney theme park | |
  Mickey and Minnie in summer outfits at Main Street, U.S.A. |
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| Hong Kong Disneyland | |
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| Location | Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong |
| Opening Day | September 12, 2005 |
| Resort | Hong Kong Disneyland Resort |
| Theme | Magic Kingdom |
| Website | Hong Kong Disneyland Homepage |
| Operator | Hong Kong International Theme Parks |
| Hong Kong Disneyland Resort |
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Hong Kong Disneyland |
| Resort hotels |
| Hong Kong International Theme Parks |
Hong Kong Disneyland (traditional Chinese: 香港迪士尼樂園; simplified Chinese: 香港迪士尼乐园; pinyin: Xiānggǎng Díshìnílèyuán; Cantonese Yale: heung1 gong2 dik6 si6 nei4 lok6 yun4) is the first theme park inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and is owned and managed by the Hong Kong International Theme Parks, an incorporated company jointly owned by The Walt Disney Company and the Government of Hong Kong.
The fifth Disneyland style park, the park is located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. After years of negotiations and construction, the park opened to visitors on September 12, 2005, considered an auspicious date according to Chinese almanacs for the opening of a new business. Disney attempted to avoid problems of cultural backlash by attempting to incorporate Chinese culture, customs, and traditions when designing and building the resort, including adherence to the rules of Feng Shui.
The park consists of four themed lands similar to other Disneyland parks: Main Street, U.S.A., Fantasyland, Adventureland and Tomorrowland. There is as yet no Frontierland, although it may be included in future expansion projects. The theme park's cast members use English and Chinese, including Cantonese and Mandarin dialects, to communicate verbally. Guide Maps are printed in both Traditional and Simplified characters, Japanese, and in English.
The capacity of the park is 34,000 visitors per day[1], and is the smallest Disneyland park. It has so far fallen short of meeting its targeted visitorship figures. The park attracted 5.2 million visitors in its first year, below its target of 5.6 million. Visitor numbers fell 20% in the second year to 4 million, which was below company targets,[2] inciting criticisms from local legislators.[3]
The resort currently has 310 acres (1.3 km²), with the actual park taking approximately 100 acres (0.4 km²).[4] With its small size cited often to explain its under-performance, the park has announced various plans for expansion. The classic Disney attraction, "it's a small world", opened on 28 April 2008. Furthermore, according to Bill Ernest, the executive vice president and managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland, the park is planning to add two unique theme lands in its future expansion. Over a 15 year expansion period, the park capacity will increase to handle up to 10 million visitors annually.[5]
Contents |
[edit] Dedication
| “ | To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Many years ago, Walt Disney introduced the world to enchanted realms of fantasy and adventure, yesterday and tomorrow, in a magical placed called Disneyland. Today that spirit of imagination and discovery comes to life in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Disneyland is dedicated to the young and the young at heart - with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration, and an enduring symbol of the cooperation, friendship and understanding between the people of Hong Kong and the United States of America. |
” |
Michael D Eisner and Donald Tsang, September 12, 2005
[edit] Construction
An audience of more than 400 guests celebrated the ground breaking of Hong Kong Disneyland on January 12, 2003. Those present included Tung Chee Hwa, then Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China; Michael D. Eisner, Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company; and Robert A. Iger, President of The Walt Disney Company.[6]
On September 23, 2004, a special "castle topping ceremony" was held in the park to commemorate the placing of the tallest turret on Sleeping Beauty Castle. Among those present were Tung Chee Hwa, then Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Jay Rasulo, president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts; Michael Eisner, then CEO of The Walt Disney Company; and Bob Iger, president of The Walt Disney Company, in addition to Mickey Mouse and other costumed characters. Hong Kong Disneyland had the shortest construction period among all of the Disneyland-style theme parks.
The parkadds new attractions continuously. See Future construction for more details
[edit] Themed areas
The park currently features four themed lands similar to those at other Disneyland parks: Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. The park is missing a classic land, Frontierland, but it may be built in the future.
[edit] Main Street, U.S.A.
- Animation Academy
- The Disneyland Story *
- Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad #
- Main Street Vehicle
- Turtle Talk with Crush
- Disney on Parade
- High School Musical: LIVE!
- Muppet Mobile Lab
- Mickey's WaterWorks
*Note: Opera House will be closed for renovation from May 13, 2008 until further notice
#Note: Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad will be temporarily suspended from May 19 to June 15, 2008
[edit] Adventureland
- Jungle River Cruise
- Raft to the Tarzan's Treehouse
- Tarzan's Treehouse on Tarzan Island
- Festival of the Lion King
- Liki Tikis
[edit] Fantasyland
- Mickey's PhilharMagic
- Cinderella Carousel
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Fantasy Gardens
- Fantasyland Train Station
- Mad Hatter Tea Cups
- Sleeping Beauty Castle
- Sword in the Stone
- The Golden Mickeys
- Snow White Grotto
- "it's a small world"
[edit] Tomorrowland
[edit] Characters
[edit] Main Street, U.S.A.
[edit] Adventureland
[edit] Fantasyland
- Mickey, Minnie and Goofy
- Winnie The Pooh
- Alice
- Snow White
- Princess Aurora
- Cinderella
- Prince Charming
- Belle
- Marie
- Mulan
- Mushu
- Woody
- Jessie
- Stitch
[edit] Tomorrowland
[edit] Entertainment and celebrations
The park features both a daytime parade "Disney on Parade" and "Disney in the Stars", a fireworks show, in the evening. Seasonal entertainment, such as Disney's Haunted Halloween, A Sparkling Christmas and Disney's Chinese New Year, are held in the park to celebrate main festivals.
[edit] Entertainment
- Disney on Parade
- A day-time parade which features 9 floats with famous Disney characters including Mickey and Friends, Chip 'n' Dale, Disney Princesses, Alice, Buzz Lightyear, Woody and Jessie.
- Disney's Rainy Day Express
- A parade shown on rainy days that consists of a specially design train with characters wearing brightly colored raincoats.
- High School Musical: LIVE!
- A uniquely created mobile stage-show inspired by the movie High School Musical and its sequel High School Musical 2. It will feature a troop of singers and dancers mostly from the Philippines and Hong Kong which will travel along the Main Street and sing hit songs from the movie, including "What Time Is It?" and "Get'cha Head in the Game". This is a new attraction launched on March 7, 2008 apart from the announced It's a Small World.
- Disney in the Stars
- Nightly fireworks based on a similar format used in the Fantasy in the Sky fireworks at other Disney theme parks, fireworks and pyrotechnics are co-ordinated to orchestrated classic Disney music such as "A Whole New World".
- Muppet Mobile Lab
- a free-roving, audio-animatronic entertainment implemented on a Segway platform, an interactive comedy show performed by two Muppet characters, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant, Beaker. The characters ride their two-wheeled rocket-ship/laboratory vehicle.
[edit] Seasonal entertainment
- Mickey's WaterWorks
- A summer, water-themed parade that consisted of 7 new floats, 100 performers and 30 Disney characters. Originally created for Mickey's Summer Blast celebration, Mickey's WaterWorks made its debut on July 7, 2007. The parade has now ended after the mid-2007 season. However it will be presented again throughout Summer 2008 starting from May 31, 2008.
- Glow in the Park Halloween Parade
- This parade, designed for the Haunted Halloween event, featured seven brand-new floats and over 100 cast members including eight never-before-seen characters. The parade has now ended after the Halloween event.
- 'Let it Snow' Christmas Parade
- A brand-new Christmas parade that will feature floats with Christmas decorations from Disney on Parade during the A Sparkling Christmas event from 23 November 2007 until 2 January 2008.
[edit] Park celebrations
[edit] List of past, current, and future park celebrations
| Celebration | Attractions and entertainment* | Year |
|---|---|---|
| A Magical Christmas | Tree Lighting Ceremony | 2005 |
| Magical Chinese New Year | Chinese New Year Celebration Stageshow | 2006 |
| Disney's Halloween | The Villains' Lair; and Halloween Costume Mini-Parade |
2006 |
| A Magical Christmas | Santa's Corner; and Mickey's Sing-a-long Tree Lighting |
2006 |
| Disney's Chinese New Year | Disney "Come and Celebrate" Stageshow | 2007 |
| Pirate Takeover | Captain Jack Sparrow's Pirate Boot Camp; Mirabella, the Gypsy Fortune Teller; "The Doctor of Soul" Voodoo Drum Show; Pirate Procession; and Pirate Party Nights |
2007 |
| Mickey's Summer Blast | Mickey's WaterWorks; and Stitch's Summer Blast Dance Party |
2007 |
| Disney's Haunted Halloween | Main Street Haunted Hotel; Space Mountain - Ghost Galaxy; Villain in Adventureland; and Glow in the Park Halloween Parade |
2007 |
| A Sparkling Christmas | Santa's Workshop; Ice Fantasy; 'Let it Snow' Christmas Parade; and Sparkling Castle Lights |
2007 |
| Year of the Mouse Celebration | Mickey's House; A Salute to Mickey Statues; Mickey's Rockin’ the Mouse Castle Show; Adventures in Fashion; and Rhythum of Life: Dragon Procession |
2008 |
| Mickey's Summer Blast | Turtle Talk with Crush ; and Mickey's WaterWorks |
2008 |
Note*: Festive entertainment is shown in italic
[edit] Future construction
[edit] Finished construction
The Phase 1 Extension began with three new attractions for Tomorrowland that opened in the summer of 2006. In 2007, Animation Academy and Mickey's Waterworks Parade (a water-based summer parade) are added. In 2008, High School Musical: LIVE!, Muppet Mobile Lab, Turtle Talk with Crush (Limited for Summer) and the classical attraction "it's a small world" is added.
[edit] Recent construction
Part of the Adventureland is under construction since early-May 2008. The site is next to Festival of The Lion King and Rafts to Tarzan's Treehouse. There are no related announcements about the new construction right now.
There is also remaking of attractions. Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad and Opera House is temporarily closed for renovation since mid-May 2008. It is believed both attractions will reopen in near future with a few innovations. Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad will be reopened on 16th June, 2008 whereas Opera House has no further details.
[edit] Planned construction
For short-term expansion, a new attraction called The Art of Animation is scheduled to open in Autumn or Winter 2008.. It will be a walk-through attraction that mainly shows the concepts of Disney's and Pixar's films, including some never-seen concept art.
For long-term construction, with the reclaimed land reserved for the Phase 2 Extension and the Disneyland park being blocked by the Park Promenade (a pedestrian walkway which links the MTR Disneyland Resort Station, Disneyland park and Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel), it is expected that the resort's second Disney theme park will be built on that site.
A Phase 3 Extension is also being considered by the Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong government.
[edit] Criticisms
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2007) |
[edit] Overcrowding problems
Just before the grand opening, the park was criticized for overestimating the daily capacity limit. The problem became apparent on the charity preview day on 4 September 2005, when 30,000 locals visited the park. The reported queue time for fast food stands exceeded 45 minutes and over 2 hours for rides. Before the park opened, some within the Disney Company were concerned that the park would not offer enough because of the small number of attractions present.
Although the community, and the park's biggest shareholder, the Hong Kong Government, put pressure on the park to lower the capacity, the park insisted on keeping the limit and only agreed to relieve the capacity problem by extending opening time by one hour or introducing more discounts during weekdays. However, the park said local visitors tend to stay in the park for about nine hours per visit, implying that the mentioned practices would do little to solve the problem[citation needed].
During Chinese New Year 2006, many visitors arrived at the park in the morning bearing valid tickets, but were refused entry, because the park was already at capacity. Disgruntled visitors attempted to force their way into the park or gain access by climbing over the barrier gates.[7] Disneyland management was forced to revise their ticketing policy and designated future periods close to Chinese public holidays as 'special days' during which admission would only be allowed through a date-specific ticket.
[edit] Food safety panel
Officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene department, who were asked by Disney staff to take off their badges and caps in order to enter the park, left park visitors feeling very uneasy. The officers investigated a food-poisoning case in the park's restaurants.[8] The chairman of Legco's food Safety panel, Fred Li, described the incident as shocking, and called on the director of the department to take follow-up action against Disney. Hong Kong Disneyland says what happened was inappropriate and has apologized for the incident. Secretary for Justice said that the government did not have enough evidence to make a prosecution, thus dropping the case.
[edit] Public relations
Disney initially refused to release the attendance figures after media reports surfaced saying the park's attendance numbers might be lower than expected. Disney finally relented, and declared[9] on November 24, 2005, that Disney had officially welcomed over 1 million guests during its first two months of operation.
In response to negative publicity locally and to boost visitor numbers, Hong Kong Disneyland offered $50 discounts for admission to the park to holders of Hong Kong I.D. cards in the period before Christmas in 2005. In the period from March to June 2006, the park offered holders of Hong Kong I.D. cards the opportunity to buy a two-day admission for the price of a single day.
[edit] References
- ^ Chan, Carrie (December 20, 2007). Disney ups intake for new year. Hong Kong Standard. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
- ^ Hong Kong Disneyland Fails to Hit Target
- ^ Hong Kong legislators criticize Disneyland results - International Herald Tribune
- ^ Hong Kong Disneyland Secrets and Facts General - The Disneyland Report - Disney Secrets, Rumors, and Facts!
- ^ Background information on Hong Kong Disneyland
- ^ Hong Kong Disneyland | Discover More
- ^ Fan, Maureen (November 22, 2006). Disney Culture Shock. Hong Kong Standard. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
- ^ Leung, Wendy (November 10, 2005). Wong under fire as Disney escapes action in FEHD case. Hong Kong Standard. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
- ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051124/ap_on_bi_ge/hong_kong_disneyland_2
[edit] External links
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This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters. |
[edit] Official websites
- Hong Kong Disneyland (Official Website) (Chinese & English)
- Google Maps (Satellite Image) (Latitude: 22.313 Longitude: 114.041)
[edit] Fan websites
- Dreamagic World - Fans site of HKDL providing the most updated news (Japanese)
- 神奇一刻－迪士尼迷的網站(Chinese)
- 香港主題公園博客誌（Hong Kong Theme Parks Blogazine）(Chinese)(English)
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