It’s Disney’s most problematic park. Located directly next to a medical internment camp (that could be worse in the future), Hong Kong Disneyland is landlocked and lowly attended. It’s often been closed for government policy reasons. Still, Disney is pouring vast amounts of money into it.
You have to give it to Robert Iger and his cronies. When it comes to China, the man just won’t give up. He’s put Disney in such a bind in so many ways, but still they pursue China even as other major entertainment companies recognize it’s time to pull up their tent and move elsewhere. But for The Walt Disney Company, their decisions have suddenly become the absolute reverse. They’ve installed a very pro-China Chairman of the Board, put pro-China Iger back in charge, and they’ve been pushing hard to get back into China box offices. Now, they’re ramping up focus on expansion projects at Disney Park additions at Chinese resorts which were once viewed as risky and final investments for the foreseeable future.
Here’s the latest from Disney Parks on a ludicrously expensive expansion coming to Hong Kong Disneyland:
Everyone dreams of stepping into the realm of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Frozen” – and that dream will soon come true with the world’s first Frozen-themed land debuting at Hong Kong Disneyland in the second half of 2023. World of Frozen prides itself as the park’s largest expansion and the world’s first Frozen-themed land that will be home to two new attractions, namely Frozen Ever After and the first-of-its-kind Frozen-themed family-friendly roller coaster Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs, a quick-service restaurant and other merchandise outlets. As The Walt Disney Company turns 100, I can’t help but feel pride in being an Imagineer — bringing so many cherished stories that have become an integral part of people’s lives, such as “Frozen,” to life.
“In this time of happily-ever-after, peace and prosperity have returned to the kingdom of Arendelle, guests are invited from near and far to take part in this joyous celebration on Summer Snow Day,” said Michel Den Dulk, Executive Creative Director for Walt Disney Imagineering.
At the recent Hong Kong Disneyland FanFest event, I had the honor to reveal a series of site construction updates including the first global reveal of our Elsa Audio-Animatronics figure to the world.
The World of Frozen project team has taken immersive storytelling to the next level. In the drone video of the construction site, you can see the entire themed land is a recreation of the kingdom of Arendelle drawing upon the natural landscape of Lantau Mountain behind Hong Kong Disneyland as a backdrop. In creating World of Frozen, we have the vision of making this land a living and authentic Arendelle where guests can step into the cinematic scenes from the “Frozen” movies. We recreated iconic landmarks of Arendelle that will instantly resonate with the fans of “Frozen” and all guests alike.
As you can see from the drone video, the construction of the Arendelle village is almost completed – the clock tower, Elsa’s Ice Palace sitting atop the North Mountain and Arendelle Castle – all have set the scene for World of Frozen to come alive.
Our innovations make our storytelling better – richer, more immersive, and forever memorable to guests and consumers around the world. At the Frozen Ever After attraction, guests will have the opportunity to step into the world of Arendelle like never before and interact with the stunning, real-life scale Audio-Animatronics figures of our beloved “Frozen” characters as they embark on a whimsical journey. It’s been wonderful collaborating with Walt Disney Animation Studios to ensure that every detail of these characters – such as costumes and performances – feels like they’ve stepped right out of the movie.
I’m so proud of how our team pushed the boundaries to enhance the technology of the Audio-Animatronics figures as we bring this new attraction to Hong Kong Disneyland. Our figure of Elsa takes Audio-Animatronics technology to a whole new level. When you see Elsa performing her signature song “Let It Go,” her facial expressions and body movements will bring her to life like never before.
Stay tuned into Hong Kong Disneyland on social as we patiently await the next #FirstLookfromHKDL as Imagineers continue to create the World of Frozen for Hong Kong Disneyland, debuting in the second half of this year.
I’m not sure the strategy on spending more on a far more impressive Elsa animatronic… but apparently Disney’s most profitable resort (Disney World) gets second-class figures compared to Hong Kong where Disney can lose the park at any moment, it has terrible attendance, and the majority of the assets are owned by China. But hey, you do you, Disney.
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