Disneyland Abu Dhabi has been making global headlines ever since Bob Iger announced it as Disney’s first park in the Middle East alongside the Miral company. But behind the glittering promise of a new Disney destination lies a reality that many fans may find startling: this isn’t really Disney’s project.
According to a deeply reported piece by Caroline Reid at Forbes, Abu Dhabi’s Miral is firmly in the driver’s seat.
The drone show announcing the Disney Abu Dhabi theme park – Photo Credit: Miral
For the first time in history, Disney is lending its name, characters, and design expertise to become one piece of a larger, multi-IP resort portfolio where Disney does not dominate.
Similar to Tokyo Disneyland, the comapny is not leading, building, or even running the park. That responsibility falls to Miral, the Emirati leisure powerhouse that has already transformed Yas Island into one of the world’s premier theme park destinations.
Why Abu Dhabi, Not Saudi Arabia?
Reid reminds readers that Disney had no shortage of suitors in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia, famous for paying whatever it takes to lure global brands, made an aggressive pitch. Disney declined. When Iger was asked why, he highlighted Abu Dhabi’s catchment area of 500 million people, modern infrastructure, meticulous city planning, and cultural institutions like the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the upcoming Guggenheim.
The Train Station at Main Street USA
All of those are valid points. But as Reid observes, those same factors could be said of Dubai, Qatar, or even Saudi Arabia. The real difference? Abu Dhabi already had Miral.
Miral’s Track Record Outshines Rivals
If there’s one thing that persuaded Disney, it’s Miral’s proven ability to deliver world-class parks. As Reid explains, the company has already built Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, and SeaWorld Yas Island. These aren’t cheap knock-offs — they are indoor marvels that thrive in the Gulf heat, renowned for their immersive theming and spotless operations.
The Dapper Dans on Main Street USA in Walt Disney World – Photo Credit: That Park Place
Reid writes that Miral’s parks “stand toe to toe with the very best from Disney and Universal,” and in some respects surpass them. SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, for instance, “aces every other SeaWorld outpost and blows Disney’s own Living Seas pavilion in Orlando out of the water.”
In other words: Miral didn’t need Disney to teach it how to run a resort. Disney needed Miral to prove its brand could thrive in the Middle East.
The Disney Veterans Now Building for Miral
Unlike Paris, Shanghai, or Hong Kong, where Disney retained some operational oversight, Abu Dhabi’s project is staffed by Disney veterans who now work directly for Miral.
Reid highlights Julien Kauffmann, once Disneyland Paris’ Chief Transformation Officer, now CEO of Miral Experiences. Nicolas Gougenheim, who spent 14 years with Disney, oversees retail, food and beverage, and ride maintenance for Miral.
Cinderella Castle in Walt Disney World – Photo Credit: That Park Place
And then there’s John Rowland, a 20-year theater veteran who previously worked for Cameron Mackintosh and Disney Theatrical. At Miral, he is now responsible for overseeing entertainment across Yas Island’s properties. On his LinkedIn profile, Rowland makes the connection explicit: he leads “the creative development and production delivery of world-class entertainment across… Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, SeaWorld Yas Island, and the highly anticipated Disney Abu Dhabi.”
That’s as conclusive as it gets. Miral is not just hosting a Disney park. Its people — many of them ex-Disney — are developing, staffing, and executing the guest experience themselves.
WDI Reduced to Contractor Status
Traditionally, Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) has called the shots in park development. They decide scope, size, and creative direction. But as Reid points out, Abu Dhabi flips that model on its head.
“Although WDI is in charge of this at all of Disney’s parks, in Abu Dhabi and Tokyo it is working for a paying client rather than calling the shots,” she explains. That means Miral decides the location, the specifications, and the masterplan. Disney simply delivers the design it’s contracted to provide.
Spaceship Earth in EPCOT at Walt Disney World – Photo Credit: Marvin Montanaro
In Paris, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, Disney had ownership stakes and board representation. In Abu Dhabi, it has none of that. It is Miral’s park, with Disney’s name.
The Only Precedent: Tokyo Disneyland
The only comparable model in Disney’s portfolio is Tokyo Disneyland, owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company (OLC). But even there, Disney maintains a close and long-standing partnership, with deep financial benefits tied to OLC’s performance.
The Tree of Life in Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World – Photo Credit M. Montanaro
Abu Dhabi is different. Miral already operates competing brands — Warner Bros., SeaWorld, Ferrari — all side by side. Disney is not getting a resort to itself. Instead, Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be just one tile in Miral’s mosaic of attractions. That has never happened before in Disney history.
Al Zaabi: The Man in Charge
Central to this story is Mohamed Al Zaabi, Miral’s CEO. Reid describes him as a passionate operator who personally tours the parks, speaking with guests and directing improvements. When he noticed a young girl crying because she couldn’t ride the high-thrill coaster Flying Aces, he immediately instructed his team to create a family-friendly roller coaster. Today, it’s one of Ferrari World’s most successful areas.
That anecdote highlights why Miral is trusted to lead: Al Zaabi is to Yas Island what Walt Disney once was to Anaheim — a visible, engaged presence who obsesses over details and guest satisfaction.
A Disney Park Among Rivals
Perhaps the most shocking part of this story is that Disneyland Abu Dhabi won’t stand alone. It will share space with Warner Bros. World, Ferrari World, and SeaWorld — all Miral-run parks.
Disney has never before allowed its brand to be part of a “resort lineup” dominated by rivals. That alone proves the scale of Disney’s concession to Miral.
Conclusion – Miral’s Magic, Disney’s Name
Caroline Reid’s reporting makes one thing abundantly clear: Disneyland Abu Dhabi is not a Disney-led park. It is Miral’s project, from financing and construction to staffing and day-to-day operations.
Disney will still supply its IP, its characters, and the design genius of Imagineering — but only as a vendor. Miral is the client, Miral makes the calls, and Miral will own and run the resort.
Cinderella Castle in Walt Disney World at Dusk looking into Liberty Square – Photo Credit: M. Montanaro
For fans expecting another Orlando or Anaheim, this may come as a surprise. But for Abu Dhabi, it’s a validation of Miral’s meteoric rise. The company has already proven it can build theme parks that rival the best of Disney and Universal. Now it will prove it can build a Disney park itself.
Disneyland Abu Dhabi may carry the Mouse’s name, but the steering wheel belongs to Miral.
How do you feel about Disney and its relationship with Miral in Abu Dhabi? Sound off in the comments below and let us know!
Also Miral’s MONEY, which is what Disney needs to make up for the disasters now and down the road in Orlando.