The Walt Disney’s Imagineering YouTube channel has just released it’s latest episode of “We Call It Imagineering,” looking at the Walt Disney Castles around the world. What is already catching fans attention, though, is their sneak peak of the upcoming park in Abu Dhabi. Lead Imagineer for global projects, Zach Riddley, teased a little about the upcoming park and castle centerpiece.
Imagineer Zach Riddley discusses the new Disney theme park coming to Abu Dhabi:
“One of the first decisions we made as a company was to think, we’re gonna create a castle park here, a park that’s based on our Magic Kingdom style of storytelling.
Abu Dhabi is a city on the… pic.twitter.com/vQ6LqXLI1M
— Drew Smith (@DrewDisneyDude) September 8, 2025
This has been an incredibly exciting project to get a chance to not only visit Abu Dhabi and experience what the city is like, what the culture is like, but also to imagine what a new Disney experience is going to be here. One of the first decisions we made as a company was to think, we’re going to create a castle park here, a park that’s based on our Magic Kingdom style of storytelling. We’ve shared artwork very early in terms of what we think the vision of this could be. I think that on that end, stay tuned.
Abu Dhabi is a city on the water, and so we’re really excited about being able to incorporate water for the first time in the design of our castle.
-Zach Riddley
The short snippet confirms two things the concept art has already alluded to. Imagineers are planning to make Disney Abu Dhabi’s centerpiece another castle. From the concept art, the castle looks crystalline in design, with sharp geometric shapes that flow upward around it. The story behind this castle is yet to be confirmed, but it is certainly distinctive from European architecture of such castles as Cinderella’s in Orlando and Sleeping Beauty’s in California.
Compared to the traditional castles established, Disney aims to blend its storytelling with Emirati cultural motifs and cutting‑edge technology into Abu Dhabi’s.
Additionally, Disney is planning to incorporate water into this theme park and the Abu Dhabi castle, using the location of Yas Island to explore water as part of the park’s design and storytelling.
While many in the Disney Parks community treated this as some kind of massive announcement, it was simply a reiteration of Josh D’Amaro’s comments back in May when he said: “We’ll be able to pull water in and play with it in a completely new and unique way,”
Background
The Walt Disney Company and Abu Dhabi’s Miral Group have revealed plans for a Disney theme‑park resort on Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates. It will be Disney’s first theme‑park resort in the Middle East and the seventh globally.
The drone show announcing the Disney Abu Dhabi theme park – Photo Credit: Miral
Miral will finance, develop, and operate the resort, while Walt Disney Imagineering will oversee its design and provide operational guidance. Among the Imagineering team, Zach Riddley—senior vice president of global creative strategy—has been identified as a key creative leader for the project. Riddley previously led EPCOT’s transformation at Walt Disney World, guiding projects like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
Strategic and Cultural Rationale
Disney CEO Bob Iger said the region offers favorable demand, modern infrastructure, and cultural openness. He noted that many regional visitors currently face long, costly journeys to existing Disney parks. The UAE’s strong aviation hub and projected tourism growth factored into the decision. Over 120 million passengers travel through Abu Dhabi and Dubai annually, and one‑third of the world’s population is within a four‑hour flight radius.
Josh D’Amaro in the welcome video for Disney Parks – YouTube, Wish Upon a Mouse
Disney Experiences chair Josh D’Amaro called the planned location “a new frontier,” highlighting the resort’s waterfront setting and its potential for interactive storytelling.
The park’s location on Yas Island, already home to attractions like Ferrari World, Warner Bros. World, and SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, underscores the area’s development as a major entertainment destination.
Conclusion
Under Zach Riddley’s design leadership, the Abu Dhabi project appears to be a carefully planned and technologically forward‑looking development.
It combines Disney storytelling, local architecture, and innovation. Though details remain limited and a launch is years away, the announcement continues to tease fans of a new version of storytelling to come.
What do you think Imagineers and Miral will create with this new storytelling? Let us know in the comments!
All I can say about the water features are, “I hope they’re located indoors.” I live in a desert, I work for a water department, and I can already see how *expensive* this park’s water bill will be if they keep it outside. Things are pricey for outdoor water attractions in the American Southwest in places with ample water; the UAE is even hotter and drier. I’m not familiar with the culture so IDK if there will also be any sort of backlash over using so much water for entertainment. But in every culture that’s existed in deserts there’s a reverence for the wet stuff that makes its frivolous use very unpopular.