A Hong Kong Marvel..

The world now has an announcement for the Mouse's first marvel...

I mean Marvel.  There have been many things proposed, many thing cancelled, and many things reworked.  The first thing that could have been announced posssibly earlier this year was a Stark Expo type of experience where Innoventions now resides.  But the late purchase last year of Lucasfilm scuttled those plans in favor of something else (I bet you can guess what with).

Now, via the Wall Street Journal, we find out that China will get the first Marvel attraction: "The Iron Man Experience".  Hong Kong Disneyland precisely/specifically, that is.  The attraction seems to share parts of what was to go in Anaheim, but not all.  There have been rumors of an entire land, but budgetary issues and the economy seem to dictate that's not in the cards near term.

The ride will be built in Tomorrowland with an opening set for 2016.  It'll be a simulator thrill ride akin to Star Tours, but with newer technology.  But in less than three years the Chinese will get to enjoy Iron Man saving the Hong Kong skyline from evil foes bent on conquering the world - Asia first.  Too bad they didn't go with the Baxter Building Experience.

Well that could come later, or elsewhere...

Child Of The Mansion...

Today marks the official end of the Extreme Expansion and the opening of the final piece of it...

Mystic Manor opens today in Hong Kong Disneyland.  The attraction, which is the result of planning for the Haunted Mansion in China, is a layered hybrid of taking the lessons learned from dealing with unique cultural perceptions.  The views on ghosts in Chinese culture represented a challenge to the Imagineers designing the initial phase of the Hong Kong Chinese version of the popular attraction.  While, the ride is not officially a clone of the classic ride, there are no plans for a version of the original at the park because of the connective DNA that they share.

The guest riding the attraction since it soft opened yesterday, will travel along a mansion owned by Lord Henry Mystic, purveyor of fine antiques of his adventures around the world.  As a member of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers, he's collected a large collection of artifacts that he's set about the manor to show off to guest to his home.  The result is a "Jumanji" like experience filled with clever displays of magical mischief.  Danny Elfman's score does a great job creating the atmosphere of slightly scary, while still having a subtle tone of humor.  If you want to read more about the area, Alain's coverage of the opening over at Disney and More has excellent analysis, pics and videos.

The attraction and it's lushly themed Mystic Point is perhaps the best layered in the park.  It's narrative story is pure Disney, and this will be the first of several attractions that will hopefully give HKDL it's own identity, to separate it out from the other sibling parks.  The Imagineers have been working on several other projects that the Suits will try to present to their Chinese partners in the near future.  But don't expect anything big for the next few years as the park gets guests to experience the fruits of expansion.  There is plenty of land for more Disney themed experiences in the areas surrounding the new openings.  And right now the Imagineers are focusing further into inland China.

Shanghai is a much bigger task...

The Chinese Tale Of Grizzly Gulch...

That bear looks weird...





As Grizzly Gulch welcomes its first guest, the marketing starts to kick in...

The advertising campaign has picked up for Hong Kong Disneyland's new addition and with that, its first commercial.

Take a look at the Chinese perspective of the American Wild West. With this area complete, all eyes now focus on Mystic Point and the mysterious Mystic Manor that will open up next year.

But even after that, there is still a large amount of land for expansion...

A Very Different Magic...

When you wish upon a nation with over a billion people...







So Tom Staggs gave us a peek at what Shanghai Disneyland will look like yesterday...

At a Walt Disney Company Investor's Conference yesterday, he released the first piece official artwork of the next Magic Kingdom styled park/resort. And the Net seems to be abuzz about it. Disney and More has a post talking about something Alain and I have had conversations about over the past few months.

It will be a very different kind of a Disney Park, breaking the mold that we are used to when entering that fabled Main Street. In fact, I've stated from my contacts, there won't be a traditional Main Street like what we're used to. Alain, has gone further and states that there won't even be a Main Street. The front entrance will be a very different experience when walking into this new, magical place.

But as you see in the artwork, it's very hard to make out details. Mainly that is by design. Disney has been burned before by cheap knockoffs of things that cost great resources to design and create. So when they make that official announcement during the groundbreaking in a few months, don't expect to see a great deal of detail. The Mouse doesn't want to release a lot of artwork to only have it have a carbon copy out before their park even opens.

Now back to that park. It certainly looks like a beautiful and unusual place, doesn't it? And that castle in the background doesn't look like any we've seen before. As well, as that, there is an extremely large amount of water around and within the park. And there's a large mountain over to the right that could be an Expedition Everest, re envisioned Matterhorn or as Alain says, a version of that elaborate Pirates of the Caribbean that Hong Kong Disneyland was supposed to get. Perhaps even some of the attractions from Tokyo DisneySEA will make it over in some form.

I know a lot of people bemoan Disney Suits for not thinking out of the box and continually copying the original style that Walt created, so in this instance you might get your way with a park that looks nothing like what you expect when you go into something called Disneyland.

Developing...

Disney's Hong Kong Fu-ture...

Money makes the Mouse go around...


A lot has went under the radar lately with the Mouse's Asian exploits...

Tokyo. Hong Kong. Shanghai. Tokyo is mentioned quite often on this site, as most of you know my love of Tokyo DisneySEA. I'll talk about Shanghai Disneyland in a future post, but not much has been mentioned of the fifth anniversary of Disney's first Chinese Gate.

Hong Kong Disneyland, the fifth Magic Kingdom style park celebrated half a decade earlier in the month and although the park/resort has had financial troubles from the get go, things are starting to look up. Having missed its first year target by about a quarter of a million visitors, the next year dropped off quite a bit as the novelty of the opening wore off. Now, even though it missed the original mark, it wasn't by much, there were over five million guests that went through those turnstiles. The parks' third year saw a bump from the second year, and last year was a modest bump up from that. This year the park seems to be improving on that and if the current trend continues then the attendance will get close to the first years mark. See that trend? If the current projections continue and the park keeps attracting a loyal, and growing following, then next year will see them break through the opening year numbers. The Chinese are slowly growing to like and appreciate what the Disney experience has to offer. With all the seasonal theming and holiday layovers that the entertainment division has come up with, the public is accepting the park as a permanent part of the Hong Kong setting.

There are cultural differences and obstacles that the Mouse has had to overcome, but they're slowly making progress. Much of this progress/learning will/has been applied to Shanghai. But the future is finally looking up with more guests entering the park, and just as important: spending money on food and merchandising. The financial troubles have led the company to not take any royalties it was contractually guaranteed during the last two years. That agreement has been reworked and is now tied to park performance. And with the uptake in the crowds on Lantau Island, that means that starting next year Disney will start taking in those profits again. And as more positive news happens, more optimism grows within WDI that other projects will be approved more quickly. After all, there's a lot of expansion room still left for the first park in Hong Kong even after the Extreme Expansion of 2011-14. The area to the south of the current expansion has many possibilities as well as several areas behind and beyond Fantasyland. There are many classic Disney attractions that Imagineers would love to add and plus in that section by or around the middle of this decade. As always, time will tell. And money will be the storyteller.

Notice I said "first" park? That's because the Mouse has a couple years on its deal before construction has to begin on a Second Gate or the land across the Esplanade is free for the government of Hong Kong to use or sell to another buyer. Will they do that? Not likely. Will Disney start work/break ground on a second gate by 2013? Again, not likely. What will likely happen is a renegotiation of the terms of the deal. An extension so to speak. An announcement of a second park will be an important and integral part of the resort's future, but not until the latter part of this decade. But with the attendance going up and construction of the new lands, the news coming out of Penny Bay is finally good news for Burbank.

And that's good news for you and I as well...

Five Years Out In Hong Kong...

Five years ago today Hong Kong Disneyland opened it's first park in China...

Although a lovingly designed park with lush theming and classic Disney attractions, the park was under built, like its sister park, DCA. It wasn't as ugly as that park, but like California's Second Gate, this park lacked the magical Disney attractions that the world has come to expect. The Suits tried to pass off the castle as a homage to the original in Anaheim, instead of the real reason: the ability to not have to put any money into designing a new, original castle (a mistake that will likely not be made in Shanghai).

With the Extreme Expansion that is going on right now, HKDL will have several new features to boast to the world by late 2013/early 2014. Especially the first Chinese version of the Haunted Mansion, Mystic Manor. There are several other minor attractions and projects that are being worked on that will likely open between next year and the opening of Manor. And if the economy craws out of this hole soon enough, there will be a nice retail complex to join the resort as well. Happy Birthday, baby. It's been a difficult time, but you're looking lovelier everyday, Honk Kong Disneyland!

It's going to be an interesting 2014...

Expanding Magic...

Coming Soon...





I've been running around do X-Mas shopping and things have been somewhat hectic so I forgot to mention this...

A couple days ago Hong Kong Disneyland broke ground(in ceremony and actual) on the Extreme Expansion of the park/resort. In attendance were representatives of the Walt Disney Company, government officials, ect., including my favorite Suit, Jay Rasulo. But the good news is that our little girl is growing up. Ain't that nice?

Expect some nice surprises about HKDL next year...

The Intimate Prison...

With all the talk about the Extreme Expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland, a few things that are glaringly obvious have been missing from the discussion...

We know that over the next four years there will the addition of three attractions in HKDL, but is that going to be all of the expansion?

No, it's most likely not, but the Mouse has been relatively quite about anything beyond this. Because there are some things that are missing from the puzzle. By the time Mystic Manor opens up in 2013 there should be something else open as well. Something not mentioned in any press release.

A third Hong Kong Disney Hotel.

Unless the economy continues to sputter along, or the global marketplace suffers a worse downturn you can expect that piece of property in between the two current hotels to be open for business. Imagineers for a while now have been quietly toiling away designing another lavishly themed hotel to expand the offerings for guest who enter Disney's Fifth Magic Kingdom Gate. I've talked to a couple Bothans lately that are very pleased with the designs and although they would give away much for fear of joining Dick Cook, did tell me that the thematic layout of this luxurious hotel will definitely please Disney Fans/Geeks.

Most people know that the Hong Kong park hasn't met expectations with attendance, but not many realize that the two current hotels have had very high occupancy rates. And with the expected increase in attendance for the new two E-Tickets and C-Ticket, there is going to be an added desire to keep the guest on the resort. You don't want them coming for the day and then going home or heaven forbid, going over to Ocean Park. You'll need a new hotel to entice them to stay and spend more money. In essence, you have to create a way to keep them on that plot of land spending only on Disney. Kind of the way Walt Disney World creates all those hotels and shopping experiences that make you have little desire to venture outside it's very beautiful incarceration area. Hong Kong's plan is to do so, but obviously with less land. It'll be smaller but with the detail that Disney is widely known for. An intimate prison, so to speak... but one you'll willingly stay at.

So with an expanded area (with a whole lot of room for expansion) with three new attractions (and a possible surprise or two by 2013) and three hotels this area will still be missing something, won't it?

A Downtown Disney type retail area.

And yes, there is one in the plans, but it hasn't officially been greenlit yet, or at least it hadn't moved into that area when the Bothans last got word of it. It's still planned within the next five or so years, but it may not be open before the rest of this expansion. That doesn't mean things couldn't change, but it hasn't been the primary focus. But make no mistake about it, by the middle of the next decade there will be a shopping district lined along the walkway from the pier to the main entrance. After all, you have to give those guest a reason to not leave the resort/park/hotel. That was always the plan you know. It's just taken a while to get going, but as the next year or so rolls out you'll see more and more of it.

Over the next year or so you're going to hear more about this from the Mouse and myself and others, but remember that there is another park about to be born in the area. That may take the shine off of this park for a while, but remember that that Hong Kong will be a very important market over the next decade and the Mouse has every intention of turning this resort into a world class destination. That other park won't take away from that no matter how different and unique it will be.

But that's a story for another and later day...

Four For The Fifth...

Today, Disney's first, but not last, park in China celebrates its fourth anniversary.

Hong Kong Disneyland was opened on this day on Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. While the smallest "Magic Kingdom" style park, HKDL is richly layered in great detail(unlike DCA), Disney paid close attention to Chinese culture, customs, and traditions when building the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and followed the rules of Feng Shui in much of the park's construction so as to give the park good luck.

It didn't work, unfortunately. More so because of the lack of many E-Ticket rides than anything to do with Feng Shui. Three rides every traditional Disney theme parks has were left for future expansion... Pirates of the Caribbean (which was rejected by the Hong Kong Government), Haunted Mansion (Now known as Mystic Manor with it's own unique variation on the original) and It's A Small World which opened a year or so ago. The park is slowly making progress, but an impatient world doesn't want to wait for it to happen...

If you get the chance to go to the D23 Expo, you'll see some amazing models of the Mystic Manor and Grizzly Trail attractions (check out Disney and More's post on the HKDL Expansion). And this will expand the options that guest have at the park. This and several other things which could be announced by next year should make the park a worthy addition by the 2014/2015 timeline.

Anyway, happy birthday Hong Kong Disneyland! Here's to a great, positive future.

Progressively progressing...

Honk Kong Disney Villain...

When it comes to Hong Kong, it's sometimes hard to tell the bad guys from the bad guys...

So who is the real Disney Villain in this story? Everyone seems to be placing all the blame on the Mouse for the decision to build the children's land, Toy Story Land. Many feel this is yet another representation of the Eisner/Pressler era and the company hasn't learned from it's mistakes.

Or has it?

To be fair, Disney has done many things right and many things wrong. Several have to do with the deal it made with Hong Kong. But believe or not, there are times when the Walt Disney Company gets blamed for something and it's not its fault. There are times when other parties are to blame. And while no party has clean hands in this case, the Mouse's hands don't have near as much dirt on them as the governing body in Hong Kong.

Let me unpack that statement for you.

For the past couple of years, the Mouse has been willing to fully pay for the expansion. To fund it entirely as it's doing since this agreement was announced. One of the main problems was for Disney to do that, the HK Legislative Council would have to give up their percentage, or the majority hold they have over the resort. This was a major sticking point during these negotiations.

The three lands that you've seen were still there, at least two. Mystic Point and Grizzly Peak, but there was no TSL. The mysterious Glacier Bay area was within this area. As others have noted, the Hong Kong government didn't like this as it was too close to the expansion of Ocean Park. The Toy Story expansion came late within the game, but if you don't like it, trust me, it's far better than some of the other ideas they had regarding themed areas. Their concept of putting attractions in had nothing to do with detailed theming and would have made the Pixar themed land look much more extravagant than it is compared to what they were willing to build. In this case the Disney company was adamant about not letting that kind of low quality seep into the companies newest park. It was a case of each party locking horns over the disappointment of very high expectations. It would have been interesting to see the addition of the expanded Pirates extension of Adventureland, but culturally the Hong Kong officials have a bias against that attraction. Oh well, I guess we'll have to wait for another "Magic Kingdom" style park to get a look at what could have been in Hong Kong.

But remember that the Hong Kong Disneyland park/resort is bent on expansion and that should include the addition of a retail/entertainment complex within the 2014/2015 time period as well. The budget for this won't be included in the park expansion, just as the hotel and Downtown Disney expansion of the Disneyland Resort are separate from the Extreme Makeover budget of DCA. These parts of the resort are also desperately needed as they keep guest from leaving the parks and hotels and spending their money elsewhere in Hong Kong. It's in the works, trust me. Should the economy not sink lower and make this implode there should be some interesting announcements in the next year.

As more details come out, I have a feeling the artwork and detail will come to win over most critics, but understand that this expansion leaves plenty of room for growth and added detail. The park will be much grander and a fuller, richer experience for the growing number of guest that walk through the turnstiles the middle of next decade. It should finally look the way it was supposed to when it opened. Far bigger, more rides.

Hopefully by then, the villains of this story will be gone or at the least have many of their arguments vanquished...

The Rush...

Build it like this and you won't have the problems you've been having Iger! Listen a little more to Lasseter and make things we WANT to go see and PAY for. Sheesh!

Create something that people desire and they'll demand it...

Such is the case with the Tokyo Disney Resort's Second Gate. If you've ever wanted to see what it looks like to go into Tokyo DisneySEA at opening, then click here.

You think the Suits at Team Disney Burbank wouldn't love to see this happening day after day at DCA?

If you build it, they will come.

Perhaps they'll remember that next time they build a Third Gate in Anaheim, a Second Gate in Hong Kong or even a first one in Shanghai...

Artwork In Progress...

The artwork that was presented to the Hong Kong Legistrative Council for this expansion phase of Hong Kong Disneyland has been released...

It's much better than what was out originally, but I'd still like to see more and better artwork...

UPDATE: Below are the one sheets of each land...

It's "Go" Time...

The Hong Kong Legislative Council approved the Walt Disney Company's plan for expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland, yesterday (actually, today, just hours earlier in HK).

Here's the press release:

The Hong Kong SAR Government and The Walt Disney Company (TWDC) today applaud the Legislative Council’s approval of the financial arrangement relating to the Hong Kong Disneyland (HKDL) expansion plan. Three new themed areas will be added to HKDL, bringing the total number of attractions, entertainment, and interactive experiences at the resort to over 100 by 2014 and further establishing Hong Kong as one of the world’s premier international family tourist destinations.

Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang commented that, "HKDL, as an important tourism infrastructure, has brought substantial economic benefits to Hong Kong. With the proposed expansion and realignment of the financial arrangements, we believe that HKDL would rise up to the keen competition in the region on the tourism front, attracting more family visitors from round the world. This will generate streams of benefits to our tourism and related sectors, further reinforcing the tourism industry’s contribution as a major pillar of Hong Kong’s economy."

"We are pleased that the financial agreement relating to the HKDL expansion has been approved and we are eager to begin work on this exciting new chapter for Hong Kong Disneyland," said Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. "This substantial investment represents our continued commitment to and confidence in Hong Kong Disneyland and solidifies our partnership with the Hong Kong government helping assure the resort’s long-term success."

He continued, "This expansion will further enhance HKDL’s position as a world-class family tourist destination, provide immediate and long-lasting benefits to Hong Kong and add unique and thrilling new experiences for our Guests."

The new offerings, designed to significantly add to the overall Guest experience at HKDL, are expected to open in phases over a five year period. Work is expected to commence later this year, spurring the local Hong Kong economy by creating more than 3,700 jobs in terms of man-years in Hong Kong from 2009 to 2014, including 850 expected within the first year of construction. After the completion of the expansion, the project will continue to serve as a major economic driver with HKDL adding approximately 600 new positions, and bringing the total number of HKDL Cast Members to more than 5,500.

Two of the three new themed areas, "Grizzly Trail" and "Mystic Point," will be exclusive to HKDL for the first five years after their respective openings. The third, "Toy Story Land," will be exclusive within Asia for the first five years after opening.

Under the approved plan and current business projections, TWDC would contribute approximately HK$6.25 billion in new capital and debt conversion and the Hong Kong Government would convert a like amount in debt principal and interest. The Hong Kong Government would retain the majority ownership of 52 percent in the joint venture and TWDC would own the other 48 percent.

Roadblocks...

It appears that the road to expansion in Hong Kong is filled with potholes...

There's a big stink flying up about some in the city's Legislative Council about not approving or putting on hold the greenlighting of the expansion of HKDL. A few people seem to find this great news, while others are predicting doom and gloom. Neither shouldn't be focused on such opposite extremes of a decision on this plan.

First off, wishing that the plan would fail because you're not happy with one part of the plan (Toy Story Land) is like thanking someone for not taking your wallet as they drive off in your car. If the plan doesn't go through then you would be left with a park that languishes in the shadow of it's coming big brother and results in a very bad financial situation for Disney that wouldn't be good for the rest of the company. If you don't like the non-expansion of WDW or other parts of the Mouse's world, you really won't like it should this fail. It would have company wide repercussions. So all those out there that are praying for failure, please pray for something else. One thing about building things you don't like is they can always be "plussed" or remade to look better (DCA anyone?). But the feelings some have for this expansion's failure is more emotional that realistic. And besides, those that are wanting Toy Story Mania to be put in should examine the Land a little closer. There's a lot of room for expansion and TSM would likely go into that large area in a second phase, should the first one see an uptick in attendance.

In regards to those that are thinking of this as the end of the world for Disney's fifth kingdom, please stay calm. This is likely a posturing move by the Legislative Council and although there are a good deal of those that don't feel satisfied with this deal, the truth of the matter is that it'll likely pass. It may be a slim margin, bit it most likely will go through. Why, you wonder? Because the economy. For the same reason that Shanghai agreed to a sweet deal for the Walt Disney Company even though it saw the disappointments of Hong Kong. The economy. With unemployment rising in Hong Kong like every major area of Chine due to the worldwide recession, they're looking to create and expand as many jobs is possible. This does that in a time when it is critically needed. Remember that the large population of this country requires that they (the Chinese Government) create a million new jobs a year just to not fall behind and add to further unemployment. That's what happens when you have 1.3 billion people. Since the collapse of the global market that isn't happening and China's ruling government doesn't want the populace getting antsy about things. That causes disastrous problems for a country that is trying to keep a lid on discontent. Money, like it always is, is the reason this deal will most likely go through. Well find out shortly if all the talk now is political posturing or a serious roadblock. I believe it could be neither. Think of it instead as a speed bump. And speed bumps don't stop you.

You just have to proceed over them with caution...

Time's Timeless Timing...

Time magazine has a great article on Disney and Hong Kong officials regarding the expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland...

A good read where they don't glossy it up and pull punches. The undiluted truth is good for Hong Kong and the Mouse...

The Middle Kingdom Grows...

Here's the start of something...



A few pieces of preliminary artwork has been put out...

I'll be happier when they release better artwork for this.
Hurry please.





Grizzly Trail
Grizzly Gulch, Frontier Gold-Mining Town

The path along Grizzly Trail offers high-spirited frontier fun in an abandoned mining town called Grizzly Gulch, set amidst mountains and woods. The town was founded August 8, 1888 – the luckiest day of the luckiest month of the luckiest year – by prospectors looking to discover gold. Bears have now started causing havoc at the Big Grizzly Mountain Mining Company.

Key Technology and Creative Elements
• Guests visiting Grizzly Gulch are part of the action, experiencing hands-on water features, massive geysers and various leaking structures in the abandoned town.
• Life-size Audio-Animatronic® bears set the story in motion on Big Grizzly Mountain Coaster, an adventure aboard a runaway mine train through town. Guests careen backward down an incline that propels them through twists and turns, before a launch sequence “blasts” the mine train out of the mountain.
• A Wild West stagecoach, an old time Jail House, and the world’s largest nugget of gold provide fun photo opportunities.
• Guests can relax with a Wild West refreshment at the old Saloon or shop for mining supplies and souvenirs at the Bear Necessities merchandise stand.

Mystic Point

Mystic Point is the site of mysterious forces and supernatural events in the heart of a dense, uncharted rain forest.

In Mystic Manor, home to an eccentric world traveler and adventurer and his collection of exotic international artifacts, strange things are afoot as an enchanted music box releases its magical powers, thanks to a mischievous monkey.

Key Technology and Creative Elements
• Inside Mystic Manor, a trackless ride system enables vehicles to move “freely” about the attraction as the story unfolds. Audio-Animatronic® figures and special visual and audio effects help tell the story of mystical phenomena.
• Within Mystic Point lies a beautiful garden full of relics and mythological figures, where guests discover a hidden world of illusions and mysteries that trick the eye.
• Guests can dine at the Adventurer’s Club amid a vast collection of unusual artifacts from around the world or purchase exclusive curiosities and collectibles at the Archive Shop.

Toy Story© Land
Disney·Pixar-themed Play Area for Kids of All Ages

Andy, the young boy from the Disney·Pixar Toy Story films, has left his toys unattended in this immersive and highly themed environment, based on one of Disney·Pixar’s most popular film series. While Andy is away, the toys come to life and play...and Guests are invited to join!

Key Technology and Creative Elements
• Oversized outdoor rides and photo opportunities allow Guests to experience the different perceptions of scale, and shrink to the size of a toy.
• One attraction includes a shuttle coaster which propels Guests along a U-shaped style track.
• A drop-style parachute attraction lets Guests join a “training mission,” plunging from a 25m tall tower.
• Guests will enjoy fun, immersive and interactive environments with life-size toys.
• A themed food kiosk provides a barrel of fun snacks and refreshments and Guests can shop for Toy Story inspired collectibles at the merchandise location.

Commentary to follow a little later...

An Addendum From The Mouse...

From Disney, an acknowledgment, but no details...

This rather limp, vague press release was issued just a short while ago.

BURBANK, Calif. (June 30, 2009) The following statement can be attributed to Leslie Goodman, Executive Vice President for Worldwide Public Affairs, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, regarding the expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland.

"After more than two years of negotiations, Disney is pleased that the two shareholders have reached an agreement on the expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland that will benefit both parties. The expansion deal will contribute to Hong Kong’s appeal as an international, family-friendly tourist destination and the resort’s long-term success,” said Leslie Goodman, Executive Vice President for Worldwide Public Affairs, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “Disney is making a substantial investment in this important project and we are eager to begin work as soon as the necessary approvals are received."

Expect more to follow...

Till Tuesday Or Not...

Will those three mystery lands be revealed tomorrow?

Tick...

Tick...

Tick...

While waiting for that announcement I thought I'd address something stories/perspectives floating around the Internet the last few days...

There are several stories circulating that the Walt Disney Company capitulated and gave in to "all" the demands that the Hong Kong Government was asking/demanding. I obviously haven't been privy to all the inside workings of this deal, I will tell you that that is not the case.

The problem was mainly a product of the deal that was negotiated when they were planning the park(thank you, Mike Eisner!). Despite what people are saying, the Mouse has always been willing to pony up more for the expansion. Way more. The problem was the original agreement gave the HK Government Officials a virtual veto over any of these plans. The disappointing opening of the park has cause an almost emotional reaction as a retaliation for the less than stellar results. Most of the attempts that Disney Officials have made at expanding the park were met with clear "NO'S" from the regional officials. This is what caused Iger, Rasulo and company to finally say enough is enough and put each party in a giant game of chicken.

They essentially called those government officials bluff and it looks to have worked. After they stopped work on the project and did so in such a public way, the Hong Kong Government appears to have stopped whining and realized their position. The exact details of the project should be announced shortly and I have a feeling that most Disney Fans/Geeks will be pleased and surprised by what they see. That meeting the HK Officials had with Disney Suits earlier this year has finally borne fruitful results.

That fruit is about to be picked...

Extreme Makeover: Hong Kong Edition (Part 2)...

Expect a little surprise next week...

From Reuters:

HONG KONG, June 25 (Reuters) - Hong Kong has reached a deal with the Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) to expand the local Disney theme park, seen as necessary to bolster the park's long-term prospects against a Shanghai rival, a newspaper reported on Thursday.

The agreement is expected to be announced by June 30, with details of the deal to be laid out to local legislators in a special meeting, the Hong Kong Economic Times reported.

A spokeswoman for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, which oversees the Disneyland project, confirmed to Reuters that a special meeting had been called, but disclosed no specifics.

The report said the deal was expected to be worth HK$7 billion ($903.3 million) of which HK$4 billion would be used for expansion.

The size of Hong Kong Disneyland, the smallest of Disney's magic kingdoms, is expected to almost double, with construction to begin within a year, pending approval from the city's legislative council in July, the newspaper reported.

Hong Kong's Financial Secretary John Tsang travelled to Los Angeles in May, where he met senior Disney executives. The trip is seen to have paved the way for the breakthrough after Disney earlier said it would stall any expansion amid the credit crunch.

There was no immediate response from Tsang's office.

When contacted by Reuters, a Disney official in the United States said discussions are ongoing, without giving any specifics.

The Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) earlier indicated it would likely invest more capital in Hong Kong Disneyland and allow the Hong Kong government to convert its loans to equity to maintain its majority share of the theme park, a source involved in their talks told Reuters earlier.

The Hong Kong government, which owns 57 percent of the underperforming resort, desperately needs the expansion to boost flagging attendance, with a much larger rival Disneyland expected to be built in Shanghai in 2014 that could draw much visitor traffic from the burgeoning mainland China market.

"At this stage, we have to support the expansion otherwise it will be very difficult to compete with Shanghai in five to six years time," said legislator Fred Li of the Democratic Party, who said his party backed the expansion as long as Disney boosted its financial transparency in future on attendance figures. (Additional reporting by Gina Keating in Los Angeles) (Reporting by James Pomfret; Editing by Chris Lewis and Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Developing...

Mouse Martial Arts...

Yesterday the Mouse announced that Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment would be releasing several Hong Kong/Chinese films on the new Blu-Ray format...

On September 15, "The Legend of Drunken Master," "Hero," "Iron Monkey" and "Zatoichi." As well, all four will be packaged in a four-disc box set known as "The Ultimate Force of Four" box set. Cool beans. I'm a huge fan of several of these films and although they don't seem like the standard fare that Disney releases, I welcome them.

Now maybe we'll see them start making films like this, particularly "Hero" which I've been a fan of for a long time.

Developing...

No, those aren't the official covers if that's what you're think, btw.