Do you think Shanghai will go for another expansion next or go for a second gate?

[Pizza Moon]

Management is operations. The resort is majority owned by Shendi.

I'm pretty sure the deal itself has different percentage structures for management, specifically if I'm recalling correctly. Like the whole parternship was minority TWDC but majority management, I believe, and their approach to how to run the park, right?

Though, regardless, it's still very much so a Disney property and Disney-produced product in any case.

I don't think "Spider-Man" is distinctly Chinese lol, and neither is Zootopia. I feel like the Ratatouille ride at EPCOT having French dialogue, surprisingly, is legitimately more French (being a direct life from Paris too) than Toy Story Land.

I actually thought it was oversold in this angle when I went.

It was basically just a new take on a Disney castle park, which was long overdue, and they incorporated some design elements and cultural preferencial differences in the park. It really isn't much more noticeable outside of holes in the floor for toilets and like aspects of the Gardens of Imagination.

It just mostly feels like a modern theme park, and it's glorious.

My point is, it's Walt Disney Imagineering through and through, and at times it is them at their best, with hints of Shendi more than the other way around, maybe they have final approval on projects though? In any case, I doubt they're going to go against Disney's internal numbers showing Zootopia is the biggest Western IP ever in China by box office. I mean, why would they? Disney prints them money. The designs are at least there. Do you know if Shendi almost orders rides the way Tokyo does? Does Hong Kong operate similarly? Was Mystic Manor the result of this? I don't mean like brainstorming ideas, but like ultimate final, they'd go against Disney's better judgment on a routine basis?

You could plop the rest of Shanghai just like you did TRON, and no one would care that the park was originally Chinese with only minor modifications. People don't even notice that TRON at MK is supposed to look like a dragon's tail lol.

But I don't know enough about this specific topic, so maybe you know more about the details. I was responding more to the other poster that overemphasized Shendi's role comparing it to other Chinese amusement parks, which isn't the case at all.

There's a reason why Shanghai Disneyland is getting a second park: it's a smash success and one of the best parks anywhere.

 

[marni1971]

I don't think "Spider-Man" is distinctly Chinese lol, and neither is Zootopia

It`s the Chinese who asked for them. They know their audience. Hence the peculiar to a westerner IP choice in Illuminate, and prep for it but no Star Tours.

 

[Pizza Moon]

It`s the Chinese who asked for them. They know their audience. Hence the peculiar to a westerner IP choice in Illuminate, and prep for it but no Star Tours.

Yeah, Star Tours never made sense for Shanghai.

But wouldn't those be Disney's business decisions, regardless? They would obviously provide some unique cultural insight, but I think it's more about just dealing with the local governments and cost-sharing over needing help making expansion decisions, I'd least that's how I'd imagine it at least. I figured it would make more sense as a working partnership where they consult each other, but Imagineering is still making their ride once it gets approved, or their land, whatever. It's why Fantasy Springs still feels like Disney and not Japan, even if they decided to include some subtle elements, or design approaches (ie. more theater venues and less rides), but Shendi I wouldn't think is the one making those decisions right? Wouldn't it be Disney? Like Was Toy Story Land purely Shendi being like "ok Disney let's order a bigger Hong Kong Toy Story area" and they do it? Even if that's the case and there's little input from Disney like OLC, Imagineering is still designing this stuff.

Like, wouldn't they build Spider-Man over Star Wars anyway because it's just flat out more popular? Launch Bay at Shanghai's Tomorrowland flopped hard, lol.

They've added a Spider-Man ride (or are going to) in every Disney property in the world except where they can't due to licensing, so I don't think Disney is getting "advice" that is helping the park's direction and they got the bad side of the deal, haha because I don't really know what tehy'd do differently, I mean, it seems like a logical continuation of the park with the most popular Disney IPs in Disney, which is pretty measurable.