Today, our friends at Hong Kong Disneyland are making history with the official grand opening of Toy Story Land. It’s a new Toy Story-themed area with a bunch of fun main attractions like RC Racer, Slinky Dog Spin and Toy Soldier Parachute Drop. And you can experience the feeling of being shrunk to the size of a toy in Andy’s backyard to play with your favorite Toy Story friends.
Looks great, right? Well, there’s more to come. Toy Story Land is the first of three themed areas planned at Hong Kong Disneyland. The second themed area at Hong Kong Disneyland will be called Grizzly Gulch and it’s scheduled to be completed and opened to the public in 2012. And the Mystic Point themed area is expected to open in 2013.
Check out a few more images of Toy Story Land and some photos from opening day.
We’re kicking off a special look at Halloween around our parks this year at Hong Kong Disneyland where the Headless Horseman is leading the way. He’s wandering the park during Disney’s Haunted Halloween celebration looking for the fiend who took his head. Oh, and there’s a “Cursed Jungle” filled with lurking creatures and ghoulish souls to experience at the park.
And when night falls, Mickey, Duffy and the gang are also out and about in their new Halloween costumes for the Trick or Treat Spooktacular in Fantasyland. The “Glow in the Park Parade” and “Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy are back by popular demand this year too. Check out some more images of the fun.
Disney’s Haunted Halloween is also featuring some augmented reality tricks this year. With “Disney’s Spooky Scope” app, guests will see ghosts and may even “lose their faces” in the park.
As you can see, there are some unique experiences at Hong Kong Disneyland this year. Let us know if you’ve been or plan on visiting. And stay tuned – our next post in this series will feature images from Disneyland Paris.
The park features classic Disney attractions like “it’s a small world” and Jungle Cruise, as well as popular new guest favorites, such as Festival of the Lion King and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. Hong Kong Disneyland also regularly incorporates Chinese customs and holidays into its event schedule, with special celebrations held for Chinese New Year (see above photo), in addition to Halloween and Christmas.
Expansion plans are already underway at the park to add a Toy Story Land, Grizzly Gulch and Mystic Point, which are set to open in late 2011, 2012 and 2013, respectively. Toy Story Land will feature three main attractions themed after characters in the popular film franchise: the RC Racer, Slinky Dog Spin and Toy Soldier Parachute Drop.
Earlier this week, I got to share updates on both Tinker Bell and Disney castles with you – which inspired me to write this post on what’s currently happening with the castle at Hong Kong Disneyland this summer. (It also gave me an excuse to run this amazing photo!).
The park is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, and in honor of this milestone, they have introduced a character that had never before appeared at the park. Although our domestic parks have featured her for years, this special celebration marked the introduction of Tinker Bell to Hong Kong Disneyland.
The park has welcomed Peter Pan’s top pixie in grand style, temporarily transforming their Sleeping Beauty Castle into Tinker Bell Castle, with the addition of gold elements that represent a sprinkling of pixie dust that glitters during the day and sparkles at night.
So, what do you think of the castle?
See what else has been happening at our resorts around the world:
Ever wonder what goes on at the Disney Parks and Resorts around the world? With properties in Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong, there are plenty of fun facts and milestones to share from our international counterparts. Thinking of taking a trip to one of these locations? Stop by and see us!
Take 5: Disney Parks and Resorts Abroad
Hong Kong Disneyland 5th Year Anniversary – Last September Hong Kong Disneyland celebrated its 5th year Anniversary. More than 2,000 families from the Hong Kong community joined over 2,000 cast members to celebrate the milestone.
Take a Tilt-Shift Trip to Disneyland Paris – Check out this tilt-shift video, “A Magical Day at Disneyland Paris,” and see just about everything Walt Disney Studios Park and Disneyland Park has to offer.
A View From…Tokyo Disneyland – Love Christmas time at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts? Check out some cool photos from Tokyo Disneyland’s holiday celebrations.
This Day In Disney History: Disneyland Paris Debuts – On April 12, we shared with readers that on that day in Disney history in 1992, Disneyland Paris opened to feature 29 attractions in a layout much like Disneyland park in California.
Hi everyone…what an exciting day over the weekend as we celebrated the 5th year Anniversary milestone of Hong Kong Disneyland. More than 2,000 families from the Hong Kong community joined over 2,000 cast members to celebrate. It was so wonderful to see all the smiling faces and to celebrate hand in hand.
Bill Ernest, President and Managing Director, Asia for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts presented a gift from the Walt Disney Company of one million Hong Kong dollars as a scholarship grant to the Vocational Training Council of Hong Kong. The grant will create one hundred scholarships for students who are in the fields of tourism and hospitality, entertainment and design. It’s great to think about the positive impact to the many students, their future dreams and consider they could be fellow cast members in future years. Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Managing Director Andrew Kam, thanked the many invited guests and then together everyone congratulated in celebration of the milestone as they captured the picture for future memories (seen above).
Following the big moment we all made our way to Tomorrowland where the families enjoyed breakfast and a private party in Tomorrowland. I never tire of seeing the smiling faces of our guests as they delight in our attractions and get hugs from our characters. Watching the children from the community with their eagerness to get to Space Mountain and their smiles on Orbitron makes me proud to be part of this fantastic Company and to bring the magic to Hong Kong. Walt started an amazing legacy and it’s fantastic to be part of seeing that legacy live on in Hong Kong. It was an important milestone for the Park but we’ve only just begun as the celebration continues into 2011 with lots of fun in store for our guests.
Guests from around the world sometimes ask us about Disney’s involvement in local communities. Whether it’s through contributing to our local economies, applying environmentally friendly ways to do business or supporting organizations that help our communities, our focus on being a good corporate citizen is part of the legacy of Walt Disney that guides our actions today.
We’ve just released our 2009 Community Reports that provide an overview of our commitment as a responsible employer, active community leader and sound environmental steward. In many ways the reports are the tip of an iceberg, a partial view of the many ways the Company and our generous Cast Members contribute to our communities, whether in China, Southern California, Central Florida, France, The Bahamas or Hawaii.
Among the highlights from this year’s reports –
More than 43,000 tons of material was diverted from landfills through recycling and donations at Disneyland Resort -– enough to nearly fill Space Mountain!
Walt Disney World Cast Members come from all over the world, representing more than 80 nationalities and speaking 53 different languages
Disneyland Paris generates 56,000 direct and indirect jobs in France
More than 100,000 children, youth and families from underprivileged and local community groups have benefited from Hong Kong Disneyland programs
Disney Cruise Line granted more than 500 wish trips to children faced with life-threatening medical conditions
Our Cast Members and our Company make dreams come true daily -– in our parks and resorts and on board our ships –- and in the many communities where we live and work. To read more about our community efforts, visit the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Corporate Responsibility webpage.
Tom Staggs has been on the move this month, touching ground in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Paris and Germany during his first “world tour” as chairman of Parks & Resorts. And at each stop, there’s been a recurring theme: people passionate about building the future.
That’s certainly happening in Germany where construction on the Disney Dream cruise ship has been moving right along. Tom arrived right as they were beginning to join the hull sections together to form a ship structure that will feature 14 decks and 1,250 staterooms with a capacity of 4,000 guests. It’s hard to imagine, but there will be approximately 66 million pounds of steel cut and welded together, some 37,000 pipes produced, and nearly 5,000 miles of cabling used by the time it is complete. The ship will sail from Germany to its new home in Port Canaveral, Florida later this year before embarking on its maiden voyage in January.
Tom also visited Disneyland Paris just in time for the launch of The New Generation Festival. The year-long celebration will highlight a new generation of heroes from Disney films such as “The Princess and the Frog” and “Lilo & Stitch,” as well as Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story,” “Ratatouille” and “The Incredibles.”
Tom also got a status report on the new Toy Story Playland coming to life at Paris’ Walt Disney Studios this August.
Earlier in March, the team at Hong Kong Disneyland also welcomed Tom during his first visit to Asia as chairman. Tom met with Cast Members, dived into the operational details of the resort and was briefed on Hong Kong Disneyland’s celebration honoring the Chinese Year of the Tiger. Tom said one of the highlights of his visit was meeting with Hong Kong Disneyland’s very first Cast Member, Mariam Im, and presenting her with a 10-year service pin.
And during his visit to Tokyo Disney Resort, Tom managed to pack in more than even our most seasoned guests by touring both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. He met with several Cast Members and Imagineers – and tried all eight flavors of popcorn sold at the parks.
Tom summed up his recent travels this way: “When you spend time at all our properties, you appreciate how unique each one really is. Of course, there is a lot that is the same. Our properties share the same DNA. But at the end of the day, each has its own identity, its own heritage. And each has its own individual challenges. One thing stands out above all else though, and that is the quality, strength and passion of our Disney Cast members.”
Thanks for visiting the Disney Parks Blog. We welcome your comments. Please understand that this is a moderated blog. Blog comments will be reviewed prior to posting. As a result, there will be a delay in the posting of comments. Not all comments will be posted. Comments may also be removed after they are posted.
