Shanghai Disneyland’s Next Big Move: Another Themed Park on the Horizon

Plan to add another themed park, following Zootopia
The construction of the new hotel with 400 rooms is ongoing

Shanghai Disneyland. Captured via Baidu

Last year, Shanghai Disneyland, which opened the world’s first Zootopia-themed land, revealed its plan for further expansion. It was reported that the theme park, currently under construction, will enter the main construction phase after completing the foundation work.

On the 11th, Shanghai Disney Resort announced that it is preparing a new standalone attraction adjacent to the Zootopia-themed land in Shanghai Disneyland. They also revealed a bird’ s-eye view of the third Disney-themed hotel under construction, stating that the piling foundation work has been completed and the main construction will begin soon.

Shanghai Disney Resort opened in June 2016, and its first expansion, a Toy Story-themed park, in April 2018. Then, they opened the world’s first Zootopia-themed attraction in December last year. The Zootopia-themed park, the eighth themed park in Shanghai Disneyland, opened five years after Toy Story, recording sold-out crowds every day since its opening. It is attracting Disney enthusiasts from China and worldwide, coinciding with the year-end and New Year holidays and students’ vacation periods. Many tourists from Korea have also visited Shanghai Disneyland to enjoy Zootopia.

Shanghai Disney Resort announced that it has begun pre-construction preparations for a new attraction adjacent to the Zootopia-themed park. The project is currently in the preliminary planning stage, and more projects are planned for the future.

The specific details of the new attraction are not yet clear, sparking curiosity. Various predictions, including a Frozen theme similar to the one built in Hong Kong, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, have been suggested with excitement on Chinese social media, such as Weibo.

The outline of the third hotel project under construction has also been revealed. The new themed hotel, which will have 400 rooms, is located next to the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel.

According to Shanghai Disney Resort, based on the general design concept of Shanghai Disney Resort: True Disney, Unique Chinese style, the new themed hotel’s architectural style is derived from Art Nouveau architecture, inspired by the combination of Disney’s storytelling and inventiveness. The unique architectural style of early Shanghai can also be seen. The new hotel will immerse guests in spaces and activities themed around Disney stories and characters while providing new dining, shopping, and entertainment experiences.

Construction of the new themed hotel began in August, and the main building is set to start after the foundation work is completed.

Shanghai Disneyland, three times the size of Hong Kong Disneyland at approximately 964 acres, can accommodate up to 80,000 visitors per day.