The Walt Disney Company Celebrates Historic Grand Opening of Shanghai Disney Resort

World-Class Disney Resort Result of Years of Collaboration and Partnership

SHANGHAI, June 14, 2016 /CNW/ -- The Walt Disney Company is proud to celebrate the opening of Shanghai Disney Resort, the first Disney resort in Mainland China and the sixth Disney resort worldwide. A three-day grand opening celebration commemorates the culmination of one of the largest foreign investment projects in China's history, and Disney's largest investment to date outside of the United States. The resort's opening is the result of a long collaborative relationship with the Shanghai Municipal Government and joint venture partner Shanghai Shendi Group, and offers a new world-class tourism destination for guests from China and around the world. At opening, the first phase of the resort is within a land area of 963 acres with additional land available to accommodate future expansion, including additional theme park and other related resort development.

"The grand opening of Shanghai Disney Resort is one of the proudest moments in the history of The Walt Disney Company, and we've planned a truly spectacular celebration worthy of this historic achievement," said Bob Iger, chairman and chief executive officer, The Walt Disney Company. "Just like the park itself, the next three days will be a grand experience filled with great joy and excitement along with stunning entertainment experiences. We are honored to be joined by so many distinguished guests for this momentous occasion, and look forward to officially opening the gates and sharing this extraordinary authentically Disney, distinctly Chinese destination with the world."

The three-day celebration begins on June 14 with the global premiere of the first Mandarin production of the Broadway hit THE LION KING at the 1,200-seat Walt Disney Grand Theatre in Disneytown. It continues on June 15 with a grand opening gala concert at the Enchanted Storybook Castle led by award-winning composer Tan Dun, known for film scores including "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" followed by a Starlight Celebration dessert party in Tomorrowland. On June 16, there will be a festive dedication ceremony in front of the Enchanted Storybook Castle to officially open Shanghai Disney Resort to guests.

Shanghai Disney Resort is a first-of-its-kind resort that combines the very best of Disney in a way that is distinctly Chinese and tailor-made for the people of China. At opening it features a newly designed Magic Kingdom-style theme park, Shanghai Disneyland, with six themed lands filled with immersive attractions, including Adventure Isle, Gardens of Imagination, Mickey Avenue, Tomorrowland, Treasure Cove and Fantasyland. These lands are located around the iconic Enchanted Storybook Castle, the tallest, largest and most interactive castle at any Disney park. The resort also features world-class live entertainment, two exquisite hotels, a shopping, dining and entertainment district called Disneytown and a 98-acre recreational area called Wishing Star Park with a lake that is open to the public.

The resort showcases Disney's industry-leading practices, including quality and safety standards, the introduction of new innovative technologies, and operational best practices -- all of which contribute to the overall theme park industry and the development of Shanghai's tourism industry. It is a result of years of collaboration and innovation, with contributions from Disney cast members and Imagineers, as well as thousands of artists, designers, construction workers and suppliers from across China and around the world.

Shanghai Disney Resort broke ground in 2011. In April 2014, the resort's shareholders jointly announced an accelerated expansion plan to capitalize on the tremendous growth in China's tourism sector – adding more attractions, entertainment and other offerings to increase capacity at the theme park on opening day.

Throughout its development, Shanghai Disney Resort aimed to not only build a world-class tourism destination, but also serve as a valuable community partner and active corporate citizen in Shanghai and China. Working within the community, the resort provides support to address a wide range of needs for children while creating opportunities to strengthen relationships with the important adults in their lives. Last week, in honor of the grand opening of Shanghai Disney Resort, The Walt Disney Company announced a $3.1 million USD (RMB 20 million) donation to support the creation of Disney-themed play spaces in 50 children's hospitals throughout China.

Shanghai Disney Resort also adopted a number of new technologies and design elements to enable Shanghai Disney Resort to reduce its environmental impact, including a leading new technology to supply the resort with heating, cooling and compressed air, which is anticipated to improve the estimated energy efficiency for resort operation by 300 percent and reduce greenhouse emissions generated from resort operations by 60 percent.

Additional information is available at www.shanghaidisneyresort.com, the destination's official website for news and information.

About Shanghai Disney Resort

Shanghai Disney Resort is a world-class family entertainment destination, imagined and created especially for the people of China. Ideal for multiple-day visits, the resort consists of Shanghai Disneyland, a theme park with magical experiences for guests of all ages; two richly themed hotels; Disneytown, an international shopping, dining and entertainment district; and Wishing Star Park, a recreational area with peaceful gardens and a glittering lake. The resort's hotels are the elegant, 420- room Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and the playful, 800-room Toy Story Hotel.

Shanghai Disney Resort is a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and Shanghai Shendi Group comprised of two owner companies (Shanghai International Theme Park Company Limited and Shanghai International Theme Park Associated Facilities Company Limited) and a management company (Shanghai International Theme Park and Resort Management Company Limited). Shanghai Shendi Group holds 57% of the shares and Disney holds the remaining 43% of shares of the owner companies. Disney has a 70% stake and Shanghai Shendi Group has a 30% stake in the joint venture management company. The management company is responsible for creating, developing and operating the resort on behalf of the owner companies.

SOURCE Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

Angela Bliss, [email protected], 818-560-4107, or David Jefferson, [email protected], 818-560-4832, http://www.shanghaidisneyresort.com