To celebrate the recent opening of the Iron Man Experience, Hong Kong Disneyland will celebrate MARVEL Super Heroes all Summer starting this June.
MARVEL Super Hero Summer will feature encounters with Captain America and Spider-Man, as well as a brand new walkthrough experience set exclusively in Hong Kong to immerse guests in the MARVEL Universe. An array of MARVEL merchandise and food and beverage will also be offered throughout the park.
Some of The Walt Disney Company’s most powerful franchises will come to life in a way guests can only experience at Hong Kong Disneyland
Characters and stories from “Frozen” to await guests in an exciting, completely new themed area, while fans will be in the middle of the action with their favorite Marvel Super Heroes
HONG KONG (Nov. 22, 2016) – Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (HKDL) announced a multi-year development plan to take the park to a new level of excitement, leveraging some of the most beloved and successful franchises of The Walt Disney Company. Plans include new themed areas, attractions and entertainment, launching almost every year from 2018 through 2023.
Hong Kong Disneyland Expansion Site Plan
Guests will experience Marvel and “Frozen” like never before as HKDL leverages the best of Disney to bring both these world-renowned franchises to life in their own immersive areas. The centerpiece of the park and the gateway to Fantasyland – the castle – will also be transformed to create spectacular entertainment experiences for guests.
“We are more excited than ever about the future of Hong Kong Disneyland,” said Bob Chapek, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “We are bringing the best of The Walt Disney Company to this wonderful tourist destination, giving guests from around the world an experience only Disney can deliver and an experience they can only have with us at Hong Kong Disneyland.”
Some highlights of the new experiences that will delight Disney fans and guests from around the world include:
An epicenter of Marvel Super Heroes that will continue to unfold. From the launch of Iron Man Experience, the Marvel universe continues to grow at HKDL. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters will be reimagined into a brand new experience for guests to fight alongside the icons of the Marvel Universe. Further, another thrilling attraction dedicated to one of the most popular Marvel franchises will be added to expand the epicenter of Marvel Super Heroes as exciting events unfold in phases. These experiences will replace the Buzz Lightyear and Autopia attractions.
MARVEL Shooter Ride to Replace Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland
An exciting new “Frozen” themed area where characters and stories from the kingdom of Arendelle will come to life in ways guests have never experienced before at a Disney park. Guests will enjoy two new attractions and be immersed in Arendelle with uniquely themed dining, shopping, and entertainment.
A completely transformed Castle and Hub area to showcase brand new daytime and nighttime shows and entertainment offerings that will celebrate every prince and princess who ever wished upon a star and dared to follow a dream. An “Adventureland Show Place,” which invites guests to “Moana’s Village Festival” through a series of daytime entertainment offerings anchored around a lively stage show in a new interactive entertainment environment. In addition to experiencing live shows and immersive Disney storytelling, guests can meet Moana, heroine of the new Disney animated film that will be released globally starting November 2016.
The major development plans extend the excitement and amazing growth at HKDL, as the resort is set to open the eagerly anticipated Iron Man Experience officially on January 11, 2017 and the richly themed Disney Explorers Lodge resort hotel later in the first half of the year.
HKDL has continued to grow since its opening in 2005 and has broadened its appeal to families and young adults as well as diverse markets, including local, mainland China and overseas guests.
The three themed areas launched between 2011 and 2013, Toy Story Land, Grizzly Gulch and Mystic Point, have enhanced the park’s attractions and entertainment offerings and boosted the park’s attractiveness to different market segments. In 2013, Mystic Manor was awarded the prestigious Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement – Attraction, the equivalent of the Oscar in the theme park industry. In the following year, the nighttime parade “Disney Paint the Night” was launched and subsequently honored with a Thea Award.
In celebration of HKDL’s 10th Anniversary in 2015, the new stage show “Mickey and the Wondrous Book” and a new walk-through experience “Fairy Tale Forest” were introduced. This past summer, “Star Wars: Tomorrowland Takeover” presented attractions and offerings themed after another classic Disney franchise.
“The all-new developments will further reinforce HKDL’s position as a world-class tourist destination for everyone, including families and young adults, and help build lifelong memories across generations of families,” said Samuel Lau, executive vice president and managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland.
HKDL’s two shareholders – The Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong Government – have agreed on the development plans, subject to funding approval by the Company’s Board of Directors and Legislative Council for their respective share of investment.
While we still await the opening of Disney’s very first MARVEL ride attraction, the Iron Man Experience, the Stark Expo shop attached to the highly anticipated motion simulator ride has already opened to the public. Below we have some photos of the area to share with you, courtesy of TDRExplorer.
There is still no solid opening date for the attraction, but at least guests can shop at the adjacent Stark Expo shop, right?
The main marquee for the area is actually a giant screen. Currently, it plays a number of graphics that say “Coming Soon”.
The inside of the shop features tons of MARVEL character merchandise and plenty of images related to the upcoming attraction.
The attraction itself takes place in the city of Hong Kong, so it would need to be reanimated if it were to ever be cloned for any of the other Disney theme parks around the world.
The simulator vehicles fly side-by-side with Iron Man in many of the wall graphics.
The Stark Expo is a parody of the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair which is a landmark moment in Disney Parks history, so it all kind of comes full circle with this being featured in a theme park.
The Moljinir of Thor and one of Iron Man’s repulser blasting hands on display in the shop.
As you can see in the video, there is also an experience where guests can digitally suit up as Iron Man and battle through the streets of Hong Kong.
Annual pass holders at Hong Kong Disneyland (called Magic Access Members there) can purchase the only piece of merchandise actually branded to the attraction so far: a limited edition junbo-sized pin.
Back in 2009, Disney purchased Marvel and with that came the rights to use the familiar Marvel characters in the theme parks. Disney has been hard at work for the last few years to bring those characters to life around the world in the theme parks. Disney has done just that today. Tom Staggs, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts announced on the Disney Parks Blog that they will be bringing a new attraction to Hong Kong Disneyland in late 2016. The Iron Man Experience will be a new motion simulator coming to Tomorrowland based on the Stark Expo as seen in the second Iron Man movie.
Guests will begin their experience by seeing the evolution of the Iron Man suit and all the different forms it has taken. Guests will then board a ride vehicle which will allow them to take flight with Iron Man and help him fight the forces of evil. The Iron Man Experience will take place in the streets and skies of Hong Kong, so it’ll be familiar to those in the area. Additionally, you’ll be able to meet-n-greet with Iron Man himself within the new area in Tomorrowland.
The Iron Man Experience will open to guests in late 2016 at Hong Kong Disneyland.
