President of Disneyland Resort Paris Named GM of Shanghai Disney Resort, Paris Handed to WDW Executive

WDWNT on August 7, 2014

Euro Disney S.C.A, the holding company responsible for Disneyland Resort Paris, announced today the nomination of Tom Wolber to the position of Président of the three companies responsible for the day-to-day management of Disneyland Resort Paris, which is the number one tourist attraction in Europe.  He will be replacing Phillipe Gas who was named as General Manager for Shanghai Disney Resort.

“One of our greatest assets is the global strength of our teams,” said Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “Both Philippe and Tom are seasoned Disney veterans with a tremendous combination of leadership skills, business acumen, and international experience that will help ensure that we carry on our legacy of creating  unforgettable experiences for our guests. They bring an incredible depth of operational experience to their respective roles and are well positioned to contribute to the future success of Shanghai Disney Resort and Disneyland Resort Paris”.

“On behalf of all Supervisory Board members, I would like to thank Philippe for the excellent collaboration we  had together and for his personal involvement in Euro Disney during the last 6 years”, said Virginie Calmels, chairman of Euro Disney Supervisory Board. “We are very proud that The Walt Disney Company has chosen  Philippe, a French top executive, to lead a huge and strategic project such as Shanghai Disney Resort. We also welcome Tom and wish him a lot of success in his new function”.

Tom is German and speaks 4 languages: French, Dutch, English and German. He returns to Disneyland Paris, which he helped to open in 1992 and brings more than 20 years of wide-ranging operations experience including leadership positions at Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club and both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Paris. He most recently served as the head of Walt Disney World Resort and Transportation Operations, overseeing all of the 28 resort hotels and the property’s extensive transportation network. He has also overseen a number of complex expansion projects, including the successful launch of the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy and was instrumental in the Disney Springs master plan and the continued growth of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts’ sports business.

For the coming month, Tom and Phillipe will work together at the resort which is located in Marne-la-Vallée, some 32 km (or 20 miles) east of the centre of Paris, with Tom’s role officially commencing from 1 September 2014.  The transitional period will allow for Phillipe to pass on vital knowledge and for the pair to discuss the long term strategic objectives of Disneyland Resort Paris.

Disneyland Parc is just one of the areas of Tom's new

Disneyland Parc is just one of the areas of Tom’s new Magic Kingdom!

 

One Man’s Dream Now Provides An In-Depth Look at Fantasyland Expansion

WDWNT on July 20, 2011

WDWNT Reporter Adam Roth visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios yesterday to catch Lightning McQueen’s debut in Lights, Motors, Action!. While he was there, Adam checked out Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream to see if some of the updated exhibits had finally been installed. Well, they finally have:

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The Shaghai Disney Resort is already being previewed

Walt Disney Imagineering is responsible for the new Resort previews

A brief description of the Resort

The concept art we have seen already

Some Fantasyland exhibits were already here

The new exhibit is suspended on the wall above the display case

A compilation of Fantasyland concept art including Enchanted Tales with Belle, The Great Goofini, Gaston’s Tavern, Princess Fairytale Hall, and Dumbo the Flying Elephant

An overall look at the display

A monitor has also been installed which shows an in-depth look at Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid. Here’s video of the monitor loop:

Concept art for Scuttle’s Scavenger hunt can be found in the new video loop

Looks like guests will de deciphering some kind of code

In this artwork, guests find items washing up on the beach

Here we see a close-up of Scuttle who we assume will be a living character in audio-animatronics form

For the first time, we have a name and another look at the proposed shop across from the Mermaid attraction, Triton’s Treasures. We can also see the Ariel meet and greet area labeled as Ariel’s Grotto.

For more information on the Fantasyland Expansion as it becomes available, stay tuned to WDW News Today and WDWFantasyland.com!

Shanghai Disneyland Announcement and Concept Art

WDWNT on April 8, 2011

SHANGHAI (April 8, 2011) – The Walt Disney Company and Shanghai Shendi Group, its joint venture partner in China, have broken ground on the Shanghai Disney Resort following approval from the Chinese central government in Beijing. Both companies marked the start of construction on the first Disney resort in mainland China at a groundbreaking ceremony held earlier today.

“Today marks a significant milestone in the history of The Walt Disney Company,” said Robert A. Iger, President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “Our Shanghai resort will be a world-class family vacation destination that combines classic Disney characters and storytelling with the uniqueness and beauty of China. Working with our Chinese partners, the Shanghai Disney Resort will be both authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese.”

“We’re incredibly excited to build a Disney resort in Shanghai, one of the world’s most vibrant cities,” said Thomas O. Staggs, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “We are hard at work designing Shanghai Disneyland, which when complete will be a special place where guests of all ages will discover a world of imagination, creativity, adventure and thrills.”

Today’s groundbreaking ceremony paid homage to the culture and people of China. Traditional Chinese drum music, a female soloist singing in Mandarin, a 50-voice Shanghai children’s choir and Mickey Mouse dressed in a traditional Chinese costume were on hand to mark this special occasion. Following the entertainment and remarks, Iger and Staggs were joined by Shanghai Party Secretary Yu Zhengsheng and Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng to officially break ground on the project.

The new Shanghai Disney Resort is slated to open in approximately five years.

The Shanghai Disney Resort will be home to Shanghai Disneyland, a Magic Kingdom-style park that will blend classic Disney storytelling and characters with all-new attractions and experiences tailored specifically for the people of China. The park will feature several themed lands complete with exciting, iconic Disney attractions and experiences. At the heart of the park will be an interactive Disney castle that is truly an attraction unto itself with entertainment, dining and performance experiences that will be unique to Shanghai Disneyland. The park will also contain other large-scale entertainment venues, indoor and out, that can be used for various purposes throughout the year.

A beautiful, 11 acre (46,130 square meter) green space at the center of the theme park will differentiate Shanghai Disneyland and reinforce the themes of sustainability and nature that will be integrated throughout the park. The space will also be a place where friends and family can enjoy local cultural celebrations and customs together.

On Opening Day, the Shanghai Disney Resort will be located on a 963 acre (3.9 square kilometer) site in Pudong, Shanghai, with additional room to expand in the future. At opening, the resort will include Shanghai Disneyland, two themed hotels, a large retail, dining and entertainment venue, recreational facilities, a lake and associated parking and transportation hubs.

There will be an initial investment in the project of approximately 24.5 billion yuan (US$3.7 billion) to build the theme park and an additional 4.5 billion yuan (US$0.7 billion) to build the other aspects of the resort, including the hotels and the retail, dining and entertainment area. The investment amounts will be split between Disney and the Shanghai Shendi Group with Disney holding 43% of the shares of the owner companies and the Shanghai Shendi Group holding the remaining 57%. Financing will be proportional to ownership. In addition, a joint venture management company will be formed with Disney having a 70% stake and Shanghai Shendi Group having a 30% stake. The management company will be responsible for creating, developing and operating the resort.

Shanghai Disneyland?

WDWNT on January 1, 1970

While this isn’t Disneyland related news, this is something that could affect the whole shape of the Disney Parks. And that is the possible addition of a Shanghai Disneyland!

SHANGHAI, March, 2008 — US-based Walt Disney Company has decided to build a Disneyland at Chuansha town, Pudong, Shanghai, expected to be announced around the period for the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, according to reliable news. Shanghai mayor Han Zheng once said that the city, having the ability to build a Disneyland, was preparing for the construction and waiting for approval from the State Council, China’s cabinet.

Shanghai Current Economics Research Institute head Wang Liang said that the location of Disney had started to influence the city’s every aspect, such as stock market, real estate, tourism and retail business. For instance, Disney concept stocks, Shanghai Lujiazui Finance & Trade Zone Development Co., Ltd. (SHSE: 600663), Shanghai Jielong Industry Group Corporation Limited (SHSE: 600836), Shanghai Pudong Road & Bridge Construction Company Limited (SHSE: 600284) and Shanghai Construction Co., Ltd. (SHSE: 600170) kept rising from middle February when the whole stock market was down.

Moreover, all houses at a building under construction, which nears Disney Shanghai theme park, have been sold out. An insider pointed out that the to-be-built Disneyland, a large tourism project able to accept customers to stay for two nights, would double the Shanghai tourism industry’s current revenue, which was good for China’s domestic tourism in spite of a certain impact on Hong Kong Disneyland.

As early as five years ago, rumors reported that the Walt Disney Company was to build a Disneyland in Shanghai, the nation’s financial hub, with acreage three times that of Disneyland Hong Kong. Until March 9, 2008, an insider told journalists that the Chinese watchdog had in principle agreed the foreign giant to locate the Disneyland in Shanghai. In addition, subways and light rails to the Chuansha town will be available in 2009 and so did the related supporting facilities around.

As a matter of fact, China’s other large cities, like Beijing, Chengdu and Tianjin have also gotten into a fierce struggle in hopes of locating the Disneyland there, which is expected to boost a city’s economy and industry to a new high, said Zhu Lianqing, director at Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences research center.