As you might have heard, Shanghai isn’t exactly a breath of fresh air these days. But you know what? Neither was Anaheim in the 1950s (like it’s even that nice now), and that didn’t stop Walt Disney from holding every parent in America hostage by creating the theme park utopia known as Disneyland.
Following Walt Disney World in Florida, the Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, and the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, The Mouse is building Shanghai Disneyland, a 1.5 square mile, 5.5 billion dollar resort and theme park, complete with a bunch of super cool attractions that you’ll definitely be willing to risk lung cancer for. Naturally, there’ll be traditional Disney spots like Tomorrowland, Treasure Cove, and Fantasyland, but within those confines are some pretty interesting new additions, like unspecified Star Wars and Marvel “experiences,” and most importantly, the “TRON Lightcycle Power Run,” which is a roller coaster where riders board a train of those awesome motorcycle things that they use in the movie. You saw TRON, right?
Anyway, if you’re worried about traveling halfway around the world just to get stuck visiting Americatown, the new park is noted by Disney’s CEO Robert A. Iger as being “a truly magical place that is both authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese.” Though, not because they necessarily thought that incorporating Chinese culture was the right way to go about it, but because the Chinese government required it as a stipulation for allowing the park to be built, according to The New York Times.
USA?! USA?! USA?!
Shanghai Disneyland will open in Spring 2016.
(via Variety)
