Let's talk about Disney's next three new theme parks
So let's talk about the three new theme parks that Disney has envisioned for Asia.
Now, if you've been following Theme Park Insider for a while, you might be thinking that Disney has announced only one new theme park for Asia. And you would be correct. So, where are the other two new theme parks coming from? And where will they go?
Well, buckle in, because I'm about to take you on a ride.
What I am about to tell you is based on several factors, including Disney's public announcements, filings made by Disney and its partners, conversations with people who work for or with Disney, and my attempt to connect those dots. The result, I hope, is a picture of where Disney is going with its theme parks in Asia over the next decade.
Disney Abu Dhabi
Let's start with the park that has been announced. In May 2025, Disney and its development partner Miral announced plans for a new Disney theme park on Miral's Yas Island resort in Abu Dhabi.
This will be, as Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro has described it, a zero-capital deal for Disney. That means Miral will pay for the design, construction, and operation of the Disney Abu Dhabi park. Disney will collect royalties from Miral and will provide the creative talent that will design and train Miral's employees to operate the park
Development work on Disney Abu Dhabi paused when the current war broke out earlier this year. Flights to and from the region were canceled, and the United Arab Emirates was facing nearly near-daily missile alerts. The situation has calmed considerably since then. Many flights into the region have resumed, and Miral has restarted construction on the expansion of Yas Island's Warner Bros. World theme park.
However, I still have found no notice or announcement that Disney and Miral have signed a final agreement, or that Miral is making payments to Disney that would allow development work to resume. I have not heard that this happened, or that this has not happened - no information either way.
Since this deal is no financial risk for Disney, and a source of great national pride in the United Arab Emirates, I expect to hear news that development work has resumed at some point in the not too distant future, and that Disney Abu Dhabi will be back on track for debut sometime early in the next decade.
So what can we expect from Disney Abu Dhabi? This will be Disney's seventh castle park worldwide, but from the very impressionistic concept art that Disney has released, I expect this to be a castle park unlike any other. Then-CEO Bob Iger echoed his thesis statement for Shanghai Disneyland in announcing that Disney Abu Dhabi would be "authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati."
Miral did not put much of an Emirati flavor into its first two Yas Island theme parks, Ferrari World and Warner Bros. World, but its third part, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, offers a distinctly Emirati flavor with its entrance area and references to the region's long, close history with the Arabian Gulf and the and the seas beyond. I expect to see a similar focus on the Emirati experience in Disney Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi and its sister Emirate Dubai have positioned themselves as a modern crossroads for the world. I would not be surprised to see Disney Abu Dhabi reflect that - not necessarily in terms of transportation or finance, but to position this park as a creative crossroads.
Yes, you should expect to expect to see plenty of Disney IP in the park, but I would not be surprised to see something that feels like a Magic Kingdom crossed with Epcot, where the individual lands or pavilions acknowledge the world outside the park and serve as a bridge between that world and Disney storytelling.
Shanghai Disneyland
As you might know, I visited Shanghai Disneyland this week for the park's 10th anniversary. I was one of a small handful of American reporters who were the first to visit Shanghai Disneyland since the pandemic. Shortly before our trip, word emerged that planning documents had been filed for a second theme park gate at Shanghai Disneyland.
Anyone who has visited the park has probably seen that there is an immense amount of open space next to this park, on the north side of Wishing Star Park. It's widely expected that will be the site of the second gate at Shanghai Disneyland. Disney and its partner Shendi Group did not announce a second gate at the 10th anniversary event, despite expectations of some. (Okay, me.) But that does not deny the fact that development of this park is underway.
Looking from the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel across Wishing Star Park toward what could be the site of the resort's second gate
Speaking privately with people in and near Disney, I expect Imagineers to take all of what they have learned about the market from the past 10 years of operation at Shanghai Disneyland and apply that to this park. I also expect to see a closer focus on China itself in Shanghai Disneyland's second gate.
I don't know if Disney will go so far as to call it Disney's China Adventure, but I expect to see a character-driven experience that invites Chinese visitors to participate as co-stars with Disney's characters in this adventure.
So which park will open first, Disney Abu Dhabi or Shanghai Disney's second gate? I'm not going to bother to guess at this stage.
Hong Kong Disneyland
Here is where we need to depart deeper into the world of conjecture. Disney and its partners in Hong Kong once had an agreement that included an option on additional property next to Hong Kong Disneyland that could be developed into a second gate.
Hong Kong declined to proceed with that option back in 2020. The government chose instead to use that property for a large Covid quarantine encampment. That facility was closed long ago, and Hong Kong Disneyland is different place than it was six years ago.
The World of Frozen expansion has been an unqualified success for the park, and its recent anniversary event has also helped drive record attendance and profit. Hong Kong Disneyland is doing phenomenally well at the moment, and the relationship between Disney and its Hong Kong partners has warmed considerably.
That has prompted widespread speculation that Hong Kong might be amenable to revisiting the original deal and allowing Disney the option to build a second gate next to Hong Kong Disneyland. The business case for a second gate seems strong, and if there's one thing that Hong Kong has shown over many decades, it is that it does not shy away from embracing strong business cases.
A second gate in Hong Kong, like the development site in Abu Dhabi, would lie along the water, just like Tokyo DisneySea. That invites a "Port Disney"-style theme that accommodates Disney franchises set on or near the water. Personally, I would love to see Disney use that as an excuse to build a traditional Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Hong Kong, to balance the Battle for the Sunken Treasure ride in Shanghai.
It's important to note that regional rivalries are a real thing in this world. Within the United States, it's not uncommon to hear people in Florida and California jawing each other now and then. The United Arab Emirates was thrilled to land an agreement for a Disney theme park, well knowing that neighbor Saudi Arabia was pursuing the same.
In the China market, Hong Kong was not happy that its Disneyland had the smallest castle while Shanghai up the coast had Disney's largest. That is why Disney accommodated by expanding the Hong Kong castle a few years ago, so that it could literally measure up with its rival in Shanghai. If Shanghai Disneyland is to get a second gate, I cannot imagine that Hong Kong would not want a second gate for its Disneyland as well.
Of course, Disney will need to manage its relationships in Shanghai and Hong Kong in a way that keeps all parties happy in both markets. That could influence the timing of announcements about expansions in each market - and may have done so already.
Regardless of what happens with the timing of expansion announcements, the business case for a second gate in Hong Kong appears strong. The land for that gate should be available, and all that remains is for Disney and Hong Kong to sort the terms under which such a project could proceed.
If that happens, then fans could look forward to three new theme parks being in development for Asian markets over the next decade.
While most fans of the United States never will visit any of these parks, they could help serve an emerging and growing market of Disney fans in the world's most populous regions. That's good business for Disney, and ultimately, good news for all Disney fans around the world.
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Replies (6)
Three new full fledged parks? They better not spread themselves too thin. We don't need another California Adventure or Disney Studios Paris or what have you.
@Velocicoasterfan: I've just returned from 3 days at Disneyland Paris and I think from the evidence there that Disney has learnt its lessons. The newly branded Disney adventure World (formerly the Studios) is now a genuine park and on balance I think I enjoyed it far more than I did the Castle park (just called Disneyland). The new expansion adds massive amounts of attrative space and improves the flow. The park has a roster of attractions that include some of Disney's very best and the night-time show is the best I've seen. Once the Lion King land is complete it's going to be a stunning park.
I agree with V-Coaster! Before adding more parks they should straighten out the mess they have in Frisco, Texas! I mean that new park is ... What? ... Really? ... Um ... Never mind.
South Korea.
Disneyland Seoul - 10 million people in the metropolitan area, 50+m population, Disney mad, especially certain films, westernised culture, perfect demographic.
I remain incredibly curious what they plan for Shanghai Disney Resort's second gate (in large part because Shanghai Disney was my home park for a number of years…). Something world's fair/Epcot-y makes the most sense given Shanghai's legacy as the host of the 2010 World Expo (a feat the city remains quite proud of) and Shanghai's identity as the most internationalized/global city in mainland China. I've read rumors that Disney may also be considering a strategy similar to Disney Adventure World in Paris; having visited Adventure World last month, I'd be surprisingly okay with something similar coming to Shanghai, as long as the emphasis on centralized lush garden areas was carried forward. The fact that Legoland Shanghai has been successful despite having very high-for-China ticket prices, not nearly enough shade or indoor attractions for Shanghai's weatherer (and rides that, quite frankly, are unimpressive compared to what Fantawild offers), and an incredibly inconvenient site indicates that there's a ton of unmet demand for theme parks, at least in the Yangtze River Delta. Plus, the Chinese goverment would love to tout a new Disney park as a symbol of China's undying economic strength.
Abu Dhabi should be an interesting one. Miral's existing parks range from very good (Ferrari) to excellent (SeaWorld, Warner Bros. [especially once the next round of expansions is complete]), but are they truly ready to handle the extra traffic a Disney park could bring? Their bus system isn't super high capacity and while the current parks do see some attendance, do they have the hotel rooms required to support an actual Disney park?
Hong Kong… I'm admittedly more skeptical that they'll receive a second park; the first park still has a few expansion plots that could be used to create a stronger draw. With annual attendance still well under 10 million guests a year, is there enough demand for a true multi-park resort? With the Abu Dhabi park likely being positioned to cater to guests from outside the Emirates (i.e., India, other MENA countries), can they come up with a more coherent strategy to position Hong Kong Disneyland as the target park for southeast Asia?
And with all the potential new parks floating around (I firmly believe in the new Shanghai and Abu Dhabi parks as very real; Hong Kong feels more speculative), will the folks at Disneyland Paris manage to articulate any sort of strategy to cope with the incoming influx of competition, both from Universal Studios Bedford in 2031 and Disneyland Abu Dhabi not that far away by plane in the early 2030s?
Fascinating time to track developments in the global theme park space.
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I can see China being keen on having an “Epcot”. Chinese tech isn’t the joke it used to be when I was a kid
(if anything it’s sophistication is now the scary part - there’s a Darknet Diaries podcast episode covering streaming boxes that were able to spy on everything - microphones, internet traffic interception, the works)
With companies like BYD and Huawei i can see China looking for an Epcot style platform to show them off… but would Imagineering cash that check?