Monday, December 14, 2015

Shanghaî Disneyland Update: New Disney Town Artwork, First Pictures of SDL Station, Peter Pan's Flight Pics, Expedition Everest Envisioned for SDL, and more...

I've got a big Shanghaî Disneyland update for you today so, let's go, would we? Above, a photo of the castle posted on the Weibo website and below new artwork - or high-res versions of previously released artworks of Disney Town, the dining and entertainment area of Shanghaî Disneyland.

This first one shows the area with the World of Disney store.

Another rendering, also related to the World of Disney store

Next is a picture showing the model of the area where is located the Walt Disney Theater with the Lion King musical.

Below, a high-res version of the rendering showing Spicy Alley with the restaurants near the lake.

The next artwork is a cropped version of a larger rendering showing Disney Town at night.

Next is two pictures posted by Orlando Theme Park News, and related to the new version of Peter Pan's Flight in Fantasyland showing one of the ride vehicle and Neverland Island which i have to say looks really much bigger than the usual decor.

A Chinese TV news video included new footage showing the park and resort, and i did some screen captures for you. The first shot below shows the castle filmed most probably from Tomorrowland as we can see the elevated walkways in the foreground.

A closer shot on the castle showing that they're still at work on the lower part of the castle.

This next shot shows the Shanghaî Disneyland Hotel, the park is on the other side of the lake but you can't see it clearly because of Shanghaî usual smog...

A closer shot on a center part of the hotel, you'll note that the scaffoldings are still in place all over the hotel, meaning that the works are not over here too.

Next screen capture is a shot showing what is on the left of the picture above with the paths leading to the park on the other side of the lake, and Spicy Alley building in the background, near the lake.

But Shanghaî Disneyland will also have a subway station and we've got plenty of pictures of it, outside and inside, as this one is apparently finished! First is a bird eye view with the park in the background.

A closer shot on one of the entrance.

Another picture showing one of the station exits and the inside of the station.

More pictures of the inside of the station...

The green color on the ceiling pattern on the picture below makes me feel like if it was inside one of the eggs from Ridley Scott's Alien! No kidding.

Last picture, view from the lake...

Now, something about Shanghaî Disneyland opening date. Last week, DCP forum member Vinc said he had an info from a reliable source saying that SDL opening is planned for June but others sources keep saying they still doubt the park can be ready for that date. And this week-end a Chinese TV said that the park is scheduled for an opening on June 1st, as it is a date related with childhood, etc... My feeling is that they're trying to be ready for that date, or another one in June, but i'm not sure that SDL Imagineers are themselves convinced that it's feasible, that everything will be ready for a June opening. We'll know more about this anytime soon, i suppose.

Let's end by something that IceGr33n ( or someone else if it's not him ) has discovered, looking at a plan of the park. It's about an area for a future expansion where he thinks that some layouts would indicate that an Expedition Everest is envisioned for the back of Shanghaî Disneyland, behind Fantasyland and Treasure Cove. Have a look at the pictures below, but i have to say that when you look at the layouts on the plan and the satellite view of Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom it surely looks similar. As said Screamscape in his post, as the park don't have a lot of roller coasters that could be a way to bring one more coaster to Shanghaî Disneyland.

My only concern about building an Expedition Everest in the park is a political issue. The real Everest is located both on Nepal AND Tibet, and we know that China and Tibet relations are specially difficult. Politically speaking, anything about Everest has so much symbolic that it might be not a good idea to even think about building one. On the other hand, Chinese are so much attached to consider the "roof of the world" as a mountain more Chinese than belonging to any other country that it probably will please them... We'll see what happen in the future about this but this SDL plan may also be an earlier SDL plan and since some ideas may have been deleted by SDL Imagineers. So take this rumor with a big pinch of salt...