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A three-day grand opening celebration is currently taking pace to mark the opening of Shanghai Disney Resort, the first Disney resort in Mainland China and the sixth Disney resort worldwide.

The culmination of one of the largest foreign investment projects in China's history, and Disney's largest investment to date outside of the United States, the resort's opening is the result of a long collaborative relationship with the Shanghai Municipal Government and joint venture partner Shanghai Shendi Group, and offers a new world-class tourism destination for guests from China and around the world.

At opening, the first phase of the resort is within a land area of 963 acres with additional land available to accommodate future expansion, including additional theme park and other related resort development.

Walt Disney Company Chairman and Chief Executive Bob Iger explained “the grand opening of Shanghai Disney Resort is one of the proudest moments in the history of The Walt Disney Company, and we've planned a truly spectacular celebration worthy of this historic achievement.

"Just like the park itself, these three days are a grand experience filled with great joy and excitement along with stunning entertainment experiences. We are honoured to be joined by so many distinguished guests for this momentous occasion, and look forward to officially opening the gates and sharing this extraordinary authentically Disney, distinctly Chinese destination with the world."

The three-day celebration began yesterday (14th June) with the global premiere of the first Mandarin production of the Broadway hit THE LION KING at the 1,200-seat Walt Disney Grand Theatre in Disneytown. It continues today with a grand opening gala concert at the Enchanted Storybook Castle led by award-winning composer Tan Dun , known for film scores including ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ followed by a Starlight Celebration dessert party in Tomorrowland.

On 16th June there will be a festive dedication ceremony in front of the Enchanted Storybook Castle to officially open Shanghai Disney Resort to guests.

Shanghai Disney Resort is a first-of-its-kind resort that combines the very best of Disney in a way that is distinctly Chinese.

At opening it features a newly designed Magic Kingdom-style theme park, Shanghai Disneyland, with six themed lands filled with immersive attractions, including Adventure Isle, Gardens of Imagination, Mickey Avenue, Tomorrowland, Treasure Cove and Fantasyland. These lands are located around the iconic Enchanted Storybook Castle, the tallest, largest and most interactive castle at any Disney park. The resort also features world-class live entertainment; two themed hotels (the 420- room Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and the playful, 800-room Toy Story Hotel); Disneytown, an international shopping, dining and entertainment district; and Wishing Star Park, a recreational area with peaceful gardens and a lake that is open to the public.

The resort showcases Disney's industry-leading practices, including quality and safety standards, the introduction of new innovative technologies, and operational best practices - all of which contribute to the overall theme park industry and the development of Shanghai's tourism industry.

This is the result of years of collaboration and innovation, with contributions from Disney cast members and imagineers, as well as thousands of artists, designers, construction workers and suppliers from across China and around the world.

Having broken ground in 2011, in April 2014, the resort's shareholders jointly announced an accelerated expansion plan to capitalise on the tremendous growth in China's tourism sector – adding more attractions, entertainment and other offerings to increase capacity at the theme park on opening day.

Throughout its development, Shanghai Disney Resort aimed to not only build a world-class tourism destination, but also serve as a valuable community partner and active corporate citizen in Shanghai and China.

Working within the community, the resort provides support to address a wide range of needs for children while creating opportunities to strengthen relationships with the important adults in their lives. Last week, in honour of the grand opening of Shanghai Disney Resort, The Walt Disney Company announced a US$3.1 million donation to support the creation of Disney-themed play spaces in 50 children's hospitals throughout China.

Shanghai Disney Resort also adopted a number of new technologies and design elements to enable Shanghai Disney Resort to reduce its environmental impact, including a leading new technology to supply the resort with heating, cooling and compressed air, which is anticipated to improve the estimated energy efficiency for resort operation by 300% and reduce greenhouse emissions generated from resort operations by 60%.

Shanghai Disney Resort is a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and Shanghai Shendi Group comprised of two owner companies (Shanghai International Theme Park Company Limited and Shanghai International Theme Park Associated Facilities Company Limited) and a management company (Shanghai International Theme Park and Resort Management Company Limited).

For more information go to www.shanghaidisneyresort.com

Images: Shanghai Disney Resort's Enchanted Castle (top), production of The Lion King (middle) and guest entering the parkk (below).

11th June 2016 - DISNEYLAND SHANGHAI DRAWS A MILLION VISITORS PRIOR TO OPENING

31st May 2016 - DISNEY LOOKS TO PROTECT IP AFTER CHARACTERS SEEN AT NEW WANDA WORLD

27th May 2016 - ASIAN THEME PARKS LEAD GLOBAL ATTRACTIONS INDUSTRY GROWTH

23rd May 2016 - DALIAN WANDA HEAD SLAMS DISNEY SHANGHAI RESORT

8th May 2016 - SHANGHAI DISNEYLAND BEGINS PRE-OPENING TRIAL OPERATIONS

14th January 2016 - 16TH JUNE OPENING DATE SET FOR SHANGHAI DISNEY RESORT

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