Shanghai Disney gets pirate theme

One area will feature the Hollywood blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean

The Walt Disney Company's first theme park in the Chinese mainland, the Shanghai Disney Resort, is progressing toward its opening at the end of 2015, and one of its six themed-areas will feature the Hollywood blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean.

The park announced last month that Treasure Cove, the first-ever Pirate-themed land in a Disneyland park, also will have a new boat ride - Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle of the Sunken Treasure.

Resort officials said the ride will take guests on a treasure hunt "down to the ocean depths, through the bellies of pirate ships, and straight into the heart of a ferocious naval battle".

Mike Crawford, general manager of Disney's Sixth Magic Kingdom, said that with a combination of new technology and innovation, the ride "will take our guests on a first-of-its-kind pirate adventure you will never experience anywhere else in the world".

The Disney resort has a total investment of 24.5 billion yuan ($4.2 billion), covers 3.9 square kilometers (964 acres) and will have two themed hotels, various dining and entertainment venues, recreational facilities, a lake and transportation hubs.

On March 8, Walt Disney Studios and Shanghai Media Group Pictures said they will jointly develop movies under the Disney brand. Disney Studios would pair writers in the US who specialize in action, adventures and fantasies to work with writers and filmmakers in China, to make Chinese-feature movies for release in China and other markets.

In January, the resort said that a seven-floor hotel with 800 rooms, the first of two Disney-themed hotels at the resort, has been topped off. The hotel will be one of the main accommodation options and feature key views including the resort's central lake.

Local media has reported that a seven-star Atlantis hotel could also be developed outside but near the resort. Chinese developer Fosun International has said that it plans to build a new ultra-luxury water-based resort near the attraction in Shanghai.

The hotel topping out comes after the installation of the first vertical steel for the resort's main "mountain", which will be located in a key area of the theme part and will be the second-highest structure at the resort after the Enchanted Storybook Castle, home for all of Disney's existing princesses instead of just one.

Site formation work for the entire resort, said to be the largest of its kind in the world, finished in April, 2012. With 100,000 tests carried out, the work is done with "record quality", said Howard Brown, senior vice-president of Shanghai Disney Resort.

A special food team has been formed to offer visitors locally flavored cuisine. And the resort will arrange various cultural events that celebrate traditional Chinese festivals to "keep visitors coming back throughout the year".

Three joint ventures were created between Walt Disney Co and Shanghai Shendi Group Co, a state-owned company created for the development and management of the Shanghai Disney Resort.

Shendi holds a 57 percent controlling stake in two of the joint ventures, and a 30-percent minority stake in the joint-venture management company.

Investment and profits will be split between Shendi and Walt Disney in proportion to their stake in the owner companies.

gaochangxin@chinadaily.com.cn