Disney Parks Blog said:Marvel’s Iron Man Coming to Hong Kong Disneyland in 2016
As I’ve often said, one of the greatest things about Disney is the treasure trove of characters and rich stories we have to draw upon for the immersive experiences we provide our guests around the world. With Marvel joining the Disney family in 2009, our character and story base grew even further, and the anticipation for how Marvel comes to life in our parks and resorts continues to energize our guests and cast.
That’s why it was so exciting earlier today at Hong Kong Disneyland to announce that the very first Disney attraction based on a Marvel character experience will debut in Hong Kong Disneyland. And I’m excited to be able to share some of the initial details with you today about this Iron Man Experience.
Audiences around the world have been captivated by the amazing inventions and innovations of Tony Stark and we’re basing this experience within a piece of the Stark Expo. Located in Tomorrowland at Hong Kong Disneyland, the Expo will allow guests to see firsthand the progression of Tony’s Iron Man suits and many other Stark innovations.
Upon entering the ride vehicle our guests will be able to take flight with Iron Man on an epic adventure that not surprisingly pits Iron Man, and our guests, against the forces of evil. This adventure will take place in the streets and skies of Hong Kong, which will make an even more unique and special experience for our Hong Kong Disneyland guests. In addition, guests will be able to meet and take photos with Iron Man.
It’s obviously no secret that Marvel’s Iron Man movies are immensely popular, and we expect this experience will emulate the success of our most recent expansion – Toy Story Land, Grizzly Gulch and Mystic Point – all of which have been huge hits with our guests.
We are extremely confident in and committed to the continued growth and success of Hong Kong Disneyland. I’m excited to see Iron Man become a part of that success when we welcome guests to the attraction in late 2016.
Screamscape said:Late 2016 - Iron Man Experience - Confirmed -
(10/8/13) – Breaking News – Sometimes incredible things happen while you are sleeping… and this morning’s big surprise was the announcement of the next major new attraction coming to Hong Kong Disneyland. As rumored, Disney’s first Marvel character themed attraction will arrive in late 2016… “Iron Man Experience”.
According to the description on the Disney Parks Blog the new attraction will be placed in Tomorrowland and start off with a tour through a piece of the Stark Expo where guests will see displays showing off the progression of Tony Stark’s Iron Man armor suits as well as other Stark inventions. You will then board a ride vehicle and take flight with Iron Man on an adventure against the forces of evil that will actually take place in the streets and skies of Hong Kong itself. Following your ride there will also be an Iron Man meet & greet area to take pictures with Marvel’s famous superhero.
A quick look over the three pieces of concept artwork shown show off a large ride building and your flying ride vehicle which features a not too surprising resemblance to the Star Speeder 2000/3000 from Star Tours. The body has been modified of course slightly with extra curves and bumps and has been given a proper Tony Stark trademark red and gold paint job as well. This seems a clear indication that we will see the same Star Tours 2 style ride system installed here for the Iron Man ride… and now gives us a clear explanation as to why the previous effort to build Star Tours 2 in Hong Kong’s Tomorrowland was quietly squashed. Same ride, same location… new theme.
Now I used to be a big comic book fan in my younger days, but I never really got heavily into Iron Man, so does anyone recognize the black evil robot army Iron Man is fighting in the concept artwork? At this point I would seriously hope that Disney would use a legit and real Iron Man nemesis from the Marvel Universe and not just make something up for the sake of the ride, so if you can ID the villain here, please do let me know.
Screamscape said:Late 2016 - Iron Man Experience - Confirmed -
(1/28/14) Disney & More reports that the Iron Man Experience attraction will begin construction shortly after the Chinese New Year holiday is over. The site has already been cleared, and once work starts the park will be forced to shut down their railroad for the next year or so to allow for this project to get underway. They also report that Hong Kong Disneyland will also add an unknown new, non-ride style attraction in 2015 to Fantasyland. Any ideas?
Screamscape said:2015 - New 10th Anniversary Entertainment & Non-Ride Attraction - (1/30/14) This is only a wild rumor… but the idea of a new non-ride attraction opening in Fantasyland in 2015 at HKDL has got some people really thinking. According to one source, they believe that it could be entirely possibly for the park to open some kind of new walk-through attraction inside the park’s castle. The HKDL castle was built essentially as a copy of the original Disneyland castle which offers a Sleeping Beauty walk-through attraction. Could it be possible that when the Hong Kong version was built, they might have left open the space to add a similar attraction in the future? Just a wild idea, but seems like something that could add some extra value on a budget. Anyone have a little extra insight on if this is even possible?
Disney & More said:Hong Kong Disneyland To Build Third and "Biggest" Hotel by 2017, 2013 Second Most Profitable Year Since HKDL Opening !
Great news to start the week as Hong Kong Disneyland announced today its second most profitable year and that the park will build its third and "biggest" hotel, to open in 2017! The new hotel positioned as "luxury hotel" will be themed around "exotic locations from around the world". It will occupy 6.4 hectares, and will offer 750 rooms with a total of 56000 square meters of floor area plus outdoor exotic adventure area to explore the theme.
It will cost HK$4.26 billion ($550 million) and you have above and below the renderings for this proposed third hotel which looks to me a bit like a mix between Animal Kingdom Lodge and Disney's Hawaii Aulani hotel. The "exotic locations from around the world" theme is also exciting - hey, may be we'll have a kind of "Adventurer's Club" hotel!
The hotel will be built on the land available between Hong Hong Disneyland Hotel and Hong Kong Disneyland Hollywood Hotel and will be the largest at HKDL Resort with 750 rooms and three restaurants as well as what looks like a great outdoor beach / pool area. You'll ask note on the map below that the hotel will be in fact located outside the park but just behind Mystic Manor, or in front of depending if you look from the hotel or from Mystic Manor. The hotel theming around "exotic locations from around the world" couldn't fit better being built so close from Adventureland and Mystic Manor.
You'll note on the map below that, once this third hotel will be built, they'll still have room available for a fourth hotel between this new hotel and the current HKDL Hotel you can see on the artwork below.
If HKDL plans to open its third and largest hotel by early 2017 it's to accommodate an influx of visitors from countries - including China and South Korea - amid intensifying competition from Ocean Park. HKDL has had to contend with government-owned Ocean Park, which drew 7.7 Million visitors in the fiscal year ended June. Ocean Park plans to add a lot of new attractions by 2017 as well as a 495-room hotel. Also, Kim Min-ho, CEO of Hong Kong Disneyland said that he expects Lantau Island hotels to have a strong demand with the opening in 2016 of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge.
Hong Kong Disneyland posted also a profit of HK$242 million, its second annual gain, in the 12 months ended September, more than double the HK$109 million a year ago. Visitors from China to Hong Kong Disneyland, part-owned by the city’s government, jumped 15 percent last year, while those from South Korea surged 27 percent, Hong Kong Disneyland Managing Director Andrew Kam told reporters today. “The hotel expansion will support increasing demand from the booming tourism industry in the region,” Kam said.
Hong Kong Disneyland’s sales rose 15 percent to HK$4.9 billion for the fiscal year, according to the statement. Visitors from China to the former British colony jumped 16.7 percent to 40.8 million last year and accounted for 75 percent of total visitor arrivals, according to the Hong Kong tourism Board.
As for future development for the park the picture above shows where are the lands available for future attractions. The light blue space with black stars on the center right is where Iron Man Experience will be built. And, talking about Iron Man Experience, to open in 2016, i have new details about the ride for you so don't miss too my Iron Man Experience update posted this afternoon HERE.
One more thing: the orange land on the center left available for future expansion, near Grizzly Gulch, is where HKDL Imagineers originally envisioned to build the Pirates of Caribbean land before it was cancelled, as you can see on the picture below.
Bump!
In more surprising news, there are reports that Disney are considering the demolition of HKDL's castle and replacing it with something more spectacular. I suspect that are a little jealous of what Shanghai have been given. No idea how likely this is but it would be quite something. I wouldn't mind if they did, I like the idea of Disneyland's castle being unique to Disneyland.
The original Disneyland can get away with having a tiny castle, it was the first. For a park built in 2005, it comes across as a bit cheap, particularly when all the other castle parks that aren't Disneyland have castles approaching 200ft in height.
It sums up HKDL when it first opened really. Compared to Paris which was so beautiful, grand and meticulously designed, HKDL was incredibly risk-averse. Everything was a miniaturised, scaled back version of something at another Disney park. Luckily, they've turned this around by developing some unique, brilliantly executed new attractions. I hope they continue to grow and get themselves a castle more befitting of their setting and of a modern Disney park. They don't need anything on the scale of Shanghai (which is a bit of an ungainly lump), I'd like to see them do something unique, tailored to their park.
HKDL, Walt Disney Studios Park Paris and Disney's California Adventure were all parks built on the cheap. Disney took what we'd say today was the Merlin approach (although in a totally different context) and did as little as they could get away with in a Disney park. They cut corners and have since paid the price what with having to carry out major investment work to bring all 3 up to Disney standard (although it can be argued they still have quite a way to go with WDS).