A new Disneyland Technophile will open in Abu Dhabi
No castle for this new Disney park, but an imposing and mysterious crystalline structure instead. © Disney
And seven! Disney has just announced the upcoming opening of a Disneyland park in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. According to Bob Iger, the Disney CEO, this new themed park promises to be more high-tech than ever since it should combine “contemporary architecture and advanced technology to offer visitors deeply immersive entertainment experiences”.
After the United States (Anaheim in California and Orlando in Florida), Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong and Shanghai, it will therefore be the brand’s seventh resort, and the thirteenth park, because several of these destinations include several. That of Abu Dhabi will rise on the seafront of the artificial island of Yas, which already hosts several similar establishments such as Ferrari World Abou Dhabi and the Yas Waterworld water park. The latter have also been co-designed by the local company Miral, which will also be Disney’s partner on this new project.
When Mickey Play Technophile
The first visuals reveal a unique design, with a crystal and majestic magic play in place of the traditional princess castle in the center of the park. “Our complex in Abu Dhabi will be the most advanced and interactive destination of our portfolio,” said Josh of Amaro, Disney Experiences president. We can therefore expect ultra-modern attractions, especially since competition is increasingly harsh on the theme parks market, which must compete in ingenuity to satisfy the public.
The first visuals combine technology, greenery, ocean and modern architecture. © Disney
Disney had also struck hard with its previous park in Shanghai (open in 2016), which offers for example a Caribbean pirates Impressive based on gigantic screens and striking animatronics of realism. More recently, Universal had taken hold with Epic Universe, a new park which has just opened in Florida and also offers many innovations in the design and logistics of its attractions. The technophile Disneyland of the United Arab Emirates will therefore have to go even further, especially since Abhabi remains a less attractive destination than Tokyo or Paris.
Towards a 2.0 Epcot?
In any case, this is not the first time that the Disney stable has been interested in technology. The firm thus has a unique park in Orlando in Florida, Epcot (for Experimental prototype Community of Tomorrow). A complex designed by Walt Disney itself, and some of the attractions of which have a real educational and scientific ambition, evoking as well the space conquest (mission: space), the environment (Living with the Land), the history of communication and technology (Spaceship Earth) or even automotive construction (test track).
In Epcot, the Pavilion of the Spaceship Earth attraction also replaces the princess castle as the embellishment of the park. © Katie Rommel-Esham, CC by-Sa 4.0
It remains to be seen whether Disney will offer comparable experiences in its Emirati project, or if most of the innovations will be rather in the concepts of attractions, as in Disneyland Shanghai. Anyway, we hope of course that Mickey will come to take some inspiration from the Futuroscope of Poitiers before launching in the Middle East.
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