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HKDL gets new castle, frozen land and marvel land.
- Thread starter Kiwiduck
- Start date
The castle still does feel too thin and tall doesn’t it? Maybe it’s since we’re used to it being different worldwide. I still prefer it to Shanghai’s box with towers mind. Maybe it’ll look different in person.
Still happy for them mind.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
I don’t think it’s just because it’s different. The other castles make sense as buildings. This one doesn’t. It only makes sense as a prop, one designed to really only be seen from a particular vantage.
Haymarket
Well-Known Member
It looks so cheap: the modular construction pieces slapped-on the original castle (on its back and top) are too obviously cheap prefab and look plastic.
disney’s prefab castle
Walt Disney Imagineering created a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the development and construction of Hong Kong Disneyland’s castle expansion/retheme. It highlights the aggressive use …
lucept.com
I think thin and tall is ok for Hong Kong because it fits with the idea of a compact high-rise city. Just as Shanghai is both high-rise and broad (which is why its castle, tall and broad, makes sense to me).
Enchanted Storybook Castle, Shanghai Disneyland
Hong Kong's castle (the Castle of Magical Dreams) is a discordant postmodern jumble. I get that our era is all about "diversity", but come on—Enchanted Storybook Castle in Shanghai represents all the princesses while still being cohesive. And using a minaret closely resembling a mosque's isn't in good taste (I'm surprised Muslim visitors to Hong Kong Disneyland haven't expressed some dismay).
Hong Kong's arguably inappropriate minaret
I wish they'd demolished Hong Kong's copy of Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle and built Rapunzel's castle. It was considered, but as an alternative tack-on to the original, which would be restyled to fit the overall look. I'd want a complete redo, not some renovation and addition, as just repainting the original and slapping-on the rest would look as cheap as the current "new" castle.
My wishlist for the park (apart from new lands):
- New castle (never happening)
- New, grander train station at the gate (never happening) - yes, I know it's supposed to look small and like the (lovely, of-its-time) original, but I want something "more"
- Trolly tracks down main street (to break up the solid brick expanse, which looks too broad and boring) - even if purely decorative (i.e., with no actual trolley)
Rapunzel's castle concept for castle renovation at Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland front gate train station.
Disneyland (Anaheim) front gate train station
Shanghai Disneyland's front gate faux train station
Hong Kong Main Street (broad, monotonous)
Disneyland (Anaheim) Main Street - nicely broken-up into three segments, with trolly tracks
Disneyland (Anaheim) Main Street, second photo
As Hong Kong Disneyland grows into a more impressive park (it's happening), maybe they'll get to segmenting Main Street (probably not, I know).
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Main Street does seem to look like the cheap build it was. I’m looking forward to comparing it with Anaheim.It looks so cheap: the modular construction pieces slapped-on the original castle (on its back and top) are too obviously modular construction and look plastic.
View attachment 694359
disney’s prefab castle
Walt Disney Imagineering created a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the development and construction of Hong Kong Disneyland’s castle expansion/retheme. It highlights the aggressive use …
I think thin and tall is ok for Hong Kong because it fits with the idea of a compact high-rise city. Just as Shanghai is both high-rise and broad (which is why its castle makes sense to me).
Hong Kong's castle is a postmodern jumble. I get that our era is all about diversity, but come on—Enchanted Storybook Castle in Shanghai represents all the princesses while still being cohesive.
I wish they'd demolished Hong Kong's copy of Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle and built Rapunzel's castle. It was considered, but as an alternative tack-on to the original, which would be restyled to fit the overall look. I'd want a complete redo, not some renovation and addition, as just repainting the original and slapping-on the rest would look as cheap as the current "new" castle.
My wishlist for the park (apart from new lands):
- New castle (never happening)
- New train station at the gate (never happening) - yes, I know it's supposed to look small and like the original, but I want something "more"
- Trolly tracks down main street (to break up the solid brick expanse, which looks too broad and boring) - even if purely decorative (i.e., with not actual trolley)
View attachment 694340
Rapunzel's castle concept for castle renovation at Hong Kong Disneyland
View attachment 694344
Hong Kong Disneyland front gate train station.
View attachment 694345
Disneyland (Anaheim) front gate train station
View attachment 694351
Shanghai Disneyland's front gate faux train station
View attachment 694346
Hong Kong Main Street (broad, monotonous)
View attachment 694347
Disneyland (Anaheim) Main Street - nicely broken-up into three segments, with trolly tracks
View attachment 694349
Disneyland (Anaheim) Main Street, second photo
As Hong Kong Disneyland grows into a more impressive park (it's happening), maybe they'll get to segmenting Main Street (probably not, I know).
PymParty
Well-Known Member
Remember that HK's castle redesign was not done simply because they wanted a "bigger" castle that could compete with Shanghai's. Of course, this was one of the reason for its transformation, and the story that the media prefered. Additionaly, the previous castle was undoubtedly considered to be ridiculous in this park by both tourists and locals, especially because it was dwarfed by the mountains in the background.
However, there is also another important reason for its transformation that is more technical.
The expansion plot on which World of Frozen is being built is located directly behind Fantasyland and the castle. It was previously the backstage area used to launch the big shell fireworks (and their fallout zone). Using this parcel for park expansion meant that no more big fireworks could be used on a regular basis in the park. This is also why the current Momentous show doesn't feature any; only small fireworks are thrown during the show from the rooftops of Fantasyland.
However, big shell fireworks were the absolute main feature of the previous nighttime spectacular. Castle projections at the time were really bad and barely visible. Additionally, there were no extra features like the dancing fountains we have today.
By redeveloping the castle, HKDL got specifically a much bigger projection surface for its shows, as well as top-notch additional elements (fountains, flames, lasers, stage...). This was undiscutably needed to counterbalance the loss of big fireworks while still providing a disney-class nighttime spectacular whilst using the Arendelle plot.
Basically, Arendelle could not have happened in this specific plot without the castle's redesign and the two projects were logically part of the same expansion plan.
Indeed, the castle looks thin and doesn't look like a real livable building, but all of this is the fault of stupid planning and budget cuts during the park's initial construction. They had extremely limited space to work with when re-designing it.
In the end, I believe it helped the park finally attain its own personal identity without neglecting its past.
In the following pictures, you can see how Arendelle took the space previously used by fireworks launchers
.
However, there is also another important reason for its transformation that is more technical.
The expansion plot on which World of Frozen is being built is located directly behind Fantasyland and the castle. It was previously the backstage area used to launch the big shell fireworks (and their fallout zone). Using this parcel for park expansion meant that no more big fireworks could be used on a regular basis in the park. This is also why the current Momentous show doesn't feature any; only small fireworks are thrown during the show from the rooftops of Fantasyland.
However, big shell fireworks were the absolute main feature of the previous nighttime spectacular. Castle projections at the time were really bad and barely visible. Additionally, there were no extra features like the dancing fountains we have today.
By redeveloping the castle, HKDL got specifically a much bigger projection surface for its shows, as well as top-notch additional elements (fountains, flames, lasers, stage...). This was undiscutably needed to counterbalance the loss of big fireworks while still providing a disney-class nighttime spectacular whilst using the Arendelle plot.
Basically, Arendelle could not have happened in this specific plot without the castle's redesign and the two projects were logically part of the same expansion plan.
Indeed, the castle looks thin and doesn't look like a real livable building, but all of this is the fault of stupid planning and budget cuts during the park's initial construction. They had extremely limited space to work with when re-designing it.
In the end, I believe it helped the park finally attain its own personal identity without neglecting its past.
In the following pictures, you can see how Arendelle took the space previously used by fireworks launchers
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
These are all design decisions, not immutable constraints.
denyuntilcaught
Well-Known Member
Agreed. I love its unique identity. I'm also not prone to over examine something.
SaveDinosaur
Well-Known Member
I think that everything in Hong Kong Disneyland looks better than in Shanghai Disneyland, the emptiness, bad scale and too much distance between everything in Shanghai Disneyland really takes away the immersion. It's also funny how Tokyo Disneyland made a modern park, with great scale and large walkways, decades before...
HKDL cannot use “big shell” fireworks - see Disney in the Stars.
It is as constrained as Paris for environmental reasons.
Animaniac93-98
Well-Known Member
No, even in person it's too tall and thin in places, but also not tall enough?
It really only looks OK from the end of Main Street. The closer you get to it, the more it looks off.
The castle works best when you see the upper spires rising above the treetops from other lands. Looks taller that way and you're less aware of the structural awkwardness and conflicting styles.
Main Street feels like California. Especially when facing the train station at night. You think you're on the other side of the world.
Haymarket
Well-Known Member
Beijing Legoland to help China’s capital spur economy as construction set to begin this year
SCMP - 3 Feb, 2023
Beijing really wants to build with Lego. A theme park, that is. And if construction starts this year as expected, it would be one of the capital city’s major economy-boosting projects.
When recently unveiling its annual economic plan for 2023, the city said it “seeks to initiate the construction of Legoland”
... And a leading theme-park expert in China says the announcement reflects how important the country remains to global developers who are keen to cash in on the country’s post-Covid recovery, with an eye on the future.
In fact, the planned 304,000-square-metre (75-acre) resort is one of four Legoland parks that UK-based Merlin Entertainments has planned for China. But even though the possibility of a Beijing Legoland has been discussed for years, few details have been confirmed, including its possible completion date.
Merlin, which has opened several Legoland parks and Legoland Discovery Centres around the world through its partnership with the world’s No 1 toymaker by revenue, is also building the world’s largest Legoland theme park in Shenzhen, across the border from Hong Kong.
That one is said to be backed by a 7 billion yuan (US$1.04 billion) investment, and construction on the 580,000-square-metre park began in August 2021 on the Dapeng Peninsula on the eastern edge of Shenzhen.
Merlin is also building a Legoland in Meishan, Sichuan. The fourth park will be located in Shanghai.
But construction faced delays during the pandemic and was expected to resume this year ... according to Lin Huanjie, dean of the Institute for Theme Park Studies in China, who also took part in the project-quality review for Legoland Shenzhen.
... The Legoland parks will follow in the footsteps of Universal Studios in Beijing and the Shanghai Disney Resort.
... Prioritising economic recovery and consumption this year, local governments across China have unveiled big construction plans, with initiatives to attract foreign investment to counter unemployment pressure and bolster the Covid-battered economic growth.
Lin said that the potential of theme parks to boost local economies is significant, as these tend to provide a big boost to the surrounding restaurants, hotels, transport and employment, in addition to park income. They can also help cities develop their brand and woo foreign investors.
... “Paramount and Warner Brothers in the US, Puy du Fou in France, and Bollywood in India all want to enter the Chinese market. This means that China still remains a huge market for theme park consumption, and this market is not saturated.”
...
SCMP - 3 Feb, 2023
Beijing really wants to build with Lego. A theme park, that is. And if construction starts this year as expected, it would be one of the capital city’s major economy-boosting projects.
When recently unveiling its annual economic plan for 2023, the city said it “seeks to initiate the construction of Legoland”
... And a leading theme-park expert in China says the announcement reflects how important the country remains to global developers who are keen to cash in on the country’s post-Covid recovery, with an eye on the future.
In fact, the planned 304,000-square-metre (75-acre) resort is one of four Legoland parks that UK-based Merlin Entertainments has planned for China. But even though the possibility of a Beijing Legoland has been discussed for years, few details have been confirmed, including its possible completion date.
Merlin, which has opened several Legoland parks and Legoland Discovery Centres around the world through its partnership with the world’s No 1 toymaker by revenue, is also building the world’s largest Legoland theme park in Shenzhen, across the border from Hong Kong.
That one is said to be backed by a 7 billion yuan (US$1.04 billion) investment, and construction on the 580,000-square-metre park began in August 2021 on the Dapeng Peninsula on the eastern edge of Shenzhen.
Merlin is also building a Legoland in Meishan, Sichuan. The fourth park will be located in Shanghai.
But construction faced delays during the pandemic and was expected to resume this year ... according to Lin Huanjie, dean of the Institute for Theme Park Studies in China, who also took part in the project-quality review for Legoland Shenzhen.
... The Legoland parks will follow in the footsteps of Universal Studios in Beijing and the Shanghai Disney Resort.
... Prioritising economic recovery and consumption this year, local governments across China have unveiled big construction plans, with initiatives to attract foreign investment to counter unemployment pressure and bolster the Covid-battered economic growth.
Lin said that the potential of theme parks to boost local economies is significant, as these tend to provide a big boost to the surrounding restaurants, hotels, transport and employment, in addition to park income. They can also help cities develop their brand and woo foreign investors.
... “Paramount and Warner Brothers in the US, Puy du Fou in France, and Bollywood in India all want to enter the Chinese market. This means that China still remains a huge market for theme park consumption, and this market is not saturated.”
...
Disney Analyst
Well-Known Member
I also like the HKDL castle 
Glad Disneyland CA is back to having her unique, exclusive castle.
Glad Disneyland CA is back to having her unique, exclusive castle.
Haymarket
Well-Known Member
Remember, Disney owns 47% of Hong Kong Disneyland. Its partner probably covers most of the cost of new attractions. Disney alone covers the cost of new attractions at its US parks.
montyz81
Well-Known Member
An excuse for building attractions with not so advanced technology. Rest on you laurels kind of thing. Look what that did to General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler in 2008
Haymarket
Well-Known Member
True, true. I get what you mean, but they're not feeling enough pain to invest more. The US parks are still packed.