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Theme Parks and Resorts
Disney theme parks and resorts continue to be the most popular in the world, setting attendance records at every site. Two of the most ambitious projects in company history are under way --- Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida and Disney's California Adventure. Design schematics for Tokyo DisneySea are being prepared for final consideration. When Walt Disney World opened in 1971, an E-ticket was a coveted coupon promising high-energy thrills. Now the E-ticket is just a memory, but the excitement lives on.
Walt Disney World The 15-month-long 25th anniversary celebration began October 1 with the rededication of the resort by CEO Michael Eisner, Vice Chairman Roy Disney and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. Cinderella's Castle—transformed for the occasion into a pink birthday cake—served as a backdrop. "Remember the Magic" is the theme for the celebration, which is welcoming back every past guest to Walt Disney World. Besides all the anniversary merrymaking, much will be happening in 1997. Disney's Wide World of Sports complex opens in May, providing more than 175 acres of state-of-the-art facilities—stadiums, fields and fieldhouses for more than two dozen sports, including baseball, basketball, soccer and tennis. The complex will be home to the Amateur Athletic Union and the Harlem Globetrotters. It will also serve as the spring training site for the Atlanta Braves beginning in 1998. The All-Star Cafe on the grounds will be the ultimate restaurant for sports fans.
Test Track presented by General Motors at Epcot will make its debut this summer. Guests will join other "test drivers" in one of the most advanced ride vehicles ever developed. They will peel out to face grueling roadway conditions, severe weather and even crash testing. Also this summer, the Hercules parade will open at the Disney-MGM Studios. It will coincide with the release of the company's 35th full-length animated feature, Hercules. The Disney Village Marketplace and Pleasure Island are undergoing expansions that eventually will double their size. The entire area will be renamed Downtown Disney. New clubs, shops and restaurants will open this summer. The House of Blues will serve up a sizzling blend of New Orleans food and top-name entertainment. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck's cafe will specialize in California cuisine, and Bongos Cuban Cafe— created by singer Gloria Estefan—will feature Latin American food and entertainment. One of the most famous live entertainment shows in the world comes to town—permanently—in 1998. Cirque du Soleil will bring its high-energy performances to a state-of-the-art theater in the entertainment district. Disney's Coronado Springs Resort will welcome its first guests this summer. This southwestern-themed resort—some 2,000 rooms and suites ringing a 15-acre lake—includes 95,000 square feet of convention space. In 1998, two long-anticipated Disney projects will come to fruition. The Disney Cruise Line will launch two ships—Disney Magic, early in the year, and Disney Wonder, in the fall. Inspired by the glorious ocean liners of the past, both have been designed with touches that are uniquely Disney. After vacationing at Walt Disney World, guests will board the ships from a specially designed terminal at nearby Port Canaveral and travel to Disney's own Caribbean island. Each 85,000-ton vessel will include 870 spacious staterooms. Four themed restaurants on each liner will offer guests a different bill of fare every night of the cruise. That year also brings the opening of Walt Disney World's fourth theme park, Disney's Animal Kingdom. At 500 acres, it will be the largest of all Disney parks, five times the size of the Magic Kingdom. Already six years in the making, Disney's Animal Kingdom will celebrate the beauty and natural drama of life in the wild and all the animals that ever (or never) existed. The park will combine Disney's creative storytelling with amazing creatures—from prehistoric dinosaurs to live animals roaming free in natural habitats. Disneyland Resort A new nighttime show, Light Magic, will greet guests in 1997. It replaces the Main Street Electrical Parade, which officially ended its 25-year run in mid-October, then was held over through November 25 by public demand. New Tomorrowland, due in 1998, will be a state-of-the-art 3-D adventure. Guests will journey through the land of hot rods of the future, traverse an interactive pavilion of technology and imagination, then be entertained by the addition of the Honey, I Shrunk the Audience 3-D presentation, which has been a huge success at Epcot in Florida. The allure of California's climate, beauty and lifestyle is the genesis for the proposed expansion of The Disneyland Resort, with its centerpiece a new theme park called Disney's California Adventure. The 55-acre expansion will include an entertainment center with shopping, theaters and dining as well as a deluxe hotel. From the glamour of Hollywood to the exhilaration of soaring over Yosemite Valley to a gleaming California beachfront boardwalk, the new theme park will capture California's "Golden State of Mind." Groundbreaking will take place early this year, and opening is expected by 2001. Tokyo Disneyland The Honey, I Shrunk the Audience 3-D attraction will make its debut this year under the title MicroAdventure! In addition, plans are already being developed for the 15th anniversary of Tokyo Disneyland in 1998. Tokyo DisneySea Negotiations with Oriental Land Co., owner and operator of Tokyo Disneyland, have resulted in completion of a joint study of the design and business arrangements for this 100-acre theme park and hotel; signed agreements now cover the development, construction and operation. The target opening year for the park and hotel is 2001. Maihama Station Area Oriental Land Co. also continues work on this project, with Disney as its design partner. The first phase will include a 500-room Disney hotel, The Disney Store and a themed restaurant, as well as other retail, dining and entertainment facilities. Disneyland Paris The Gaumont Cinema complex will open its eight screens this year at Disney Village, Disneyland Paris's nighttime entertainment complex. Plans for the park's fifth anniversary celebration also are being completed. The castle, dressed in a giant jester's hat, will be the symbol of the entire event. Anaheim Sports, Inc. encompasses ownership of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim National Hockey League team as well as part ownership and general management responsibility for the Anaheim Angels Major League Baseball franchise. Last May, Disney acquired a 25 percent interest in the Angels with an option to purchase the entire team at a later date. At the close of the 1996 season, Disney changed the Angels' name to the Anaheim Angels and began a downsizing of the home stadium to bring it back to baseball dimensions. It had previously been expanded to accommodate the Rams football team, which subsequently moved to St. Louis. Disney Regional Entertainment, a new subsidiary, is creating a variety of entertainment experiences Disney intends to open in various parts of the United States and abroad. These businesses will include sports concepts, interactive entertainment centers, children's play centers and other businesses capitalizing on Disney's creative entertainment talents and the popularity of the Disney brand. Club Disney, the first such business to be launched, is a freestanding 25,000-square-foot "imagination-powered playsite" premiering in Thousand Oaks, California, in February. Club Disney will offer interactive, creative and active play experiences for children ages 1 to 10 accompanied by grown-ups, who will participate in various activities.
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