Shanghai Disneyland Opens Its Doors to the Public
It's the company's first theme park in mainland China.
— -- After more than a decade of negotiations, five years of construction and weeks of testing, Shanghai Disneyland opened its doors to the general public on Thursday.
Musical festivities kicked off the opening, including a custom arrangement of "Let it Go" by pianist Lang Lang, the debut of the song "Ignite the Dreamer Within," written especially for the grand opening, as well as "Once Upon a Dream," "Heigh Ho" and "Some Day My Prince will Come," all performed by the Shanghai Symphony, and conducted by "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" composer Tan Dun.
Analysts expect Shanghai Disneyland to become the world's most-visited theme park, attracting at least 15 million guests -- but some figures cite the park attracting as many as 50 million guests a year. By contrast, Disney's flagship Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, drew 19.3 million people in 2014.
Shanghai Disneyland covers almost 1,000 acres -– roughly the size of eight, 18-hole golf courses.
330 million people live within a three-hour drive or train ride of Shanghai Disneyland.
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