Disney’s first Animal Kingdom and EPCOT theme parks outside America could be built in Shanghai, according to a statement issued by the local government.
The eagerly awaited Disneyland project will open in the city’s Pudong district by 2015 and the company’s arrival into mainland China is described by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts chairman Tom Staggs as, “the most exciting opportunity we’ve had since Walt first bought land in Florida in 1964.”
In common with Walt Disney World near Orlando, it appears the 7-square-kilometre site in Shanghai will also be a multi-park resort. “Shanghai Disneyland will feature three theme parks – ‘Magic Kingdom,’ details of which have been made public, and possibly ‘Epcot’ and ‘Animal Kingdom’,” says the government statement.
Disney will not comment, “until the regulatory approval process is complete,” according to a spokesperson quoted in an article by Bloomberg.
The first phase of the government-backed project will cover 3.9 square kilometres and construction could start as early as this May.
Pictured above: EPCOT in Florida
