Thousands of excited guests descended into Hong Kong Disneyland on Monday to experience the new attractions, with some standing in line for hours to get a head start at the first Frozen-themed attraction.
The new area of the park, which is based on Disney’s hugely successful animated picture Frozen, includes characters and scenery from the film along with two brand-new rides: a roller coaster and a boat ride that transports guests through various film scenes.
Disney Experiences head Josh D’Amaro stated, “The film has grown into one of the most successful franchises in Disney history over the past ten years.” Since the park’s opening in 2005, “World of Frozen represents Hong Kong Disneyland’s largest and boldest expansion.”
The launch follows Disney’s announcement in September of a $60 billion park and cruise expansion planned to take place over the course of ten years. This new feature is expected to be a game changer for a theme park that has been losing money for years, especially now that Chinese tourists are traveling overseas again following the pandemic.
A portion of the hundreds of Disney enthusiasts who waited in line for hours beforehand were decked up as Frozen characters.
Bryan Darmanic, a Disney enthusiast, arrived at the Frozen-themed roller coaster ahead of schedule with his wife and daughter, having driven from California. They were also given limited-edition mementos to remember the occasion.
Darmanic remarked, “The World of Frozen is really well-designed and beautiful,” speaking for the first time with his family at the theme park in Hong Kong.
Macao visitor Winnie Ip reported that she got there early—at nine in the morning—before the Frozen area opened.
Ip called the Frozen attractions “magnificent.”
Hong Kong has been enhancing the park in an effort to attract more guests. Its monumental multimedia and fireworks extravaganza, which is performed at its castle most nights, made its debut in June 2022.
Disney also has plans to create a Fantasy Springs port at Tokyo DisneySea in the spring of 2023, a Zootopia-themed area at Shanghai Disneyland in December, and a Frozen-themed Kingdom of Arendelle at Disneyland Paris that is expected to open in 2024 or 2025.
