Disney Just Announced a Brand New Theme Park: Disneyland Abu Dhabi

Even though we hear about them all the time, Disney only has theme parks in six locations: Anaheim, Orlando, Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. They don’t pop up everywhere or without some very careful thought. So anytime a new one is announced, it’s pretty big news, and Disney just announced a new theme park is coming to a seventh location: Abu Dhabi.

In conjunction with Miral, Disney will open its latest location on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It will “combine Disney’s iconic stories, characters and attractions with Abu Dhabi’s vibrant culture, stunning shorelines, and breathtaking architecture,” according to the press release. Miral will build the park with help and direction from Disney Imagineering.

“This is a thrilling moment for our company as we announce plans to build an exciting Disney theme park resort in Abu Dhabi, whose culture is rich with an appreciation of the arts and creativity,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said. “As our seventh theme park destination, it will rise from this land in spectacular fashion, blending contemporary architecture with cutting-edge technology to offer guests deeply immersive entertainment experiences in unique and modern ways.”

“Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati—an oasis of extraordinary Disney entertainment at this crossroads of the world that will bring to life our timeless characters and stories in many new ways and will become a source of joy and inspiration for the people of this vast region to enjoy for generations to come.”

We don’t specifically know what any of that means in terms of attractions or the look of the park, but this announcement video does potentially offer a few hints.

There’s a lot of footage in there, much of which is from rides or lands from other parks, such as the Zootopia one in Shanghai. That Avatar: Flight of Passage-type ride, but for The Lion King, is in line with recent news on Disneyland Paris, etc. But when it talks about the park being the most advanced ever, and you see speeding cars and beachfront property, the possibilities are endless: Tron, Moana, Lilo & Stitch, Cars, etc.

And is it really going to go with that almost Frozen-esque castle? That is pretty cool.

There’s no word on an expected completion date, but these things take time so we imagine this is something we won’t see until the 2030s. But, as news breaks, we’ll let you know. For more on the project, head to the Disney website.

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