Is Disney Coming to Shanghai?
The rumors have swirled for years that the Walt Disney Company was planning on building a Disney theme park in Shanghai. They have reached a peak this week now that it is believed a deal will be announced in the next few days or weeks.
The residents in the area have invested in the land and their homes in the hopes that Disney will build there. They would like to receive a relocation package in case their land is needed in the name of progress.
Here are some details according to a recent article:
The recent buzz has been fanned by Chinese media reports saying that Disney and Shanghai officials had come to terms, with the Burbank-based entertainment giant easing up on some of its earlier demands because of the current financial climate. A Disney spokeswoman in Hong Kong, Alannah Hall-Smith, responded that there was “no deal, no announcement.”
But informed Shanghai officials, among others, believe that the project is pretty much settled. All that’s needed, they say, is a stamp of approval from leaders in Beijing at a key economic planning session expected to be held this month.
Shanghai is the largest city in China. It is hoped that a Disney theme park project there would stimulate the economy. Disney may be hoping to introduce Mickey Mouse and the other Disney characters to more people in China.
