In case you slept in on the news this morning, Disney is getting an official new theme park after Shanghai Disney opened in 2016. However, fans might want to hold their applause.
The new park is opening its doors in the Middle East, as Disney prepares to break ground on a massive theme park experience in Abu Dhabi after approximately seven years of development. That all sounds very exciting, and it's certainly the right environment, but it comes with a painful barb towards one of Disney's largest consumers.
Out with the old, in with the new...
It can be so easy to be blinded by the idea of a brand new Disney Park, as it's been almost a decade since the most recent one opened its gates. However, while other countries seem to get additional helpings of that trademarked Disney Magic, the originals here in the states are looking a little worse for wear.
If you've been keeping up with some of our latest coverage, you'll have heard about unruly guest behavior, lackluster ride additions like screens and projections, and less-than-magical park conditions at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. And that's not even mentioning things going on at the corporate level.
The new announcement also comes with a side order of blatant greed when you stop to consider just what kind of guest will be able to afford a trip to the new park. With flights to and from Abu Dhabi currently over $1,000, it doesn't exactly shine the best light on the company.
In this writer's opinion, Disney desperately needs to patch things up on American soil before branching out and building yet another international park. As of 2024, Disney World's Magic Kingdom is one of the most visited theme parks in the world, yet it has left many hardcore guests highly demystified.
In this writer's opinion, Disney desperately needs to mend fences (and rides) on American soil before breaking ground anywhere else. American fans haven't had a new Disney theme park since Animal Kingdom opened in 1998. How do you think that makes a majority of the Disney Park fanbase feel?
In the brutalist of honesty, most Disney fans probably will never set foot in the new Abu Dhabi theme park simply due to cost alone. All the more reason for Disney to enhance and refurbish the parks here in the States.
Yes, a new Disney Park is something worth celebrating, and it's sure to be a massive hit if it hopes to stand alongside Ferrari World or Warner Bros. World on Yas Island. But it also does a great disservice to the home parks. Considering Disney has such deep roots in American culture, it feels like a slap in the face to its homegrown fans.
If wishes were fishes, we'd all cast a net. And as much as many of us wish Disney would give us fans in the States something bigger than just a Cars attraction or even the long-anticipated Villains expansion, money talks.
Do you think American fans are getting a raw deal?