Shanghai Disneyland Opens

Shanghai Disneyland, Walt Disney Co.’s first resort in mainland China, opened to the general public on Thursday.

Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger joined Chinese officials in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the 963-acre theme park in Shanghai’s Pudong district.

The opening attracted tens of thousands of visitors, while thousands more visited the resort’s 123-acre Wishing Well Park, which is open to the public, Disney said.

Among the festivities was a choir’s rendition of the song “When You Wish Upon a Star” in a version that was arranged “in a Chinese style.”

Shanghai Disneyland has six themed lands (Adventure Isle, Gardens of Imagination, Mickey Avenue, Tomorrowland, Treasure Cove and Fantasyland), all of which surround the Enchanted Storybook Castle. Shanghai Disney also has two hotels, including the 800-room Toy Story Hotel and 420-room Shanghai Disneyland Hotel, as well as the Disneytown shopping, dining and entertainment district.

The $5.5 billion project is Walt Disney Co.’s largest outside the U.S.