Latest news with #MiralGroup
Khaleej Times
01-06-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Disneyland Abu Dhabi: Castle with Emirati flair? Likely opening date, how park will look explained
Walt Disney is set to open the Middle East's first Disneyland on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The announcement was made on Wednesday; Disney will work with Abu-Dhabi based Miral Group, which will build and operate the park. The project, branded as 'Disneyland Abu Dhabi', marks the first Disney theme park in the Middle East and Disney's seventh globally, following its parks in California, Florida, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong and Shanghai. This will be Disney's 13th park and resort, with the last one opening in Shanghai, China in 2016. Although still in its early stages, here is what we know about the iconic Disney Park that will be built in the UAE. When will Disneyland Abu Dhabi open? Perhaps the most pressing question is when we will see the opening of the iconic Disney theme park. Although no opening date has been confirmed, Bloomberg reported that the chairman of Disney Parks, John D'Amaro, said the designing stage will take around two years, while the actual construction can take around five to six years. Currently, Disney is in the process of designing the resort, and if all falls into plan, we could see a Disneyland in the UAE by 2032 or 2033. Where is it coming up? The new park will be erected alongside the country's biggest attractions at Yas Island Waterfront. With the opening of Disneyland Abu Dhabi, the number of attractions will total five, with the others being Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi and Yas Waterworld. A modern castle? Moreover, D'Amaro mentioned that Disneyland Abu Dhabi will host a 'modern castle unlike anything we've ever created'. Traditionally, Disneyland castles draw upon European-style castles, like the Cinderella Castle, which has influences from the Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. Though D'Amaro did not reveal many details about the Abu Dhabi-based castle, he said that the concept for this resort will push the boundaries of theme park design, showcasing groundbreaking technology and visionary architecture, which include a 'modern castle.' How will it look like? Although the park is still in its designing phase, we do know that the park will be 'distinctly Emirati' while also keeping the Disney flavour intact, the Disney CEO said. Bob Iger, CEO of Walt Disney Company, said on Wednesday that the park will blend 'the beloved Disney stories and characters with the cultures and tastes of this country and region.' In 2016, when Disney opened its Chinese division, the Shanghai Disney Resort blended the host country's rich cultural heritage while still staying true to Disney's originality. For example, right outside the main entrance to the resort, the 'Wishing Star Park' draws inspiration from China's landscape, specifically China's Yangtze River Delta. Disney also chose to omit certain attractions in China due to cultural sensitivities, like the 'Haunted Mansion' which can be seen as inappropriate and taboo. Who will design and operate the park? Miral, which is an Abu Dhabi-based leisure and entertainment group, will be working alongside Disney to design the region's first Disneyland The new resort will be fully developed and built by Miral. Disney will lead creative design, attraction development and operational oversight to provide a world-class guest experience. Upon completion, Miral will also operate this recreational destination, drawing on its extensive experience in developing and managing some of the leading family entertainment destinations on Yas Island and in Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with prominent American and European brands.
The Sun
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
New Disney theme park to be fully indoors – and could open in seven years
DISNEY'S new theme park that could open by the early 2030s - and will be fully indoors in a first for the brand. This week The Walt Disney company announced that it will be opening a seventh park and resort on Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates. 7 The park will be created by immersive destination and experiences company Miral and will feature accommodations, unique dining experiences, retail opportunities and integrated storytelling throughout. However, the park will be completely indoors - a first for Disney. Miral Group CEO Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi told a local radio station, the Dubai Eye, that the park will be indoors. He said: "As you know, all of are theme parks are indoors." Miral is the owner of Yas Island, where all the other attractions are indoors. Temperatures often surpass 37C in the Emirates and even 48C in the peak summer season. As a result, parks in the country that are outdoors often have to close when it is too hot. And Disney imagineers have already started to design the park. The park will be located on Yas Island, which is a hub of entertainment and retail experiences. It is already home to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterwold, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi and Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi. Let Kevin Hart show you around Yas Island, the world's biggest indoor theme park The Formula 1 Yas Marina Circuit is also on Yas Island and the area hosts Abu Dhabi's largest mall and an award-winning golf course. Al Zaabi also shared that the new Disney park would be the most advanced in the portfolio. He commented: "I would say it's too early to share details about the design, but I will say it'll be the most advanced Disney theme park in the world. "Expect local tech companies to be involved, as well as Disney's experience from around the world. "It's a resort, so it'll include many features and so many elements." Abu Dhabi has developed heat management tech, for example, in March the capital unveiled what it dubbed as the world's first air-conditioned street, reports Skift. In Dubai, a resort has also claimed to have built the first outdoor street where it can make rain on command. When Al Zaabi was asked whether Yas Island would have to be expanded to fit a Disney park, he couldn't give a firm answer. 7 "That will be considered. There will be an upgrade to services and infrastructure," he said. Disney Parks chairperson Josh D'Amro said, in an interview on CNBC that Miral will fully fund this project, including eventually operating it with oversight from Disney. 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." Iger added that they do not yet have a pinned date for the opening of the park, as it usually takes "between 18 months and two years to design and dully develop and approximately five years to build", reports CNBC. So this means the park could open in around seven years, following the design and building. 7 7 Disney has slowly been entering the UAE in recent years, with retail locations and touring entertainment show sin particular. Iger told CNBC that the company firsts tarted considering the region for a new resort back in 2017/2018. D'Amaro shared that the "groundbreaking" resort destination represents "a new frontier in theme park development". He added that the resort will be the most advanced and interactive destination in the portfolio. He said: "The location of our park is incredibly unique – anchored by a beautiful waterfront – which will allow us to tell our stories in completely new ways. "This project will reach guests in a whole new part of the world, welcoming more families to experience Disney than ever before." Here's ev erything we know about the park so far. Plus, the small English castle with ancient woodlands that people say looks just like a Disney film. 7
Skift
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Skift
'Disney Will Be Indoors': Abu Dhabi Developer Confirms Plan for New Theme Park
Many visitors to a Disney park will know the magic of walking down that path towards the castle. In Abu Dhabi, it'll have to be indoors. Disneyland Abu Dhabi was announced on Wednesday, and one big question Skift had about the project was how it would manage heat. The answer is that it will be Disney's first indoor theme park. Miral Group CEO Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi told local radio station Dubai Eye that the park would be indoors. "Disney will be indoors," he said Thursday. "As you know, all of our theme parks are indoors." Miral is a local developer in Abu Dhabi and the owner of Yas Island, the location of the eventual Disney park and many other attractions. Its other parks, all indoors, include Ferrari World, SeaWorld, and Warner Bros World. Disney has other parks in hot climates, such as Orlando, but the emirate is on another level. Temperatures often surpass 100°F in the emirates, and can even reach 120°F in the summer months. Many outdoor parks in the country, such as Global Village in Dubai, have to close during these hotter periods. Al Zaabi explained that this Disney would be the most advanced in the portfolio. "I would say it's too early to share details about the design, but I will say it'll be the most advanced Disney theme park in the world. Expect local tech companies to be involved, as well as Disney's experience from around the world. It's a resort, so it'll include so many features and so many elements.' On the topic of heat management, Abu Dhabi does have some tech. In March this year, the capital unveiled what it dubbed the world's first air-conditioned street. In Dubai, a resort claims to have built the first outdoor street where it can make rain on command. Asked whether Yas Island would have to be expanded to fit a Disney park, Al Zaabi couldn't give a firm answer. 'That will be considered. There will be an upgrade to services and infrastructure,' he said. 'Miral will fully fund this project. They will build the project…. And then ultimately, when it's fully built out, they'll operate it, with oversight from us,' said Disney Parks chairperson Josh D'Amaro in an interview on CNBC when the project was unveiled. No timeline or budget has been given for the project yet, but Disney chief Bob Iger told CNBC that once construction begins, it would take at least five years.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Disney heads to Abu Dhabi with new park as earnings beat expectations
The Walt Disney Company's stock price soared on Wednesday, up by 10% at the time of publishing, as the company surpassed earnings expectations and unveiled its first new theme park development in 15 years. None of the objects on top of the Oval Office mantle were made in the U.S. 'AI is already eating its own': Prompt engineering is quickly going extinct ACM Awards 2025: How to watch the Academy of Country Music Awards live online or on a smart TV for free Following Disney's second quarter earnings report, the entertainment giant announced an agreement to build a new resort and theme park in Yas Island, United Arab Emirates. '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,' Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement. While no opening date or project timeline has been released yet, the Abu Dhabi–based experiences company Miral Group is set to develop and build the new shoreline resort, with Disney imagineers leading operational oversight and creative design. 'Our resort in Abu Dhabi will be the most advanced and interactive destination in our portfolio,' said chairman of Disney Experiences Josh D'Amaro. Prior to the theme park announcement, Disney also released its favorable second quarter earning report, recognizing 'that uncertainty remains regarding the operating environment for the balance of the fiscal year,' the company said in the report. Disney reported a 7% increase in revenues this quarter in comparison to the same period last year, increasing to $23.6 billion. Notably, Disney's entertainment saw significant growth, with a 2.5 million subscription growth for Disney+ and Hulu from this years first fiscal quarter. 'We have a lot more to look forward to, including our upcoming theatrical slate, the launch of ESPN's new DTC offering, and an unprecedented number of expansion projects underway in our Experiences segment,' Iger said in the report. 'We remain optimistic about the direction of the company and our outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year.' This post originally appeared at to get the Fast Company newsletter: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Disney announces location of new theme park
Walt Disney announced plans on Wednesday to open a Disney theme park in United Arab Emirates' capital Abu Dhabi in collaboration with regional developer Miral Group, representing its first major new theme park in nearly a decade and its first in the Middle East. The planned Disney waterfront resort will be located on Yas Island, a popular tourist destination that is home to other family-friendly attractions, including Warner Bros World Yas Island, SeaWorld Yas Island and Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi. The city of Abu Dhabi has a population of about 2.5 million, but Yas Island recorded more than 34 million visits in 2023, a 38% rise compared to the year before, Miral has said. "We've always been interested in this part of the world - to bring our Disney stories to new, younger fans," Disney's Experiences unit Chairman Josh D´Amaro told Reuters, adding, "Abu Dhabi was an ideal location for us." Miral, the Abu Dhabi-based leisure and entertainment group responsible for developing Yas Island, will finance, build and operate the resort. The creative and technical professionals who design Disney's theme parks, known as Imagineers, will lead creative design and provide operational oversight. The U.S. entertainment company will earn royalties based on the park's revenue, according to a regulatory filing. The Disney park "will be authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati - an oasis of extraordinary Disney entertainment that is at the crossroads of the world," Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement on Wednesday. Abu Dhabi is known for its oil wealth, though last year it announced plans to invest more than $10 billion in infrastructure to grow its tourism business. The international airport in UAE's commercial hub Dubai aims to boost its capacity to accommodate 120 million passengers a year by 2026. Disney did not announce the opening date for the new park, though D´Amaro said a project of this scale could take a year or two to design, and another four to six years to build. Once complete, the resort will offer Disney-themed attractions, dining and retail experiences, in a way that blends the Burbank entertainment company´s storytelling and Abu Dhabi´s heritage, D´Amaro said. The Abu Dhabi park, Disney´s first since Shanghai Disneyland opened in 2016, represents a continuation of the company´s plans to "turbocharge" its Experiences unit, which includes its six global theme park resorts, a cruise ship line and a family resort in Hawaii. In 2023, Disney announced it would commit $60 billion over a decade to double the size of its Disney cruise ship fleet and invest in its theme parks. It also took a minority stake in Epic Games, creator of the online game Fortnite. Miral initially approached Disney to talk about their plans for creating a tourism hub in Abu Dhabi, said D´Amaro. That conversation led Disney executives to visit the prospective theme park site last September. "We saw where our potential park might go, and had some serious conversations about what this could mean to our 'turbocharging'," D´Amaro said. After a return trip to the region in February, D´Amaro said the parties entered into serious discussions that culminated in a deal. The amount of Miral's investment was not disclosed. Miral Group CEO Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi issued a statement hailing the addition of a Disney theme park to Yas Island as a "historic milestone" in the company´s efforts to build the island into a global entertainment destination. (Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Henderson and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
