Small World

Work Begins on Shanghai Disneyland

CEO Bob Iger speaks at ceremony.

It took over ten years to get the permits, but Disney CEO Bob Iger finally presided over the groundbreaking of Shanghai Disneyland. Iger was joined by Shanghai's Communist Party chief and the city's mayor in an elaborate ceremony featuring gold-toned shovels and Disney characters dressed in traditional Chinese outfits. City officials at the ceremony said Shanghai Disneyland will help raise the city's profile as a tourist destination, while Iger says he hopes it will be an inroad into the market of China's rapidly growing middle class. Iger said Disney also plans to invest in movie production in China, producing films that are “made in China, by the Chinese, for the local market, but Disney branded.” The park is planned to have the largest castle of any of Disney's theme parks.