Hong Kong Disneyland Announces New Entertainment Experiences in 2008

Hong Kong Disneyland Announces New Entertainment Experiences in 2008

(December 19, 2007) Today Bill Ernest, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Hong Kong Disneyland, announced four new entertainment initiatives for 2008 � Muppet Mobile Lab, High School Musical Celebration, Nemo Submarine �Turtle Talk� and The Art of Animation.

�As part of our continuing strategy to enhance our Guests� experience, we are excited to add new attractions and entertainment offerings in 2008 that truly showcase the magic of Disney�s cutting-edge technology, its timeless stories and beloved characters, who will appeal to Guests of all ages,� said Ernest. �After entertaining millions of Guests in our first two years of operation, Hong Kong Disneyland will continue to find new, immersive ways to delight families from Hong Kong and all over Asia for many years to come.�

Starting in spring 2008, these four new entertainment offerings will be unveiled to Guests at Hong Kong Disneyland. These experiences are in addition to the already-announced classic Disney attraction it�s a small world � which will include entertainment features unique to Hong Kong Disneyland.

Muppet Mobile Lab
With the help of Disney Imagineering�s Research and Development department, world-renowned scientist and founder of the Muppet Labs, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, and his trusty assistant, Beaker, take to the streets of Hong Kong Disneyland in their Muppet Mobile Lab. These beloved Muppets characters travel through the park in their free-roaming, two-wheeled, egg-shaped laboratory. Along their way, they will have personal, spontaneous interactions with Guests of all ages, who will be able to ask questions and engage in two-way conversations. Guests can also participate in one of Dr. Honeydew�s infamous scientific experiments, which usually go astray, much to the dismay of his unwitting, but dependable test subject, Beaker.

The Muppet Mobile Lab features two free-roaming Audio-Animatronics characters who travel around the Park, interacting with each other and with Guests. New technology developed by Disney Imagineers allows Guests to experience some of the onboard special effects, such as water sprayers, smoke and confetti cannons, plus a few unexpected surprises.

High School Musical
Based on the blockbuster Disney Channel movie, High School Musical Celebration has been uniquely created for Hong Kong Disneyland as a high-energy, highly-immersive entertainment offering. The spread of �Wildcat fever� will have Guests literally dancing in the streets when the new �High School Musical!� premieres at Hong Kong Disneyland. The mobile stage, featuring a troupe of singers and dancers, will travel the HKDL parade route, encouraging Guests to take part in a singing and dancing extravaganza along the way. The show, filled with classic, universal lessons about courage, teamwork, loyalty and respect, make the celebration an event not to be missed.

Nemo Submarine �Turtle Talk�
Turtle Talk With Crush gives Guests a chance to have unscripted, real-time conversations with Crush, the beloved laid-back sea turtle from the popular Disney/Pixar animated film �Finding Nemo.� From his digital world under the sea, Crush chats, plays and jokes with Guests in a unique, personalized way. The 152-year-old turtle recognizes Guests and asks them questions about themselves and the human world in this live, real-time animated show.

Guests are seated in a colorful, nautically-themed theatre and children are encouraged to talk directly with Crush. Using digital projection and sophisticated, voice-activated animation, Disney Imagineers have created a new way for Guests to talk with this personality-rich character.

The Art of Animation
Disney and Pixar Animation represent a heritage that extends over 75 years and includes some of the most beloved and well know characters and stories the world has ever known. The Art of Animation is both a celebration and a tribute to that legacy. In this experience, Guests will see artwork, sketches, drawings and maquettes, taking them from the earliest years of Mickey Mouse, through Disney and Pixar�s classic animated features to the stories and characters being created today. The highlight of the experience is the fully dimensional Pixar Zoetrope, which creates the illusion of movement by presenting a rapidly changing sequence of images � actual three-dimensional models � of characters from the Pixar animated classic �Toy Story� and �Toy Story 2.�

Coming soon in Spring 2008
In Spring, Hong Kong Disneyland will unveil a Disney classic attraction, it�s a small world. For the first time ever, more than 30 popular Disney characters, including Peter Pan, Aladdin and Mulan, will join the existing dolls from around the world and be seamlessly blended into the countries where their stories take place. Enhanced with an expanded Asia section that will include famous regional landmarks such as the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven and the distinctive Hong Kong skyline, the attraction will also include a Middle Eastern scene and a new scene for North America � a new twist on the classic attraction that other Disney Parks in North America�s don�t enjoy!

The grand finale features children coming together from all the corners of the globe for a spectacular �curtain call� with new colorful lighting effects. Another exceptional aspect of Hong Kong�s own it�s a small world is its classic fa�ade, inspired by the versions in the U.S., Tokyo and Paris, featuring a unique color scheme and has been specially designed to take advantage of the different quality of light in Hong Kong.

�Walt Disney once said that Disneyland will never be complete as long as there is imagination left in the world,� added Ernest. �This is certainly true here in Hong Kong � and we look forward to an exciting 2008 as we continue to enhance the experience of the park in new and exciting ways for our Guests.�

-- Posted December 19, 2007