Highlights of the Abu Dhabi Disney Project

No Capital Investment, Disney Receives Copyright Revenue : The project is fully funded and developed by Miral, with Disney requiring no capital investment but receiving copyright revenue through licensing.

Disney Creative Leadership : Disney's Imagineers will lead the project's creative design and operational oversight, ensuring it meets Disney's consistently high-quality standards.

First Disney Resort Directly Located on the Coastline ： Tokyo Disney Resort is built on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, but the seawater is only visible outside the park walls, and visitors cannot access it.

Castle Blending with Abu Dhabi Aesthetics : Although each Disney resort centers around a castle park, this castle is distinctly different from fairytale landmarks. Disney provides an artistic rendering of the castle showing a spiral, crystal-like structure towering above the rest of the park.

State-of-the-Art Theme Park: This new project will be Disney's most technologically advanced park, with Disney preparing to utilize its recent R&D achievements in immersive gaming. For example, D'Amaro said Disney could use Unreal Engine (a development tool used to create rendering in many Disney films) to bring these images into theme park attractions.

Not Included in Disney's $60 Billion Investment Plan: This project is separate from Disney's $60 billion investment plan committed to its theme park business over the next ten years.

Disney's Strategic Cooperation with Abu Dhabi

This will be Disney's first new park since the opening of Shanghai Disney Resort in 2016. Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney’s Parks, Experiences and Products division, told CNN that discussions for an Abu Dhabi Disney park have been ongoing for about a decade.

Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO, said in a statement: “This is an exciting moment as we announce the development of a truly inspiring Disney theme park resort in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi has a rich artistic and creative cultural heritage, and this seventh global theme park will rise in spectacular fashion, blending modern architecture with cutting-edge technology to deliver deeply immersive entertainment experiences for guests.”

Iger revealed in an interview with CNBC’s David Faber that Disney’s Imagineers have begun designing the park, but did not specify an opening date. CNN reported, The resort is expected to open in the early 2030s.

Project Features and Market Potential

The new theme park will be located on Yas Island, less than 20 minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi and 50 minutes from Dubai, a comprehensive tourism destination combining entertainment, retail, and sports. Yas Island already boasts renowned attractions such as Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld, Abu Dhabi Ocean World, Warner Bros. World, and the Yas Marina Circuit Formula 1 track, along with Abu Dhabi's largest shopping mall and award-winning golf courses.

Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney’s Parks, Experiences and Products division, said: “This resort will be one of Disney’s most interactive and technologically advanced destinations. The unique location on Yas Island, backed by a beautiful coastline, will allow us to tell Disney stories in entirely new ways. This park will attract even more families from around the world to experience the magic of Disney, particularly in this entirely new regional market.”

Both Abu Dhabi and Dubai airports have ambitious plans to become two of the world's leading airports, connecting one-third of the world's population within a four-hour flight radius. This includes 1.4 billion people living in India, many of whom will be closer to Abu Dhabi than to Shanghai or Hong Kong Disneylands.

D’Amaro said there are potentially 500 million people in the region who could visit a Disney theme park. This convenient transportation, coupled with the country's forward-looking development strategy, was one of the factors in Disney's decision.

Intensifying Theme Park Competition

On June 22, Universal Studios will open its Epic Universe theme park in central Florida, marking the first major resort opening in America's largest theme park center in 26 years.

Just a month ago, Universal Studios announced the approval of its Universal Studios Great Britain project, which will begin construction in Bedfordshire, UK, in 2026, covering 700 acres and scheduled to open in 2031. This will be its first European theme park and resort, and also the largest theme park in Europe.

Yesterday, Universal Studios announced that it will open its first indoor theme park in India in mid-2027. This landmark project will be located in Aerocity, near Delhi Airport, within Bharti Realty's upcoming largest shopping mall in India. Universal Studios theme park will occupy approximately 300,000 square feet of indoor space, becoming a core highlight of this 17 million square foot city integrated development project.

The announcement of the Abu Dhabi project comes as Disney releases its fiscal year 2025 second-quarter financial report. The report shows that Disney exceeded expectations in both revenue and profit for the quarter, with a 6% year-over-year increase in its "Experiences and Products" segment, which includes theme parks, cruises, resorts, and consumer products. Although visitor numbers at domestic parks in the US declined slightly last year, Disney reported Wednesday morning that visitor numbers at domestic parks are up again, with revenue surging in the first quarter. Disney's stock price rose $6.99 (+7.58%) in after-hours trading.
 

Although the company believes that visitor numbers and spending at its international resorts are growing faster, it is still severely affected by the US-China trade war.

There are currently 12 Disney theme parks worldwide, located in six destinations:

Disneyland Resort (California): Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park

Walt Disney World Resort (Florida): Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom
 

Tokyo Disney Resort : Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea
 

Disneyland Paris : Disneyland Park, Walt Disney Studios Park

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort: Hong Kong Disneyland Park
 

Shanghai Disney Resort : Shanghai Disneyland Park

Walt Disney World in Florida also has two water parks not included in the theme park count: Disney's Typhoon Lagoon and Disney's Blizzard Beach.

Yas Island is Abu Dhabi's entertainment and tourism hub, combining theme parks, sports facilities, shopping malls, and golf courses. Miral, as Abu Dhabi's leading destination developer, is committed to creating world-class immersive experiences. Its collaboration with Disney will further enhance Yas Island's global appeal.