How Many Disneylands Are There in the World?

Disneyland is known as the Happiest Place on Earth and the original Disney theme park that started it all. Ever since it first opened its gates in 1955, Disneyland has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of visitors. But over the decades, The Walt Disney Company has expanded its theme park empire far beyond Disneyland California. Just how many Disneyland in the World today? Let’s take a look at the growth and global reach of Disney’s theme park empire.

A Brief History of Disney Parks

It all began with a vision by Walt Disney to create a magical family-friendly theme park unlike any other. After several years of planning and construction, Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955 in Anaheim, California on 160 acres of land. The park featured rides, shows, restaurants, entertainment and themed lands such as Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.

The park was an instant success, far exceeding expectations with crowds of over 28,000 on opening day. Walt Disney had created something truly special that captured the hearts of both children and adults.

In the decades that followed, Walt Disney World was opened in Florida in 1971, featuring the Magic Kingdom theme park and three more theme parks that were added in later years. The 1990s brought international expansion to Disney’s theme park division, with openings in Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Fast forward to today and the Disney theme park portfolio now spans across 12 resort destinations on 4 continents around the globe. The company continues to invest heavily in new rides, shows, lands, hotels and even entire new theme parks to drive future growth and satisfy the strong demand from fans.

The Global Reach of Disney Theme Parks

Disneyland Resort (California)

As the original Disney theme park, Disneyland in Anaheim remains a crown jewel and fan favorite resort. The Disneyland Resort now has two theme parks:

• Disneyland Park: Opened in 1955 and home to classic attractions like Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean and Splash Mountain across 8 different themed lands.
• Disney California Adventure Park: Opened in 2001 and features lands themed to California culture and history. Popular rides include Radiator Springs Racers, Genie Plus Ride and Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission Breakout.

Walt Disney World Resort (Florida)

The Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is Disney’s largest theme park resort spanning over 25,000 acres. It is home to 4 diverse theme parks:

• Magic Kingdom: Opened in 1971 and features classic attractions spread across 6 themed lands modeled after the original Disneyland park.
• Epcot: Opened in 1982 and featuring two distinct areas – Future World and World Showcase. Known for advanced ride technology and global culture exhibits.
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Opened in 1989 and inspired by the magic of Hollywood with immersive lands like Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Opened in 1998 and features a mix of animal exhibits, live shows and thrill rides across themed lands devoted to animals and nature.

Tokyo Disney Resort (Japan)

The Tokyo Disney Resort was the first Disney theme park to open outside of the United States in 1983. It consists of two theme parks:

• Tokyo Disneyland: Nearly identical to the Magic Kingdom but with some Japan-specific cultural touches and attractions.
• Tokyo DisneySea: Opened in 2001 and often considered one of Disney’s most beautifully designed theme parks, with seven themed lands all centered around nautical exploration.

Disneyland Paris (France)

Disneyland Paris opened in 1992 and brought Disney magic to Europe. It is located about 20 miles east of Paris, France. The resort includes:

• Disneyland Park: Features classic Magic Kingdom-style lands and attractions with European twists and influences.
• Walt Disney Studios Park: Opened in 2002 and themed to movies, production and behind-the-scenes entertainment.

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

Hong Kong Disneyland opened in 2005 as the fifth Magic Kingdom-style park within a resort inspired by feng shui principles. It consists of:

• Hong Kong Disneyland Park: Over 30 attractions across 7 themed lands familiar to Disney fans worldwide.
• Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel: Victorian-style hotel decorated with Disney characters.
• Disney’s Hollywood Hotel: Themed to 1930s Hollywood glamour with Art Deco style.

Shanghai Disney Resort (China)

The newest Disney resort destination opened in Shanghai, China in 2016. The resort features:

• Shanghai Disneyland Park: Blends classic Disney storytelling with Chinese culture across 6 themed lands.
• Disneytown: Downtown shopping, dining and entertainment district.
• Shanghai Disneyland Hotel: Chinese palace-influenced hotel decorated with Disney flair.

Disney Attractions at Other Global Destinations

While not full-fledged Disney resorts, there are Disney-branded attractions located in other destinations globally:

• Disneyland Hotel: Opened in 1995 within Disneyland Paris but not a part of the main resort theme parks.
• Disney Cruise Line: Operates 4 cruise ships out of Florida to the Caribbean and Europe. The ships offer Disney entertainment, dining and shows onboard.
• Aulani: A Disney-operated hotel and spa located in Ko Olina, Hawaii with Disney theming and character experiences.

Why Disney Builds Theme Parks Around the World

There are various reasons why Disney continues to build theme parks around the world. Disney chooses to build its incredibly detailed themed worlds across the globe for several strategic business reasons:

• Drive Tourism Traffic: Disney parks give people a reason to travel to visit destinations they may not otherwise visit, driving tourism.
• Appeal to International Fans: Building parks abroad allows Disney to better serve international markets and gain new theme park visitors.
• Grow Revenue: More parks means more tickets, merchandise and food sales for the company. Parks are a high-margin business for Disney.
• Expand Brand: The parks allow Disney to showcase its stories and characters to new audiences, building the overall brand.
• Realize Creative Vision: Walt Disney himself wanted to build more Disney parks and the company continues his legacy.
• Immerse Guests: Each park is highly detailed and immersive, which exceeds what movies alone can achieve.
• Delight Fans: Disney wants to create joyful escapes for as many families across the world as possible to experience the parks’ magic.

Lastly, by having multiple theme parks worldwide, Disney ensures that visitors have access to the magical and captivating experiences they have come to expect from the brand, regardless of their location.

How Disney Decides Where to Build a New Park

Selecting a location for a brand new Disney park is a long, complicated process involving in-depth analysis by Disney teams. According to Disney officials, some of the factors they evaluate include:

• Available Land: They look for large, undeveloped properties with room for future expansion.
• Accessibility: Proximity to major highways, airports and public transit is favorable.
• Geography: Warm climates that enable year-round operations are preferred.
• Local Infrastructure: Established infrastructure for utilities, roads and public services is key.
• Government Support: Favorable partnerships, tax incentives and regulations from local governments assist Disney.
• Tourism Appeal: Locations rich in history, culture and family entertainment help attract visitors.
• Population Reach: Proximity to major population centers who can visit drives attendance projections.
• Labor Market: Having a skilled local workforce available aids hiring and operations.
• Competitive Environment: Limited existing theme park competition in the region is ideal.

Through extensive analysis Disney selects locations that best fit their physical and operational needs to run a successful theme park resort.

The Future: Planned New Disney Parks and Expansions

Disney rarely rests when it comes to their theme park empire. They have already announced major expansions for the future:

• Epcot Transformation: A multi-year re-imagining of Epcot in Florida is underway, including new rides, shows and updated infrastructure.
• Avengers Campus: Dedicated Marvel superhero lands are under construction at Disney’s California Adventure and Disneyland Paris.
• Star Wars Hotel: An immersive Star Wars-themed hotel experience planned to open in 2021 at Walt Disney World.
• Zootopia Land: A new land themed to the movie Zootopia is coming to Shanghai Disneyland Park.
• Tokyo Expansion: Tokyo DisneySea will gain three new port-of-call themed areas over the coming years.
• Disneyland Shanghai Expansion: A completely new Frozen-themed land is being added to the Shanghai park.
• Beyond: Disney has acquired hundreds of acres of land for as-yet-unannounced additional theme park projects still in early development stages.

Disney continuously looks ahead to deliver new experiences to theme park fans worldwide.

Why So Many Parks Dilute the Disney Brand

Amidst all the expansion, some critics argue that Disney risks diluting its brand by having so many theme parks worldwide. The potential downsides include:

• Loss of Exclusivity: The parks may seem less special if they exist globally instead of in just a few locations.
• Quality Decline: There is a risk that Disney is spread thin and the quality of the parks suffers as more open.
• Cannibalization: Multiple parks in the same region could compete against each other for visitors, limiting attendance.
• Complexity: Managing so many parks worldwide makes operations more complex for Disney.
• Declining Cachet: The Disney “magic” may fade as parks proliferate around the world.
• Saturated Brand: Disney could reach a point where there are too many parks and the brand becomes over-saturated.

However, Disney is confident that their long-term expansion strategy will enable more families worldwide to enjoy the Disney park experiences while sustaining their reputation for quality.

Key Takeaways

• Disneyland California opened in 1955 as Walt Disney’s very first theme park and sparked a worldwide theme park empire.
• Today there are 12 Disney resorts across 4 continents composed of theme parks, entertainment districts, hotels and cruise ships.
• Flagship resorts include Disneyland in California, Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in Paris.
• Disney parks also exist in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai as well as smaller attractions globally.
• The expansion allows Disney to grow revenues, immerse more fans in their stories and operate year-round.
• Disney carefully researches new park locations based on land, accessibility, population reach and other factors.
• While risks exist, Disney plans to continue expanding and improving their global park portfolio for future generations.

Conclusion

From humble beginnings as a single park in California, the Disney theme park empire has expanded to encompass the world. Millions continue to be drawn each year to the special brand of magic that Disney carefully crafts within each resort destination. These spectacular lands of make-believe provide joy and memories that last a lifetime. Though some critique their strategy, Disney forges ahead with plans to bring their signature theme park experiences to new audiences worldwide. As long as that famous castle continues to inspire dreams and enchantment, Disney is sure to find success no matter how many global kingdoms they reign over.