The major reason why Glacier Bay didn't work out for HKDL is because its rival Ocean Park Hong Kong also has a themed land based on the polar regions (though ofc a lot less detailed and enjoyable when comparing to a Disney-level themed land). The HK government was worried that the two parks having two similar themed lands would lead to adverse competition among them.

Finally someone that sees movie based lands in Disney parks the same way.

I went there almost every year as a kid Although it being the smallest Disneyland, it’s my favorite ☺️ + I feel bad for HKDL because when SHDL opened, visitors started going there :(

Your explanation for why movie themed lands are bad is exactly the same reason I dislike them. It just is a terrible idea in the long run and that’s why movie based attractions in broad themed lands is much better

Hong Kong people don’t really care much about local pirates; to us they are just distant international news or tales of the olden days. In one summer they even rethemed the whole Adventureland to Pirateland. Other than that, great vid!

For once a cancelled project not blamed on Paris Haha

yeah, that scrapped pirate land concept, is definitely what they used for the Disneyland here in SH. I mean the concept art looks almost exactly like the final product!

Great video. I agree we should be grateful with what has been realized so far. I visited this park in oct 2018 and I really enjoyed it. For me personally I ranked it as the cutest Disney park. It's original content is a major plus for any Disney World wide traveler. I'm incredibly impressed by Mystic Point. I was there on a quiet day and I rode it 6 times :) I also loved Iron Man, mostly because it takes place in downtown Hong Kong. And last but certainly not least: the jungle cruise is a wonderful and refreshing iteration of this classic ride. And I believe they have an unique halloween overlay for this ride tied into the S.E.A. lore. This was a very smart move that works very well in the metropolis setting of Hong Kong.

I think the key to IP based lands really comes down to making a high quality product that doesn’t rely solely on the IP itself but uses it as the template for great experiences. It does limit them but can be done well. Think the best example is the Harry Potter lands at Universal. I know plenty of people that aren’t Harry Potter fans or never even seen one of the films that love the lands and say they are some of the best theme park experiences. It just happens to use an IP as the basis and recognition for fans of the series but enjoyment isn’t predicated on being a fan. Where on the reverse side you have stuff like Toy Story lands where if you remove the theming, or don’t care about the theme, the land is kind of meh and doesn’t really provide and engaging experience. So I don’t think IPs themselves are bad but how they are often utilized and treated as a crutch to cut corners knowing the current name recognition will bring the people in. That said I do agree that unique lands in general are a better idea to bring about more creativity and new ideas.

Great video, good story telling! Also, "hear, hear" about IP based attractions! It seems that Disney's M.O. now is to just keep giving us contemporary IP's that will one day become yesterday's IP's. It's a terrible practice. Sure, there are some that will stand the test of time, like Toy Story (not that Land though...ick), but this company used to build TIMELESS, ORIGINAL attractions that will never grow old! Pirates, Haunted Mansion...and lands like Frontierland are ideas that can evolve with the culture. I really believe that they need to get back to that process to continue on successfully into the next few decades.

I absolutely love how you edited you videos, the ending is done perfectly!

Keep up the good work! These videos are awesome. I love to see what they had planned and sadly wont build...

I want more stuff added to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort like a second gate theme park, more resort hotels, and a retail, dining and entertainment complex similar to the Downtown Disney District and Disney Springs! I’d like to see all that come to the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort in the future! That way, the Hong Kong Disneyland second gate theme park could include a Toy Story Land, a Marvel Avengers Campus, a STAR WARS Galaxy’s Edge, a Zootopia Land, and other cool stuff while Hong Kong Disneyland should get a Pirates themed land and other stuff!

Rewatching this, I find Glacier Bay would be so much more fitting to be in Disney Sea instead of Hong Kong Disneyland as Glacier Bay's area is so water themed and would be another lovely port for Disney Sea. Maybe the second gate can somehow incorporate Glacier Bay in some way or another. Maybe having the second gate themed like Disney Sea? Or they can just reprise the ride ideas that was supposed to be in Glacier Bay and insert these attractions in the lands that are needing of attractions.

Also, a shame we don't have Fantasmic or a log flume ride at all. The log flume ride could be located in Adventure Land or maybe even Grizzly Gulch somehow. But also one day I hope Disney does incorporate more thrill rides in Hong Kong Disneyland like maybe changing the tracks of Hyperspace Mountain and make it more similar to the track layout that is currently in Paris Disneyland or has a more extreme dropper ride than the Toy Soldier Parachute that is currently in Toy Story Land. Not only that they must somehow reprise the "BuzzLight Year Astroblaster's "attraction in Toy Story Land or have the "Toy Story Mania" attraction in Toy Story Land. So maybe Disney should have more distinct attractions to our park as said in the video it is heavily lacking in personality.

Your videos are always well done and filled with so much intriguing information! 😊

You hit the nail on the head with why I'm against movie based lands. Things like Pandora may look amazing, but they're extremely limited (only two attractions), and apparently most kids don't even know it's a movie, let alone seen it, and love it enough to deserve a land. Something like Star Wars has at least passed the test of time, and Toy Story is all about imagination and that theme could create a lot of different opportunities. Bugs Land in DCA was well executed, but it was never meant to be a major land, it was the little kids area for California, and it worked alright for what it was. Cars land works because it's theming was so beautifully incorporated, how it really does take you to a very distinct location, and while they have the great E ticket, and two other pretty great rides, they are pretty limited with what they can do there. One ride already failed and had to be replaced. Marvel land, I'm more scared about. It's more broad with so many movies you can pull from, and so many more to come, and the MCU has been going strong and the comics have lasted well over time, but even as a giant Marvel nerd it does make me worried about a cohesive land will work, not just a bunch of rides thrown together. Frozen land? Way too specific, way too limiting. Look at What they did with Maelstrom, the tech may be cool, but as a ride there isn't much there. They want to fill a whole land with it? Multiple rides, an E ticket and at least two others, and other things to fill it? I just don't see it working.

I love your jazzy background music!

HongKong Disneyland does have one unique aspect: it's Haunted Houses! Every Halloween, they set up a legitimately creepy maze, which is sometimes Disney related and sometimes it's own original story. Of course, a seasonal attraction isn't enough to bring in a constant stream of guests, so it's a good thing that they are expanding the lands.

When someone says it can be done in a day... I think I better go for 10 days... I like to relax into my Disney land trips

Pirates land would be great elsewhere. And I absolutely agree with you about Frozen

In my opinion, having a movie base land isn't as bad as first of all it'll be a unique staple to Hong Kong Disneyland hence meaning that we get more IP based attraction attracting more tourist to come to visit our parks. Second, I feel like our Toy Story Land is great even though the IP isn't, but it can still be expanded on by adding maybe new attractions like maybe remaking our Buzzlight Year Astroblasters or have another thrill ride (demolishing Slinky Dog Spin and adding the Slinky Dog Dash at Hollywood Studios) as I feel like this is heavily lacking in Hong Kong Disneyland. But I do agree on that it's harder to expand on the park itself by having a movie based land and I hope they do bring this idea back and expand it to Hong Kong Disneylands future developments.

This is a greatly underrated channel

although i know it probably wont happen, hong kong disneyland definitely needs a water-based land

Using Ocean Park as an example, a log flume ride would be very expensive and hard to maintain. They even had to close it down for good. Large bodies of water is also a problem for Hong Kong Disneyland, there isn't enough space for such a large project. There are always rides breaking down there as well.

I agree with you about the lands based on movies and their limitations.

Some rumors said that HKDL did not have a flume ride because of the humid weather. Unlike US, when you get wet in HK, it is harder to dry out, and people start to get stink in hot summer days. What do you guys think?

Nice research

New Epic Mickey Locations..

makes no sense to play "auld lang syne" under this video

Why was their Christmas music in the first part of this video?

3:12 why Ocean Park?

Toy Story lands are a downgrade everywhere they exist. Despite the huge popularity of the franchise, I always felt they are cheap solutions for a Disney park.

I agree with everything you said about ip based lands

where did i hear the intro song before??????????

i'd murder for a disneyland of any kind close to where i live

The "new" castle is a disappointing mess. I wish they'd built Rapunzel's castle, as was considered. The architectural sketches of it are beautiful.

wished they had pirate land bc i only go to hk disneyland so often now and i luv potc 😭

Frosty the snowman is not Disney, so he would not be part of the arctic land, right?

The FIRST ever toy story land

What could have been in Hong Kong, Disneyland but never happened 😖

It’s called Grizzly Gulch, not trail. And somehow Shanghai Disneyland got a huge Pirate themed land. Under construction now is Arrendelle, the Frozen Land, and hopefully the Marvel land where the log closed Autopia is. ^Q

A Pirateland in Disneyland Paris, pardon? Admittedly a significant part of Adventureland is theme to Pirates of the Caribbean and Peter Pan, but I’d hardly call it a Pirateland.

I went there 2007 it's very small.

I extremely like beauty and the beast n Alice in the wonderland land n sleeping beauty

Sadly the right for a priority purchase of the original phase 2 plot (the big plot on the East for the second park and new hotels) is not renewed by the Hk government. So the chance of us seeing a second gate to HKDL is slim to none unless Disney is going to invest heavily on Hong Kong (which is not likely given the current COVID situation and the already money losing park), which made me extra sad...

I have to say that Frozen Land is smarter than Glacier Bay cause this IP always draws so many children , and considering the Frozen series is making its way to expand the world concept, Frozen land may be easy to expand when needed.Btw I really like the way you mention about Toy Story Land, it's just so boring and safe, Mystic Manor should be the right model for Disneyland expansion

We'll most likely never see an "original" land out of a Disney theme park ever again. Everything in the future will always have an IP linked to it. With the immense costs of expansions and attractions, Disney will only fall back on successful IPs like Frozen and Marvel. These IPs have a built in audience before a penny is spent. While it is sad, it is true.

I agree about the IP based lands. Both universal and Disney are doing this now. I’m not sure why but I think it limits things they can do with that area and it requires less creativity.

We need classic desney

They really need a water ride

I’d hardly call the 3 2009 areas lands. They’re just stand alone attractions. There isn’t room for expansion to any of them.

The distinction between an IP-themed land and a generic land could be as simple as what to call them. After all, Disneyland's Frontierland basically started out as Davy Crockett Land--most of the attractions were adaptations of things from the Davy Crockett TV show. But it wasn't called that, it was called Frontierland, so the emphasis could shift over time. For arcane contractual reasons, Disney isn't allowed to use the word Marvel when promoting their California Marvel land, so I think they're calling it Superhero Universe. That might be a step in the right direction even if they took it for the wrong reason. In a Superhero Universe they could in principle have non-Marvel superhero stuff, if they decide they want that decades from now.

At least frozen land is coming

Just thinking about current world events... so a Disney park costs around $5~10 billion? Currently the UK government are spending £80 billion to pay people’s wages during the pandemic. Imagine how cool the park would be if they spent just half that and sent people back to work early 🤔

In Hong kong

Great concepts, but the effect? Not quite.

Grizzly Gulch, not Grizzly Trail

Why is there no it's a small world at Shanghai but no Peter Pan's flight at Hong Kong Disneyland?

They should have gone to Sydney or Melbourne :(

Why don’t they build a fantasmic where the pavilion is at Hong Kong Disneyland, they waste money putting temporary things there every few months.

Grizzly GULCH not “trail”.

You mean to tell me there could've been a Disneyland in the Middle East?

Lol the Dutch national anthem? >.

I agree that IP-based lands suck!

0:00 - 0:10 headphone warning

Daaaaaaaaamn we need FANTASMIC!

Pirates were criminals, not funny or nice guys !

Toy Story is stale already