Disney Unveils Its Most High-Tech Theme Park Awaits in Abu Dhabi

The Walt Disney Company is set to introduce a new Disney theme park and resort in Abu Dhabi, within the United Arab Emirates.

The upcoming location will mark the firm’s seventh international resort and its inaugural one in the Middle East. In an announcement, Disney CEO Bob Iger characterized it as “authentically Disney and uniquely Emirati.”

In an interview with
The Hollywood Reporter
Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro states that this new park and resort will mark the company’s most “cutting-edge” destination to date. For instance, an illustration shows a distinctive castle seemingly constructed from crystal. Additionally, he notes that it will also be their most technologically advanced theme park.

“Anytime we have the opportunity to build from the ground up, with as much change in the tech space and as much advantage that the tech space offers us right now, we’re going to go after that full force,” D’Amaro says. “In doing so, it will give us an opportunity to tell our stories in more immersive ways and more flexible and dynamic ways, in ways that Walt probably dreamed of back in 1955.

Given that this is our latest and seventh resort location, it’s destined to be the most technologically advanced, which excites our Imagineers immensely,” he notes. “We have countless possibilities at hand—whether through characters such as Mickey or themes from Marvel—we’ll get another chance to draw our fans into these narratives using fresh and distinctive methods.

The specific opening date for the park and which Disney intellectual properties will be included will be announced at a later time.

The new theme park in Abu Dhabi is also unusual in that it features a different sort of business model for Disney: The destination will be developed, built, and operated by the entertainment and destination holding company Miral, with Disney Imagineers leading creative design and operational oversight. The resort will be built on Yas Island, which Miral has been building out with entertainment experiences, hotels, and restaurants, and will be right against the water (“we’ll be able to pull water in and play with it in a completely new and unique way,” D’Amaro teases).

For seven decades, we’ve been at this. Our company has various models deployed across nearly every international resort where we operate, and based on our experience with Miral and their accomplishments—how advanced they are—we felt quite secure partnering with them to create our seventh location,” explains D’Amaro. “What sets this partnership apart is that Disney will oversee all aspects of design and creativity for developing this particular resort. Of course, we’ll also guarantee top-notch operations so that whenever visitors enter one of these parks, they can immediately recognize it’s a genuine Disney theme park.

“The Miral Group will completely fund the project, they will build the project, and ultimately, they’ll operate the project, with oversight of course from us, but we’re very confident in this part of the world, with this partner, that this is the appropriate business arrangement,” he adds.

The Miral Group has also developed Ferrari World, Sea World, and the indoor amusement park Warner Bros. World on Yas Island.

For most of Disney’s international resorts, there is a local operator. In China and Hong Kong, for example, local companies own a majority of the parks, with Disney holding a minority stake. The closest comparison to what Disney is doing in Abu Dhabi would be Tokyo DisneySea, where The Oriental Land Company owns and operates the park.

But why Abu Dhabi? D’Amaro framed the location as about bringing Disney’s experiences to an entirely new audience.

Demand for these Disney experiences seems virtually limitless, and for each person who visits our theme parks now, there are ten others eager to immerse themselves in the magic of Disney but haven’t yet had the chance,” remarks D’Amaro. “Abu Dhabi stands as an extraordinary location; it’s a global melting pot where both contemporary culture and cherished traditions thrive—this aligns perfectly with what defines The Walt Disney Company. With this new park, we aim not only to honor the beloved narratives from Disney history but also embrace cutting-edge aesthetics.

He notes that ‘a third of the global population can reach our location within a four-hour flight. Just today, 120 million travelers have passed through Abu Dhabi and Dubai combined, and this figure is expected to increase.’

Disney rarely ventures into developing new theme parks (with the most recent being Shanghai Disneyland, inaugurated in 2016), so this fresh initiative in Abu Dhabi marks a considerable growth for them.
has allocated $60 billion for expanding the theme park
over the next decade, with a
slew of new lands and attractions
based on Disney IP also set to roll out at its destinations across the world.

“This is a thrilling moment for our company as we announce plans to build an exciting Disney theme park resort in Abu Dhabi, whose culture is rich with an appreciation of the arts and creativity,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger in a statement. “As our seventh theme park destination, it will rise from this land in spectacular fashion, blending contemporary architecture with cutting-edge technology to offer guests deeply immersive entertainment experiences in unique and modern ways. Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati – an oasis of extraordinary Disney entertainment at this crossroads of the world that will bring to life our timeless characters and stories in many new ways and will become a source of joy and inspiration for the people of this vast region to enjoy for generations to come.”

“Abu Dhabi is a place where heritage meets innovation, where we preserve our past while designing the future,” said His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Miral’s chairman. “The collaboration between Abu Dhabi and Disney demonstrates the remarkable results of combining visionary leadership and creative excellence. What we are creating with Disney in Abu Dhabi is a whole new world of imagination – an experience that will inspire generations across the region and the world, creating magical moments and memories that families will treasure forever. Through the development of unique attractions and experiences, Abu Dhabi continues to be a destination of choice for the world.”