Biggest Disney International Theme Park Stories of 2022
Fourteen months ago, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure opened at EPCOT, while Tron Lightcycle Power debuts at Magic Kingdom in a matter of months. Both these attractions opened at international theme parks before they made their way to North America.
EPCOT
Image Credit: Disney
This practice underscores the importance of paying attention to what’s happening at non-American Disney parks.
Here are the biggest Disney international stories of 2022.
Photo: Disney Parks
The COVID Boomerang
I honestly don’t want to come across as snide or indifferent as I discuss COVID-19 in China.
In fact, as I was writing this, Reuters posted an absolutely terrifying story about China’s growing problems with the pandemic. It remains a nightmare there.
Photo: REUTERS/Aly Song
Still, I can’t help but laugh at the weird “It’s open again. No, it’s closed again!” nature of Disney’s Chinese theme parks.
On January 25th, 2020, Shanghai Disneyland became the first Disney theme park to close due to COVID-19 concerns. Nearly three years later, the situation there isn’t much better.
Photo: Shanghai Disneyland
For this reason, Shanghai Disneyland has closed on four different occasions. The latest one was legitimately a stunner.
Shanghai Disneyland reopened on November 25th, only to close four days later on the 29th.
Photo: Todd Anderson, photographer
The park later returned on December 8th, but there’s a legitimate chance that it will have closed again between the time I finish this article and when it goes live.
So, the fifth cycle of closure/reopening appears likely at the moment.
Photo: Hong Kong Disneyland
Meanwhile, Hong Kong Disneyland had already reached four cycles by January 2022. It’s absolutely wild how often this has happened.
By the way, Hong Kong Disneyland recently had to close due to a typhoon. It’s been that kind of luck at Disney’s Chinese parks since the start of 2020.
Photo: Hong Kong Disneyland
Avengers Campus Opens
No! Not that one!
Disneyland Paris spent the first half of 2022 promising something special. Its less popular park, Walt Disney Studios Park, had called in the big guns.
Photo: Disneyland-Paris
This past summer, Paris went all-in on the Avengers when it opened its own version of Avengers Campus.
As has become the recent trend with Disney theme parks, this Avengers Campus varies from the one at Disney California Adventure.
Photo: CrispyCream27
In fact, Paris unveiled the world’s first Avengers roller coaster!
Imagineers repurposed the former Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith into an entirely new experience.
Behold Avengers Assemble: Flight Force:
You can tell that this coaster used to be the Aerosmith ride, right? That’s the good and the bad of the experience.
Before we get to that, let’s look at how happy Captain Marvel is about having her own Disney ride:
Alas, the early buzz on Avengers Assemble hasn’t been great. While the coaster cart is a ten out of ten, it’s still a very short ride.
More importantly, this experience pales in comparison to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. For this reason, rumors abound that it’ll get slightly retooled in 2023.
Photo: Walt Disney Company
The rest of Avengers Campus has proven wildly popular, though. For the longest time, Walt Disney Studios Park lacked anything of note.
Disney built Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure to entice guests to visit more, and the tactic worked to an extent.
Image Credit: Disneyland Paris
However, Avengers Campus has fundamentally changed the perception of this park. People really want to visit here now.
The Selfish Cast Member
I discussed this subject in the Strangest Disney Stories of 2022. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it again, though. I’m referencing this:
Yes, not including Avengers Campus, THE Disneyland Paris story of the year somehow didn’t involve the pandemic or the related Vaccine Passports.
While those were hot-button issues at the start of 2022, one thoughtless cast member somehow stole all the attention by going viral.
Image Credit: Disneyland Paris
A man asked for permission to propose to his wife at this gorgeous locale near Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, the park’s version of Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Once the would-be groom dropped to one knee, his date quickly tried to say yes…but she was interrupted!
Photo: Newsweek
Some dude wanted to exemplify the snooty Frenchman cliché by being a total jerk. He stopped the proposal and forced the couple to move.
Disney later stated the following: “We have offered our sincere apologies to the couple concerned and we will do everything we can to make this up to them.”
Photo: Newsweek
By then, it was too late for the couple as well as the internet. This was legitimately the most viral moment of any international Disney park in 2022.
Disneyland Paris made all kinds of headlines for the worst possible reasons.
Photo:Disneyland Paris
The New Space Mountain
One of the greatest challenges that Imagineers face is that they must consider history as they plan the future.
Many Disney attractions hold such a dear place in people’s hearts that the parks could never close these places. If they did, we’d riot.
Photo: Wikipedia
Often, the best Disney can do is re-theme something, as we’re witnessing with Splash Mountain’s conversion into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
The international parks don’t possess as much history, though. For that reason, they can try some things American Imagineers never could.
Photo: Christy Weinberg
The best recent example involves Space Mountain, the most revered of all Disney roller coasters.
Well, apparently, the attraction doesn’t hold the same esteem in Japan, as Tokyo Disneyland plans to tear down Space Mountain.
Photo: Tokyo Disney
Before you freak out, I should add an important detail. In its place, Disney will rebuild Space Mountain anew as a modern thrill ride.
Even the most ardent supporters of Space Mountain must acknowledge that it shows its age in some ways. Japanese Imagineers have decided they can do better.
Photo: Disney parks Blog
So, Space Mountain will close for good in 2024. Then, Space Mountain 2.0, or whatever they call it, will arrive in 2027.
This story should cause American theme park fans to wonder whether something similar could happen here.
I doubt Disney would touch the original version at Magic Kingdom. Disneyland’s Space Mountain doesn’t share the same lineage, though.
In fact, Disneyland adds an annual ride overlay, Hyperspace Mountain, to maintain interest in the ride throughout the year.
Photo: DL Paris
I’m not saying this conversion will happen…but it is at least up for consideration.
Toy Story Hotel Opens
When Shanghai Disneyland opened, its tribute to Disney’s various All-Star resorts proved wildly successful.
The Toy Story Hotel has maintained staggering occupancy rates since its inception in 2016.
Well, someone at Tokyo Disney Resort looked at those numbers and said, “I gotta get me some of that!”
No, really. I’m pretty sure that’s what happened. The Oriental Land Company, the operators of Tokyo Disneyland, desired an inexpensive but charming hotel property.
Photo: Shanghai Disney
Building enough rooms near Tokyo Disneyland has proven a constant challenge. The insatiable demand for these two parks ensures perennial demand.
So, the Toy Story Hotel opened in April as a Moderate (not Value) property, the first one at this theme park campus.
Photo: Shanghai Disney
In the Tokyo Disney pecking order, it’s not on the order of the MiraCosta or Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, but it’s in that next grouping.
Look how charming Toy Story Hotel is:
Would you like for Walt Disney World to add its own Toy Story Hotel? As a reminder, Disneyland Resort sorta will with the Pixar re-theming of Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel.
