Is Disney’s most recently opened international resort about to expand with a second theme park?
Since before the Shanghai Disney Resort even opened back in 2016, Disney aficionados have speculated on whether a second theme park was coming to the first resort complex to bear the company’s name in mainland China (The Walt Disney Company actually ONLY owns 43 percent of the resort. The majority 57 percent is held by Shanghai Shendi Group, a joint venture of three companies owned by the Shanghai government). Now, a possible leak MAY give a clue as to Shanghai’s second gate.
Currently, the Shanghai Disney Resort is made up of the Shanghai Disneyland theme park (home of the original version of TRON Lightcycle Power Run as well as a revolutionary take on Pirates of the Caribbean, among other unique attractions), a pair of operating hotels (the 420-room Shanghai Disneyland Hotel, and the 80-room Toy Story Hotel) as well as two more currently under construction, and the Disneytown shopping and entertainment district (think Downtown Disney or Disney Springs). Future expansion plans for the resort have long called for two more theme parks to be constructed on undeveloped land on the site.
Recently, a pair of new images, allegedly leaked concept art for a second park at the Shanghai Resort, have begun floating around the internet.
The first shows a blurry image of a park that looks remarkably similar to EPCOT…
… while the second shows how that park could fit next to the Shanghai Disneyland park.
While nothing has been confirmed as of press time, if the concept art is legitimate, there is historical precedent for Disney to design a potential second gate based on EPCOT. After all, years before California Adventure, Disney planned to open the EPCOT-inspired WestCot as the Disneyland Resort’s second gate.
Furthermore, given the immense transformation of the original EPCOT in the last decade, including the introduction of several popular Disney intellectual properties like Frozen, Ratatouille, Moana, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Guardians of the Galaxy, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Disney could bring a new, built from the ground up park in Shanghai.
It remains to be seen whether this concept art — and rumors of a Spring 2026 announcement of a second gate coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the resort’s opening — are legitimate. However, that timing would be in line with Disney’s MO. Maybe there’s more solid news to come at the D23 Event in August this year!! Stay tuned to DFB for further coverage of Disney’s potential international expansion.
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