The doors to the world’s largest Disney Store are open in the popular Lujiazui area of Pudong, Shanghai, China. The landmark store is the largest retail space of any Disney Store in the world rivaling even the large World of Disney stores at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and in Downtown Disney at the Disneyland Resort in California.
“We couldn’t be more delighted to open our first Disney Store in China, in Shanghai,” touted Paul Candland, President The Walt Disney Company, Asia-Pacific region. Candland added that “Disney Store plays a critical role in how millions around the world experience our brand and allow kids, young adults and families to have a unique fun and immersive experience while shopping for their favorite Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars products.”
And what Disney Store opening would not be complete without the mouse of the house, Mickey, on hand with selected shoppers to turn the key and unlock the magic inside the new location. Make no mistake Disney was leaving little to chance with the unveiling, selecting a specific date and time to open the doors to the store to the public. The magic was unleashed with a sprinkle of pixie dust at exactly 1:14pm or 1314 hours on May 20th, which represents a highly popular social media code among young people as a time to openly express love and long-term commitment to each other.
Unique, fun and immersive are exactly what guests will get with a welcoming Disney Magic Castle, soaring 19-feet into the air in the middle of the store, featuring hourly musical and projection shows; a one-of-a-kind Marvel area complete with hand-sculpted statues of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and an eight-foot-tall Hulk; and a character balloon area with one-of-a-kind sculpted hot-air balloons featuring the iconic Disney characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald, Pluto and Chip and Dale. The store is topped off with a brilliant Mickey Mouse-shaped roof complete with over 8,000 LED lights visible from key tourism vantage points such as the nearby Oriental Pearl Radio And Television Tower.
Other key features of Disney Store Shanghai include hidden Disney characters in a 12-foot tree landscape; a Disney portal gateway area inspired by Pixar’s “Monsters University,” and a crystal chandelier in the young-adult-female area where Tinker Bell can be found sprinkling her pixie dust.
The new Shanghai Disney Store features 5,000-square meters or 9,257 square feet of enchanting shopping experiences and innovative products and an outdoor landscaped plaza. The store has something for everyone from traditional plush Mickey and Minnie Mouse toys to more than 2,000 Disney-branded products, most of which will be exclusive items to the Shanghai location.
The opening of Disney Store Shanghai caps a momentous week for the Mouse House in China, coming just one day after the Enchanted Storybook Castle at Shanghai Disney Resort was topped off. The theme park resort is expected to swing open its gates next year. But until then fans of everything from Mickey to Marvel, Stars Wars to Cars will be able to satisfy their Disney desire at the new retail outlet.