Hong Kong Disneyland (HKDL) Discussion Thread

Big Grizzly Mountain commercial.

So many spoilers.

I actually liked that trailer a lot. I mean, you could say it spoiled stuff, but unless you were a hardcore enthusiast, doubt you'd pick up on all the "spoilers" in the trailer.

^^Considering the amount of press, and Travel Channel documentaries we had for Expedition Everest, I'd say that hardly spoils the ride by comparison.

I think this is a really nice addition to Hong Kong Disneyland. Can't wait til Mystic Point opens. I think Mystic Manor could be the best Haunted Mansion from any Disney park.

^Agreed. Isn't there supposed to be a monkey involved?

^Agreed. Isn't there supposed to be a monkey involved?

Yeah. Lance from Screamscape worded the storyline pretty well. Here's Lance's description.

Set up between Toy Story Land and Grizzly Trail is Mystic Point where you will encounter Mystic Manor, a large creepy home hidden away in the heart of the dense uncharted rain forest. The home belonged to a very eccentric world traveler and adventurer and serves as a large showcase for all of the various exotic and perhaps magical artifacts he had collected over the years. Thanks to a “mischievous monkey” an enchanted music box is activated and is the cause for the dark ride adventure that follows. Nothing was said about the exact story or what happens within the ride itself, but it was mentioned that it will feature a trackless ride system that will allow the cars to move about anywhere they want inside Mystic Manor. Nearby the Manor is Mystic Point, a garden full of relics and statues that hide a hidden world of illusions. In a move sure to really bother some Walt Disney World fans, the area will also feature a restaurant with a very interesting theme… The Adventure’s Club. Guests will dine in a restaurant themed around a vast collection of strange and unique artifacts discovered all around the world. Yep… the Adventure’s Club restaurant idea that was once rumored for DisneySea is actually going to Hong Kong. I’d assume they will take many of the props from the closed Florida location to build this one.

Sounds really unique. I'm happy Hong Kong is getting some major E-ticket attractions. It's really starting to develop into a nice theme park.

That's interesting that the Adventurer's Club will be "reborn" at Hong Kong Disney. I imagine the concept will seem fresher to that park's audience.

Here's Lance's description.

Here's a walkthrough of the entire ride complete with concept art:

http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2012/07/whats-next-for-hong-kong-disneyland-all.html

Lots of spoilers obviously.

And starting at 4:10 in this video, a sneak peek of the actual interior of the ride:

I don't think it spoils to much when 99% of the people here will never go to HKDL.

Cool looking ride. I see a return to HK in a few years.

I think he meant it spoils the ride for the people of China, who actually will see this commercial on TV and have a more reasonable chance of visiting Hong Kong Disneyland, not us.

I don't think it spoils the ride though, because most of the stuff they show is apparent when just looking at the ride in the park. It's like saying a commercial that shows the launch of California Screamin spoils that ride.

*edit Ok I see you were talking about that Mystic Manor post not the post of the video at the top.

The column on the right of that website is ridiculous.

http://news-en.hongkongdisneyland.com/PressReleases/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?AssetId=433ce19b-f91f-49f2-84b0-13aaa77a8376

At Disney’s Haunted Halloween 2012, the Vampire Coven and the Were Tribe, two emerging forces of evil, are invading Hong Kong Disneyland and stirring up an intense clash to determine who will be the ultimate leader of the darkness that permeates every corner of the Park. From October 4th to 31st (Thursday – Sunday, including October 31st), brand new and unexpected frightful fun will be awaiting Guests at Disney’s Haunted Halloween. The Park will take the struggle for power to new heights with a smartphone app and an augmented reality (AR) game, together with various co-marketing promotions. “Choose Your Dark Side” now!

 

Ominous surprises permeate every corner of the Park, including the chance to virtually meet and interact with the recruitment leaders of the evil forces

 

Brand new Halloween fun can be found throughout Hong Kong Disneyland! Get ready to enroll at “Graves Academy,” a once prestigious learning academy where Master Graves is breeding the evil of the future. Guests should join forces to support their team when the Vampires and Werewolves meet for the ultimate showdown at “Main Street, U.S.A. – Clash of Evil.” Be there to witness which team will be victorious and the supreme ruler of all dark forces.

 

At the Tomorrowland – Party Zone, an array of music, dance, stage performances and interactive games bring Guests exciting entertainment options, including 4 nights of performances by the hot new pan-Asian girl band BLUSH, whose members come from five different countries in Asia. In addition, performances by Diablo – End of Line, TRON City Dance Crew, the ElecTRONica Program Dancers and the spectacular Laserman Show will light up the night. On Friday and Saturday nights, popular radio DJs will also take over the stage with their own brand of party games, elevating the atmosphere to new heights. There will also be slick demonstrations of artful yo-yo tricks by the Duncan® yo-yo team. Mickey, Duffy and the whole gang, clad in their new Halloween costumes, will process around Fantasyland to their own Trick or Treat locations where they look forward to meeting and greeting Guests. Fans of the Vampire Coven and the Were Tribe can virtually interact with their recruitment leaders in a captivating virtual reality video experience—“Meet your Recruitment Leader of the dark side”—which Guests can even bring home to share with all their family and friends.

 

Wendy Chu, Director, Marketing, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, said, “Disney’s Haunted Halloween has been a big hit with young adults over the years. With brand new haunted experiences found in every corner of the Park, Disney’s Haunted Halloween will continue to be one of the most popular destinations for Halloween revelers in Hong Kong. This year, the story of the clash between Vampires and Werewolves invites Guests and their friends to choose their dark side and take the challenge anytime via the game app while enjoying the new Halloween offerings at the Park, which include the chance to meet the two recruitment leaders – an opportunity that will surely capture the attention of young adults of every persuasion.”

 

City-wide “Choose Your Dark Side Challenge” game app attracts gamers

 

The Park is concurrently launching a creative power challenge game app for smartphones that employs the clash of evil theme, which will allow it to expand its target audience to include young adults who love to engage in games. After the successful implementation of AR in its Halloween offerings last year, the Park is taking this AR application to another level by incorporating it into a smartphone game. Frederick Chan, Director, Marketing, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, said, “The Park is leveraging innovative AR technology to develop a creative storytelling game app for smartphones, spreading the frightful fun of Disney’s Haunted Halloween to every corner of the city, from print advertisements and co-marketing partner stores to outdoor billboards. Starting from September 20th, the “Choose Your Dark Side Challenge” mobile app will be available for users to download and play. Users can join to struggle for ultimate power between the Vampire Coven and the Were Tribe as they collect dark power with a simple flick of their touchscreens, anytime and anywhere. Using the app’s built-in GPS function, they may even collect extra points by successfully locating dark emblems scattered throughout the city, as well as inside the Park.” Players who manage to track down at least one of the most powerful evil emblems, which are located in the Park, can enjoy the ultimate “Meet your Recruitment Leader of the dark side” experience in the Park.

 

“The recruitment leader of the Were Tribe is played by the popular Korean model Choi Ho Jin (Jin), while the leader of the Vampire Coven will be played by a renowned female model. Stay tuned to find out who she is,” Wendy Chu added.

 

A series of new innovative AR T-shirts in various styles, including Jack Skellington, Vampire Coven and Were Tribe themes, will be launched in the Park this year. Embedded with AR technology, Guests will be surprised when they wear their AR T-shirts in front of one of the “Haunted Halloween Magic Mirrors” located around the Park and either vampires or werewolves start jumping out from their T-shirts! AR T-shirts featuring Mickey and friends are also available for kids, with a Disney pumpkin theme appearing in the Magic Mirrors. Guests can even view the same effect with their webcam at home to extend the experience even further. In addition, Magic Access members can enjoy an extra surprise as they transform and virtually interact with their team members in front of the Magic Mirrors. Pictures can even be downloaded from the Magic Access Member Site for free!

 

“Play-it-all” with a single ticket and co-marketing promotions will create a buzz in October

 

While a dark force invades Hong Kong Disneyland, co-marketing partnerships will further enhance the Halloween entertainment in-park experience, including Yo-yo Tricks presented by Duncan®. Co-marketing partnerships will be joining forces in the “Choose Your Dark Side Challenge” app. The first 20 players who collect evil emblems that are hidden in any 5 one2free shops or on one2free’s Facebook page and subscribe to a designated service plan can get a special prize. Evil emblems are also available in all 39 outlets of the local fashion brand Giordano, and players have the chance to take part in “Disney’s Dark Challenge,” held at a designated Giordano store in mid-October, to win Park tickets. From the end of September, players can also find evil emblems on 5™ Sugarfree Gum advertisements at any 7-Eleven® store in Hong Kong. The dark side of Disney’s Haunted Halloween will also be extended to Harbour City, where a number of hidden evil emblems will be located, bringing the Halloween experience to the heart of the city.

 

Guests can enjoy the Halloween fun throughout the entire Park with a single ticket for the duration of Disney’s Haunted Halloween. Those who want to enjoy a whole day of fun from morning until dawn may consider buying a 1-day ticket priced at HK$399, while those who fancy a wild night of frightful fun after 6pm may choose the night ticket priced at HK$259. Continuing our previous success with Yahoo!, group buy tickets will be available to broaden our reach. Guests who join the preview Yahoo! Tour will enjoy a discount of up to 30% off. A HK$260 Thursday Night Pass will be exclusively available at all Circle K outlets. With this pass, Guests may enjoy Halloween fun at Hong Kong Disneyland on all four Thursdays in October, including October 31st. From September 20th, 2-night tickets priced at HK$289 will also be exclusively available at Giordano stores with any in-store purchase.

 

Popular Halloween fun returns – with enhancements

The “Glow in the Park Parade” will return due to popular demand. Led by Jack Skellington and his creepy Pumpkin Men from “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” the dazzling parade will once again amaze Guests. “Revenge of the Headless Horseman,” a traveling show set up in the heart of Adventureland, dares morbidly curious Guests to find out why the Headless Horseman is seeking revenge from the Barker. Meet for a creepy photo with nocturnal mythical creatures, ghoulish souls and the Grim Reaper wandering the dark and fogged pathways of “Adventureland – Cursed Jungle.” Join in the frightful fun by indulging in a Halloween makeover or getting a spray tattoo at "Boo-tique" and celebrate Halloween in style. The fast and furious “Space Mountain - Ghost Galaxy” will have Guests screaming with excitement.

 

During your night of fun, do not miss out on the tempting Halloween-themed delicacies available both in Park and at the two themed hotels. A series of over 140 all-new Haunted Halloween merchandise items in various themes—including “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Mickey Family in Halloween” and the “Frankenweenie” collection from the latest Disney movie—will also be available for Guests to commemorate their experience. Various glamorous Halloween accessories are also available. This marks the first time Giordano and Disney Consumer Products teaming up to launch the “Disney Dark Collection inspired by Disney’s Haunted Halloween.” This glow-in-the-dark T-shirt series will be available in the Park by the end of September.

 

Guests who stay at the two themed hotels or those who purchase room and ticket packages may simply add HK$600 for a Halloween themed room makeover. And for the price of HK$4,088, Guests may enjoy a guided Halloween Dark Elite Tour, featuring a tailor-made itinerary for a maximum of 6 Guests. On top of direct entrance to all attractions and the two haunted attractions, they may also view the “Glow in the Park Parade” at a designated viewing area and enjoy an exclusive meet and greet with Disney Friends.

 

Guests looking to take part in Disney’s Haunted Halloween may purchase tickets at the Hong Kong Disneyland Main Entrance, the two themed hotels, the Hong Kong Disneyland Ticket Express in the MTR Hong Kong Station, all Giordano stores, Avenue of Stars Kiosks in Tsim Sha Tsui, all Circle K convenience stores in Hong Kong, and selected travel agents. Simply visit http://www.hongkongdisneyland.com or call the Disney Reservation Center at +852 1830 830 for more details on tickets and hotel reservations.

Starting from September 20th, the “Choose Your Dark Side Challenge” mobile app will be available for users to download and play. Users can join to struggle for ultimate power between the Vampire Coven and the Were Tribe as they collect dark power with a simple flick of their touchscreens, anytime and anywhere.

Brand new Halloween fun can be found throughout Hong Kong Disneyland! Get ready to enroll at “Graves Academy,” a once prestigious learning academy where Master Graves is breeding the evil of the future.

Guests should join forces to support their team when the Vampires and Werewolves meet for the ultimate showdown at “Main Street, U.S.A. – Clash of Evil”. Be there to witness which team will be victorious and the supreme ruler of all dark forces.

At Disney’s Haunted Halloween 2012, the Vampire Coven and the Were Tribe, two emerging forces of evil, are invading Hong Kong Disneyland and stirring up an intense clash to determine who will be the that permeates every corner of the Park.

Meet for a creepy photo with nocturnal mythical creatures, ghoulish souls and the Grim Reaper wandering the dark and fogged pathways of “Adventureland – Cursed Jungle.”

During your night of fun, do not miss out on the tempting Halloween-themed delicacies available both in Park and at the two themed hotels.

I really need to get to HKDL for Halloween one of these years. Love that they do stuff so different than the other parks.

I'm looking forward to seeing all this in a few weeks!

^Oh that's right! Looking forward to seeing a Halloween event at another Disney park through TPR! Also, can't wait to see the reviews on Big Grizzly Mountain.

Downloaded the "Choose Your Darkside" app. It seems to be pretty good so far.

Can't wait to see how they turn Jungle Cruise into "Cursed Jungle" and to go on the "Ghost Galaxy" version of Space Mountain. I've been to Disney World and DLRP when Halloween has been on before and not thought much of it, but I'm excited about the Hong Kong Disneyland version.

This all sounds so cool! Wish DHS or DCA would get an adult oriented Halloween event!

Some pictures I took of the Mystic Point construction last week. Looks really great to me. Cannot wait for January/February to see it finished.

I really enjoyed the "Ghost Galaxy" overlay they did for Space Mountain--rather edgy for Disney. Here's what they had set up in front of the castle.

Yes, it is a wee bit creepier than the pumpkin people in Florida and California.

Here's a night shot of the same area,

including the castle as I could.

I took it the Sat.night, after most of

the tour had left for their respective homes.

This looked very intense, day or night. Made me wonder about kids' reactions. But nothing happened that I saw or heard. Hmmm...

^My impression was that most of the "haunt-style" action was in Adventureland.

^ ^ Oh my god, that looks amazing! They nailed the lighting on it perfectly!

This could very well be the best "family" ride in all of China!

Hong Kong Disneyland's Big Grizzly Mountain... It really is the *perfect mix* of Big Thunder Mountain and Expedition Everest. Take a look...

POST YOUR COMMENTS!!!

I agree--an excellent ride! It was worth hustling back there for a night ride, too, toward the end of the evening.

Looks great!!

BGMRMC was an amazing ride. Not super fast, not super tall, no inversions but it doesn't need those things maxed out. It's a great combination of elements put together along with a great theme and excellent use of landscaping and everything together creates this example of a world class ride!

Would love to go back to ride again (not that I didn't get a ton of rides in whilst we were there!)