Disney’s next major theme park may already be in development — and early plans reportedly left employees applauding.
While Disney has yet to make an official announcement, multiple indicators suggest Shanghai is on the verge of a major expansion that could include a second park. Shanghai Disneyland has been one of the company’s biggest international successes since opening in 2016, welcoming more than 100 million guests and establishing itself as the fifth most popular theme park in the world.
In January 2025, the Shanghai municipal government approved a planning adjustment for the area surrounding the resort, reclassifying land for “commercial services, parking lots, and transportation hubs.” Analysts have interpreted this as a possible precursor to theme park development.
Now, Disney has reignited rumors that a second park is on the way by announcing a new hotel and an expanded entertainment district – both of which connect to a large, unused plot long rumored to be set aside for another gate.
Here is where these future additions are in terms of the resort's location. Shanghai Disneylands future looks bright and has some massive areas of expansion including a 2nd theme park that are planed out nicely and just waiting the greenlight!
Here is where these future additions are in terms of the resort's location. Shanghai Disneylands future looks bright and has some massive areas of expansion including a 2nd theme park that are planed out nicely and just waiting the greenlight! https://t.co/XpKM3pHYmv pic.twitter.com/fjiWIsnEcC
— Park Mind (@AParkMind) November 3, 2025
If a second park is indeed on the cards, it sounds like Disney fans are in for a real treat.
Former Walt Disney Imagineering President Bob Weis has previously described a concept for a park in Shanghai that “presented a highly creative new kind of park, with elements of nature, culture, the arts, and an overall deeply immersive environment that suggested a new-generation version of EPCOT.”
According to Weis, “many viewers who witnessed the presentation gave it a standing ovation.”
Shanghai Disneyland has already demonstrated its growth potential. In 2023, it debuted its Zootopia-themed land featuring Zootopia: Hot Pursuit, a next-generation dark ride blending animatronics and projection mapping. The park is also expanding Soaring Over the Horizon to meet demand and constructing a Spider-Man roller coaster within a new Marvel area.
Disney’s long-term investment is also visible beyond the park, with a new residential complex for cast members and interns in the works.
If it is indeed happening, Shanghai’s next expansion could mark Disney’s most ambitious international project since the resort’s original debut — one that fuses culture, innovation, and the next phase of Disney storytelling.
Stay tuned for more updates.
