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Here's what London's elaborate Disneyland-style theme park will look like
The billion-dollar theme park entertainment empires of the world, including Disney, Universal, Six Flags, Cedar Fair, Sea World, Merlin Entertainment, and China's OCT, are about to get some serious competition in a planned new $4.6 billion project called The London Resort.
The winding road to this massive undertaking, which will create an elaborate Hollywood-style, Disneyland-like amusement park, has taken many twists and turns, but last week official concept art images showing six distinctive lands were revealed, and what we've seen is certainly something to save your pennies (or pounds) for.
The influences from and stylistic resemblances to classic Disney-style parks around the world are obvious, and who can argue with that? After all, Uncle Walt did revolutionize the entire amusement industry when he envisioned, built, and opened Disneyland Anaheim back in July 1955.
The London Resort's organizers and investors first teamed up with Paramount Pictures to bring their dream project to life in 2017, and have since reorganized to bring in a wider range of corporate partners, including BBC and ITV Studios. The 535-acre park's construction site is located just 17 miles outside London in the town of North Kent, and intends on opening its gates to guests in 2024.
“We are creating a first-class theme park. A destination that maximizes all the new, immersive and interactive technologies and experiences in the world,” PY Gerbeau, chief executive of London Resort Company Holdings, said in an official statement. “But we won’t just be creating a world class leisure destination, it will also be one of the most sustainable theme parks on the planet.
“We have three guidelines we work to when it comes to developing attractions,” he added. “Number one is innovation. We’re not here to copy what’s been done before even if it has been successful. Number two is relevance. We need to consider that the customers of today will not be the customers of 2024. And the third is flexibility. We need to create a park that can evolve and adapt easily.”
Construction is set to begin in 2021, with the land divided up as High Street, a central boulevard of shops, restaurants, hotels, and a world-class waterpark; The Studios, a modern-day warehouse district alive with huge, blockbuster features; The Woods, a mystical fairytale territory where springtime is eternal and the boundary between reality and fantasy dissolves; and The Kingdom, a regal realm of swords, sorcery, and dragons.
Moving around the hub, visitors will discover The Isles, a world of giant creatures, mythical beasts, and adventures; The Jungle, where ancient ruins of a long-lost civilization emerge through the treetops; and Starport, with its futuristic 23rd-century delights, alien encounters, and next-gen thrill rides.
While most themed rides and attractions are still in the pre-production phase, The London Resort has also confirmed that the '60s sci-fi show by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, Thunderbirds, will be transformed into an E-Ticket attraction. Paramount Pictures also holds the rights to Transformers, Mission Impossible, Star Trek, and The Italian Job — beloved film franchises that could inspire any red-blooded mega-coaster engineer to design some diabolical rides.
Check out all the lands in the gallery below, then let us know if you'll hop across the pond to experience The London Resort when it opens in 2024.
