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In a recent feature in Forbes magazine, Miral CEO Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi offered a little bit more insight into the upcoming Disneyland Abu Dhabi theme park. Back in May, we reported that Zaabi said that the upcoming Disneyland theme park would be an “indoor theme park“. Of course, that was a little bit at odds with the (very) early concept art released by Disney in its initial announcement of the theme park. Now, Zaabi is offering a little bit more insight into the early planning stages for the park, saying that it would “never work” as an outdoor theme park, but walking back that the entire project would somehow be indoors only. Here’s the latest.
Disneyland Abu Dhabi Would Never Work Outdoors
We’ll jump right into the latest quote from Zaabi, where he notes that the park would “never work” as an outdoor park, but that he envisions a hybrid that features both outdoor spaces and indoor spaces.
We know from our experience that an outdoor theme park would never work. You’ve seen Ferrari World, you’ve seen Warner Bros World, we have done it with SeaWorld, which by the way was a mission impossible.
We know for sure that Disney will be hybrid, it will be indoor and outdoor. At this stage, it is too early to decided, but I reckon a good percentage of it will be indoors.
Everything we do here, we do it differently. It will be a merger of very contemporary architecture with cutting-edge technology to be the most advanced Disney theme park resort in the world. It will be authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati.
The comments from Zaabi are more in alignment now with comments that Disney CEO Bob Iger made back in May. In talking with CNBC, Iger said that the new park would be “far more ambitious than anything that’s been built [in Abu Dhabi]”. Iger was quick to note that Disney’s plans were going to be much more than an indoor theme park, noting that they weren’t talking about “anything in a box”.
And I will also say this is far more ambitious than anything that’s been built here. And that will be reflected not just in the size and in the quality, but in the sheer scale and in the — I think, diversity and I guess the array of experiences that will be offered. We’re not talking about anything small or anything in a box or this will be a significant theme park that we’re putting here.
Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro also said that Disneyland Abu Dhabi would be “much larger than anything that’s currently here now”. D’Amaro continued, saying “…you can see it in some of the renderings that we’ve released, we’re being incredibly ambitious in terms of the architecture, use of indoor and outdoor space…this will be incredibly different from anything that’s around it”.
There hasn’t been much in the way of new details about Disneyland Abu Dhabi since the May 2025 announcement. An upcoming fan event, Destination D23, could be a spot where Disney elects to offer some new details, but realistically, we think it’ll be years before we see any new concept art for the project.
For everything we know about Disneyland Abu Dhabi, including the latest news, photos, info, and more, check out our dedicated page below!
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