 Florida location in February 2008 | |
| Industry | Retail |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 3, 1996 in Disney Springs |
Number of locations | 4 |
| Parent | Disney Parks Merchandising |
The World of Disney is the flagship chain of specialty retail stores owned and operated by the merchandise division of Disney Experiences, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Currently, there are four locations that sell Disney products.
Disney had entered the retailing field outside of the parks with the first Disney Store opened in the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California on March 28, 1987. [1] In 1994, Disney Stores opened its flagship location in New York City at a corner of 55th Street and Fifth Avenue. [2]
The World of Disney has always been operated as part of Disney Parks and is not associated with the Disney Store.
The current operating locations are all located at the shopping districts of Disney theme park resorts and do not require tickets or park entry.
A store following the same concept operates as Bon Voyage! at Tokyo Disney Resort, on the way between Tokyo Disneyland and Maihama Station.
The first World of Disney store opened October 2, 1996 in the Disney Village Marketplace (currently Disney Springs) at Walt Disney World Resort. [CDW3 1] At approximately 51,000 square feet (4,700 m2) of retail space, it is said to offer the largest selection of Disney character merchandise in the world, according to the company. A 2006 renovation added a small princess-themed salon called Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, plus a new children's merchandise area inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean and Stitch.[ citation needed ] The Boutique was moved out of this store with the Disney Springs overhaul of Downtown Disney in mid to late 2016 to Once Upon a Toy store, located in the Marketplace section. [3]
A second, 40,000 square feet location opened on January 1, 2001, coinciding with the opening of Downtown Disney of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. [4] [5]
On October 5, 2004, a third location opened within a three-story New York City (30,000-square-foot) space formerly occupied by the flagship Disney Store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue as the rest of the Disney Store chain in the US was sold. The store closed on December 31, 2009, and the interior was dismantled on January 4, 2010 to make way for a traditional Disney Store in Times Square in fall 2010 at the former Virgin Megastore location. The rental cost for the location had become unreasonable and Disney had purchased back the US Disney Stores. [2] [6]
Disney Parks' merchandising department added another retail location, Disney Vault 28, its first high-end apparel store, which opened on October 11, 2006 in Downtown Disney. [7] Vault 28 was closed down by the end of September 2017. [8]
An additional location opened at Disney Village in Disneyland Paris on July 12, 2012, the third location currently in operation. The 1,400 square-meters (15,000 square feet) store was a part of a major overhaul for the village. [9] The newest World of Disney location opened in the Disneytown area of the Shanghai Disney Resort at the park's opening on June 14, 2016, bringing the total to four stores in operation. [10]
The flagship store at Downtown Disney in Anaheim started a remodel in 2017 by PCL Construction with a soft reopening on October 19 and a grand opening on October 26, 2018. The remodeling added a back story to the location that it was "a bus depot turned into an animation studio for Disney artists." The Disney Springs location was also remodeled with its grand reopening on October 27. [11]
Disney California Adventure is a theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. The 72-acre (29 ha) park is themed after Disney's interpretation of California, by the use of Disney, Pixar and Marvel properties. The park opened on February 8, 2001, and is the second of two theme parks built at the Disneyland Resort complex, after Disneyland.
Soarin', also known as Soarin' Over California, Soarin' Around the World, Soaring Over the Horizon and Soaring: Fantastic Flight, is a flight motion simulator attraction at Disney California Adventure, Epcot, Shanghai Disneyland, and Tokyo DisneySea. It employs a mechanical lift system, a projected presentation on an 80 ft (24 m) concave 180-degree dome screen, and artificial scents and wind to simulate a hang gliding flight over locations in six of the world's continents. Many consider it the first flying theater.
The Disneyland Resort is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California, United States. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division and is home to two theme parks, three hotels, and the Downtown Disney shopping, dining, and entertainment district.
Club 33 comprises a number of private dining clubs located within the various Disney Parks. First opening in 1967 inside Disneyland Park, the club was modeled after numerous executive VIP lounges created by pavilion sponsors in the 1964 New York World's Fair. At the time, Club 33 was the only location within Disneyland Park to offer alcoholic beverages.
Disney Springs is an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, near Orlando.
Downtown Disney is a lifestyle center located at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It opened on January 12, 2001; a component of the Disneyland Resort expansion project alongside the Disney California Adventure theme park and Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.
ESPN Zone was a theme restaurant and entertainment center chain in the United States that included arcades, TV studios, and radio studios, operated by the Disney Regional Entertainment subsidiary of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts using the Disney-owned ESPN brand. While the ESPN Zone name is no longer used, similar, the ESPN Grill at ESPN Wide World of Sports is located within the Walt Disney World complex in Bay Lake, Florida with counter service and light theming. ESPN Club at Disney's BoardWalk Resort closed in 2022.
The Disney Store is a chain of specialty stores created on March 28, 1987 and sells only Disney related items, many of them exclusive, under its own name and Disney Outlet. It was a business unit of Disney Consumer Products with the Disney Experiences segment of The Walt Disney Company conglomerate.
The Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is a vacation timeshare program owned and operated by Disney Vacation Development, Inc., a subsidiary of Disney Signature Experiences, a division of Disney Experiences, a segment of The Walt Disney Company. It allows buying a real estate interest in a DVC resort via a flexible points-based membership system. There are an estimated 220,000 club members.
Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development, Inc., commonly referred to as Imagineering, is the research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation, design, and construction of Disney theme parks and attractions worldwide. The company also operates Disney Live Entertainment and The Muppets Studio and manages Disney's properties, from Walt Disney Studios in Burbank to New Amsterdam Theatre and Times Square Studios Ltd. in New York City. Founded by Walt Disney to oversee the production of Disneyland, it was originally known as Walt Disney, Inc., then WED Enterprises, from the initials meaning "Walter Elias Disney", the company co-founder's full name. Headquartered in Glendale, California, Imagineering is composed of "Imagineers", who are illustrators, architects, engineers, lighting designers, show writers and graphic designers.
Disney Experiences, commonly known as Disney Parks, is one of the three major divisions of The Walt Disney Company. It was founded on April 1, 1971, exactly six months before the opening of Walt Disney World.
Paul Pressler is the chair of the board of directors of eBay. He was previously CEO of Gap, Inc., chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and a partner at the private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.
The Skyway was a gondola lift attraction at Disneyland, at the Magic Kingdom, and at Tokyo Disneyland. Since all versions of this attraction took riders back and forth between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, the route from Tomorrowland was called Skyway to Fantasyland, and the route from Fantasyland was called Skyway to Tomorrowland.
The Disney Gallery is an attraction and merchandise location at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, United States. It opened at its current location on Main Street, U.S.A. on October 2, 2009. From 1987-2007 it was located in New Orleans Square above the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. The Gallery is a changing exhibition area focused primarily on artwork from Walt Disney Imagineering created in the designing of the Disneyland theme park. Merchandise relating to the current exhibition is usually available for purchase as well.
Disneyland is a theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, and opened on July 17, 1955.
Shanghai Disney Resort is a themed resort in Pudong, Shanghai, China. The resort opened to the public on June 16, 2016. It is the first Disneyland in mainland China. It is also the sixth Disney resort worldwide, after Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. On December 20, 2023, Shanghai Disney Resort officially opened Zootopia, Disney's first Zootopia-themed area.
Art Corner was a retail store that operated at Disneyland amusement park in Anaheim, California, from 1955 until 1966. The store was located in the Tomorrowland area of the park.
Disneytown is a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at the Shanghai Disney Resort in Pudong, Shanghai, China. It is the largest attraction of the resort outside of the parks, featuring many original and licensed market experiences. It is the Shanghai equivalent of other Disney Parks' major shopping centers, such as Downtown Disney. Unlike the Shanghai Disneyland park, Disneytown does not require a ticket to enter.
Robert Alan Chapek is an American businessman and former media executive who was the chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company from 2020 to 2022. He joined Masimo's board of directors in 2024.
Josh D'Amaro is an American businessman who has served as Chairman of Disney Experiences since 2022. Prior, D'Amaro was employed with The Walt Disney Company for 22 years in roles specialized in the company's resorts sector.
