New "Disney" Theme Park is Coming to India

A Disney themed park is coming to India according to Karnataka deputy chief minister, DK Shivakumar this week. He stated the government intends to fund the construction of an amusement park at the Krishna Raja Saga (KSR) reservoir near Mysuru. Shivakumar expressed that it will be built through a public-private partnership and explained that the government is standing by for a few more approvals.

The deputy chief minister addressed the media at an assembly yesterday. He detailed that the project will be a Disneyland-like amusement park near the KSR reservoir with a budget of 1,425 crores or just over $172 million USD. The construction will cover 86 acres and is expected to be a major tourist magnet for the state. He also professed that this project will generate huge employment opportunities in the regions of Mandya and Mysuru. They will plan to draw inspiration from Disneyland Paris. Shivakumar is excited for this initiative as it has already been submitted to the infrastructure development department to smooth over any ecological concerns.

Disney has never ruled out having a presence in India. In 2008, Disney brought characters to Delhi and Mumbai for nine sold-out live shows. It was hosted by Mickey and Minnie Mouse who dressed up in Indian garments and sang songs from classic Bollywood movies in the Hindi language. This was Disney’s venture to popularize Mickey and his friends with Indian youth and establish a family entertainment brand. While there has been speculation over the years on whether a Disney park would make its way to India, a deal has never been brokered between the two.

India is not the first country to develop a Disney-themed park. Japanese businessman, Kunizo Matsuo, met with Walt Disney to discuss bringing Disneyland to his home country. Their partnership fell through over the disagreements with Disney licensing fees in 1961. Yet, Matsuo had already been having the park built to look like the Happiest Place on Earth. So he decided to continue with the amusement park and named it Nara Dreamland.

The Disney-inspired park remained open for 45 years until Tokyo Disneyland ran it out of business in 2006. It was left abandoned until 2016 when it was ultimately demolished, but the deserted location now exists in hauntingly captivating photos on social media. This Indian recreation might suffer the same fate, but it will still be a thrilling sight to see the end result.