The View From Space Mountain

Standing in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle on Lantau, having wangled a ticket to Walt Disney Appreciation Day this month, I find myself feeling something unexpected: appreciation for Walt Disney. All the hype and publicity - good and bad - that has accompanied the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland, boils down to one little question. Is it fun? Yes, it is.

Much has been made of its size - 126 hectares - but with only a limited number of invited guests on June 12, and therefore no queues for the rides, it doesn’t seem unmanageably large. In fact, it seems quite small. After two hours I had made it through the magic and was facing the familiar hills of Lantau.

The resort is split into four lands: Main Street USA, Tomorrowland, Adventureland and Fantasyland. (There are also two hotels, Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and Disney's Hollywood Hotel.) Rumors have been rampant that, with less than three months remaining before the grand opening on September 12, the park won't be entirely operational by opening day. However, the Walt Disney "Imagineers" claim everything is right on schedule and the general public will have full access to all rides and facilities when the magical kingdom opens its doors.

From what I saw, everything looked clean and completed, except Tomorrowland, with its mysterious "Autopia" ride still in the works. But the landscape immediately outside the park could use some work - it looks like a vandalized city, more “Mad Max” than “Snow White.” No doubt the Imagineers will be sprinkling a little pixie dust outside the gates so the whole place won't look so rushed.

What the park accomplishes effectively, as all Disneylands manage to do, is to tap into the wonder of childhood, and make us all feel like kids again. Main Street USA is a miniature replica of the California Disneyland's version, and it's along this street that the children meet the various Disney characters while their parents shell out at the souvenir shops.

Tomorrowland's Space Mountain, a variation of Disney's most famous ride, is a rollercoaster that operates in pitch black and is designed to approximate an outer-space atmosphere. Sadly, ours feels shorter, slower and less steep than the California version. But perhaps that’s my memory playing tricks on me. Or perhaps it's indicative of the decreased emphasis on rides and the increased emphasis on the brand and characters in general. The "Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters," for example, rely heavily on “Toy Story” branding - although it’s also a blast to defend the universe from the evil Emperor Zurg by shooting laser cannons while spinning wildly in your space cruiser.