Disney Reveals Abu Dhabi Park Will Be ‘Organized’ Into ‘Biomes’ Rather Than Its Traditional Lands

Disney is trying out something new with its first park in the Middle East. In ‘Disney Worldbuilders,’ a new Disney+ documentary, Disney executives reveal how the United Arab Emirates’ natural landscapes will help shape the future Abu Dhabi theme park.

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NEED TO KNOW

Disney is developing its first Middle East theme park in Abu Dhabi with creative input from Walt Disney Imagineers

The park will use Abu Dhabi’s natural landscapes, like coral reefs and deserts, to guide its layout and storytelling

A new Disney+ documentary, Disney Worldbuilders, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the project and its high-profile planning meetings

Disney is trying out something new with its first park in the Middle East.

The new Disney+ documentary Disney Worldbuilders (streaming Aug. 20) offers a glimpse into the minds of some of the company’s most talented creative forces, including Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige, Lucasfilm’s Jon Favreau and Pixar’s Pete Docter. The film also explores how the brand turns its beloved characters and storylines into highly immersive experiences at theme parks across the world.

Throughout the film, viewers get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the upcoming attractions and themed lands currently in development, including the entirely new theme park currently being developed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Viewers get to be a fly-on-the-wall during a meeting between Disney executives — including former CEO Bob Iger and current CEO Josh D’Amaro — and members of the UAE’s Department of Culture and Tourism.

In one scene, the executives sit down for a presentation delivered by Tom Fitzgerald, the portfolio executive creative director of Walt Disney Imagineering. On the projector, a list reads “Main Street USA,” “Adventureland,” “Frontierland,” “Fantasyland” and “Tomorrowland.” Fitzgerald goes on to explain these areas were first used by the company in the 1950s to organize Disney parks. “But here we are today, we have so many stories. How should we organize our park?” he asks.

Getty Image;Karim SAHIB / AFP

But as the presentation slide changed, executives were given their first look at what will serve as the “inspiration” for the Abu Dhabi project. On the screen were six images, each representing a different aspect of the kingdom’s landscape including a rich coral reef, an arid desert and a dense city skyline.

“We were impressed with the diversity of the biomes in Abu Dhabi, and the story that they create,” Fitzgerald continues. “If you think of classic storytelling, ‘Once upon a time’ is always followed by a location. In a kingdom far away, in a galaxy far, far away . . . place making is key to storytelling.”

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Leslie Iwerks, the director of Disney Worldbuilders, was in the room for the high-profile meeting. In conversation with PEOPLE, she described what it was like to witness the momentous occasion.

“The energy was very exciting,” the Academy Award – and Emmy-nominated filmmaker says. “The opportunities for all these outlets, these brands, these stories are endless.”

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She adds: “Looking out at this dirt plot that’s going to be the new land is similar to what I thought Walt [Disney] must’ve felt when he was walking through the orange groves of Disneyland. To be with Bob on the plot of land that’s gonna be a new park was a really cool, full circle moment for me.”

First announced in May 2025, Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be the Walt Disney Company’s seventh global theme park resort and its first in the Middle East. Shanghai Disneyland, the most recent gate to open, debuted in 2016.

The project will be fully developed and built by a regional leader in immersive entertainment and experiences, Miral Group. Meanwhile, Disney’s legendary Imagineers will lead the creative design and operational oversight, according to the company’s initial press release.

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D’Amaro, the former chairman of Disney Experiences, told Reuters in May 2025 a project of this size could take one to two years to design, and another four to six years to build.

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