Disney CEO says Shanghai park "tremendous success" with 11 million visits in 1st year

Shanghai Disney has marked its first anniversary this week, with a large-scale ceremony including the company's CEO, along with various other guests and events.

A photo taken on June 16, 2017 shows a fireworks performance at Shanghai Disney Resort. [Photo courtesy of Shanghai Disney Resort]

To mark its first anniversary, the Shanghai Disney resort put on a fantastic firework show on Friday night, attracting thousands of guests in front of the Enchanted Storybook Castle.

The fireworks are presented in various themes including Pirate in Caribbean, Frozen, Finding Nemo.

Some visitors say they are thrilled by the performance and are moved to see their dream come true.

"The Pirate of Caribbean impressed me most. The scene created by the firework and light is so vivid. It's like real ones. When the tide roars over, it feels like I will be washed away by the wave" said one visitor. 

"I felt struck by the show. The technique behind this is so amazing and there must be a lot of people working behind this just offer us the spectacular performance and I appreciate that" said another one.

A photo taken on June 16, 2017 shows a fireworks performance at Shanghai Disney Resort. [Photo courtesy of Shanghai Disney Resort]

At the ceremony Chairman and CEO of Disney Bob Iger says he's grateful to the people of China for making this unique destination a tremendous success

He also appreciates the achievement of the resort in the past year.

A photo taken on June 16, 2017 shows Chairman and CEO of Walt Disney addresses the first anniversary of Shanghai Disney Resort. [Photo courtesy of Shanghai Disney Resort]

"We are thrilled with at many milestones Shanghai Disney resort has achieved. However our true success comes from the joy we create measured by the countless smiles, the endless laughter happy hearts of all of our guests."

In the first year after opening to public, Shanghai Disney resort has received over 11 million guests. 

Iger says attendance is better than he ever imagined and the company looks forward to welcoming many more in the years to come.

Shanghai Disney Resort located in Pudong district, Shanghai, is the first Disney park resort in Chinese mainland and the second in China, after the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. 

It's jointly invested by Walt Disney Co. and Chinese state-owned company Shanghai Shendi Group.

It is one of the largest Sino-foreign projects in the modern service industry, with investment of 5.5 billion U.S. dollars.

Disney's management believes there is a huge growth potential of the market in China. 

Disney called the Shanghai theme park one of its most ambitious projects, as the most technologically advanced park to date, with the biggest, tallest castle of any Disney park and the first pirate-themed land.

The resort has already announced its first post-opening expansion, a new immersive land themed on the Toy Story franchise set to open in 2018.