Besides betting on the Metaverse and sports streaming，The century-old media and entertainment giant also plans to launch new cross-border businesses。

Recently，Walt Disney announced a big news，The company wants to cooperate with real estate companies to build Disney-style residential communities，The name of this project is Storyliving by Disney。

Data display，The division of labor between Disney and developers is，Disney is responsible for brand empowerment of community projects、Marketing, promotion and provision of operational services，But not held，Do not build，These properties are not for sale either。In addition，The developer will most likely be responsible for investment funds and housing prices。Among them，Disney Imagineers are responsible for the creative design work of each project，Disney employees are responsible for post-completion operation services。

What does the first project look like?

Disney officially announced the concept map of its first real estate project

According to Disney official website announcement，The only development project announced so far is called Cotino，covers an area of ​​2.5 million square meters (618 acres)，Coachella Valley in Rancho Mirage, California，Cooperation with high-end housing developer DMB Development。In addition，The entire project is surrounded by a "big oasis" of nearly 100,000 square meters，The company says the Crystal Lagoons technology used in the resort will provide a "turquoise water source" for the project。

Except 1900 villas、Outside apartments and residential buildings，The community also includes shopping、Catering、Entertainment、Beach Hotel and "Disney Programs Year-Round"、The Clubhouse for Entertainment and Activities，The public can enter this area by purchasing a day pass。Project open to all ages，But some communities are specially designed and built for people aged 55 and above。

Layout the Metaverse，Disney has talents accumulated over a century、Technology、Advantages in finance and other aspects；Fali sports streaming media，Disney’s streaming media business is currently in full swing。CEOBob·Chapek said，More than 90% of the most popular live programs in 2021 are sports programs，And the company has ESPN sports channel and ESPN+ online and offline user base of tens of millions，The number of ESPN+ users in the latest quarter increased by 76% to 21.3 million。

Then，Why Disney is involved in real estate projects？What kind of benefits and impacts can real estate projects bring to the company？How did Disney consider this cross-border decision？

In fact，This is not the first time Disney has built a residential community with Disney style。

Since the 1960s，Disney has created several different real estate projects around the idea of ​​Disney communities，The earliest project was developed and constructed by Walt Disney himself。The first project is called EPCOT Future City。

EPCOT Epcot is one of the four theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando，Visitors exceeded 12 million in 2019。But this theme park is just a legacy project from Walt Disney’s own original 188bet app download vision for Disney World。He doesn’t actually want to build another vacation destination in Orlando，But to create an independent future experiential model community (EPCOT)。

EPCOT is a completely autonomous city。The city has a core area，There is an industrial park in the city，Enterprises in the park produce advanced technological products。People who live in the city work here，Residents try out the latest products，then launch it on the market。There are no cars in the city，Travel in and out of the city requires one-way rail and passenger transportation systems，It even encourages residents not to buy cars。

Walt Disney and EPCOT Future City

However，Walt Disney’s original concept design encountered many problems during implementation，The design ideas of the future city changed。After the death of Walt Disney in December 1966，This project will no longer be promoted within the company，EPCOT Future City idea ended with the death of Walt Disney。

Disney still hasn’t given up on completing some of the ideas in Walt Disney’s vision。

After the Magic Kingdom theme park opened in 1971 and became a huge success，Company plans to build a residential community within Disney World。The idea eventually became Lake Buena Vista City，Includes a shopping mall and a residential community of 2,000 homes。

The shopping mall project will be completed soon，This project is now called Disney Springs Shopping and Entertainment Complex，Is an important part of the resort experience，There are attractions such as Cirque du Soleil’s live performances，But only a small part of the community is built。Disney encountered the same problem as the previous EPCOT Future City project: residents who purchased the property requested voting rights，And its opinions may be to the left of Disney's future development plans。Result，Idea of ​​introducing permanent residents at Walt Disney World on hold，Built-out homes become temporary guest rooms and vacation rental properties for Disney executives to stay on business trips。

However，Disney finally built its own residential community。1996，The company built a Disney-style residential community Celebration in the corner of Disney World。The original plan was，Main Street USA that makes owners feel like they are living in a theme park，In the design process, some technological innovation elements of the Walt Disney EPCOT project were also added (mainly for K-12 schools)。

But the Celebration community project encountered many problems。The housing is completed by multiple contractors，Building very quickly，But it also caused a lot of complaints。For example，Advanced technology used in schools，Many not fully tested，Received many complaints from parents。

After the problem is solved，All houses built and sold，But Disney only owns part of the town center in Celebration，Disney later sold the remaining shares in 2003。Essentially，Disney has no direct connection to the current Celebration community project，But the community currently has approximately 10,000 residents and 4,300 homes and apartments。

Golden Oaks residential community built with Disney participation

Celebration sold soon，Disney has launched a new community project development plan。2010，Disney announces the development of Golden Oak, a high-end residential project in Walt Disney World，The project includes six communities，Each home for sale was originally planned to start at $1.6 million。Disney announces the development of Golden Oak, a high-end residential project in Walt Disney World，There are also some communities whose names are closely related to Disney。

Except for different house prices，The main 188bet sports betting app download difference between Golden Oak and Celebration community projects is，Celebration is built on the edge of Walt Disney World，Strictly speaking, it is not a Disney property，But Golden Oak is built in the center of the resort，It is a residential community that truly allows fans to live in Disney World。

For the Storyliving by Disney community project announced not long ago，Disney is not responsible for its construction either，But Walt Disney Imagineers were involved in the creative design work，This move is also to add a Disney theme to the house，This may be the main difference between Disney’s current real estate project and its previous attempts。

Disney spokesperson said，Storyliving by Disney is different from previous community projects，The new community project sales method is also very different from Celebration。She also said，Although the Golden Oak project may appeal to some Disneyland fans，But Storyliving by Disney is mainly aimed at fans who want to experience Disney’s ultimate design and experience in their daily lives。

After the housing is completed，Disney employees will be responsible for managing the community in the future，Organize residents to participate in various projects and experience activities。Different from theme parks，There is no Mickey Mouse in the community，There are also no discounts or benefits related to Disney theme parks or merchandise。Owners can participate in water recreation、Cooking class、Activities such as health seminars or charity projects，But you must pay the homeowners association dues in advance，and voluntary clubhouse dues。

Why does Disney want to do real estate projects?

Disney Park、D'Amaro, chairman of experience and product business, said in the announcement，As we are about to enter our second 100 years，The company hopes to use more new ways to bring the magic of Disney to people in different places，Change business from“Telling stories”Expand to “Living in the story”。

However，After the news is announced，Fans have mixed reactions to Disney’s new project。Some fans think this idea is good，You can live in a fantasy community like a theme park。Others think，Disney has almost monopolized the entertainment and vacation product market，If you still want people to live in Disney experiential real estate projects every day，May attract more criticism。

There are two issues worth noting.

One is，Disney Park specializes in creating immersive environments and attractions，Where people can get away from the boring daily life。But if storytelling and various IP themes are extended to housing，This will not affect the Disney theme park、Cruise and resort business？In other words，If people have a Disney fantasy theme atmosphere everywhere in their daily lives，Why spend thousands of dollars on a vacation to a Disneyland with a similar theme？

Also，Walt Disney Imagineers specializes in designing various attractions for Disney theme parks around the world、Ride facilities, etc.，If a large number of fantasy engineers are deployed to do real estate business that is not yet involved，Is it suspected of deviating from the main business？How to balance the use of Disney's core talents, especially Disney's Dream Engineers？

No matter what，Having been trying to become part of people’s daily living lives for the past few decades，Disney’s real estate project launch is no exception。Disney has recently been trying to increase its efforts to expand its business beyond theme parks (Metaverse、Sports streaming, etc.188bet online sports betting )，Residential community projects are also a good entry point，First, I have done it before and have experience，Second, the U.S. domestic real estate market is recovering well，Besides, this is not the first time Disney has proposed Storyliving，Already planning to create this concept。

Ride the real estate market and leverage the fan economy

The Case-Shiller Home Price Index, which tracks home prices in 20 major U.S. cities，U.S. residential price growth in 2021 hit a new high in at least 34 years。According to this index，U.S. house prices rose by 18% in 2021.8%，The highest since the index existed，Much higher than 2020 10.4% increase。The top three cities with the highest housing price increase are Phoenix (32.5%)、Tampa(29.4%) and Miami (27.3%)。

Data display，U.S. second-hand housing transaction volume hits record high in 15 years，Sales exceed 6 million units。The U.S. real estate market is recovering significantly from the epidemic，Strong demand，The market size last year was close to 500 billion US dollars。According to foreign media reports，As of the end of last year，Among the top ten most expensive homes to sell in Orlando，The properties in the Golden Oak community that Disney once participated in building occupy five seats。

Margaritaville Cottages residential community

Take the famous catering brand Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville as an example，Less than 10 minutes from Walt Disney World Resort，The communities composed of his newly built single-family villas were purchased by his fans，Shows the strong purchasing power of fan groups。All these villas will be built and delivered within 5 years，Minto Communities USA, the builder building homes for Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, posted revenue in 2019 alone4.USD 54 million。

Also，Statistics display，Margaritaville Cottages sold a total of 1,114 homes in 2019，Average unit price 40.USD 70,000，If fans of a restaurant brand are willing to spend a fortune to live in a community with like-minded people，Then the century-old Disney brand empowerment will undoubtedly attract more fans to pay attention and compete to buy。

Some insiders pointed out，A Disney-themed property costs $850,000，And a regular house without any theme only costs $600,000，Brand premium exceeds 40%，If we can leverage the huge economic base of fans，Disney can get a lot of extra income from the commission alone。

2019 before the epidemic，The number of visitors to Disney’s global theme parks reaches 1.5.6 billion people，As of December 31, 2021，Including the launch of Disney+ two years ago，The total number of subscribers on Disney’s four major streaming service platforms is approaching 200 million (1.96.4 billion)，Very close to number one streaming competitor Netflix 2.2.2 billion users。 

Imagine，A relatively famous high-end residential project in China，Ruanya、Orenda tribe and Sunac Aduo town，Basically all high-end residential areas，The surrounding supporting facilities are very complete，The ClubMed Joyview international brand of Club Med is also specially introduced near Aranya to provide various entertainment for community businesses、Experience and leisure projects。

If Disney integrated the themes of various IPs into the design，Use the century-old brand influence to sell real estate，Build the community into a tourist vacation destination similar to Universal Studios Citywalk near Orlando，This is also a big plus for attracting Disney fans。

To some extent，No need to spend so much cost，You can increase revenue by hundreds of millions of dollars every year just by operating in light mode focusing on brand output，This is a strong 188bet sports betting app download attraction for Disney，Disney wants to use this idea to build a residential community for its fans in the area around Orlando, which is also a good choice。

Create a real scene space to allow tourists to become active experiencers

The news that Disney and developers jointly entered the real estate industry may surprise many people，But is this project the second attempt at Walt Disney EPCOT Future City？Disney still promotes“Telling stories”xiang“Living in the story”Part of transfer plan？The latter is obviously more likely。

March，Disney’s Star Wars: Galaxy Starship themed hotel is about to open。This may be the first time Disney has put ";Telling stories”Transfer to“Living in the story”Best example。The biggest feature of this theme hotel is that it allows tourists to have an active rather than passive experience。

Disney Galaxy Starship Theme Hotel

Disney wants people to live in their world，This may also be another reason why fans are so obsessed with the Metaverse。To some extent，What Disney will create in the future“Yuanverse”Just a“Disney World”(Disney World)，Once you live in this world, you don’t have to think about going home or going to your destination。This is also Disney’s use of &ldquo when promoting its Galactic Starcruiser hotel.;Living in the story”(Storyliving) reason。

But this is not the first time Disney has created a community based on these principles mentioned above。

The above-mentioned Golden Oak Community project in Walt Disney World is a luxury single-family residence，Buyers can enjoy the services and benefits of the resort theme park。Also，Also in Florida，The Celebration Town project built by Disney is a community that provides Disney employees and their families with a place to live and play nearby。 

Although Disney no longer holds previous real estate projects，But the accumulated experience and lessons will be of great help this time。Obviously，Disney wants fans to enjoy more proactive experiences，And build a deep emotional connection with the Disney brand。The best way to realize this idea is to build a trustworthy community。

In addition，Disney has been adept at building themed hotels for many years，In beta launch“Living in the story”’s experience projects (such as，After the bank starship theme hotel that will open in March，Even if we cooperate with real estate developers，It is natural to eventually build your own residential community。

According to USA Today，D'Amaro said，Every element of these residential communities will be embedded in the story，Residents staying in the community will become active participants in these stories。

However，Despite the announcement of the residential community project，Disney also released concept drawings of the first project，Disney Imagineers also responded to related questions。But it depends on the progress of the project，There are still some issues worthy of attention。For example，Will Storyliving by Disney put more film and television IP into community project designs in the future?？Disney is just introducing original experience projects empowered by fans into the community？

In addition，Considering the next few years after the epidemic，Disney has no new theme park development projects yet，These real estate projects give Disney Imagineers the opportunity to explore new concepts，Also expanded the Disney Park、Income sources for experience and product business。

Compare theme park IP authorization management 188bet app model，Disney’s income from this real estate project cooperation can be roughly divided into three parts: 1) IP licensing fee；2) Commission from the sold buildings；3) Operation and management expenses。

It needs to be pointed out，Some people think that Disney’s entry into the real estate industry is not good for the future development prospects of theme parks。From the financial data of recent years，The theme park’s main position remains strong，I’m afraid this statement is untenable。

Financial report display for the first quarter of fiscal year 2022，Disney’s theme park segment business revenue is US$7.2 billion，Operating profit 24.USD 500 million，The proportions of the company's total are 33% and 75% respectively。Except for the business losses of this segment due to the epidemic in fiscal year 2020，30% of revenue in fiscal year 2021，Contribution of operating profit exceeds 40%。If it develops at this speed，The company’s fiscal 2022 revenue and operating profit are likely to exceed the highs recorded in 2019 ($26.2 billion and $6.7 billion respectively，Accounting for 38% and 45 respectively.5%）。

What’s more，This is still before the current epidemic is fully controlled，Performance achieved without the theme park industry being fully open and fully restored，If international travel is relaxed in the future，International tourists can also contribute 20% of revenue to the Disney theme park segment。

At last year’s Disney earnings call，CEOBob·Chapek once mentioned the company’s three strategic priorities for continued growth in the future。

First、Telling the world’s most innovative and lasting stories；Second、Maximizing unique ecosystem synergies，Deepen consumers’ connection with character IP and stories；Third，Relying on powerful platform capabilities and new technologies，Provide consumers with the best entertainment and leisure experience。

It seems that entering the real estate field has little to do with these three strategic priorities，But in fact, neither Walt Disney Imagineering engineers participated in the creative design，Disney employees still provide community management services，They are all exporting the unique advantages of each platform within the Disney ecosystem，The former is to deepen the emotional connection with consumers，The latter is to provide consumers with the ultimate entertainment experience，Let fans of all ages not only eat, drink and have fun at Disney，Still enjoying the second half of retirement life in Disney’s Fantasy World。

The question is，Community project construction time、The price of the house has not yet been determined，How long does Disney have to wait to get in on the nearly $500 billion U.S. real estate industry“Get a piece of the pie”Where？