Set to become a landmark family destination in China, Legoland Shanghai Resort is the latest addition to Merlin Entertainments’ global portfolio of Lego-themed experiences.
Located in the Jinshan District, the highly anticipated resort, which had its grand opening on 5 July, seamlessly blends immersive storytelling, interactive rides, and hands-on play, all inspired by the iconic Lego brick.
As the first Legoland resort in China, the park is designed to deliver a world-class, multiday experience tailored to families with children aged 2–12.
Backed by strategic partnerships with local government and Lego Group stakeholders, the project underscores Merlin’s continued investment in Asia’s fast-growing themed entertainment market. Highlights include themed lands such as Lego Ninjago World, Miniland with Shanghai’s cityscape in miniature, and the world’s largest Legoland Hotel in the region.
To learn more about the creation of this eagerly anticipated new resort and gain insights into the guest experience, we spoke with Merlin Entertainments’ Candy Holland, executive creative director for Legoland Resorts and Lego Discovery Centres; Roma Swords-McDonnell, global creative director for immersive brand experiences; and Kael Elliott, senior creative lead for Legoland Resorts.
The vision
Merlin Magic Making, Merlin’s in-house creative and project delivery team, was responsible for developing a compelling creative vision for Legoland Shanghai, from conception through to delivery. This work, says Holland, began back in 2018:
“We looked at all the data from Lego insights as well as some China-specific research we conducted. We were working out what we needed to do to make Legoland Shanghai the flagship in our portfolio.”
Merlin and Lego executives then approved this creative vision in January 2019, and Merlin Magic Making began building the broader creative team. Then, the pandemic struck.
“A lot of the time, we were working remotely. It was quite a challenging project in that respect. But one of the things we’re proud of is what we achieved despite those circumstances.”
Holland describes the creative team as small but mighty: “Everything related to the Lego brand and its key specialisms is in-house, whether that’s 3D modelling using Lego Digital Designer, or concept work and sketching.
“At every stage, we work closely with Lego as our co-creation partners. In Shanghai, we also had partners like the Shanghai and Jinshan governments, so it was important to review proposals with them at key stages and get their input on what was culturally important.”
The team began with the core Legoland experience but then exploded it. “We had this valuable opportunity to turn it on its head: not just take the best bits from our existing portfolio, but also invent brand-new, first-time experiences for this park.”
Plus, they had to consider differing guest expectations in China, where Lego is still relatively new, compared to the US.
“We also considered how to make the experience multi-layered and highly shareable.”
Meet the world’s largest Lego Minifigure at Legoland Shanghai
For example, the team recognised the need for a central icon suitable for press and guest photos, especially given WeChat’s importance in China.
“Since most images are seen on smartphones, everything needed to be visually legible even at a small scale,” says Holland. “Lego bricks and Lego Minifigures are iconic, so we designed what became known as ‘Creative World’, made from giant Lego bricks, 750 times the size of a normal one, and featuring Dada, the world’s largest Lego Minifigure at 26 meters tall.”
With a roller coaster wrapping around it, it not only houses Miniland and other brick-building experiences but is also unmistakably Lego and unmistakably a theme park.
Other elements involved adding Chinese architectural details and creating unique Chinese Lego models and characters.
“We elevated the Lego building experiences, added brand-new lands, attractions, and live shows, and ensured the whole park was visually and technically advanced. China is a very tech-savvy nation, so from both design and operational standpoints, we needed to reflect that—everything from robotics and personalisation via Minifigure avatars, to indoor environments to manage the climate.
“There’s a long list of things we had to consider differently. We took the core Legoland experience, enhanced it, and modernised it in ways that were meaningful to Chinese guests—all to make it the best Legoland resort to date.”
The guest experience
Setting out the visitor experience at the new resort, Elliott says:
“Honestly, there’s so much that’s new at Legoland Shanghai—it’s hard to say what’s not new. The whole guest experience is new in so many ways. But there are a few key attractions that are new for us.”
This includes three brand-new headline rides.
“One of them is the big Lego Coaster, one of our first suspended, inverted family coasters to come to a Legoland park. It’s the first thing you see, centred around our giant Minifigure. It’s a beautiful view and a super fun coaster.”
Then there’s Journey to Flower Fruit Mountain, which is a shoot-the-chute ride— “But a shoot-the-chute ride that we’ve elevated like never before. It combines dark ride and boat ride elements and is centred around the Monkie Kid story.”
There is also a new ride that will be exclusive to Shanghai: the Legoland Boat Tour.
“It’s a cool, immersive way to take a journey around the park. You go through each one of the land clusters, including Lego Friends, Bricktopia, and Monkie Kid, all from the viewpoint of a boat.
“It’s all told from the perspective of a Minifigure that’s on board the boat with you as you go through the journey.”
Lego design meets Chinese culture
In addition, visitors can discover a completely new hotel, featuring a contemporary design with Lego woven throughout its core.
“It’s very modern and incorporates Chinese tech,” says Elliott. “There is an all-new digital check-in experience, and extensive Lego theming throughout.”
That includes brand-new bedrooms themed around Monkie Kid, which will be exclusive to Shanghai, and many others centred around Lego City.
The resort also features over 14 new brick-building attractions throughout the resort, as well as hundreds of new Lego models and props, many of which are unique to Legoland Shanghai.
“We’ve designed these for the first time. There are different types of models in the park: some are ‘out-of-the-box’ builds, designed just like the Lego products you’d buy off the shelf, and others are unique brick-built models made up of hundreds of thousands of Lego bricks.
“These have super cool lighting and sound effects, and some even include AR augmentation.”
Finally, the central part of the park is the new Legoland Creative World.
“It’s where we’ve put everything you can imagine related to creativity at the centre, including our new Miniland. That anchors the heart of the park, and the rest of the resort spreads out from there in a sort of wheel-and-spoke formation.”
Storytelling at Legoland Shanghai
Guests can discover both classic Lego IPs and original narratives.
“We’ve placed a big focus on celebrating the local ancient Chinese water towns,” says Elliott. “The resort is just a few minutes outside of the local Fangjing Watertown, and we’ve paid homage to that heritage by building our own live-action, upscaled Lego Watertown.”
It’s created through minifigure architecture, with animated figures, storytelling, movement, and immersive effects. Guests can get up close and personal with it too: “It’s interactive, it’s dynamic, and yes, you might get a little bit wet! It’s actually the showcase of our boat tour attraction.”
Across the park, guests will also see unique representations of famous Chinese landmarks.
“We’ve featured the Pudong cluster, the centre of Shanghai, the Bund, the Yangtze River, and so many more local icons, all built in Lego. And within Creative World, we’ve introduced a unique projection-mapped lighting show. The story integrates with the land, featuring fully immersive light and sound effects. It’s a visual experience that surrounds you.”
The creative team has also embedded stories of Chinese achievements throughout. For example, there’s a build celebrating the Great Wall, a space-themed experience, Chinese lanterns guests can build and release, robotics, and new AI elements that bring the experience to life in unexpected ways.
Monkie Kid
A new live show based on the Monkie Kid story uses innovative Lego character performances. “There’s digital integration with both LEDs and large format projection, upscaled Lego props, animated Lego Minifigure puppets (including a 5 metre tall giant mech), along with colourful stage magic,” says Elliott.
New characters in the show help connect with younger generations.
“They’re very tech-forward, they’re pretty cool characters, so naturally, young people connect with them easily. They’re into social media, and they do karaoke, they fly drones. Lego has done a really good spin on it to capture a new audience, but of course, all the classic characters are still there that you would recognise from the original story.”
The Monkie Kid land is also new and exclusive to Shanghai.
“We’ve worked closely with Lego to develop a new and exclusive story just for Legoland Shanghai. So, there’s a story within that land that you can only get at the park. I’m not going to give away too many details, because we want guests to come in and experience it for themselves—but it’s unique and magical.”
Multigenerational play at Legoland Shanghai
An important aspect that emerged was multigenerational play. Research showed that in China, grandparents visit the park much more often than in the Western world.
“So, we intentionally designed the experience with that in mind, to create attractions that engage both younger and older generations,” says Elliott. “We even incorporated classic Chinese stories to help broaden the appeal across different age groups.”
They aimed to tell Lego’s history in Creative World, explaining its origins and significance to guests, especially as Lego is still new to some Chinese generations.
“Overall, we’ve ensured that our creative vision runs through every element of the park. We’ve created a strategic, guest-centred experience. Almost every aspect of attraction design starts from the question: how do we want the guest to feel?
“It’s not just about what they see. It’s about emotional connection, the stories, the interactivity, and how those moments resonate long after the visit. We focused on delivering a creative vision through the lens of the guest.”
There’s also a lot of multi-layer storytelling, he adds:
“That means guests of different ages or backgrounds may pick up on different narrative threads, depending on how they experience the content. It’s not just beautiful—it’s about interaction, discovery, and memory-making. It invites guests back again and again, wanting to explore what they missed the first time, the second time, even the fourth.
“That’s what makes it truly shareable and unforgettable.”
Catering to a tech-savvy market
The creative team recognised that this is a tech-engaged audience, where digital integration and interactivity are essential to the guest journey. Yet, at its core, the Legoland experience is all about enabling kids to get hands-on with Lego bricks. “What we’ve tried to do is elevate that,” says Swords-McDonnell. “We’ve taken classic creativity and just enhanced it using technology in meaningful ways.
“We went beyond static displays and characters and started doing some world-firsts. We could think, ‘Oh, imagine if we did a robotic Minifigure,’ and suddenly we were meeting people in that industry, to start designing world-first, interactive Lego Minifigures.
“When you go to the park, you can talk to them, and they’ll respond to you in real time, which is going to be a memorable moment for families, because they’ll have that sense of connection and delight together.”
The team also embraced AI, creating the world’s first AI Brick Girl Minifigure. She stands front and centre as you step through the doors of Creative World. “She acts as a guide, a brick-built friend, and you can have dynamic guest interactions with her.”
Elevating the brick-building experience
When it comes to the hands-on Lego experience, China’s affinity with brick-building and Lego is still growing.
“Our brick-building experiences are the perfect place to educate, engage, and then excite guests to build with Lego,” says Swords-McDonnell. “We wanted to create build experiences that teach you how to build, but also elevate it.”
They coined the idea of phygital experiences, which connect physical brick play, where guests build a Lego creation, scan it digitally, and then it comes to life in a digital world. “You might play games with it or have different experiences.”
There are two Shanghai-exclusive examples.
“One is our Monkie Kid phygital experience, where you build a Lego Monkey King, scan it, and it has a digital battle.
“The other is our Rocket Builder in Creative World. All our brick-build experiences in Miniland are pulling out amazing celebrations from Chinese culture. The China space programme is front and centre, so we had our Lego model shops build some amazing Lego rockets from the China space programme.”
Guests can build their own Lego rocket, scan it, and go on a big digital adventure, shooting asteroids and landing on planets. At the end, they get their Rocket Builder Flying Certificate.
Due to the weather, the Miniland at Legoland Shanghai is indoors.
“That gave us the opportunity to create a spectacle,” says Swords-McDonnell. “We have an amazing light and projection show, and to personalise it, all of the creations guests build in the surrounding brick-build experiences appear as their Lego digital creations as part of the show.
“It transforms the whole environment. You’re not a passive watcher; you’re building the magic and watching it come to life.”
Engaging guests where they are
The team also considered the pre-arrival experience, she adds:
“WeChat is massive, everyone’s on it all the time, so we built a Lego minifigure avatar creation tool. Before you arrive, you can build your digital companion, and that avatar will appear at different touchpoints throughout the guest journey, adding that extra level of personalisation.
Tech…shouldn’t just be about enhancements. It should elevate our storytelling
“Even in line, we thought, ‘There’s so much opportunity in a queue.’ At the big Lego coaster, guests can digitally build Lego models in the queue, and then they appear super-sized as part of the pre-show.
“Ultimately, things need to be playful, engaging. We’ve got amazing Lego humour, and we asked: how does tech enable us to do that as a tool? It shouldn’t just be about enhancements. It should elevate our storytelling.”
Sustainability at Legoland Shanghai
Sustainability is an important consideration for both Merlin and Lego.
There is solar power integrated into the buildings, but at Legoland Shanghai, the team has gone a step further, he adds: “For the first time, we’ve added solar power to many of our Lego brick-built models. The lighting and sound effects on those models are powered by solar energy, rather than traditional electricity.
“We also have a sustainable rooftop herb garden, which our local chefs can use in their cuisine.”
And following another long-standing Lego promise—which is also a Merlin promise—the team has utilised the newest and most energy-efficient LED lighting for all illumination, effects, and show control systems.
“We’ve also used the most energy-efficient architecture and technologies available to make sure we’re reducing our energy and carbon footprint as much as possible.”
Fun for everyone
Another key value is accessibility.
“There are things we’re proud of moving forward for Legoland Shanghai, one being inclusivity and accessibility,” says Holland. “As a Legoland creative team, we’re all particularly passionate about this.”
For example, Dada, the central iconic Minifigure, is the first non-binary Lego Minifigure. “That was important to us. We didn’t want to define the character as he or she, because we didn’t want to risk isolating anybody.”
Everything from quiet rooms and spaces, both indoor and outdoor, was carefully considered. “Theme parks can be overwhelming, so it was essential to create spaces where guests can momentarily escape and find their calm before re-engaging with the park.
“We’ve also included adult-sized changing places, in addition to standard accessible family facilities. Not just one or two, but fully integrated around the resort.
“When it comes to wheelchair accessibility, the boat tour that travels around the park is something we’re proud of. A couple of those boats can take guests in their own wheelchairs on board. Again, it’s about keeping the family together and making the experience accessible for all.”
Bringing the vision to life
Reflecting on the seven-year project ahead of the grand opening, the team discuss what they hope visitors will take away from the experience.
“We have a brand vision for Legolands, where it’s all about inspiring creativity and imagination—empowering guests, particularly kids,” says Holland. “Whether that’s driving an electric Lego car for the first time or creating something using Lego bricks, we want them to explore their imagination, or maybe even use some build prompts to get started.”
It’s about inspiring guests through the capabilities of Lego bricks, showing that anything is possible, she adds:
“Even our new show in Creative World focuses not just on celebrating Shanghai, but using it as an example to say: people created that using their imagination. They developed it and turned it into the city it is today.”
“Using Lego bricks as your tool, it’s about showing kids that the only limit is their imagination. Nothing is impossible. If you can think it, you can build it. That’s a key feeling we want our guests to leave with.”
She also acknowledges the breadth of the team behind Legoland Shanghai:
“We’re a relatively small team given the scope of what we set out to do, and we had specialists from all areas within our Merlin Magic Making team.
“It’s also been a huge partnership, particularly with our Lego counterparts. I want to emphasise the scale of collaboration and the sheer number of people it takes to create, develop, and deliver something like this.
“It’s been a genuine team effort. While just a few of us may have led the creative direction, it took thousands to bring it to life, from all walks of life, and I’m very proud of the many, many people involved.”
Delivering magical memories at Legoland Shanghai
A core goal for Merlin and Legoland is to deliver magical memories that last a lifetime, says Elliott: “It’s about creating those shareable experiences, the kind where you say, ‘I remember my first visit to Legoland,’ or ‘I remember that cool thing I did there.’
“Those magical memories that last a lifetime are something we put a lot of energy into. We’re also focused on encouraging guests to return. We’ve designed our storytelling to reveal new elements each time. You’re going to experience a story differently at eight years old than you will at 11 or 12.”
It’s also about engaging the whole family, adds Swords-McDonnell:
“As part of the creative process, we had a big market research day at the Legoland Discovery Centre in Shanghai, where we tested some of the brick build experiences. It was the first time we saw multigenerational play and togetherness come to life. There was a moment when a grandfather had his little arm around his granddaughter, and they were building a Lego creation together. It was really special.
“It’s about getting everybody connected, enjoying life, and creating those special moments together.”
