500 staff needed as Frozen zone readies warm welcome

Hong Kong Disneyland is hiring 500 staff ahead of the opening of the first Frozen franchise attraction, World of Frozen, in November.

It features the first roller coaster for small children in the park, according to senior vice president of operations Tim Sypko.

The Arendelle Talent Fair will be held at the Disney casting center on August 24 and 25, from 9.30am to 4.30pm, to recruit staff for the icy zone, with a special one-off welcome reward of HK$6,000 for specific roles to start next month.

The park has no plans to hire people from the mainland for frontline roles.

Both films - boasting a global box office of US$1.3 billion (HK$10.14 billion) for Frozen and US$1.5 billion for Frozen 2 - are among the 20 highest-grossing movies of all time.

Sypko said World of Frozen will replicate episodes from the movie.

"The Frozen-themed park is episodic," he said. "When you enter the land it will suddenly feel like you are in the World of Frozen."

Sypko said the new roller coaster will have a lower height requirement than Space Mountain. But Disney did not say the age limit or minimum height requirement for the new ride.

Visitors can also get on a 16-passenger boat to travel up Ice Palace to see Anna and Elsa - the two sister princesses in the animated series.

Sypko said construction is almost finished and the new attraction is near It's a Small World.

Though he did not give the number of park visitors since the reopening of the border in February, he said he was optimistic but cautious about the near future and that Disney is happy with the number of post-pandemic visitors.

He said over 90 percent of the rooms at the park's three hotels were booked in the first summer holiday after the border reopened, while more mainland and overseas tourists were also willing to spend on merchandise.

"There are things they haven't seen because they haven't been here for three, four or five years, including Ant-Man and The Wasp ride, the new Castle of Magical Dreams, and the new nighttime show Momentous," Sypko said. "These guests are spending more money, buying things such as our merchandise, our Disney bounding items [such as headbands and shoulder straps], and priority access to rides and shows."

He said visitors are also enjoying "not just one but two meals and snacks in the park," which could be because they are staying longer to watch the nighttime fireworks.

The park has recruited almost 1,000 staff since the border reopened but it still faces difficulties hiring more staff for hotels amid competition with other hotels.

"We value individuals who not only speak Cantonese but are also very good in Mandarin and English," Sypko said.

As the park is looking to hire more locals, there will also be more job fairs for the rest of the year.

The park hired 60 operations interns for the first time this summer, while university students were hired in frontline roles and given tours and leadership talks.

Another new hiring strategy is recruiting teens aged 16 to 17 nominated by staff, which the park may extend to all youngsters in the age range this year.

Starting next month, the park will open six days a week and will be closed on Wednesdays, except public holidays. It will open seven days a week when the new Frozen attraction launches.

lorraine.chiang@singtaonewscorp.com