At an eye-watering cost of £3.6billion and spread across almost 1,000 acres of an old farmland, these pictures show Disneyland Shanghai ahead of its grand opening next year.

It will also feature a production of 'The Lion King' in Chinese and a pirate-themed zone based on the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movies.

An artificial mountain will loom over thepark, becoming the highest hill in Shanghai's Pudong district, and a 420-room Disneyland Hotel is planned in an 'elegant Art Nouveau style', with another based on the Toy Story films.

On a commercial level, an adjacent 'Disney town' will have 495,000 square feet of shops, restaurants and a 1,200-seat theatre.

As well as the Disney attractions, the park will also have a 'distinctly Chinese' character, namely through a park called the 'Garden of the Twelve Friends'.

Shanghai Disney will also have 12 mosaics that will exhibit the Chinese Zodiac's 12 signs, but with the use of Disney characters.

It is hoped the park will open to the public in the spring of 2016 and welcome more than seven million visitors ayear, eventually rising to 16 million.