PHOTOS: Closer Look at Explorer’s Club Restaurant Makeover in Hong Kong Disneyland

Shannen Ace

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PHOTOS: Closer Look at Explorer’s Club Restaurant Makeover in Hong Kong Disneyland

Explorer’s Club Restaurant recently reopened in Hong Kong Disneyland as a semi-buffet with new details referencing S.E.A., or the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. Disney has now shared a closer look at some of the changes.

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The Explorer’s Club Restaurant is inspired by the adventures of the character Lord Henry Mystic. It includes an exhibition of mementos and correspondences between Lord Henry and his international friends.

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Imagineers from the Hong Kong Design & Show Quality (DSQ) team took this opportunity to add new display graphics, props, and illustrations in an effort to enhance the inclusivity and relevancy of the attraction. With Den Den Tse as producer and Kendall Elliott as art director, the new displays showcase Lord Henry’s keen passion for making new friends and appreciating cultures around the world, as well as reinforcing the S.E.A. objectives of expanding human knowledge and cultural awareness.

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Lord Henry Mystic is the proprietor of Mystic Point and an esteemed member of the S.E.A., a “secret” secret society connecting many of the characters and stories of Disney attractions around the world. Explorer’s Club Restaurant is the gathering place for Lord Henry and the S.E.A. members to celebrate their globetrotting adventures.

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The display cases and cabinet showcase some of the treasures Lord Henry has received through his travels around the world, including such places as China, Russia, Egypt, and India. Many of his letters to and from his friends, as well as other gifts he received from his friends, are on display. Items represent Lord Henry’s research, such as Chinese rice stalks, spices from the Calcutta spice market, natron produced through Egyptian salt mining, and Russian tea drinking customs.

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Lord Henry received these mural paintings as gifts from his international friends. Illustrated by concept artists Sandra Liang and Dilara Polat, these paintings depict a common thread of food as the subject matter, each in the unique styles and exotic spirits of the distant lands Lord Henry visited, including fishing in China, cooking in India, herding in Russia, and farming in Egypt.

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Prior to the restaurant’s reopening, Imagineers donned costumes of Lord Henry’s staff at the Explorer’s Club and conducted an engaging storytelling training session, while in character, for the Food & Beverage team. They shared firsthand anecdotes and enhanced storylines with the team so that they too could engage guests with these stories.

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