Walt Disney Studios Park
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| Location | Disneyland Paris, Marne-la-Vallée, Paris, France |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 48°52′2.28″N 2°46′44.43″E / 48.8673000°N 2.7790083°E |
| Theme | Show business |
| Owner | The Walt Disney Company |
| Operated by | Disney Parks, Experiences and Products |
| Opened | 16 March 2002 |
| Previous names | Disney-MGM Studios Europe |
| Website | Official website |
Walt Disney Studios Park (French: Parc Walt Disney Studios) is the second of two theme parks built at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, France, which opened on 16 March 2002. It is dedicated to show business, themed after movies, production, and behind-the-scenes. In 2017, the park hosted approximately 5.2 million guests [1], making it the third-most visited amusement park in Europe and the 22nd-most visited in the world. Its sister park is Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida.
The park is represented by the Earffel Tower, a water tower similar to one that was installed at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California.
On 27 February 2018, Bob Iger announced a Transformative Multi Year Expansion, opening in phases from 2021 to 2025 to coincide with the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, which will completely transform the park; the cost of this expansion is €2 billion. It will feature new areas based on Marvel, Star Wars and Frozen, all surrounding a new man-made lake.[2]
Contents
Dedication[edit]
To all who enter this studio of dreams...welcome. Walt Disney Studios is dedicated to our timeless fascination and affection for cinema and television. Here we celebrate the art and the artistry of storytellers from Europe and around the world who create magic. May this special place stir our own memories of the past, and our dreams of the future.
— Michael D. Eisner, 16 March 2002
History[edit]
Initial plans for a second theme park, named Disney-MGM Studios Europe or Disney-MGM Studios Paris, were scheduled to open in 1996, though these plans were cancelled around mid-1992 due to the resort's financial crisis at the time. After the resort began to make a profit, these plans were revived on a much smaller scale. Walt Disney Studios Park opened on 16 March 2002.
In June 2007, a new "studio lot" opened in the Animation Courtyard area of the park, named Toon Studio, it is themed as a "toon backlot", representing the film studio work place of animated characters, where they produce their animated films, including The Little Mermaid, 101 Dalmatians, and The Jungle Book. The concept has been created exclusively for Walt Disney Studios Park and features two rides not seen in any other Disney theme park, along with small merchandising locations and many character meet-and-greets. In this expansion phase are Crush's Coaster, a custom-designed Maurer Söhne SC 2000 indoor spinning roller coaster, and Cars: Race Rally themed after the 2006 Disney/Pixar film Cars, with the ride taking the form of an enhanced tea cups ride. Similar rides are found in Mermaid Lagoon at Tokyo DisneySea and A Bug's Land at Disney California Adventure. On December 22, 2007, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror soft-opened with the new Hollywood Boulevard on Production Courtyard. Stitch Live!, imported from Hong Kong Disneyland, replaced the Disney Channel Studio Tour.
In 2009, new entertainment opened at Walt Disney Studios to run alongside Mickey's Magical Party, which began in April 2009. Playhouse Disney Live On Stage! opened next to Stitch Live! and is presented in French, English and Spanish. Walt Disney Studios opened with a full size parade called 'Disney's Cinema Parade', which was themed after popular Disney animated and live action films. In 2008 the parade was replaced with 'Disney's Stars 'n' Cars', a smaller version of Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade, which came from Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World in Florida. In August 2010, Toy Story Playland opened to coincide with the new Disney·Pixar film Toy Story 3, "shrinking" guests to the size of a toy; the three attractions are a Half pipe coaster named RC Racer, a parachute jump style ride named Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop and a Music Express train named Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin, all themed intricately around the first 2 Toy Story films.
Studio lots[edit]
Walt Disney Studios Park is divided into four "studio lots", representing various aspects of film production present at a Hollywood film studio.
Front Lot[edit]
Front Lot serves as the park’s main entrance and is home to most shops and services of the park, the Earffel Tower is located here; the entrance courtyard, La Place des Frères Lumière, is designed in Spanish Colonial Revival style, a style common to 1930's Hollywood. It is loosely based on the design of the original Disney Bros. Studios on Hyperion Avenue; the central feature of the courtyard is a large Fantasia fountain. The name of the courtyard is a tribute to the French inventors of cinema.
Front Lot features Disney Studio 1, a covered walkway with shops and restaurants themed after a soundstage with a recreation of a Hollywood street inside.
Restaurants:
- Restaurant en Coulisse
Shops:
- Walt Disney Studios Store
- Les Légends d'Hollywood
- Studio Photo
Toon Studio[edit]
Toon Studio is inspired by Disney and Pixar animated characters; the lot features such Disney and Pixar characters as Crush (from Finding Nemo), The Genie (from Aladdin), Mater and Lightning McQueen (from Cars), Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Slinky, and other characters from Toy Story, in addition to the other Disney characters present in the land’s show, Mickey and the Magician.[3]
When the park originally opened in 2002, the land was known as Animation Courtyard but in 2007, as part of the park’s 5th Anniversary, two new rides were added (Crush's Coaster and Cars Quatre Roues Rallye). In 2009, the area was expanded with Toy Story Playland. In January 2012, construction began on a new Ratatouille themed ride and restaurant.
Attractions:
- Flying Carpets Over Agrabah is a spinner ride similar to Dumbo the Flying Elephant where riders sit in magic carpets and act as extras in Genie’s directorial debut. The attraction is set against a large “movie set” backdrop of Agrabah.
- Crush's Coaster is a spinning roller coaster where guests enter the beached sound stage and film set of Finding Nemo, where Crush invites them to climb aboard sea turtle shells for a ride through memorable scenes from the movie.
- Cars Quatre Roues Rallye is a Zamperla Demolition Derby where guests spin at a Radiator Spring’s car service station. Their cars are located on four spinning plateaus and they change from one spinning plateau to the next.
- Art of Disney Animation is an interactive exhibit where guests watch a film about the process of animation, engage in interactive activities teaching about the history of animation, and can participate in Animation Academy.
- Mickey and the Magician is a live show.
- Ratatouille: L'Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy is a motion-based trackless dark ride based on the 2007 Disney·Pixar animated film Ratatouille. It opened in a new Paris themed area of the park in conjunction with a new restaurant following the Ratatouille theme.
- Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop is a parachute jump ride themed to the Green Army Men from Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story movies. It opened as part of the Toy Story Playland expansion. Another version of the ride also exists at Hong Kong Disneyland.
- Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin is a Caterpillar-style ride where guest sit in a large ride mechanism resembling Slinky Dog from Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story movies. It opened as part of the Toy Story Playland expansion. Another version of the ride also exists at Hong Kong Disneyland.
- RC Racer is a steel shuttle roller coaster themed around RC from Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story movies where guest ride in RC on an orange, half loop track. It opened as part of the Toy Story Playland expansion. Another version of the ride also exists at Hong Kong Disneyland.
Restaurants:
- Toon Studio Catering Co.
- Le Bistrot Chez Rémy
Shops:
- Disney Animation Gallery
- Chez Marianne (Souvenirs de Paris)
Toy Story Playland
- Toy Story Playland Boutique
Production Courtyard[edit]
Production Courtyard's theme revolves around the production aspect of Hollywood movies and the Hollywood mythos, including movie legends; the land contains two distinct parts: Hollywood Boulevard, which features Hollywood-inspired street sets and the rides The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic; and Place des Stars themed around the production facilities of movie lots, containing Stitch Live! and Disney Junior: Live on Stage!.
Attractions:
- Stitch Live! Is an interactive, living character show where guests communicate with Stitch from Lilo & Stitch.
- Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage! is a live theater utilizing puppet characters from popular Disney Junior shows. Featured are characters from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins and My Friends Tigger & Pooh.
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is a large freefall thrill ride where guests enter the fictional Hollywood Tower Hotel, and follow the story inspired by the television series. The finale of the ride involves a drop of nearly 200 feet; this ride originated at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and at Disney California Adventure.
- Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic takes guests on a tour past movie sets and props. Highlights of the ride include stops at Catastrophe Canyon and Reign of Fire sets; this ride is adapted from the Studio Backlot Tour located at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.
Restaurants:
- Restaurant des Stars
- La Terrasse
- Café des Cascadeurs
Shops:
- Tower Hotel Gifts
Backlot[edit]
The Backlot is themed after actual movie backlots with an industrial theme and is very plain; this lot showcases the high thrills of movies and is targeted toward older children and adults with three attractions. The Backlot also features soundtracks from blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible 2, Planet of the Apes, Batman, or Independence Day.
Attractions:
- Moteurs... Action! Stunt Show Spectacular is a car stunt show revolving around a series of stunts featuring automobiles, motorcycles, and jet skis.
- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Avec Aerosmith is an enclosed steel roller coaster and the fastest ride at Disneyland Paris. The ride is themed around an Aerosmith music video and takes place in the recording studio. It's a version of the same ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios; this will be closing in the future to be re themed to Iron Man.
Restaurants:
- Blockbuster Café
- Backlot Express
Shops:
- Rock Around the Shop
- Backlot Accessory Trucks
Sister park[edit]
Walt Disney Studios Park has a sister park at Walt Disney World, named Disney's Hollywood Studios, originally Disney-MGM Studios, which opened in 1989. Both are themed after show business, and have provided attractions to each other; the Earffel Tower, which represents Walt Disney Studios Park, is nearly identical to the original tower that existed on the backlot of Disney's Hollywood Studios from 1989 to 2016.
Future areas[edit]
On 27 February 2018, Bob Iger announced that The Walt Disney Company will invest €2 billion into the Disneyland Paris resort; the Walt Disney Studios Park will be expanded with three new areas based upon Marvel, Frozen and Star Wars. In addition to the three new areas, the expansion includes a new lake, which will be the focal point for entertainment experiences and will also connect each of the new park areas; the first phase of the expansion will be completed in 2021. [4]
Attendance[edit]
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | Worldwide Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,710,000[5] | 4,800,000[6] | 4,470,000[6] | 4,260,000[7] | 4,440,000[8] | 4,970,000[9] | 5,200,000[10] | 5,298,000[11] | 23 |
See also[edit]
- Disneyland Park (Paris)
- Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Disney California Adventure
- Incidents at Disneyland Paris
References[edit]
- ^ "Disneyland Paris facts and information". Paris Digest. 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
- ^ "Disney Announces Transformative Multi-Year Expansion for Disneyland Paris – Disneyland Paris News". Retrieved 2018-12-10.
- ^ "Show Mickey and the Magician". Disneyland Paris. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
- ^ https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/transformative-multi-year-expansion-announced-disneyland-paris/
- ^ "TEA/AECOM 2011 Global Attractions Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 18, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ a b "TEA/AECOM 2013 Global Attractions Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
- ^ "TEA/AECOM 2014 Global Attractions Attendance Report Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "TEA/AECOM 2015 Global Attractions Attendance Report Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
- ^ "TEA/AECOM 2016 Global Attractions Attendance Report Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ "TEA/AECOM 2017 Global Attractions Attendance Report Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
- ^ "TEA/AECOM 2018 Global Attractions Attendance Report Report" (PDF). Themed Entertainment Association. 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
External links[edit]
- WDS Fans – The Secrets, History and Magic of the Studios
- DLRP Magic – Guides to the Park
- Photos Magiques – Walt Disney Studios Park
- Imagineering Files – Disney MGM Studios Europe
Coordinates: 48°52′2.28″N 2°46′44.43″E / 48.8673000°N 2.7790083°E
- Walt Disney Studios Park
- Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
- Amusement parks in France
- Disney production studios
- Buildings and structures in Seine-et-Marne
- Backlot sets
- French film studios
- Recording studios in France
- Tourist attractions in Île-de-France
- Tourist attractions in Seine-et-Marne
- 2002 establishments in France
- Buildings and structures in Paris
- Amusement parks opened in 2002
