Disneyland Paris Expansion Project -- Blue Sky Imagineering

[Evilgidgit]

Actually licensing doesn’t work that way. Universal has the theme park rights to The Simpsons in the US, and in Orlando & Japan Universal has the Theme park rights to Marvel while Disney has the theme park rights to Marvel in California, Paris, Hong Kong, and Shanghai so Disney could put Springfield, and The Simpsons Ride in WDSP as a sub area to 20th Century Studios with Pandora the World of Avatar since The Simpsons is popular in Europe without any licensing issues from Universal.

While that is good to hear, I likely won't be including The Simpsons in the initial park layout -- so there maybe room for them in future expansions. I won't be putting Pandora in either, as personally I'm not a big fan of the film, and at least one Disney theme park land should stay an exclusive to one park. That's why my take on Galaxy's Edge will be set on Tatooine.

 

[Twilight_Roxas]

Okay. Can’t wait to see what you’ll do with the building of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway in Paris.

 

[Twilight_Roxas]

Sorry for the double post, but with the fireworks you could always put Once Upon a December from Anastasia in the show.

 

[Evilgidgit]

Finally, after many months of silence, we can continue on with Chapter Two of my Disneyland Paris blue sky reimagineering!

Bienvenue au parc Walt Disney Studios!

WALT DISNEY STUDIOS PARK
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Disneyland Paris’ second gate was created on the cheap, similar to Disney California Adventure, and Hong Kong Disneyland. The unholy trinity of Eisner's final years oof Disney. Meant to be a living, working film and TV studio, the park quickly failed in its purpose, with minimal attractions, and is the smallest park within Disney’s pantheon. Over the years, new additions have been added to improve the quality of the park, and last year, a mass expansion was announced in 2018. A new lake area would be introduced, along with new lands based around Marvel, Star Wars, and Frozen, removing the original theming and purpose of the park. This expansion was the spark that lit these plans for a resort-wide transformation.

(The yellow barrier is the current limits of the park, and the dark blue is presumable behind the curtains. In my headcanon, the yellow barrier consumes the rest of the free land.)

With these changes in mind, Walt Disney Studios Park would undergo its planned expansion and changes, with some new additions to make the troubled park gain a fresh, new identity, taking guests through the world of moviemaking, and then quite literally into the realms of the silver screen. The park has plenty of untapped room, allowing it to become a second gate to rival Disneyland Paris, and to be worthy of being a resort-level destination.

The planned expansions will be a little more elaborate and larger than the “pocket” lands planned for Star Wars and Frozen. In my blue sky world, all of the land beyond the park has been bought by Disney, allowing WDSP to flourish and grow into a much bigger park. But, first, we have to fix what is broken, then add in the planned new additions, before going in a new direction.

The theme park is split between several lands, with room for potential expansion in the future, based around the new Lake Méliès serving as the central location. Each land takes guests into an immersive, thematic series of realms, each celebrating the magic of the movies.

 

[Evilgidgit]

HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD​

Our journey begins in a bygone era. Gone are the huge concrete studio facades, and instead we travel back in time to a more glorious, glamorous period of cinematic history. Hollywood Boulevard celebrates the Golden Age of the Movies, acting as the Main Street of the park, and a sister to Buena Vista Avenue. The entrance plaza remains, now named the Lumiere Brothers Plaza, with goldenrod gates welcoming guests into the new park. A commemorative statue of the Lumiere Brothers, Auguste and Louis, pioneers of filmmaking, stand in the centre of the plaza, both consulting their Cinématographe Lumière. Beyond them is the Fantasia Fountain, depicting Mickey instructing the animated broomsticks

A remnant of the studio era, the Earffel Tower, a white, metal water tower sporting Mickey Mouse’s ears, stands in the distance, accompanied by additional facades and sound effects, creating the illusion that there is a working film lot nearby. Somewhere, a loud director shouts “Action!” over a megaphone, followed by the hustle and bustle of a chaotic movie set. We aren’t going to a film studio now, but we can at least hear and appreciate the magic of filmmaking from afar.

Studio #1 is gone, replaced by Hyperion Avenue, a welcoming, sweeping avenue of classy buildings straight from Hollywood. Realistic city facades from 1930s Los Angeles stand before and around us, the sights and sounds of Hollywood emanating from every window and high rise.

This is a time where the likes of Walt Disney were the kings of Hollywood, movie stars were treated like gods, filmmaking was fresh, experimental and inventive, and animated movies were a changing tide to how people viewed cartoons. A news stand celebrates the release of Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, jazz music can be heard playing from windows, and a variety of Hollywood locals and studio employees wander the streets to interact with guests.

These include Officer Bobby Batonnbeat, the local bumbling police officer; Deloris C. Chatsworth, a gossip gal who is nicknamed “Gabby Gums”; and the rowdy movie studio talent scout, E.G. Biggershot, looking for new talent. There are many Hollywood façades with nods to classic films, moviemakers and stars, and tips of the hat to Disney’s own library.

For now, we can board one of the Red Trolley Cars, taking guests on a tour around the sights of Hollywood Boulevard, up and down Hyperion Avenue, travelling around the entertainment district, past the hub, up the midway to the lake, and back, with the trolley shed next door to the CineMagique Theatre.

Hyperion Avenue is lined with shops and small restaurants, which the Red Trolley Cars run through back and forth, circling the Fantasia Fountain. Each shop is named after or references important people or Walt’s creations that contributed to his career.

Guest Relations is set within the Chamber of Commerce, the local administrative building, set in a tidy red brick building. A stone marker is built above the entrance, dated “1901” for Walt’s birth. Guests can get information of the park, gain maps, vouchers, FastPasses, acquire medical attention, etc.

Across the plaza is Kingswell Camera Shop, a turn-of-the-century photo store trying to catch up with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. It is named after Kingswell Avenue, the location of the original Disney studios. Photos of the studio’s early days can be browsed here, whilst guests can pick up what they need for a day of photography and filming. Frames, templates, albums, etc. can be purchased here.

The rest of our stroll down Hyperion Avenue takes us down the left hand side and back up along the right-hand side.

On the left hand corner lies Oswald’s Gas Station, named after Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The gas station is your one-stop shop for all travel-related merchandise and goods. These include international road sign souvenirs, bumper stickers, travel mugs, sunscreens, and apparel. Most importantly, there is an abundance of Oswald-related merchandise from toys to rabbit eared-hats.

Los Feliz Five & Dime has a large build, though the Sunset Boulevard-esque manorhouse façade with a tiled roof and cream walls makes it look warm and inviting. Walt and Roy Disney built their first homes in the Los Feliz neighbourhood, so the interior has a homely quality to it. The store has a large apparel section, and is home is a wide variety of collectibles, merchandise, and souvenirs. There is diorama, bringing together several iconic weenies from the international Disney resorts, including all of the castles, Grizzly River Run, Spaceship Earth, the Tree of Life, Mount Prometheus, etc.

Roll up, one and all, for Big Top Toys is the greatest show in Hollywood Boulevard. Though the shop exterior is quaint, the inside is a real circus. Inspired by Dumbo and the 1936 short Mickey’s Circus, Big Top Toys resembles a circus or funfair placed into a store. The lightshades resemble miniature red and blue circus tents. There are posters of animated characters as sideshow acts (“Introducing Humphrey Bear and his bottomless stomach!”). Models of Mickey, Dumbo, and other characters decorate the store. The shop primarily sells interactive toys, but also specialises in clothes and collectibles for children.

The most glamourous of shops along the street has to be Elias & Co., resembling a 1920s department store, with jade-coloured walls, gold encrusted doors, and large shop windows displaying the latest fashion trends. It takes a lot of inspiration from Hollywood department stores like J.W. Robinson’s. Each section of the store is named after a member of the Disney family, from Walt and Roy, to their wives, siblings, parents, children, and even Uncle Robert. The store sells merchandise, clothes, apparel, toys, collectibles, household equipment, and costumes. The store itself is named after Walt’s father Elias Disney.

Alice & Julius Katz Confectionary appears a little older than the other stories, somewhat lagging behind in the changing times, but makes for a welcoming turn-of-the-century sweet shop. The shop pays homage to the Alice Comedies, where a character named Julius the Cat was introduced as the companion to Virginia Davis’ live action Alice. The store doubles as both a sweet shop and an ice cream parlour, where guests can try delicious hand-scooped ice cream in waffle cones and sundaes. Other sweet treats include handmade gourmet marshmallows, caramel apples, toffee, fudge, candy, and more.

Atwater Ink and Paint is an arts and crafts shop, but has a couple of surprises within. It is named after Atwater Village, a neighbourhood in Hollywood. Whilst primarily resembling an uptown hardware store meets an art gallery, there is a special treat at the back the shop. Beyond a pair of red velvet curtain lies a small cinema, where guests can sit back and watch a reel of animated shorts from the 1930s and 1940s, including Silly Symphonies, shorts of Mickey and friends, and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Café is named after the Three Pigs, a coffee house and café that is modelled after a neighbourly locale, where builders can lighten their load after a hard day’s work on the beat, or friends can come for a natter. A place open for everyone. Patrons can watch a coffee specialist the old fashioned way, using a 1940s espresso machine to create delicious beverages. Though primarily selling coffee and tea, guests can but cakes, donuts, sandwiches, and the like from here. Be sure to try the Huff and Puff Pastry; it will really blow you away!

Oscar’s Choice is the most glitzy spot on the street where jazz music is the cat’s meow, with the décor meant to resemble an Oscars awards ceremony. The restaurant is a stakehouse, offering burgers and steaks of fine quality, serving as a major dining establishment in Hollywood Boulevard. While the Brown Derby is a hotspot for celebrity dining, Oscar’s Choice is the more classy joint. The colour scheme is gold and a rich chocolate brown, with the pillars resemble giant Oscar statues.

Flower carts and merchandise carts can be found along Hyperion Avenue, which the Red Cars head down back and forth. The boulevard serves as a counterpart to Main Street, U.S.A., which is set in Walt’s childhood. Hyperion Avenue and the whole of Hollywood Boulevard is based within this adulthood, at the height of his success.

Like on Main Street, the windows around Hollywood Boulevard are dedicated to Imagineers, but also famous filmmakers and people who have contributed to both Disney and the film business, stylised as owning private businesses. There are several shout outs to movies too, such as “Valiant & Valiant, Private Investigators” from Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

 

[Evilgidgit]

HOLLYWOOD BOULEAVARD, PART TWO​

Exiting Hyperion Avenue, guests will see the Partners statue before them, and the palm tree lined midway leading straight down to Lake Méliès beyond. The old Hollywood Hotel towers over the neighbourhood, presenting a foreboding sense of dread and curiosity for ghost hunters and thrill seekers. We shall explore the mysterious monument soon.

The Art of Disney Animation now serves as a large Emporium-sized retail shop, now meant to resemble a large animation gallery. Towards the back of the store is the Animator’s Corner, an interactive room where guests can learn how animation is made, from the storyboards, to the sweatbox, to the voice acting. An original multiframe camera designed by Ub Iwerks is on display, and guests can meet company animators, who teach light-hearted lessons on how to draw classic cartoon characters and offer tips to budding animators or storytellers. There is a M&G alcove in the store to meet characters from Mickey Mouse to Anna and Elsa, with a daily schedule, though with random encounters too. Due to this expansive transformation, the Cars Road Rally is removed.

Adjoined to the Art of Disney Animation is the Brown Derby, the iconic bowler hat-shaped restaurant that is synonymous with the Golden Age. Like the actual restaurants, Brown Derby has iconic pictured sketches of renowned celebrities, and serves as an American steakhouse.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror remains the same, albeit with the expected refurbishment, new special effects, and a slightly altered storyline narrated by Rod Serling. Tales haunt this once glorious hotel, the toast of Hollywood, and the getaway for anybody who was anybody. The owner, Wendell Endicott, was a hotel mogul, Endicott wished to outdo his rivals in the industry, so he built the biggest, grandest hotel in the City of Angels. Little did he know that his new hotel, built in 1923, was built on two leylines that led to another dimension, full of lost souls.



Things started getting spooky at the hotel – furniture moved, people disappeared, or complained they could hear whispering voices in their rooms behind or within the wall. One woman went so mad that she ran through the halls screaming, last seen running towards a windowless dead end, but when the bellboys followed her around the corner, they only found an ashy silhouette of her body on the wall. Endicott began to lose business, and some say, his mind.

On Halloween, he, his wife, their daughter and nanny, and a bellboy, stepped into the elevator. A lightning bolt struck the building, plummeting the elevator into oblivion. But, when firefighters found the elevator, there was nobody inside. Afterward, the hotel closed for many years, until now, when the doors have mysteriously opened, allowing guests inside the explore the haunted halls of the hotel and drop in to learn what became of that cursed elevator that goes to the Fifth Dimension. Next door to the Tower of Terror is the Tower Hotel Gifts, selling Twilight Zone merchandise, and guests can buy photos taken on the attraction.

Guests can enter into the Plaza of the Stars, now revised as a roundabout for the Red Trolley Cars, and acts a viewing area for the park’s special events like Electroland and Legends of the Force: A Celebration of Star Wars. Such occasions have colourfully themed visuals projected on the Tower of Terror, though the nighttime show occurs at the lake. Guests can meet characters, Hollywood locals, and “statue” actors.

The old television studio is reconstructed to resemble the Carthay Circle Theatre, where the premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs occurred in 1937. The new Carthay Circle building has an extension, connecting to the CineMagique Theatre, creating a new cul-de-sac.

The CineMagique Theatre is now the home for Mickey and the Magician, which was once housed in the repurposed Animagique Theatre. In this wondrous 25-minute musical, Mickey is an apprentice and handyman to a talented French magician, who tasks him to clean his cluttered workshop before midnight. Mickey soon discovers many objects in the magician’s home have magical properties, bringing to life a number of Disney characters from across the years, while Mickey will discover his true magic potential.



Mickey and the Magician performances occur twice daily. On off-seasons, the original CineMagique presentation returns to the theatre, following Martin Short as he is zapped into the realm of movies, travelling through the silent era, the wild west, under the sea, across chimney tops, and on the most famous doomed ship in history, all the while looking for love and a way out.

There is one final stop on our tour around Hollywood Boulevard, onto a brand new attraction that takes us beyond the screen and into the movies themselves: The Great Movie Ride!

 

[Evilgidgit]

HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD: THE GREAT MOVIE RIDE

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Hooray for Hollywood! Yes, Hollywood Studios’ former anchor attraction is resurrected in Disneyland Paris in a brand new incarnation. Disney has expanded their library greatly, now owning LucasFilm, Marvel, and 20th Century Fox, giving them ownership of many great movies, several of which are celebrated here, along with other classic films from across Hollywood. The Turner Classics would be featured, and maybe a few surprises too. Whilst I considered updating the flow and style of the attraction, the onboard tour guides and hostile takeovers by mobsters and outlaws was great fun, so they stay in, though with new scripts and snappier dialogue in French and English.

Guests enter the Carthay Circle Theatre into the queue line, passing by large framed posters of iconic films, and a cabinet containing Walt Disney’s Oscars related to Snow White, including the seven mini-Oscars. The queue line takes us through a special exhibit of recognisable film props that are a little bit magical. The Ruby Slippers magically click their heels three times, the Dead Man's Chest from Pirates of the Caribbean is accompanied by a ghostly heartbeat from within, a merry-go-round horse from Mary Poppins bobs up and down, and a glass cabinet that was meant to contain Thor’s hammer Mjolnir has been shattered from the inside (with a note left by Thor, reading “Kind regards and good fortune. Thor Odinson.”)

The loading area resembles a Los Angeles street somewhere in Hollywood Boulevard in perpetual twilight, with a grand old movie house awaiting us with a neon marquee, and a theatre cyclorama playing in the queue line. Up to twenty-five guests can board the “moving theatre mobiles”, each driven and narrated by a chatty tour guide. I feel the tour guides should be a little more free to make up their own jokes and spiels like the Jungle Cruise, but still provide education and information about the history of cinema. Our ride goes through several movie genres in similar fashion to The Great Movie Ride.

The vehicle goes into the theatre and down the hallway, passing by large posters of pioneers in filming. We appear to travel through a projected image of a black and white street, and with a little illusion, find ourselves in said black and white street – during the 1920s Silent Era of comedy gold. The street is in black and white, and filled with many iconic comedians of the day. Charlie Chaplin poses as the Tramp, twirling his cane. Harold Lloyd hangs from a swinging clock face from Safety Last. We pass by Laurel and Hardy, and Fatty Arbuckle in a pie fight, and in a spectacular finale, Buster Keaton nearby has the front of a building dropped down on his head, but it misses. As we leave the scene, we see a radio come to life, playing music, and Al Jolson claims “we haven’t heard nothing yet”, signalling our transition into the era of sound.

Our journey continues through the moonlit streets of a cityscape, and into the musical genre. We pass by the legendary Gene Kelly as his swings from a lamppost, singing the titular song from Singing in the Rain. Opposite, we pass by an alley way, with the Moulin Rouge at the other, vibrant in colour and music. The setting goes into the 1920s, as Little Orphan Annie sings “Tomorrow” from the 1982 film of Annie. We then pass by a street of dancing newspaper boys from the sleeper hit Newsies. The vehicle travels up a slope onto a rooftop, revealing Mary Poppins and Bert singing “Chim-Chim-Cheree”, as several silhouettes of sweeps dance about on the rooftops around them.

It looks like we’re about head for a large chimney, only for it to split apart, revealing a city street before us. It is rather rundown, back alley shops, and red brick buildings. This is the realm of crime thrillers and film noir, taking us into Chicago around the 1930s. The familiar face of Humphrey Bogart holding aloft The Maltese Falcon, expecting to pass it on to an unknown dealer.

Around the corner, our vehicle is hijacked by a gangster fleeing a bank robbery, Musgy Mahone, chasing the tour guide away and takes the controls. A gun fight soon breaks out from every window by unseen attackers (using flashing lights). Bonnie and Clyde join the battle from a parked car, and even Tony Montana (Al Pacino) appears on a balcony. Mugsy speeds up the vehicle to escape the mayhem.

Before us lies a pair of large barn doors, which open up to take us into the Western genre. We pass through a frontier town filled with many stars from the genre – Justus B. Barnes (The Great Train Robbery), John Wayne (The Searchers) on horseback, Clint Eastwood as The Man With No Name, watching from the shadows, with Tuco (Eli Wallach) tied up beside him, and even the Magnificent Seven, along with Calamity Jane (Doris Day) performing on top of a stagecoach. Mugsy makes comments on the scenery (“These chumps are on horseback, and they ain’t movin’ very fast.”)

We travel into a mine shaft under a mountain, but find ourselves within a forgotten desert temple, actually from Raiders of the Lost Ark. We pass by Indiana Jones and Sallah raising the Ark of the Covenant from its tomb. Onwards, we come to a stop by a large statue of Anubis, holding a huge jewel. Mugsy leaps off the vehicle to steal the jewel, but is consumed by fumes, killed and reduced to bones. The tour guide triumphantly reappears and continues on with the tour, playfully warning guests never to try to steal from the gods.

The temple changes into dark-bricked, gothic hallways, taking us into the realm of horror films. We find ourselves in the dungeons of a dingy, medieval castle during a dark and stormy night. The vehicle passes by the laboratory of Dr. Frankenstein as he brings to life his famous creation with lightning (“It’s alive! It’s alive!”). We pass by an open staircase where Count Dracula stands (Bela Lugosi), who invites us to meet the “children of the night”.

We here a werewolf howl and thunder rumble, as we go past several dungeon cells – one contains Hannibal Lecter in his straitjacket and face mask, another has Mrs. Bates’ corpse in a rocking chair, and a third one contains the werewolf from before, chained up, trying to escape. The dungeon turns an eerie red, taking on the form of a nightmarish factory. We hear Freddy Krueger whisper, “You’re my children now…”, as a huge animatronic clawed glove looms overhead, but we escape through some doors outside.

We escape Freddy, finding ourselves outside in a cornfield under a starry night sky. A classic UFO flies by – via projection – and abducts a cow. We approach a futuristic pair of blast doors built into the side of the Devils Tower from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Inside, we find a science base inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey. Robby the Robot of Forbidden Planet offers his services. We pass by a mission control area where an old school phone rings, and we glimpse a familiar alien’s hand with a glowing finger reaching up to answer it. In the next scene, we go into a docking bay, where Rocket Raccoon and Groot are trying to steal an X-Wing, and are “negotiating” with C-3PO and R2-D2.

Red alarms start blaring, as a man over the sound system warns us that an Alien has escaped confinement. The vehicle travels through another pair of doors into a dark, metal hallway, as something scrambles through unseen vents. Ellen Ripley hides in an adjoining corridor, armed with a flamethrower. On the way through the hallway, a vicious Xenomorph leaps out at us from a hole in the wall, and through a vent in the ceiling.

The vehicle leaves this world of science fiction and out onto an open airstrip from Casablanca, where Humphrey Bogart returns, with Ingrid Bergman, standing beside a plane waiting to take flight. The two speak their iconic lines from the end of the romance movie, the tour guide getting a little tearful during this exchange.

Our final stop on this tour through this menagerie of movies in the Land of Oz, from The Wizard of Oz. The vehicle stops in Munchkin Country as the happy residents celebrate the death of the Wicked Witch of the East, her Ruby Slippers sticking out from under Dorothy’s farmhouse. Her sister, the Wicked Witch of the West, appears, but is spooked by the tour guide threatening her about another house dropping on her. After the Witch leaves, the Munchkins suggest going to see the Wizard of Oz to leave this film reel tour.

The vehicle goes on, leaving Munchkin Country and go past Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) and her friends as they admire the Emerald City from afar. We travel through a canopy of magical trees, and travel through a hall where the walls are made of huge film reels, playing clips from hundreds of famous and beloved films. Our tour guide thanks us, as we reach the unload zone, and bring an end to our tour through The Great Movie Ride!

MEET AND GREETS

Attractions
-Red Trolley Cars (Chariot Rouges)
-The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (La Tour de la Terreur de Twilight Zone )
-Mickey and the Magician / CineMagique (Mickey et le Magicien)
-The Great Movie Ride (Le Grand Tour de Cinéma)

Shopping & Dining
-Chamber of Commerce (Chambre du Commerce)
-Kingswell Camera Shop (Boutique d'Appareils Photo Kingswell)
-Oswald’s Gas Station (Station-service d'Oswald)
-Los Feliz Five & Dime (Los Feliz Cinq et Dix Sous)
-Big Top Toys (Jouets Chapiteau)
-Elias & Co. (Elias et Co.)
-Alice & Julius Katz Confectionery (Confiserie Alice et Julius Katz)
-Atwater Ink and Paint (Encre et Peinture Atwater)
-Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Café (Fiddler, Fifer et Practical Café)
-Oscar’s Choice (Choix des Oscars)
-The Art of Disney Animation (L'art de l'animation Disney)
-Brown Derby (Derby Marron)
-Tower Hotel Gifts (Cadeaux d'Hôtel de Tour)

 

[Evilgidgit]

PIXAR PLACE

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The south-eastern corner of the park has become almost entirely based around Pixar Animation Studios. For this, the whole area incorporates the films and characters of Pixar, including Toy Story Playland, the excellently themed Ratatouille square, with the additional of two smaller mini-lands based on Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo. Thus, our next destination is Pixar Place!

On the corner of Hyperion Avenue is a new retail store called Luxo Jr. Lamps, selling character merchandise, and acting as a thematic passage from Hollywood Boulevard to Pixar Place.

The Cars spinner is removed, opening up a larger walkway to avoid bottlenecking. New greenery and additional theming are introduced to blend the Art of Disney Animation into the transition, whilst the back of Brown Derby is hidden behind a tree line. Toy Story Playland’s entrance is pushed back, removing the Green Army Men parachute attraction, though making more room further back into the park.

Pixar Place is split into four sections – Nemo Oceanarium, based on the oceanarium from Finding Dory, the scarily fun Monsters, Inc., the highly popular Remy’s Square, and Toy Story Playland.

Remy’s Square remains the heart of Pixar Place, based around Gusteau’s restaurant, complete with a water fountain – or make that a pseudo-champagne fountain, with bottle shaped sprinklers, with a stone statue of Remy on top. The beautifully crafted French show building houses Ratatouille: The Adventure, the park’s illustrious dark ride, the shop Souvenirs From Paris, and the classy restaurant Remy’s Bistro, build adjacent to the attraction and serves food from across the European continent.

NEMO OCEANARIUM

Nemo Oceanarium is our first port of call, based on both Finding Nemo and Finding Dory. Luxo Jr. Lamps serves as a gatehouse into Pixar Place, with the Art of Disney Animation transitioning into a façade of a sea green and white, part of the Nemo Oceanarium, inspired by the Marine Life Institute from Finding Dory. Guests find themselves into an advanced aquarium exhibition, where scientists have developed technology to further explore life beneath the waves and even communicate with fish.

Crush’s Coaster remains, a dizzying, spinning indoor coaster that propels guest through the East Australian Current within giant sea turtle shells. The exterior now resembles part of the aquarium, though the harbour-themed queue line and attraction show scenes remain the same. It has a unique duality of being both a rollercoaster and a thrilling dark ride, telling to story of Nemo through rapid visuals and special effects.

The Magic Carpets are moved to Adventureland, creating a new show building for a new but familiar attraction. Turtle Talk With Crush is a playful interactive experience where guests can talk to and have some fun with our favourite 150-year old sea turtle. Cast members pose as ecstatic marine biologists and techno wizards, who have developed a revolutionary method of communicating with sea life, with Crush being the most successful test subject. Due to the international audience of Disneyland Paris, there are several different shows for foreign audiences in French, English, and other languages.

The old Animagique Theatre maintains its purpose, undergoing a splash of paint to now become an exhibition hall. The theatre plays host to Finding Nemo: The Musical, an underwater musical extravaganza that captures the heart and sea foam of Finding Nemo, told in a 60-minute performance that occurs twice daily. Join amazing performers, puppeteers, and dancers as they retell the adventure of Marlin and Dory swimming across the ocean in search of the missing Nemo. The sharks, terrifying angler fish, whales, sea turtles, and irritating seagulls all play a part in this mystifying musical for all ages. Adjacent to the theatre is a small retail store, Precious Pearls, which is themed after a beachy rock pool, selling Nemo merchandise.

MONSTERS, INC.

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Since we were children, our parents told us that there were monsters hiding in our closets, waiting to emerge to scare us. But, what we didn’t know was that it wasn’t personal. It’s just their job. We can step beyond our closets and bedroom doors, and into the world of Monsters, Inc.

The costume building in-between Ratatouille and Crush’s Coaster is repurposed to become the new Monsters, Inc. mini-land, built indoors. To make the building larger, an additional two levels are built below ground, containing one attraction in the basement, while the surface levels are dedicated to another attraction, retail, and an extended restaurant.

The enormous Monsters, Inc. factory awaits us, using a little forced perspective to make it appear bigger. Travelling through automatic doors takes us into the circular lobby, with a rotunda of the human world. James P. “Sulley” Sullivan and Mike Wazowski run the company, promoting laughter as an energy source, though using scares for a more entertaining purpose. From the lobby, guests can enjoy two attractions, a retail store, and a heavily themed restaurant on the side of the factory.

The Scare Floor Test Scream is a FastPass indoor rollercoaster, built within the show building’s additional basement level floors. Guests are invited to board the Scare Floor Screamer, a suspended coaster, that propels them through the children’s door warehouse on a fast-paced rail, swinging back and forth. This attraction is a cousin to Space Mountain, even using a more compact catapult launch, the guests’ screams and laughter powering doors and scream canisters alike.

The coaster directly exits into the C.D.A’s Restricted Goods, a formerly restricted office where character merchandise is sold aplenty. An animatronic Roz interacts with guests from her office, asking them to remind Mike Wazowski that his paperwork is overdue. Guests can also meet characters from Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University, including Sulley, Mike, Boo, Needleman and Smithy, George Sanderson, and C.D.A. Agents.

We also have the Harryhausen’s, an Asian themed restaurant resembling a sushi bar, but has a more international menu, each themed after famous monsters from the movies, but also those of the real world.

Our secondary attraction is a clone of Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek, which opened in Tokyo Disneyland in 2009. Not your average dark ride, Ride & Go Seek is an interactive, playful game. Armed with flashlights, Mike instructs guests to board their ride vehicles and participate in a game of flashlight play tag with Boo, Sulley, and himself. Shining lights on hundreds of tags hidden through the factory, guests can rack up scores with the Scarers, Scare Assistants, and other monsters.

MEETS & GREETS

Attractions
-Crush’s Coaster (Coaster de Crush)
-Turtle Talk With Crush (Parler de Tortue avec Crush)
-Finding Nemo: The Musical (Trouver Nemo: La Comédie Musicale)
-Scare Floor Scream Test (Test de Cri de Sol Effrayant)
-Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek (Monsters, Inc. Roule et va Chercher)
-Ratatouille: The Adventure (Ratatouille: l'Aventure)

Shopping & Dining
-Luxo. Jr Lamps (Lampes Luxo Jr.)
-Precious Pearls (Perles Précieuses)
-C.D.A’s Restricted Goods (Marchandises Restreintes de C.D.A)
-Souvenirs From Paris (Souvenirs de Paris)
-Harryhausen’s
-Remy’s Bistro

 

[Evilgidgit]

PIXAR PLACE -- TOY STORY PLAYLAND

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The final stop in Pixar Place is the original Toy Story Playland. The land is tiny compared to its American and Chinese cousins, deserving a worthy expansion and some new attractions. As mentioned earlier, the land’s entrance is pushed back to make a larger path, which interconnects with the avenue leading up to the lake. As such, the Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop is removed. However, Toy Story Playland gets a facelift, with new attractions and fresh updates for the current ones.

Guests are shrunk down to the size of a toy in Andy’s backyard, in a land surrounded by enormous hedge rows, and life-sized toys, boxes, Lincoln Logs, race tracks, and props that Andy has set up for a fun day. Instead of a giant Buzz Lightyear, guests are greeted by the Pixar Ball. I feel it is a bit odd having enormous static figures of certain Toy Story characters, when guests expect to meet Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and Bo Peep in meet and greets. All of the other characters are fair game though. A few more animatronics would be introduced to flesh out the land a little better.

With the Parachute Drop gone, our opening attractions are the surviving Slinky Dog Zigzag Dash, a short but enjoyable spinner where Slinky chases his own tail; and RC Racer, a fast-paced, half-pipe steel coaster, with guests zooming back and forth onboard RC himself.

Decorated with Christmas lights and K’Nex pieces is Al’s Toy Barn, a miniaturised version of the store from Toy Story 2, though here, is actually a lunchbox. The store is themed to resemble the farm-shaped store, selling aplenty of character merchandise, including the paradox that is Al’s Toy Barn lunchboxes! A highlight of the store is a life-sized replica of two rock ‘em sock ‘em robots, two animatronics, who get into the occasional brawl when activated by guests.

The barn acts as an entryway into a child’s frontier town. Made up of cardboard boxes and 1950s merchandise from Woody’s Roundup, this charming area is home to Woody and friends. Here, guests can have a rip-roaring time, meet the likes of Woody, Jessie, Bo Peep, Bullseye, and even Stinky Pete, or participate in a hoedown like no other.

Woody’s Roundup is based on the attraction from Shanghai’s Toy Story Land, a whip ride based within the heart of Woody’s town. Guests can board one of eight wagons, each pulled by Bullseye, participating in a hootenanny hoedown, the equivalent of line dancing with horses. Each wagon hosts four people each.

Across the way is Jessie’s Corral Cookout, a quick service restaurant that sells a barbecue menu of hot dogs, burgers, and grilled ribs. The interior resembles a saloon as if it were created by a child out of cardboard and a western pop up book, featuring Jessie’s many critter friends posed in humourous sight gags.

To the right of the Critter Corral stands a small stage where Wheezy the Penguin performs a 20-minute musical skit, accompanied by Mike, performing songs from “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” to “We Belong Together”.



The final area of Toy Story Playland celebrates the adventure and achievements of space ranger Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. From the mystic portal comes the Alien Swirling Saucers, where the Little Green Men have landed for some out of this world fun. Resembling a playset Andy won at Pizza Planet, two guests board miniature rockets and are spun around the attraction by the Little Green Men.

Next door, is Pizza Planet itself, a long wanted restaurant that has repeatedly been given poor treatment in the past. Disneyland Paris itself had a Pizza Planet on the outskirts of Discoveryland for years, but was made with cheap theming and poor food. This new version is like the version we saw in Toy Story, based within a Pizza Planet box, featuring an amazing pizzeria and arcade, serving freshly baked pizza with a guest’s choice menu, a free all-you-can-eat buffet, a spaceport-themed play area, and an arcade with many classic game.

Pizza Planet shares a show building with the final, newest attraction of the land: Toy Story Midway Mania! This is a unique take on the attraction, with two separate tracks, themed respectively around Woody and Buzz. Both involve 3D interactive midway games for a wild time. Both tracks involve a series of minigames to challenge the guests, who ride around in midway carts, with four guests on both sides of the vehicles. Buzz’s side incorporates elements from Astro Blasters, themed around taking on the evil Emperor Zurg and his forces. The attraction’s exterior resembles two board games fused together, with an interactive Mr. Potato Head outside posing as the showman for the midway mania.

MEETS & GREETS

Attractions
-Slinky Dog Zigzag Dash
-RC Racer
-Woody’s Roundup
-Wheezy the Penguin
-Alien Swirling Saucers
-Toy Story Midway Mania!

Shopping & Dining
-Al’s Toy Barn
-Jessie’s Corral Cookout
-Pizza Planet

 

[Nonja]

I'd love Toy Story Mania in Paris, but I think Woody’s Roundup and Alien Swirling Saucer are too similar to be together in the same land.

 

[Twilight_Roxas]

Is one of the Midway games going to be theme to Toy Story 4?

 

[Evilgidgit]

AVENGERS CAMPUS

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While the rest of the established park would undergo refurbishment, and Lake Méliès is created, Avengers Campus would be the first new land to be born. The Backlot, featuring Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster, Armageddon, and the stunt show, all pass on to the aether as the heroes of Marvel Comics arrive in this brand new action-packed land. The stunt show and Reign of Fire area from the tram tour are repurposed to become part of the land that celebrates the great Marvel heroes – Iron Man, Ant-Man, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Avengers, to name a few. As you might expect, the characters are based on their MCU versions, with many easter eggs and references to the comic books as there should be. Marvel characters wander the land for spontaneous interactions.

Tony Stark discovered an old, top secret science facility on the outskirts of Paris, built by his father Howard Stark as a S.H.I.E.L.D. base, but left it to rot in the 1960s to build the Stark Expo. Here, Howard planned to design technology that would improve everyday life for citizens in transportation and healthcare. Nowadays, Tony Stark has renovated the base, turning into a new Avengers facility, doubling as both an innovations lab, creating one of three Avengers Campuses, the other two located in California and Hong Kong.

The second area of the land transitions into a city neighbourhood , filled with tall facades, based within a public high street and thoroughfare, free of traffic, and is home to several business and restaurants of various Marvel characters.

There are three entrances into Avengers Campus, from Hollywood Boulevard, from Lake Méliès, and from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. From Hollywood Boulevard, guests enter the Arc Advancement Labs, as Stark has called them, passing by a large water fountain that is shaped after Iron Man’s original arc reactor. The buildings are all slick, made with white and blue, and red and gold, because of course Tony Stark will flex his ego a little. Video screens shows fictional advertisements for the lab’s creations. Trees line the route and around the area to make it look a bit greener and pleasant, making it an ecofriendly environment.

Our first stop is the old restaurant block. In the actual plans for the park, this will be an Ant-Man themed gastro pub. Instead, we’ll be combining an attraction and a restaurant together to create a multi-storey complex.

The Avengers Assembly is a walkthrough, interactive experience through the halls of the Avengers’ archives (with security provided by S.H.I.E.L.D.) Guests can traverse the many exhibits, costumes, weapons, and the science behind their creations. Attention to detail is a major factor in this attraction. Learn how Tony Stark built his many Iron Man suits, try to test your worthiness by attempting to lift Mjolnir, and learn how Bruce Banner was transformed into the Hulk. There is a climbing wall where you can see the world from Spider-Man’s point of view, explore the technology of Wakanda, and perhaps discover a secret chamber hiding some of Marvel’s most dangerous items like the Tesseract. Guests can meet numerous Marvel characters at the end of the walkthrough.

A small counter service restaurant called Hall of Heroes Luncheon is built next door, resembling the cafeteria of the Avengers’ base.

The classic Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster is refurbished as Iron Man Booster Blast, based with Tony Stark’s Science and Technology Pavilion. Taking a little inspiration from the Iron Man Experience, this blazing new ride does utilise the same track as Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster, but with a new story and soundtrack. Iron Man has invented a new form of transportation powered by the Arc technology, called the “Iron Wing”, which in theory could be the fastest transport in the world, taking guests from one destination to another in minutes. But, he needs some test pilots to try out his new tech.

Guests enter the pavilion and tour the various showrooms, displays, and labs through the building, learning of the history of Stark Industries and Iron Man himself, passing by a display of several of his Iron suits, the Hulkbuster, and a laboratory showing the blueprints of the Iron Wing, but the remnants of an Ultron drone lie on a table – and the eyes flicker occasionally. Guests then pass by a huge arc reactor, and onwards to the loading area, boarding the Iron Wing coaster, utilising the original track. Speaking of track, the rollercoaster comes with a brand new AC/DC-inspired soundtrack, with different numbers for each ride. Occasionally, the attraction goes into the rare “Ultron Mode”, with a warped version of “I’ve Got No Strings On Me” playing.

The coaster has a small gift shop, Stark Expo Goods, featuring merchandise based around the Avengers, Iron Man, and War Machine, including toy versions of Iron Man weapons and gadgets. The old M&G area between the Iron Man coaster and The Avengers Assembly now leads to behind-the-magic, and serves as the exit for the daytime and nightly parades. A route to the lake will be opened up opposite.

Opposite Iron Man Booster Blaster is Ant-Man’s Quantum Realm Adventure. Whilst a Spider-Man attraction is meant to be placed here, that has been moved to the northern section of the land. Hank Pym has reluctantly opened his lab to the public, in the hope that his technology will benefit mankind, though Ant-Man and the Wasp are on hand to welcome their fans. Unfortunately, a new version of Yellowjacket and agents of HYDRA have broken into the lab to see the Pym Particle technology and harness the power of the Quantum Realm. In this fun virtual dark ride, guests are tasked to venture into the Quantum Realm using shrinking suits and vehicles, and help Ant-Man and the Wasp defeat their enemies. It is a mix of Adventure Thru Inner Space and utilises simulation technology akin to Star Tours.

The queue lines goes through the offices of the X-Con Security crew, and then through Pym’s labs, with video screens and a few blasted holes and signs of damage hinting at Yellowjacket’s invasion. Beyond in the loading area sits Hank Pym’s Quantum Tunnel, where guests of four can get into the Pym Pods and given helmets which contain VR tech that brings to life much of the ride’s effects. These effects are visible through normal cameras as well, though guests are forbidden from removing their helmets during the attraction. Upon a countdown, guests fly through the tunnel and into the Quantum Realm, going through a dark ride track, the attraction using animatronic, special effects, projections, and clever use of screens to give the impression that we have got subatomic, encountering Ant-Man, the Wasp, Yellowjacket, and micro-organisms that are both fascinating and frightening to behold.

Under a futuristic silver archway that resembles an atomic symbol, the land transitions to a Parisian street, acting as a community for the Avengers Campus staff. This is a highly themed, detailed neighbourhood filled with many easter eggs and nods to Marvel Comics – the windows pay tribute to Marvel comic book writers and artists, there are business posters for the likes of Nelson & Murdock (Daredevil), the Future Foundation (Fantastic Four), the Daily Bugle (Spider-Man), and Alias Investigations (Jessica Jones). All of the retail stores sell a large variety of Marvel merchandise.

The Emporium-sized shop, Excelsior!, is the largest store in the land, with all the facades leading into the building, and has a large variety of Marvel toys, clothes, action figures, accessories, and many other types of merch. V

Two of the three attractions are opposite each other behind large facades. Doctor Strange: Mastery of the Mystic Arts, set within a Parisian branch of the Sanctum Santorum, borrows elements from the Disney Cruise show, an interactive show where Doctor Strange and his disciples teach guests the mystic arts, only for the minions of Dormammu to invade looking to steal the Eye of Agamotto, and the guests must aid in their banishment using the sorcery they have learnt.

Opposite are the Future Foundation bio-labs, home to The Swinging Adventures of Spider-Man – a very hi-tech, thrilling dark ride that utilises RoboCoaster tech from Harry Potter, though the robotic arms are on tracks and can twirl and spin guests around in their robotic benches. The city is under attack by the Spider Slayers, and it is up to Spider-Man to save the day. The only problem is that he brought some tourists along with him on an intended webslinging tour of the city. Upon touring the university bio-labs and boarding their W.E.B. mecha (Wandering Environment Bench), guests find their tour of the sides of skyscrapers disrupted as the Spider Slayers battle Spider-Man across the city, and guests are dragged along for the ride. J. Jonah Jameson pursues the chase in a news chopper, as numerous other Spider-Man characters and supervillains make cameos.

There is a lengthy retail area ringing around the Spider-Man attractions, including the Coffee Bean counter service, and Stan’s Comics, a large comic book store dedicated to Stan Lee. This area has two restaurants – the Chikara Noodle House, based around characters from Iron Fist, and Pepe’s Pizza, an Italian table service restaurant, where guests can meet Marvel characters in amazing dining encounters.

The final attraction is set within a more greener, wooded area, home to Professor Xavier’s School for the Gifted (or the French branch), home to the X-Men. Depending on how the X-Men are presented in the MCU, the visuals would match. X-Men: Battle in the Danger Room is a thrill ride that doubles as a heavily themed trackless spinner, guests being trained alongside the X-Men in the simulated Danger Room. The transition to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge involves going through an old, ivory-covered tunnel.

MEET & GREETS

Attractions
-The Avengers Assembly (L'Assemblée des Avengers)
-Iron Man Booster Blast (Explosion de Rappel d'Iron Man)
-Ant-Man’s Quantum Realm Adventure (L'aventure du Royaume Quantique d'Ant-Man)
-Doctor Strange: Mastery of the Mystic Arts (Doctor Strange: Maîtrise des Arts Mystiques)
-The Swinging Adventures of Spider-Man (Les Aventures Balançantes de Spider-Man)
-X-Men: Battle in the Danger Room (X-Men: Bataille Dans la Salle de Danger)

Shopping & Dining
-Stark Expo Goods (Marchandises de Stark Expo)
-Excelsior!
-Stan’s Comics (Bandes Dessinées de Stan)
-Hall of Heroes Luncheon (Déjeuner de la Salle des Héros)
-Coffee Bean (Grain de Café)
-Chikara Noodle House (Maison de Nouilles Chikara )
-Pepe’s Pizza (Pizza de Pepe)

 

[Twilight_Roxas]

Sweet. With 20th Century Studios there is another IP that Disney doesn’t have, but could use in Paris since this IP’s theme park rights is own by two different companies in the US, and Japan.

 

[Evilgidgit]

LAKE MÉLIÈS

Lake Méliès is the new central point of Walt Disney Studios Park, built around the former behind-the-magic areas and where the Tram Tour station currently sits. This serene, beautiful lake can be fully walked around and has many seating spots to view the night-time spectacular, which occurs in the centre of the lake. Paths to access the remaining lands wind throughout the lakeside.

The lake has several food snack bars sprinkled around it, but has one major table service restaurant called the Lakeside Palace, resembling the Crystal Palace, serving a rich menu of European and American cuisine, and offering lovely views of the lake, as well as the night-time show if one books a table at the right time.

MICKEY’S MAGIC LANTERN PARADE

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Walt Disney Studio Park will gain a brand new daytime parade to celebrate the park’s new expansions and rejuvenation. While the park would stray away from behind-the-scenes filmmaking to immersive lands, I feel the theme of the magic of movies should remain, and Mickey’s Magic Lantern Parade serves as such a vehicle and celebration of the cinema. A magic lantern is a precursor to film, projecting images and was used for education and entertainment purposes. In this parade, Mickey has created a literal magic lantern, which is projecting the world of films and their characters for all of us to see.

As for the parade route, it circles the lake clockwise, before travelling through Avengers Campus to the exit on the other side of the park.

The Magic Lantern – Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Ortensia lead the parade in the back of a black and white automobile, representing the start of Disney’s success. Mickey Mouse sits behind a huge contraption, a mix of a 1930s film camera and the aforementioned magic lantern. Gears and levers whirl around inside the lantern, as well as many twinkling gems and starlight. A projected ray of light beams out through the magic lantern’s lens, creating the illusion that the rest of the parade is being materialised from the lantern.

Magic of Art -- Animation begins with a blank page. On an animator’s desk, a castle stands, made up of giant coloured pencils, ink pots, books, drawing equipment, and film reels, with a upright pencil brush serving as the highest turret. The castle is undergoing a mystical change, developing the expected qualities of an actual castle as if by magic. Bubbles fly out of an ink pot, and a large sketchpad flips through its pages, showing an animation of Goofy doing a funny jig. Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Daisy, Pluto, and Chip and Dale are present on the float.

Magic of Wishes – The next float combines the first five animated films of Disney (Snow White, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi). It appears as an extravagant European garden, with curling wooden pillars and fences, lined with vines wrapped around them and exquisite flowers hanging from everywhere. A flying Dumbo, separate from the float, leads it down the parade route, holding his magic feather in his hand. Geppetto has done his work on the garden, everything his creation, from the animated broomsticks, to cuckoo clocks hanging from the wooden fences. Snow White and Prince Florian dance together at the front of the float around a stone well, where white doves sit. Pinocchio, Geppetto, and Jiminy Cricket wave to guests from the back of the float, surrounded by their clocks, and Cleo in her fishbowl. The float is accompanied by the Seven Dwarfs and dancing Swedish-dressed marionettes.

Magic of Imagination – Our next float is dedicated to Mary Poppins and Peter Pan, both hugely popular films set in Great Britain. Mary Poppins was Walt Disney’s magnum opus to some, released in 1964, and remains Disney’s most popular live action film. The rooftops of Edwardian London make up the float. Mary Poppins and Bert lead the float on magically bobbing carousel horses. On the chimney tops of London, merry chimney sweeps step in time with glee, while Admiral Boom commands them to cease their rabble, firing a cannon periodically from above them. The tall chimney stacks transform into the familiar tower of Big Ben (or Elizabeth Tower if you want to get technical). On the other side, Peter Pan and Wendy fly underneath a magnificent crescent moon, who winks at guests as the float passes on by. An assortment of fairies, led by Tinker Bell, follow the float, dancing with flowers and colourful insects.

Magic of Melodies – From the rooftops of London to the mysterious jungles of the world, this float has a real beat to its rhythm, celebrating Disney’s most wildest movies: The Jungle Book The Emperor’s New Groove. There is a catchy beat of a jungle boogie going on, mixing jazz and scat dialogue together. King Louie, Baloo, Emperor Kuzco, Yzma, and Kronk parade around their golden and dark green throne room/stage, leaping off the float to dance with the guests and accompanying dancers, dressed in Incan clothes, and Louie’s swinging monkey pals. Kaa is curled around the tree tops and stone archways of the temple, and other animals from both films are poking out of the foliage.

Magic of Romance – No parade is complete without the Disney Princesses and their romantic dreams. This section is split between four mini-floats, each carrying a princess and their prince. Belle and the Beast come first, on a golden circular stand resembling a bell jar, actually a gorgeous garden trellis covered in roses. Belle and the Beast dance within. A second float is based around Cinderella in a golden replica of her pumpkin coach, on her way to a royal ball with Prince Charming. The third float features Tiana and Naveen, dancing together underneath a tree illuminated by hundreds of fireflies, and surrounded by a ribbon of golden and silver magic.

Magic of Friendship – This charming float takes us into the world of toys, featuring the beloved characters of Toy Story and Winnie the Pooh. Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and friends lead the float, perched on the back of a larger-than-life Slinky Dog, surrounded by many toys and characters from Pixar’s staple franchise. A pile of books transition from Andy’s bedroom to the Hundred Acre Wood, set within one of Pooh’s dreams, where a river of honey pots and Heffalump bumblebees are bringing all of the silly old bear’s greatest desires to life. Piglet, Tigger, Rabbit, and Eeyore are all present to share in the sticky fun.

Magic of Heroes and Villains – The clash between heroes and villains have been a timeless appeal to them. This section consists of a float and set piece, bringing over the superb steampunk Maleficent dragon from Disney Stars on Parade. Prince Phillip and the Three Good Fairies are pursued down the parade route by an army of Maleficent’s minions, her raven Diablo, and thorn ogres (inspired by the fairfolk from Maleficent). Phillip wields his sword of truth to fend off Maleficent, as she breathes fire, her body a polymorphic fusion of thorn, a spinning wheel, and pure evil.

Magic of Legends – As the power of the Magic Lantern comes to an end, our final float personifies the dreams that fill our heart; that some day we can tell our own stories and become heroes, perhaps even myths and legends. This segment is made up of three enormous floats.

Pulled along the route by Pegasus, on the back of a golden chariot stands Hercules, the greatest of the Greco-Roman heroes. He is accompanied by Meg, whilst a layer of clouds brings Philoctetes into view, surrounded by momentums of his time as a trainer of heroes. A secondary unit follows, carrying Hades, Pain and Panic, who are towered by over the bloodthirsty Hydra and its many heads!

Mulan follows, clad in her father’s armour, sitting atop an ornamental statue of her horse. Her float is stylised after the Forbidden City in Beijing, complete with a grand shrine at the back. Chinese imperial soldiers beat rhythmic drums, whilst a proud Mushu stands atop the broken statue of the Great Stone Dragon.

And finally, the magnificent frozen form of the Nokk from Frozen II comes into view, surrounded by equally frigid waves. A cluster of autumn leaves surround the rocky mound of the float. Anna and Olaf stand behind the Nokk, exploring the wonders of Northuldra. Standing atop a small replica of her own ice palace stands Elsa in her post-Ahtohallan dress, casting a flurry of ice and snow into the sky. On the back of the float, in a rocky alcove sits Sven, followed on foot by Kristoff, and the bannermen as the parade glides away for another day.

From here, our journey continues to the remaining lands circling the lake. In a way, each land represents a different genre save Pixar Place, which honours Pixar specifically. The others embody a bygone era, action and superheroes, comedy, romance, animation, fantasy, horror, and science fiction.

Now, it's time to play the music, and its time to light the lights!

 

[Evilgidgit]

THE MUPPET STUDIOS

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If there was any brand that Disney has purchased that needs some much deserved love and attention are The Muppets. Since Disney brought Jim Henson’s beloved characters, they have done very little with them, and has a small presence in the resorts. The Muppets have a rich history with Europe: The Muppet Show was filmed in the United Kingdom, whilst several of the films have repeatedly filmed across Europe, such as The Great Muppet Capers, The Muppets, and Muppets Most Wanted, including Paris.

It makes perfect sense to gift the Muppets with their own land, themed around their film studio, but in-keeping with their sense of humour, charm, and timeless entertainment.



The Muppet Studios is a small land, back-to-back with Avengers Campus, and facing the south-west corner of the lake. The land has a horseshoe-shaped layout. Entering through some wonky gates, guests will find themselves in the lively Muppet Studios, a place of chaotic imagination, zany sight gags, and a wild sense of theatrics. In the centre of the studio stands a water fountain, featuring a stone Miss Piggy dressed as Lady Liberty, with frogs and fish squirting water around her. Miss Piggy actually stands on replicas of Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear, adding only to the humour that lies underneath all that goes on in the studio.

The studio has a lot of visual gags to find and hear, as well as many references to the Muppets’ illustrious history. Guests can view the Electric Mayhem’s tour bus, visit Kermit’s office, and explore the Muppet Theatre itself. Meet and greets are uncommon in this land, but guests can encounter several wandering animatronic characters, such as the Mobile Muppet Labs with Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker; the Pigs in Space, with Miss Piggy, Julius Strangepork, and Link Hogthrob; or members of the Electric Mayhem.

The land has two major attractions, some smaller ones, three restaurants, and a major retail store. Guests can tour the Jim Henson Exhibit, a walkthrough attraction built within the Muppet Theatre’s Jim Henson Wing, honouring the life and career of Jim Henson, covering his entire history including The Muppets, Sesame Street, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and Fraggle Rock. The museum contains many original props and Muppets, and has a focus on Henson’s relationship with European audiences.

Guests will find The Muppet Show Spectacular within the Muppet Theatre itself, a large, grand theatre, with a hot air balloon attached to the top. Gonzo can be seen dangling from the clock tower, though to him, it is a thrill. Inside, guests can visit the Jim Henson Exhibit via the hallway to the left, or head into the theatre itself. The theatre’s old doorman, Pops, is out on lunch at the moment, but has left the key under the mat should anyone need it. We travel through a queue line, through the props department, the backstage area, and then into the theatre itself. Statler and Waldorf sit in their box, heckling the whole performance (and the audience) from start to finish.

The Muppet Show is a highly elaborate and yet spontaneous show, featuring a large number of animatronics and onstage performers. Kermit and friends will greet the audience by performing the Muppet Show’s theme song, before going into a series of zany sketches. In the event that the animatronics malfunction, a projector screen will be placed in front of the stage, playing out the show in a nod to Muppet*Vision.

--Kermit will greet the guests and tries to go through the itinerary, before being interrupted by several characters including Scooter, Fozzie, and Miss Piggy. Sweetums will run through the theatre in a running gag trying to get things ready for later acts.

--Camilla and her chickens perform a clucking musical rendition of several familiar songs, primarily Disney songs (with some variety per performance).

--Fozzie recruits Kermit into a stand up routine, which goes predictably wrong, only fuelled by Statler and Waldorf’s heckling, and Fozzie’s inability to get Kermit to commit to the right timing.

--Rowlf tinkles the ivories, performing a medley of jazz and country songs, accompanied by a pack of his howling buddies.

--The Swedish Chef hosts a messy guide to making chicken-in-a-basket-pie, recruiting Camilla to “assist” in the cooking. Kermit and Scooter intervene before he can attempt to make Mickey Mouse ice cream bars.

--Gonzo the Great takes the stage to perform a daredevil stunt, intending to ride a motorbike up a ramp and land safely within Statler and Waldorf’s box, who have unknowingly been chained to their chairs. Gonzo ends up reversing right off the stage, promising to try again later.

--Kermit hurries Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem onto stage, who rock out to several of their songs, including “Can You Picture That?”, “You Can’t Take No For An Answer”, and “Rockin’ All Over the World”. Animal goes a bit berserk on the drums, causing the back of the stage to cave in.

--Miss Piggy lights up the stage, literally dancing amongst the stars as she performs her own rendition of “Walking in the Air” from The Snowman. Too bad Gonzo decides to retry his motorbike stunt, flying off the stage, crashing into the hecklers’ box, but keeps on going, til he smashes into the electric box, cutting off the power and ruining Miss Piggy’s act.

--Kermit comes back onstage with a lantern, struggling to get through the show, and performs “It’s Not Easy Being Green”. Miss Piggy comes onstage to cheer Kermit up, as the Muppets band together and get the power back on.

--On a finale, Kermit leads the Muppets in a performance of “The Rainbow Connection”, bringing the show to a semi-triumphant end. Sweetums runs out, not realising he has missed his own cue and the entire show.

Next door to the theatre is Stage JH76, home to The Great Muppet Movie Ride, an affectionate parody of the Great Movie Ride. The Muppets, creatively chaotic as always, are attempting to create more of their own takes on classic movies, and we are invited by Kermit to tour the soundstages as the Muppets get filming underway. The queue line is themed around security checkpoints, dressing rooms (each fittingly owned by the Muppets), and even the Muppet Labs which are now developing filming techniques and props.

Our ride vehicles resemble golf carts in shape, perhaps once resembling more classy, hi-tech chariots, but have been redecorated by the Electric Mayhem with psychedelic colours and patterns. They house each four people. Our tour goes through six different soundstages, where the Muppets are filming their won takes on popular movie scenes, with disastrous results.

The first soundstage is the set for “Fozziestein”, parodying Frankenstein. Fozzie Bear is playing the role of iconic monster, but the only horrifying things about this movie is just how bad Fozzie’s jokes are (“If things get too scary, I’d better bolt!). Gonzo and Crazy Harry are a little too eager to get to the lightning, electrocuting Fozzie’s bolts. Dr. Bunsen is trying to get Beaker to dress up like the Bride of Frankenstein, but he somehow gets electrocuted as well.

Our next stop is the set for the Muppets’ take on Peter Pan, recreating Peter Pan, Wendy, John, Michael, and Tinker Bell flying across London. Miss Piggy has taken the role of Tinker Bell, but her “weight of being a star” has damaged the flight cords and pulleys of the other Muppets. Kermit (Peter), Scooter (John), Walter (Michael), and Camilla (Wendy) dangle and spin around as Miss Piggy trashes the set trying to get some altitude. Lew Zealand and Pepe are seen dressed as Captain Hook and Smee.

The third stop shows what happens when one type of music hits another. Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem have been tasked with performing their version of The Sound of Music. In a scene of pure irony, the band are putting on their own performance of “The Lonely Goatherd” with goat Muppets whilst dressed in Austrian clothes. Although Animal is doing his own things and switching between singing “Edelweiss” and thrashing out “Climb Every Mountain” on the drums.

Walter provides the theme tune of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly via whistling as the Muppets recreate the iconic Mexican standoff from the western classic. Rowlf is the Mutt With No Name, Sam the Eagle is Angel Eyes, and the huge Sweetums is Tuco. Clearly they didn’t think this through with casting. Each have their own absurd firearms – a water pistol, a blunderbuss, and a fire extinguisher. Any sense of choreography is lost as hats randomly fly off, bullet sound effects are triggered when no one is ready, and for whatever reason, a herd of cows have invaded the set to eat the backdrops.

Things get a little chilly in the next soundstage as the Muppets try their own take on Frozen. Miss Piggy plays the role of Elsa, with Annie Sue forced to play the “minor” role of Anna. Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo are on hand as Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf, as Miss Piggy dominates the stage within an enormous snowglobe. She sings “Let It Go” whilst being buffeted by a mini snowstorm within the globe. Looks like Beauregard is in charge of the weather effects, but has fallen asleep on the job.

Our final visit is to the Star Wars set, the most chaotic scene where the assault on the Death Star is taking place. Gonzo is Darth Vader, his chickens are Stormtroopers, whilst Kermit, Miss Piggy, Rowlf, and Fozzie are Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Chewbacca, stuck in a squashed replica of the Millennium Falcon. Crazy Harry decides to blow up the Death Star early, blasting a hole through the wall into the next room and out through the ceiling

In the wreckage of the sets, Kermit sits in his overturned director's chair, proclaiming "That's a wrap!", grumbling about a possible retirement to his swamp homeland.

Adjacent to the attraction is The Muppet Store, the land’s lone retail, but is full to bursting with Muppets merchandise, from toys to clothes, banjos to Kermit-shaped tankards. The store is themed around the studio’s prop department, renovated to host a retail store, but has a lot of movie props scattered around the departments, like Kermit’s bicycle from The Muppet Movie, Gonzo’s alien communication lawnmower from Muppets in Space, and a small area dedicated to the Hispaniola from Muppets Treasure Island.

The land has three restaurants. The Swedish Chef’s Kitchen is a classy restaurant with a colourful palette of European cuisine, primarily unusual Swedish delicacies.

Gonzo’s Pandemonium Pizza Parlour lives up to its name, a zany pizzeria run by Gonzo and Rizzo. The restaurant is a table service offering fresh over-baked pizzas, with a buffet menu for a variety of cosmic toppings. The supporting kitchen staff are Rizzo’s rat friends, who can be sliding their way across rails that run across the ceiling, carrying various gag props and food. Gonzo can be heard crawling around in the plumbing, and occasionally, the “rat door” to the kitchen is blown open from an explosion.

The third restaurant is a quick service ice cream parlour called Rockin’ Rhodes Parlour, based around Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, resembling a music studio transformed into a small café, with all of the ice cream flavours inspired by various Muppets.

Attractions
-The Great Muppet Movie Ride (Le Grand Tour du Film Muppet)
-The Muppet Show Spectacular (Spectacle de Muppet Spectaculaire)
-Jim Henson Exhibit
-Interactive Character Units – Mobile Muppet Lab, Pigs in Space, The Electric Mayhem.

Shopping & Dining
-The Muppet Store (Le Magasin Muppet)
-The Swedish Chef’s Kitchen (La Cuisine du Chef Suédois)
-Gonzo’s Pandemonium Pizza Parlour
-Rockin’ Rhodes Parlour

​

 

[Evilgidgit]

ENCHANTED GARDENS

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Once upon a time, there was an enchanted castle within the heart of the French countryside. Surrounded by beautiful gardens, the castle was considered the shining jewel of the land. But, then, one winter’s night, a curse fell upon the castle and all who lived there. Although the prince who lived here had become a hideous beast, and his servants turned into ornaments, the beauty of the castle’s gardens remained throughout the years. Eventually, a true beauty came to the castle, carrying with her the hope that she would break the castle’s spell. And now, it is your turn to explore the enchanted castle and its beautiful gardens.

Enchanted Gardens is based on Beauty and the Beast, the 1991 animated classic. Now, there were some questions as to why I did not include an attraction over in Fantasyland. It came down to space, and my ideas for Winnie the Pooh and The Little Mermaid felt a little more suitable. Instead, I decided to dedicate an entire land to Beauty and the Beast. It blends elements from New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland’s upcoming area for the film.

The land is positioned south-east of Lake Méliès, next door to Toy Story Playland. It is a small land, but emphasizes French formal gardens, surrounded by a border of pine trees and a mountainous backdrop.

Guests will find themselves in Belle’s little village, home to several small retail, dining, and entertainment establishments. Belle and Maurice’s house serves as a meet and greet area, where guests can meet Belle and Maurice for the first time.

Next door are two small shops. Petite Books is Belle’s favourite place to go in her poor, provincial town, a timeless bookstore, where guests can publish a variety of fictional and factual books from around the world in several languages. The Bonjour Gifts sells Beauty and the Beast merchandise. Another destination is the Little Bakery, where guests can purchase bread, rolls, baguettes, croissants, donuts, and cakes.

Central to the village is Gaston’s Tavern, a counter service snack and drinks bar, that does serve a small selection of alcohol to adults. Outside is a water mountain with a rather self-aggrandising statue of Gaston, with plaque dedicated to Gaston from himself. Guests can meet the man himself outside the tavern. Inside, guests can admire Gaston’s trophies, paintings, and antler-based interior decorating, or pose in his armchair for a photo op.

Passing through the village takes us to the Beast’s castle, a truly magnificent fairy tale location, built atop a rocky mount where waterfalls gush out into streams that travel through the land down to the lake. Guests can wander through and explore the castle’s gardens and grounds, featuring a white rose garden, and several topiaries based on scenes from the movie. The castle has a more realistic design, incorporating several thematic nods to Jean Cocteau’s 1946 film, using a little forced perspective, complete with a mountainous backdrop.

Within the castle is a trackless dark ride, Beauty and the Beast: An Enchanted Tale, adapting Tokyo’s dark ride to the European resort. Guest pass across a stone bridge into the castle, venturing through stone-walled hallways through the dungeons and lower floors of the castle. Along the way, guests will find stain glass windows, depicting the early events of the movie, including the Beast’s transformation, Belle reading her book in the village square, Gaston showing off to his admirers, and Maurice getting lost in the woods. Guests enter the loading area, finding themselves in a dark courtyard being watched by gargoyles, close to the castle stables. An animatronic Faline, Belle’s horse, sits in the stables.

The ride vehicles are gigantic teacups, able to hold a whopping ten guests. There is a faint scent of tea in the air, as guests board their cups and enter into the world of Belle and the Beast. The cups travel through a set of doors, into the grand hall of the castle, where Belle searches for her father, lantern aloft. Lumiere and Cogsworth watch from a table, ecstatic that a girl has come to break the spell.

Through a dark doorway, the cups pass through the dungeons where we encounter the Beast for the first time, who has imprisoned Maurice. A defiant Belle volunteers herself to take her place, much to the Beast’s shock, who agrees to this deal if she promises to stay forever. Through a window-shaped projected screen, we see Maurice being returned to the village in the walking spider-carriage.

Our journey may look bleak, but as we magically transition to Belle’s bedroom. The lively wardrobe tries to cheer Belle up, whilst Mrs. Potts invites Belle to attend dinner. This leads to the dramatic, extravagant “Be Our Guest” set piece. Our cups spin and dance around the grand banquet table which Belle sits at, rounding it twice in both directions. This is the show stopper of the attraction. Lumiere acts as host as food is served, cutlery dance on an enormous chandelier, Mrs. Potts and other staff from the kitchen are putting on a show, and Cogsworth is getting a little too enthusiastic dancing around a fountain of wine bottles. The sequence would be like travelling through a Broadway show, with plenty to see all around.

The ride goes on through a more decrepit part of the castle, into the gloomy west wing. We can catch a cameo from the sinister pipe organ Maestro Forte, before finding Belle in the Beast’s bedroom, encountering the enchanted rose. Unfortunately, the Beast catches her in the act, roaring at her to get out, but we see his grief and guilt as we flee out into the forest. Belle is surrounded by wolves in the snow, but the Beast is there to rescue her.

Things become more pleasant as we return to the castle, seeing Belle and the Beast are getting on in the “Something There” sequence. Then, we come to the second big set piece of the attraction: Belle and the Beast’s iconic ballroom dance to “Tale As Old As Time”. Our beloved couple waltz, spin, and fly across the room, which the cups edge around. This scene is smaller than it appears, with the animatronics being on disguised turntables, with forced perspective to make the ballroom appear bigger. Belle and the Beast rest on a balcony, but there is a stream of flaming torches on the horizon.

We find ourselves in the castle grounds as Gaston and Lefou lead an angry mob to storm the castle and kill the Beast. Maurice is also present, though trying to escape the asylum wagon. We fly through the castle halls, seeing the enchanted objects fighting the mob off in a series of gags. Lumiere flashes fire at some men, the Wardrobe laughs maniacally as she drags one fool into her drawers, and Cogsworth commands the effort from atop the staircase.

Belle calls to the Beast, as the cups travel across the rooftops of the castle, seeing the Beast and Gaston are duelling above us. We pass under an alcove, seeing the silhouette of Gaston fall to his demise. Belle cradles the Beast in her arms, declaring her love for the dying monster. In a truly magical moment, a shower of magical rain descends from the sky, and before our eyes, the Beast floats up into the air and transforms into his true human self.

Our final scene returns us to the ballroom, where Belle and Prince Adam dance together, whilst Maurice and the now human servants watch on in happiness. We pass by a stain glass window of Belle and Adam, as our fairy tale adventure comes to an end in the unload section, with another passage leading us back out in the castle’s grounds.

Our final destination in the Enchanted Gardens is the land’s signature restaurant. Be Our Guest Restaurant is a high class, full table service restaurant, set within the castle’s beautiful ballroom, complete with the gorgeous ceiling artwork, a golden chandelier, and heavily themed décor and background detail. The ballroom contains baroque artwork of the characters and elements from Beauty and the Beast. There are two separate wings in the restaurant, including the west wing, and within a portrait gallery/library.

The menu itself is primary French and European cuisine, though American food is available. The restaurant has a breakfast menu, before switching to a dinner menu after 12pm. Wine and alcohol can be purchased here, but only after midday. On occasion, Belle and Prince Adam will wander through the restaurant to interact with guests. The menu is exquisite, incorporating featured items mentioned in “Be Our Guest”. Try the grey stuff (it’s delicious!).

MEET & GREETS

Attractions
-Beauty and the Beast: An Enchanted Tale (La Belle et la Bête: Un Conte Enchanté)

Shopping & Dining
-Petite Books (Petits Livres)
-Bonjour Gifts (Cadeaux de Bonjour)
-Little Bakery (Petite Boulangerie)
-Gaston’s Tavern (La Taverne Gaston)
-Be Our Guest Restaurant (Soyez Notre Restaurant Invité)

 

[Evilgidgit]

MICKEY'S TOONTOWN

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Mickey’s Toontown would replace the re-routed remnants of the Studio Tram Tour, which is getting a Cars makeover in 2020.

New this zany, wonky, wonderful animated realm brings to life the ink-and-paper-come-to-life neighbourhood of Mickey and friends. No building, street, or lamppost is straight, but bent or shaped like they would be in a cartoon. Every inch of this merry, jolly town is filled with many sights and sounds, gags, and is home to many beloved characters from Disney’s golden age. Whilst Mickey and his core friends are the centre point of this land, many other animated characters can appear in Toontown.

Back in the 1930s, the world of animation was in its golden age, but Mickey and his friends and neighbours needed a place to live. Thus, animators created Toontown for the toons to live in, and let them do with it as they saw fit. Though the toons lived in quiet private for years, it was decided to let guests at the nearby magic kingdom visit their toony town and have some fancy free fun.

This is the world of classic cartoon characters, where fun, laughter, and slapstick reign. The soundtrack is an old school, jaunty series of themes from various cartoons. There are may interactive gags and fun little play areas to have some laughs with. Wonky automobiles are parked around the streets, from manholes to mailboxes, just about every object is alive and talks if touched, fireworks can be heard going off in the Fireworks Factory, or we can hear someone getting zapped in the power plant. In the jailhouse, the prison bars are made of rubber and can be stretched. The dog pound appears to be filled with everything but dogs. Even the buildings have animated eyes.

One thing of note is that the windows around Toontown pay homage to not only beloved characters, but Disney animators like the Nine Old Men, Ken Anderson, Eric Goldberg, Glen Keane, Andreas Deja, Ub Iwerks, and the Disney Brothers (via a Laugh-O-Grams tribute).

Our first stop on this tour into the “reel” lives of our favourite toons is to the transportation hub, based around a lovely water fountain, with a stone replica of Roger Rabbit balanced precariously on top, holding aloft Baby Herman, who holds a spilling cookie jar, with dancing shoes and fish spewing water out around the brim of the fountain. The transportation hub consists of the Trolley Shed and the Yellow Cab Co. Hub, home to two of the attractions.

The Jolly Trolley is a jaunty little ride, made out of four red and golden cartoony trams, that transport guests from one end of Toontown to the other. It circle the water fountain, goes through the main walkway of the land, into the Cartoon-De-Sac, around the water fountain at the other end, and back to the hub. Two trolleys are in service at once.

Benny the Cab has smashed his way through the roof of the Yellow Cab Co. Hub, rocking back and forth amongst the brickwork like he is about to fall down. Going inside takes us to Roger Rabbit’s Car-Toon Spin, a wild, whirling dark ride through the streets of Toontown. The queue line takes us through the Drury Lane Theatre, past back alley near the Ink & Paint Club, and into a series of tunnels where the Weasels having secretly been making deadly barrels of Dip. Guests board their grinning yellow cabs and head out to avoid the Dip, and spin and dash about with Roger Rabbit, crash through The Bull’s China Shop, down into the sewers that are filled with Dip, up a skyscraper, and then dash all the way back down. Guests can make the cabs spin wildly, giving them an uproarious but fun ride.

Next door is a slightly more classy joint – The Ink & Paint Club, a swank table service restaurant owned by Marvin Acme. Guests will be playfully asked by the doorman to give him the password – either shared verbally as a “mistake”, or guests can find the password on their Disneyland apps. About the size of the Golden Horseshoe, the club has a rotating series of stage shows, using animatronics/projections, including a piano duel between Donald Duck and Jose Carioca (since Daffy is unavailable), and Clara Cluck tries to perform opera, but is interrupted by offstage noises.

The rest of the downtown area consists of exploratory streets, and a food court. There are plenty of gags and interactive elements in this area:

-The Fireworks Factory is stuffed with rockets and fireworks, and pressing a detonator will cause flashing lights to go off in the windows, accompanied by the sound of explosions.

-The McDuck Bank resembles an enormous vault, and pressing the doorbell will get an angry or impatient sounding Scrooge McDuck (voiced by David Tennant) telling the visitors to go away, as he is busy swimming in his bin or had important adventuring to do. There is also an airplane parked precariously on the roof in a nod to DuckTales.

-At the Toontown Post Office, guests can buy wacky postcards, and P.O. Boxes talk back to guests using the voices of Mickey, Roger, and other characters. Someone has left a huge pile of mislabelled crates and parcels outside, each hiding many jokes – one has a guy in it asking to be left alone so he can nap, whilst another has someone trapped in it, and a third appears to have a tiger in it.

-Two buildings stand next to each other – The Practical, Fifer, and Fiddler Construction Co., and the Huff and Puff Demolition Co., and it seems the big bad proprietor of the latter is rather keen to demolish his rivals – with a wrecking ball!

There is the Reel of Fun Camera Shop, where guests can take humourous photos with Disney characters, or purchase merchandise and camera equipment.

Next door is Horace Horsecollar’s Gym and Detective Agency, featuring Horace’s Clue Hunt, an interactive game similar to the POTC interactive adventures over in the Magic Kingdom. Guests can use magic magnifying glasses (i.e. their phones) to uncover secrets around Toontown, and solve cases for Horace to earn rewards like FastPasses and free meal vouchers.

There is The Gag Factory, a gag-filled outlet where props travel about the ceiling on conveyors, selling character merchandise, many prank toys, and bizarre items you’d find in a joke shop.

The Toontown food court is around the corner, with the large white walls of Town Hall at its centre, where guests can meet different Toons. Here, guests can visit Minnie’s Sweethearts Confectionary, a dollhouse-like bakery which resembles a large cake with pink and yellow colouring; Daisy’s Diner, a personalised 1950s-themed diner run by Daisy Duck, selling an American menu; and Clarabelle’s Dairy Parlour, an ice cream and milkshake bar that is adjacent to Daisy’s Diner. Pete’s Pit Stop cleverly disguises the land’s toilets.

The big draw to this area is the brand spanking new Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, brought over from Hollywood Studios. An enchanting if crazy ride through the world of toons, the Runaway Railroad would be the centrepiece of Mickey’s Toontown. Guests enter the El Capitoon Theatre, about to witness a new animated short starring Mickey and Minnie as they go on a picnic with Pluto. Instead, Goofy invites guests to tour Toontown in his steam train, but a distraction from Mickey and Minnie causes the train’s carts to detach from the engine, sending the guests on a wild ride through the cartoon land. Mickey and Minnie give chase to keep the train on the tracks, whilst they are pursued by Pluto to deliver their picnic basket off.

Our next stop is into the lovely Cartoon-De-Sac, the neighbourhood of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Chip & Dale. Large rolling green hills make up the background, with a large Toontown sign on a hillock. There are plenty of gags here, including the Silly Symphony Fountain, with each animated instruments can be played so to speak, by stepping on markers around the fountain. The Jolly Trolley circles the fountain.

Mickey’s House and Minnie’s House are very similar attractions, both being delightful, amusing walkthrough tours of the duo’s respective homes, with many gags and interactive props to play with. Going into the back gardens of both, guests can meet Mickey in his workshop, and Minnie in her greenhouse. Pluto and Daisy may also show up for a little extra touch of magic. Guests can’t go upstairs, but they can hear various characters having chats, like Mickey trying to get Pluto to have a bath, or the radio host rambles on about what is annoying him today, though you might recognise the host as the voice of Pete. There are plenty of references to Mickey and Minnie’s cartoon careers around their humbly hilarious homes.

Next door to Minnie’s is Chip and Dale’s Treehouse, which houses the wild and fun attraction, the Acorn-A-Whirl, a tilt-and-whirl spinner, with guests sitting in huge, open acorns and go for a bumpy, rapidly whirling ride around the tree. The queue goes through the treehouse and the home of the chipmunks, with many nods to Rescue Rangers.

Donald Duck’s Tugboat is present, but is repurposed to act as a playful, interactive queue line for Quack Splash, an Aquatopia-style splash ‘em attraction. In a large open pond, guests board duck-shaped hovercrafts and dance upon a trackless watery floor, and with friendly water guns, engage each other in friendly squirt-and-splash soak duels. This is all part of the fun and games of Donald and friends, including Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Uncle Scrooge, Gyro Gearloose, and Ludwig von Drake stand around the pond, blasting their own water pistols and gadgets at guests. During the ride, extra hovercrafts join the melee, each “piloted” by Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Donald himself, the vehicles following spontaneous paths as well, though they avoid squirting each other.

The final stop in the Cartoon-De-Sac is Goofy’s Playhouse, his haphazardly crooked house, with upside-down windows, the chimney shaped like Goofy’s hat, and the building looking a little rundown, due to Goofy’s clumsiness and habit of pursuing new projects. His garden looks a little better, with a scarecrow left over from Halloween, and hints that Goofy tried mowing the lawn and things went wrong, judging by the smashed fence and trail through the grass. Goofy’s playhouse is a bouncy house and large indoor play area, complete with ball pit, climbing areas, and a whole load of surfaces to jump about on. Guests, especially with kids, have an allotted time limit in the attraction to prevent overcrowding, and cast members are on hand should anyone get hurt. The attraction is accompanied by a “How To” narration similar to Goofy’s cartoons, explaining to guests on how to have fun in the playhouse.

At the back of the neighbourhood, a lovely mural of the land leads to backstage. But, our real interest is to the stone and brick tunnel built underneath the large Toontown Sign. The colour seems to be fading a little here, going from lush green to black and white. Onwards into the tunnel, and we shall find something truly special...

 

[Evilgidgit]

MICKEY'S TOONTOWN -- TIMELESS RIVER

​

Exiting through the tunnel, we find ourselves in an age from the past, a realm where just about everything is in black and white. Timeless River celebrates forgotten characters and the humble origins of Mickey and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, in a world of simple colours and the beginning of sound cartoons. Melodious music fills our ears, in this charming neighbourhood from a bygone era. From outside it resembles part of a mountain ridge that blurs into the fjords of Arendelle next door. It is an open sub-land, lost in time.

While most of the forested neighbourhood is black, white, and grey, there are some specs of different shades around, including the open sky. Our setting is a small, rural neighbourhood, home to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Ortensia, Pete, and many other characters from Disney’s golden age. Trees and mountain murals and backdrop paintings make the land look larger than it appears. Timeless River takes a little influence from the extinct Mickey’s Toon Fair, though actual plants with white or pale-coloured leaves and flowers are used to bring some nature to the loony landscape.

The main attraction of this bygone land is the Steamboat Dock, which guests will recognise from Steamboat Willie, the 1928 debut of Mickey and Minnie. Travelling through the dock buildings and a warehouse takes guests to Steamboat Melody Stream, a quaint, gentle boat ride, which acts as a cousin to Storybook Canal Boats. On the dockside, guests board small tugboats with room for about eight people per boat, and go on a musical journey downriver and around the nearby docks and landings. Each boat is named after one of the Nine Old Men and Ub Iwerks. Though retelling the story of Steamboat Willie, the attraction plays around with it.

Guests leave the dock and go through a warehouse filled with crates, barrels, and boat equipment, where we see a young Mickey being badgered by Captain Pete to get the supplies on the steamboat. We sail around a corner, and behold the iconic steamboat that made Mickey a household name. We will go actual into the ship’s hull, but beforehand, we see Mickey at the helm whistling away, whilst an annoyed Pete watches on. As we go inside, Mickey is on the right, grumpily swabbing the deck whilst a parrot torments him from its perch.

Outside, we travel through Podunk Landing, where Mickey tries to get an uber-thin cow into a crane to hoist up onto the steamboat, with some difficulty. Squawking chickens, ducks, a goat, and pigs wait their turn to be transported to the ship. The boats leave the scene and go into a cave, where an open stone window shows Minnie racing by, trying to catch up to the departing boat. Eagle-eyed guests will spot rock carvings dedicated to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Julius the Cat. As we exit the cave, we see Minnie being lifted up onto the boat using the crane.

We go back inside the hull, where Minnie discovers a goat has eaten her musical sheets and instrument, but cranking its tail like a gramophone reveals it can emit music. The final sequence takes up through a grand musical scene as Mickey, Minnie, and the animals onboard participate in this fun, melodious moment. Mickey plays a cow’s jaw like a xylophone, the chickens and ducks sound like instruments, whilst the boat’s cat and parrot find their own methods of making entertaining tunes. The boats exit the hull, and head back towards the unloading dock, but can glimpse Pete in the ship’s cabin, attempting to subtly join in with the commotion.

Opposite the riverboat ride and to the right of the Toontown entrance is Frolicking Fish, based on the 1930 Silly Symphony short, where a large, guffawing octopus has invaded the local fish pond, and now spins the fish around in his tentacles. Guests board the colourful school of fish, bobbing up and down as the octopus spins about.

To the left of the entrance is Plane Crazy, a spinner similar to the Orbitron, based within a cartoony air field, complete with a crooked comms tower with a gramophone acting as a radar, as the entrance. Based on Plane Crazy, two guests can hop into small bi-plane and go for a high sky ride above the airstrip, the planes capable of going up and down on telescopic arms.

On the other side the river is a peculiar old barn, now a large mishmash of stick, bricks, and haystacks making up the roof. This is the Three Little Pigs Fun Barn, a two-floor establishment. Here is a walkthrough funhouse, made up of the décor tastes of each pig, and traps meant to deter the Big Bad Wolf from, which stretches across two floors. Guests can also visit the old silo for M&Gs with the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf himself.

Our next stop on this timeless tour is a small market area, made up of a cluster of small but lovingly themed shops and diners. Symphonic Records, based on Music Land, takes us into a renovated music hall, with the exterior appearing to be built out of gigantic instruments like clarinets, harps, lyres, and trumpets, and the characters of the Land of Symphony and the Isle of Jazz. The store sells all kinds of music from across the Disney empire, guests can buy classic records, and learn a little about several of Disney’s greatest musical contributors like Alan Menken, the Sherman Brothers, and Leigh Harline.

Ortensia’s Play Café is a petite little café that serves tea and sweet, tasty treats, the walls decorated with Ortensia’s personal effects, and many signs of love and devotion to her beloved bunny Oswald. It is similar to a maid café, with a lot of interactions between servers and guests, as well as opportunities to meet Ortensia, Oswald, Mickey, and Minnie.

There is a clock tower currently under repairs by the Ajax Clock Cleaners, a nod to the short Clock Cleaners. This has been renovated into a toy store, called Ajax Toys, selling a vast collection of Mickey & Friends merchandise. The final stop in this corner is a counter service resembling a circus tent, Nipp’s Hot Dogs, a sandwich bar run by forgotten foe Kat Nipp, taking inspiration from The Karnival Kid.

Looming in a shady, crooked corner of Timeless River lies a large, ruinous castle straight out of a dark nightmare. The legends of Castle Knighthold’s ghosts and phantom are aplenty, but for Mickey and Oswald, they will brave the scariest of places to stop evil. Mickey & Oswald’s Spooky Castle mixes Epic Mickey and a number of classic shorts like The Lonesome Ghosts, The Skeleton Dance, The Haunted House, The Mad Doctor, and Oh, What A Knight!

This silly, slightly spooky ghost train takes Mickey, Oswald, and brave guests through the haunted halls of Castle Knighthold, upon learning the Mad Doctor has dognapped Pluto to turn him into a monster. Unlike Phantom Manor, this spookhouse goes for laughs than frights, being kooky and more along the lines of something that Marc Davis’ sense of humour would cook up. The castle halls and grounds are home to spooky residence, including lively skeletons who are more into dancing than being bone idol, and a hooded phantom who enjoys a little ragtime.

MEETS & GREETS

Attractions (all of Mickey's Toontown)
-The Jolly Trolley (Le Chariot Jolly)
-Roger Rabbit’s Car-Toon Spin (Cabines Tournantes de Roger Rabbit)
-Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railroad (Chemin de Fer Emballé de Mickey et Minnie
-Horace’s Clue Hunt (Chasse Aux Indices d'Horace)
-Mickey’s House
-Minnie’s House
-Chip & Dale’s Treehouse – Acorn-A-Whirl
-Quack Splash
-Goofy’s Playhouse
-Steamboat Melody Stream (Flux de Mélodie de Bateau à Vapeur)
-Frolicking Fish (Poisson Gambader)
-Plane Crazy (Avion Fou)
-Three Little Pigs Fun Barn (Grange Amusante des Trois Petits Cochons)
-Mickey and Oswald’s Spooky Castle (Château Effrayant de Mickey et Oswald)

Shopping & Dining
-The Ink & Paint Club (Le Club de l'Encre et de la Peinture)
-Daisy’s Diner (Le Dîner de Daisy)
-Clarabelle’s Dairy Parlour (La Laiterie de Clarabelle)
-Minnie’s Sweethearts Confectionary (Confiserie Chérie de Minnie)
-Ortensia’s Play Café (Café de Jeu d'Ortensia)
-Nipp’s Hot Dogs (Les Hot Dogs de Nipp)
-Reel of Fun Camera Shop (Bobine de Magasin d'Appareils Photo Amusant)
-Gag Factory (Usine de Bâillon)
-Symphonic Records (Disques Symphoniques)
-Ajax Toys (Jouets Ajax)

​

 

[Evilgidgit]

Yeah, I'm bringing one new land after another. I've been sitting on this for months and wanted to get the whole park pitch out at last!

Next we have the Frozen land that will serve as the headliner of WDSP's expansion, with Elsa's palace appearing to serve as the new weenie. I wanted to make the land a bit bigger than the intended version, taking elements from Hong Kong and Tokyo DisneySea's versions too.

KINGDOM OF ARENDELLE

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We leave behind Mickey’s Toontown, finding ourselves before a beautiful Scandinavian fjord, with an ornate galleon anchored in the bay. Beyond is the magnificent icy blue castle of the Queen Elsa and Princess Anna. For the first time in forever, the Kingdom of Arendelle, the setting of Frozen, comes to Disneyland Paris. The Kingdom of Arendelle is a magical kingdom that celebrates the world of Frozen, also realistically capturing Scandinavian culture.

Upon entering the kingdom, guests travel across a wooden bridge and are greeted to the sight of the mighty, mysterious Northern Mountain, the rustic kingdom town, and the royal palace, the roofs and spires sparkling with Elsa’s icy magic. The village’s architecture strives for authenticity, using many wooden, colourful houses, taking inspiration from the Finnish city Porvoo, using a lot of stave church-esque roofs. The permanent, enchanted snow on the rooftops is a celebration of Elsa’s magic and union with her sister and people.

Every morning in the land, the Opening of the Royal Gates Ceremony occurs as the city heralds, Anna, and Elsa dramatically open up the royal castle to the guests, with Elsa, appearing on the docked galleon to enchant the snow, and cause a small puff of snowfall to burst out of the castle’s highest spire. This ceremony is replaced in the winter months with the Arendelle Snowy Celebration, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf coming together to celebrate Christmas. If weather conditions are bad, then the ceremony will occur within the royal castle.

The village has many nooks and crannies, back passages and paths to explore, with a lot of hidden story elements to uncover, the lives of the people of Arendelle playing out across the land. Olaf, for example, has been on the search for Elsa’s Snowgies, who can be found hidden across the village and rest of Arendelle. Cast members play the role of Arendelle’s citizens and shopkeepers.

There are several shops and restaurants in the village, all sharing the Finnish/Scandinavian architecture, but each with their own distinct theming. Our first stop is Treasures of Arendelle, a homely antiques shop, owned by an eccentric collector, Heiderich Seeken, who has searched far and wide for the strange and wonderful, putting them on display. The store primarily sells Frozen merchandise, but particularly unique products, toys, clothes, etc. including some “ice” replicas of scenes from the movie.

Frozen Fractals is a mint-green wallpapered glassmakers, in operation through four generations of the same family. Elsa’s special powers inspired the owners to create many new beautiful glass and crystal creations – magic snowglobes, sparkly treasures, tiaras, earrings, jewellery, hair pins, glasses, goblets, and ceiling ornaments based on the diamonds seen in Frozen II. The centrepiece is a replica of the royal castle made of crystal. The shop has a kiln at the back where guests can watch and learn how the glass gifts are forged by professional glassmakers.

The Royal Seamstress is a slightly more grander building, but appears to be quite messy above the shop, since a roll of fabric hangs out the top floor window. Madame Olivia Kankatt, the royal seamstress, has thrown open the doors to her fabulous boutique, allowing guests the chance to buy her creations. Clothes for men, women, boys and girls are available, where children can become princesses, princes, and even ice harvesters.

Knothole Workshop (actually misspelt, meant to read “Knott Hole Workshop”) is a busy, cluttered woodcarving workshop where guests can buy hand-whittled wooden gifts, crated within the building by professional carvers. The outside has a small viewing area, with many carvings decorating the little garden.

The Spirits of the Fjords is on the water’s edge, being a toy and bookstore. Parts of an old ship, The Sea Bear, are built into the shop, telling the story of an old sea captain, Seamus Briny, who lived an adventurous life of sea travel but retired to Arendelle, putting his finds up for sale. This shop contains a lot of merchandise related to Frozen II, but also celebrate the myths and culture of Finland, Norway, and Iceland.

Planted on opposite sides of the town square are two rival pubs, The Red Rooster and The Blue Nokken, whose grouchy landlords, named Lars and Edwina, who have been in a funny feud for years, arguing over everything. Currently, they have rivalling fanclubs for Anna and Elsa, guests capable of participating in a little street entertainment where the royal sisters visit the square, and get caught up in the contests of wits between the two pub owners. Both pubs sell similar yet different menus, including a signature lutefisk dish.

Grovbrød Bakery is a humble classical bakery that sells Scandinavian bread, cakes, sandwiches, donuts, pastries, and other tasty offerings, like Karelian pastry and pulla sweet bread. Next door is Mabel’s Ice Cream, a lovely ice cream parlour using fresh, homemade flavours, each based on our heroes of Arendelle.

The final destination in the village are the Reindeer Stables, a small petting zoo where the ice harvesters’ reindeer live, though this attraction closes early than most due to the care needed for the animals.

Through the village streets, we come to the Royal Castle, a humble yet still beautifully built castle, made with a fusion of European and Norwegian architecture. Magic has covered the rooftops, turrets, and flagpoles with ice, with the highest spire resembling a snowflake. Guests can access the castle by crossing a bridge, and venture into the inner courtyard. Here, they will find Elsa’s Ice Rink, where guests can get their skates on and go for some slippery fun, or learn how to skate from the royal skating instructors.

Within the castle, gets can find themselves exploring the halls of the Arendelle royal family. The Royal Ballroom Banquet is the land’s major restaurant, set within the castle’s ballroom, where guests are honoured visitors to Arendelle and welcome to have a meal from the castle’s kitchens. The restaurant would be a cousin to the Be Our Guest Restaurant, though with a little less focus on restrict booking times, with guests welcome to wander in and take photographs from a perimeter around the ballroom. The menu is a rich variety of European and Scandinavian meals. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf will make the occasional appearance to interact with guests.

On the first floor is the Frozen Storybook Alcove, a walkthrough attraction where magic storybooks, stain glass windows, and special effects recreate scenes from Anna and Elsa’s journey as sisters.

Towering over the land stands the North Mountain, around the size of the Matterhorn, with Elsa’s ice palace perched on top. The mountain hides a show building for the land’s signature attraction, but also hosts a secondary attraction on its own.

A rocky path leads off from the side of the castle, into a mysterious series of caves that lead under the mountain and beyond. This is the entryway to Frozen: Into the Unknown, an indoor boat ride, which takes guests through the magical mists into Northuldra, bringing characters and music from Frozen II to life. The attraction takes some inspiration from both Maelstrom and Frozen Ever After, specifically the grand boats that propel guests on their journey.

The story would technically take place after Frozen II, though would remain a little vague, depending on if a second sequel is to come out (yes, please!). A celebration is at hand for the reunion between Arendelle and Northuldra, led by Elsa and Anna. Guests are invited to board boats, and travel through Northuldra to Ahtohallan, where Elsa awaits them.

Through a series of caves, guests find the grotto of the rock trolls, where Grand Pabbie tells stories to young trolls about the efforts and sisterhood of Elsa and Anna. We come across a stone quay, where our chariots into the unknown await.

Through a veil of mist, we travel through the Arendellean countryside, under the shadow of the North Mountain. Olaf and Sven direct us to travel down the snowy river and through the standing stones that lead to Northuldra. The boat enters Northuldra, passing through the beautiful, idyllic autumn forest at night, where the air elemental Gale makes its presence known, sending leaves fluttering around us. Olaf plays with Gale, blown apart in a flurry of leaves.

The boat passes through the village of the Northuldra, who perform “Vuelie” as we pass by, Matthias and Yelena cautioning us to not upset the spirits. Our pleasant journey continues, visiting the herds of reindeer, cared for by Kristoff and Ryder. Elsa sings the call of Ahtohallan, only to awaken the salamander fire spirit, who ignites the trees around us, bouncing after us in curiosity. This causes a tree to fall, diverting the river current, sending the boat careening through the home of the slumbering earth spirits. Disturbed by our presence, one sends the boat plummeting down a drop into a cave.

Just when it appears we are lost in the caves, Anna appears with a lit torch, directing us down a path that leads to Elsa. She warns of another drop too late, as we fly down another waterfall, and drawn into a water tunnel, created by the water spirit Nokk. The mighty steed guides us through the tunnel, til we magically resurface outside Ahtohallan, a beautiful glacier of memories and music. As we drift into the glacier, we hear Elsa singing “Show Yourself” through reflections in the ice.

Then, with a burst of snow and light, we enter Elsa’s new throne room, where she continues her magnificent rendition of “Show Yourself”. With a little magic, Elsa sends our boat backwards downriver, miraculously returning us to the shore, through the ruins of the dam, and towards Arendelle. The sun begins to rise as we pass through the fjord, where Anna and Elsa stand together hand-in-hand, alongside Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven, bidding us farewell. In a final scene, we see Olaf telling Marshmallow about the events of the ride in his own way, as we reach the loading zone, and head for the exit, which pops out through another hidden cave.

Of course, the highest point in the kingdom is the North Mountain. Two wooden tracks have been built to wind and weave in, out, and around the mountainside. This is the E-ticket North Mountain Sleigh Rush, a spiritual successor to the Matterhorn, but with a Frozen spin. Travelling through the ice harvesters’ tool house and stables, guests will find themselves at the foot of the great mountain. They are invited to a fun race up the mountain and then back down again. There are two stations in the loading area, built within the vicinity of the Rock Trolls’ grotto. Grand Pabbie explains to guests the “rules” of the race, all based on who can get down the mountain first wins. The sleigh vehicles have room for about twenty people, four per row. Grand Pabbie uses his magic to send the sleighs up to Elsa’s palace.

On the way up, the sleighs are side-by-side, reaching the peak, and go into the palace where Elsa freezes the way down to make the ride more fun. Then, hold onto your hats and winter boots, as the way down is fast and fun. The sleighs slide down the wooden tracks towards the ground, with a feeling of thrills found in Radiator Springs Racers. The track weaves in and out of the mountain, passing by vicious wolves, and a grumpy Marshmallow. The race is unpredictable, so the winner is always spontaneous and a surprise. Due to France’s weather, the tracks are covered by canopies, built into the mountainside itself to avoid rain and wind.

The final stop in the snowy kingdom is Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post and Haberdashery, set at the western foot of the mountain. The jolly Oaken has expanded his business, now owning both his trading post and now a cozy, comfy restaurant, that serves as a steakhouse. The haberdashery is split between a summer and winter department, with plenty of Oaken-patented merchandise and products, including an entire section dedicated to Oaken’s personal own sun balm, bathing lotions, and other products.

MEET & GREETS

Attractions
-Opening of the Royal Gates Ceremony (Ouverture de La Cérémonie des Portes Royales)
-Arendelle Snowy Celebration (Célébration Enneigée d'Arendelle) (seasonal)
-Reindeer Stables (Écuries de Rennes)
-The Royal Castle – Frozen Storybook Alcove (Le Château Royal - Alcôve du Livre de Contes "Frozen")
-Frozen: Into the Unknown (Frozen: Dans l'Inconnu)
-North Mountain Sleigh Rush (Course de Traîneau des Montagnes du Nord)
-Elsa’s Ice Rink (Patinoire d'Elsa)

Shopping & Dining
-Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post and Haberdashery (Poste de Traite et Mercerie de Wandering Oaken)
-The Royal Ballroom Banquet (Le Banquet Royal de la Salle de Bal)
-The Red Rooster and The Blue Nokken (Le Coq Rouge et Le Nokken Bleu)
-Treasures of Arendelle (Trésors d'Arendelle)
-Frozen Fractals (Fractales Congelées)
-The Royal Seamstress (La Couturière Royale)
-Knothole Workshop (Atelier de Knothole)
-Spirits of the Fjords (Esprits des Fjords)
-Grovbrød Bakery (Boulangerie Grovbrød)
-Mabel’s Ice Cream (Crème Glacée de Mabel)

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SEMI-OFF TOPIC, BUT MERCIFUL DEATH!

 

[Nonja]

Great Arendelle land. I hope they would do something on this route in the park in real life, I hate that they are doing a whole area for a lone ride....