Transformative Multi-Year Expansion Announced for WDS Paris

[Moon knight]

I'm a little bit nervous to see what they come up with given Disney's recent trend toward generic hotel towers and the design for the new Disney Village. Paris seems less allergic to the idea of theming than Florida, though, so I hold out some hope they would consider how the new hotel would fit alongside the existing lake hotels.

The context is quite different. Disney has to convince Europeans that their hotels in DLP are distinctly themed with beloved Disney, Marvel or Pixar brands. There's plenty of world-renowned hotels in Paris, not so much in Orlando. They have to differenciate themselves by having some unique hotel concepts (such as The Art of MARVEL).

Disney Village can't copy Disney Springs cuz the neighbouring "Vallée Village" is already the equivalent of the Town Center of DS with its french architecture and overpriced luxury shops. Europeans go to Disney Village to find a "chic Las Vegas" and this is what it will essentially be a chic CITYWALK made by WDI.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

The context is quite different. Disney has to convince Europeans that their hotels in DLP are distinctly themed with beloved Disney, Marvel or Pixar brands. There's plenty of world-renowned hotels in Paris, not so much in Orlando. They have to differenciate themselves by having some unique hotel concepts (such as The Art of MARVEL).

I agree that seems to be the mentality at the moment, though I'm not sure I agree that Disney IP is the only way to differentiate their hotels as, ultimately, they are themed resorts and the theming continuing from the parks to the resorts distinguishes the experience from anything you will find in Paris. One point in favour of the overarching Americana theme, for example, is that automatically distinguishes the hotels from anything you'll find nearby.

I can live with their integration of the IPs into the resorts as it has been executed in Paris, which generally seems better than in Orlando. Sadly, though, I suspect a hotel themed around a national park lodge in California as designed by Frank Lloyd Wright wouldn't be approved today even with the integration of Bambi characters in the rooms. The IP would have to be more marketable and it would be the starting point for the experience.

Hopefully, those of us who want to can just keep staying in the hotels built during another era of Disney theming.

Disney Village can't copy Disney Springs cuz the neighbouring "Vallée Village" is already the equivalent of the Town Center of DS with its french architecture and overpriced luxury shops. Europeans go to Disney Village to find a "chic Las Vegas" and this is what it will essentially be a chic CITYWALK made by WDI.

I hope that is the case, but the artwork that has been released just looks like a generic mall to me. Seems like places I have walked through in the US, Australia, Mexico, the UK, Europe, etc. Fingers crossed, though, the execution will be better than the artwork.

Honestly, the original Festival Disney design looks more unique and eye catching. I guess they got rid of it for a reason, though.

 

[Door Coaster]

* The 2nd flat ride of the gardens wil be once again unique to Paris, it was initially designed for DCA and it's NOT a carroussel. I'll let Ally keep the exclusivity on this one so I won't spill the beans.

* The speeder-bike coaster would be, as I previously stated, the main E-ticket of this potential new themed area, so it won't be part of Discoveryland apparently. Hopefully they'll end up building a Mandalorian D-ticket ride along with it. Think about Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure ride but with Star Wars theming and some clever tricks to hide the tracks... Imagine yourself going to Star Tours and then disembarking from the Starspeeder in Discoveryland or on another planet, way more alive than the US Galaxy's Edges thanks to the speeder-bikes zooming sounds ! There still a long way to go before any of this is greenlit though...

* The Lion King ride couldn't have fit the Adventureland theme, believe me. Paris version of Adventureland is all about European's curiosity for numerous exotic regions of the world. We thus encounter Pirates, Archeologists, Genies and so on but we shouldn't be discovering that Lions are talking about kingdoms, succession or thrones. The Lion King has set a world for itself, in which not a single human being seems to live. Moreover, the African area of the land isn't big enough for the magnitude of a water based attraction showbuilding. Let Moana and the Jungle Book benefit from those expansion pads !

Ah.

And then you don't bring it up in this post, but Ally has Pandora as a 4th land.

Also, for the second flat: What is "KUKA Arm"?

EDIT: I just realized Star Wars is gonna be a tight squeeze because there's a rumored Villains coaster going near there in 2028.

EDIT 2: Not official, oops.

 

[SplashJacket]

officially announced Villains coaster going near there in 2028.

 

[Door Coaster]

My mistake.....Fixed

 

[marni1971]

Also, for the second flat: What is "KUKA Arm"?

Robot arm. Part of the ride system for Universals Forbidden Journey.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Ah.

And then you don't bring it up in this post, but Ally has Pandora as a 4th land.

Also, for the second flat: What is "KUKA Arm"?

EDIT: I just realized Star Wars is gonna be a tight squeeze because there's a rumored Villains coaster going near there in 2028.

EDIT 2: Not official, oops.

What's the source of that rumor?

 

[mrflo]

There was a rumour on Themeparx last August where someone claimed that in a webinar a lead Imagineer had mentioned a significant new attraction coming to DLP in 2028. It was later added that this would be a Disney Villain themed rollercoaster in scale and scope of "Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure and build as a mini land near Discoveryland."

Sounds to me like they this is the same coaster but with a changed theme.

 

[TheDisneyParksfanC8]

There was a rumour on Themeparx last August where someone claimed that in a webinar a lead Imagineer had mentioned a significant new attraction coming to DLP in 2028. It was later added that this would be a Disney Villain themed rollercoaster in scale and scope of "Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure and build as a mini land near Discoveryland."

Sounds to me like they this is the same coaster but with a changed theme.

Wonder if this will be the attraction we will get in the US with the Villains land now seemingly moving forward at MK.

 

[SplashJacket]

I’m actually very intrigued for the next announcement, because, at the moment, everything seems to be all over the place.

I believe, and correct me if I’m wrong, the last announcement at any park was TBA in 2020.

We’re 3-years removed from that, and we’re quickly approaching no active construction projects outside of WDSP, if we ignore TBA, but even that’ll conclude relatively soon.

There’s a lot of dust getting kicked up at the moment, but I’m very intrigued to see how the dust gets settled.

It may just be a product of chaos, but @Magic Feather, who’s been absent and missed these past few months, and @marni1971 haven’t revealed their usual wisdom, granted, Marni said he’s largely been disinterested, but regardless.

I feel like the direction of future expansion is a lot murkier than has been the past decade, partly because there’s seemingly a hundred concepts being floated around.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Disney Park Fans: Disney announces projects too early such that it seems forever when they're finally done!!!

Also Disney Park Fans: We want insider leaks about projects so that we know about them very, very early!!!

Unpleasable Fanbase - TV Tropes

Sometimes, fanbases are, or appear to be, perennially complaining not just about minute details of the Canon, but about everything. This sometimes relates to fake fannishness: some people just don't like a piece of fiction, yet insist on …

tvtropes.org

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Disney Park Fans: Disney announces projects too early such that it seems forever when they're finally done!!!

Also Disney Park Fans: We want insider leaks about projects so that we know about them very, very early!!!

Unpleasable Fanbase - TV Tropes

Sometimes, fanbases are, or appear to be, perennially complaining not just about minute details of the Canon, but about everything. This sometimes relates to fake fannishness: some people just don't like a piece of fiction, yet insist on …

tvtropes.org

I think that's a little unfair in this case.

Don't want to speak for them, but I think the poster was just commenting on the fact that we have rumours seeming to multiply by the day about future DLRP projects and a lot of vague rumours floating around about the parks more generally. We've also had previously announced projects being quietly cancelled and no word about what, if anything, will replace them (e.g. WDS second land and the Play! pavilion). In the past, we always had one or two established insiders who could give some sense of the internal thinking, but they have mostly gone quiet. Disney, itself, also seems to have gone quiet, all of which feeds the speculation and rumours.

I don't think anyone is rushing Disney to announce things, just more being curious about what exactly (if anything) is happening with the parks beyond all the stuff that was announced 3+ years ago and is now crawling toward completion.

 

[Jordan dby]

Part of it is just the vacuum also.

Ok so there is going to be a massive lake. At the far side of the lake will be a ride and a restaurant....

... just begs questions and speculation about the other 75% of the lake's circumference

 

[cjkeating]

Part of it is just the vacuum also.

Ok so there is going to be a massive lake. At the far side of the lake will be a ride and a restaurant....

... just begs questions and speculation about the other 75% of the lake's circumference

I don't really get people's obsession with "what's next" can't people just wait for what has already been announced? Everything in the concept art is happening except is now Tangled and whilst not officially announced we are quite confident mini Galaxy's Edge is going to be another IP.

What's happening next? Well based on the past of DLP nothing for a number of years however as we are now in better times probably another expansion around the lake but that likely won't be open until 2030 at the earliest so everyone should just chill. Some of this discussion feels like the never ending rumour mill of what country is going to be added to World Showcase and everyone has been waiting since 1988!

 

[Door Coaster]

I’m actually very intrigued for the next announcement, because, at the moment, everything seems to be all over the place.

I believe, and correct me if I’m wrong, the last announcement at any park was TBA in 2020.

We’re 3-years removed from that, and we’re quickly approaching no active construction projects outside of WDSP, if we ignore TBA, but even that’ll conclude relatively soon.

There’s a lot of dust getting kicked up at the moment, but I’m very intrigued to see how the dust gets settled.

It may just be a product of chaos, but @Magic Feather, who’s been absent and missed these past few months, and @marni1971 haven’t revealed their usual wisdom, granted, Marni said he’s largely been disinterested, but regardless.

I feel like the direction of future expansion is a lot murkier than has been the past decade, partly because there’s seemingly a hundred concepts being floated around.

Actually, our last announcements were last September. There was San Fransokyo. The Avengers E. Zooana and Latino-Villains Land were blue sky spitballing at first but slowly but surely they're becoming reality. In fact even at announcement at least the Moana part of Dinoland replacement was very close to greenlight according to our trusted @ToTBellHop.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

I don't really get people's obsession with "what's next" can't people just wait for what has already been announced? Everything in the concept art is happening except is now Tangled and whilst not officially announced we are quite confident mini Galaxy's Edge is going to be another IP.

Why are we quite confident that the mini Galaxy's Edge is going to be anything? That's probably the main thing that hasn't been announced about which people on this thread are curious.

The curiosity is particularly fed by the fact it seems very strange the big relaunch of this park is going to involve such a long walk and big build up for... Frozen Ever After. As time is stretching on with no announcement of a second land, let alone construction beginning, the more it seems like the experience is going to be a bit weird with a one-attraction land sitting so far away from everything else at the back of the park.

 

[Parkatm]

I don't really get people's obsession with "what's next" can't people just wait for what has already been announced? Everything in the concept art is happening except is now Tangled and whilst not officially announced we are quite confident mini Galaxy's Edge is going to be another IP.

What's happening next? Well based on the past of DLP nothing for a number of years however as we are now in better times probably another expansion around the lake but that likely won't be open until 2030 at the earliest so everyone should just chill. Some of this discussion feels like the never ending rumour mill of what country is going to be added to World Showcase and everyone has been waiting since 1988!

Well, to be fair, DLP hasn't got a new ride for more than 20 years now. WDC seems finally to get over its trauma in Europe and is now ready to invest. Not very surprised that people are obsessed with "what's next" in that situation.

As for WDSP, well, the plans show that this expansion phase will make the park, a 3/4th of a park. So it gets us thinking what a complete park would look like...

It's easy to say when you live in the US and had so much new rides in the last 10 years.

 

[cjkeating]

Why are we quite confident that the mini Galaxy's Edge is going to be anything? That's probably the main thing that hasn't been announced about which people on this thread are curious.

The curiosity is particularly fed by the fact it seems very strange the big relaunch of this park is going to involve such a long walk and big build up for... Frozen Ever After. As time is stretching on with no announcement of a second land, let alone construction beginning, the more it seems like the experience is going to be a bit weird with a one-attraction land sitting so far away from everything else at the back of the park.

Why do they need to announce anything when they haven’t cancelled mini Galaxy’s Edge? It’s still on the concept art on the constructions walls.

Frozen is 2025. The third land (should be) 2027 and who knows with the general lack of cash in TWDC maybe that will get pushed back to 2028 so it doesn’t clash with the 35th? They are in no rush to announce anything when they have people waiting for Frozen/lake/show/restaurant/Tangled.

 

[cjkeating]

It's easy to say when you live in the US and had so much new rides in the last 10 years.

I live in the UK.

 

[mrflo]

I find it generally fun to read rumours and speculate about what could come next. And it is not like Disney is not feeding the fan base with future outlooks at InsidEars or D23 events themselves. Though I have also read way too many elaborate rumoured master plans for DLP over the last 25 years that did not become reality - in particular on the attraction side. Hence, I tend to be more sceptical and cautious about anything that is supposed to arrive 3+ years in the future. Even once announced we know how quickly and often quietly things get canceled again.

Regarding the WDS expansion announcement that was made five years ago, I did not and don't care much about Frozen. For me it was always Star Wars and an attraction in the quality and scale of RotR that got me excited. I even went from Europe to WDW to be there for the opening day of Rise. Without it or an equal replacement - like FoP - the expansion would not live it up to the initial expectations that it raised those five years ago - at least for me. Like many of you already said - there will be even a visual gap around the new lake. Hence, I am particularly interested to learn if and how DLP will complete the "2 billion dollar" WDS expansion by 2027.