Transformative Multi-Year Expansion Announced for WDS Paris

[marni1971]

It is not my favourite theme, but I don't get why Disney seems to have soured so much on the concept of the studio theme park concept that they threw around those weird alternative names for DHS a few years back and are giving WDS this ridiculous new name.

They seem to want to build parks that are full of lands themed around disconnected, film-based IPs. A "studio" seems like the best over-arching theme if you want to do that and have it all cohere in some way. Instead, they seem intent on taking that approach to building parks but ditching not just the studios theme, but any overarching theme whatsoever. What is even weirder in this case is that they are still kind of keeping the studios conceit as the first act of the park which frames it as stepping into a Hollywood studio and the movies. Yet, for some reason, they can't bear to keep "studios" in the name anymore and prefer to rename it to something that sounds like a generic regional park. Even "Adventure" sits weirdly with the combination of IPs they're including.

Indeed. I always gauged it by having attractions a castle park wouldn’t have. Now it’s leaning towards a confused second gate that’s only missing a castle in the middle.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Indeed. I always gauged it by having attractions a castle park wouldn’t have. Now it’s leaning towards a confused second gate that’s only missing a castle in the middle.

And by "leaning", do you mean...

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Indeed. I always gauged it by having attractions a castle park wouldn’t have. Now it’s leaning towards a confused second gate that’s only missing a castle in the middle.

The lake area's focus on Disney animated classics and European inspired gardens makes it Fantasyland 2.0...Just with an Islands of Adventure layout.

The Frozen and Lion King attractions are more logical additions to Disneyland, and even within the IP mandate it makes more sense to me to have the animated films in Disneyland and the live-action stuff (Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar) in Studios.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Indeed. I always gauged it by having attractions a castle park wouldn’t have. Now it’s leaning towards a confused second gate that’s only missing a castle in the middle.

The Frozen and Lion King attractions are more logical additions to Disneyland, and even within the IP mandate it makes more sense to me to have the animated films in Disneyland and the live-action stuff (Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar) in Studios.

Yes, the IPs and attractions they have chosen are kind of remarkable for how easily they would slot into the park next-door. The Ratatouille and Toy Story mini-lands, for example, do feel like things that wouldn't fit Disneyland. Every attraction planned to open as part of this new addition, however, would fit logically in either Fantasyland or Adventureland. It's part of the reason a Star Wars or Pandora section would have made more sense than this Lion King mini-land, IMO.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Yes, the IPs and attractions they have chosen are kind of remarkable for how easily they would slot into the park next-door. The Ratatouille and Toy Story mini-lands, for example, do feel like things that wouldn't fit Disneyland. Every attraction planned to open as part of this new addition, however, would fit logically in either Fantasyland or Adventureland. It's part of the reason a Star Wars or Pandora section would have made more sense than this Lion King mini-land, IMO.

To me, it's like this when looking at properties:

Period = Disneyland ("once upon a time")

Contemporary = Studios

Ratatouille and Toy Story, like most Pixar, is set in our modern world.

Frozen is an archetypal fairy tale. Very traditional Disney.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Instead, they seem intent on taking that approach to building parks but ditching not just the studios theme, but any overarching concept whatsoever.

That the same core Frozen ride has been slotted into a castle park, a studio park, and EPCOT is proof of this.

They pick the IP first and then decide what park to stick it in.

 

[cjkeating]

The lake area's focus on Disney animated classics and European inspired gardens makes it Fantasyland 2.0...Just with an Islands of Adventure layout.

The Frozen and Lion King attractions are more logical additions to Disneyland, and even within the IP mandate it makes more sense to me to have the animated films in Disneyland and the live-action stuff (Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar) in Studios.

Frozen could have certainly fitted into Disneyland Park however based on the scale they need to build [multi- billion dollar] IP to nowadays I doubt they could have fit it into Fantasyland. I do think in an ideal world a small scale ride near Casey Junior would have been best.

Regarding Lion King I've said this before but it's too cartoon for the Adventureland in Paris. All of it is human based. Pirates, archaeologist, explorer.

If anything I think Frozen could be the outlier of the expansion lands around the lake as it is based closer to real life than the rest, but that does give WDSP the parks castle which I think was the aim as WDSP was seen as a more masculine park than the first gate.