Walt Disney Studios, Paris: What should have been

[TheLewisHK]

As we all know, the WDSP in Paris has historically been the worst Disney park since it opened in 2002, even worse than DCA. It has been plagued with poor design choices and low budget expansions which has effectively made it very difficult to expand in a way that feels organic and natural.

I am one of the people that feel the new expansion, although a good move for the park, is not going to be enough to clear it of its bad reputation. With a net increase of just two attractions, it just will not be enough - especially when taking into consideration the contractually obligated 3rd park that is slowly approaching.

I have put together a very basic plan for what the entire expansion should have been from day 1 (my own opinion!). With this plan, we would see an increase of 8 attractions, two complete rethemes and 7 distinct areas. Apologies for the poor appearance - I mocked it up quick on my phone. In the interest of trying to keep this as realistic as possible, I've kept everything very IP-driven in-line with the current artistic direction of Imagineering. These changes would make WDSP a full day park at last. Part of this overhaul would be a renaming of the park to "Walt Disney: World's of Wonder Parc" to finally distance it from the glaring mistakes of the studios.

Original Stats:
Attractions - 11
Themed areas - 4 (Production Courtyard, Toon Studio, Worlds of Pixar, Avengers Campus)
Experiences - 1 (Animation Academy)
Shows - 4 (Mickey & the Magician, Symphony of our world, Disney Jnr Dream Factory & Stitch Live!)
Dining locations - 5

New Stats:
Attractions - 19
Themed areas - 7 (Walt Disney Courtyard, Worlds of Pixar, Avengers Campus, Imagination Oasis, Radiator Springs, Arendelle and Galaxy's Edge)
Experiences - 6 (Wonders of Imagineering, The Walt Disney Story, The Animation Experience, Avenger's Academy, A Very Pixar Paris & Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy)
Shows - 2 (Mickey & the Magician & Figment's Imagination Journey)
Dining locations - 9

WALT DISNEY COURTYARD:
A warm and welcoming entrance land, Walt Disney Courtyard would see the demolition of studio 1 and conversion to a nice open walkway with a floral centrepiece stretching through the middle. The colours and artistic style of the land would remain the same - warm hues and turquoise/teal accents. Guests would pass under a new arch reminiscent of the one at the studios in Burbank, reading "Walt Disney: Worlds of Wonder Parc", with retail locations flanking both sides of the entrypoint:

Mickey and the Magician: This show would remain in its entirety and as it currently is in Studio 2. The "Studio 2" decals would be removed and the theatre would be renamed "The Dreamer Theatre".

The Animation Experience: This experience would also remain as it currently is.

Wonders of Imagineering: A brand new experience dedicated to WDI. This would tell the stories of the designs of the biggest attractions in the Disney arsenal in a 30min film, to play once every hour. Some voice overs provided by some of our favourite past and current imagineers to celebrate the innovation shown by these designers - effectively a love letter to WDI and similar in tone and messaging as "The Imagineering Story". The building would have its "Studio 3" decals removed and the building would be renamed "WDI Institute".

The Walt Disney Story: A rolling video telling the story of Walt Disney's life and how the company has evolved from his legacy. Full video would be around 45 minutes but guests can come and go as they please.

La Souris (QS): A small quick service location serving a range of snacks such as pretzels, donuts and churro's. Pavement-style seating on a grass lawn behind. The small building would be art nouveau inspired, paying tribute to the famous store in Douai:

AVENGERS CAMPUS:

Avengers Flight Force - Re-skin of RnRc, the exterior would remain the same as it currently is with the large circular LED-lit panel stretching around. Only difference would be more physical props around the ride to aid the projections - Captain Marvel and Iron Man flying sort of thing.

Web Slingers - To remain as is.

Scarlet Witch: Tower of Terror - ToT would be reskinned and essentially "flipped" so its "front" would be facing towards Avengers campus (ride system would obviously not be moved). The doors would no longer open out, fully enclosing the ride with scenes in the same style as Mission Breakout. Join Vision on a mission at the abandoned SSR communications tower as he brings Wanda back from the manipulations of Mephisto. Tower appearance would be cooled to a colder hue, with satellite dishes and a dilapidated "Strategic Scientific Reserve" neon sign on the new front in the same style as ToT. Indoor would be an abandoned facility, with abandoned desks and the building storing many confiscated artifacts.

Doctor Strange: The Curse of the Necromancer (Trackless Dark Ride) - Accompany Dr Stephen Strange and Wong on a mission to investigate strange occurences at the Sanctum Sanctorum. Along the way, you will come across mischevious energies, malevolent oddities and will try to lift the curse of the Necromancer.
The building would look similar to the Avengers Compound. Upon entering, Wong (projection like RoR preshow) would begin a guided tour of the compound when Dr Strange would appear, telling Wong of a problem at the Sanctum Sanctorum, as you (a new Avenger trainee) follow them through a dimensional portal to the Sanctum lobby. You then board a trackless vehicle (similar to Rat and RoR) to investigate a series of haunting and action-packed scenes as you help Strange and Wong battle the evil Necromancer.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Neural Teleportation Tour - Partner with the Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor on a rib-tickling tour of the Universe through Neural Teleportation jump-points. Explore planets like Xandaar, Contraxia, Asgard, Titan, Vormiir and also enjoy a scenic flight over the sprawling city-scape of Wakanda alongside your favourite heroes. This would share the same ride system as Soarin'.
Building exterior facade would look similar to a hangar. You would board a open-air tourism ship stolen by the Guardians on a recent journey to Contraxia, with voice overs from all Guardians and Thor.

(PART 2 TO CONTINUE)

 

[TheLewisHK]

(CONTINUED)

PYM's Kitchen - To stay the same.

Avengers Academy - Prebook a place to be trained by your favourite Avengers - Captain America, Black Widow, Black Panther and the Dora Milaje. Accepting all recruits from the ages of 5-14. This would be an 1h30m experience, free with admission but would require prebooking. 4x slots per day.

Hulk Diner (QS) - Previously Cascadeurs, this would be rethemed as the "on-campus option" for quick food, now under Hulk management. Hero memorabilia would decorate the Inside, and each guest would receive a complimentary comic book after eating.

WORLDS OF PIXAR

Toon Studios will be removed for WoP to spread across the South-Eastern quadrant of the park. A light retheming and place-setting for the old TS area - Cars Rallye would be removed (more on this later), with it being replaced by the Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind.

Flying Carpets of Agrabah - Carpets would receive a much-needed overhaul, getting rid of the genie and cheap backdrop. Colour scheme would become lighter, with whites and pale blues dominating. A row of tall Cypress Trees would block the view of the back part of the ride, adding some much needed greenery. Vibe would be similar to the Carpets in DisneySea, with fountains that are capable of slightly wetting guests during the Summer months:

Crush Coaster - To stay the same.

Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind - A replacement for the Cars Quatre Roues Rallye, Emotional Whirlwind would take guests of all ages on a fun journey through all of life's feelings. Rather than the DCA ride system, this would instead utilise a Zamperla Nebulaz:

RC, Slinky, Toy Soldiers, Rat and Remy's - To remain the same.

A Very Pixar Paris - Located next to Ratatouille, this would be a small walk-through experience of miniature physical sets of Pixar characters enjoying the different landmarks of Paris, e.g Up! House floating by the Eiffel Tower, Heimlich enjoying a ginormous croissant, Incredibles on a bus top tour, etc.

Jessie's Round-Up BBQ (QS) - A small QS option added to the Toy Story section, modeled after a shoe-box. Seating to the side, adjacent to RC Racer.

RADIATOR SPRINGS

Featuring three separate entrance points, this land would be laid out very differently to its Californian counterpart. Weaving walkways with bright neon-signs, electricity cables overhead and sun-stained buildings decorate this new area. The mountainous backdrop also adds to the view from Frontierland, giving both lands a much bigger sense of scale.

Radiator Springs Racers - A clone of its Californian predecessor, with the only notable difference being that all of the roads are under cover - Parisian rainy weather is not friendly to this ride system. Instead, the cars will dash through caves and under bridges and cliffs.

Cars Quatre Roues Rallye - Simply moved and placed here, this ride would be the same, including the queue.

Blue Swallow Trading Post - Retail spot, inspired by the Blue Swallow Motel on Route 66.

On-The-Road Café (QS) - Quick Service location, inspired by Route 66.

Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy - A cloned experience from DHS. During the 10-minute show, guests will be taking on the role of rookie racer as they enter the theater and find themselves face-to-face with Lightning McQueen, who appears live on stage. The audience is enveloped by a giant, wrap-around screen that is nearly two stories tall and stretches more than 200 feet from end to end. Building facade to take inspiration from

(PART 3 TO CONTINUE)

 

[TheLewisHK]

(CONTINUED)

ARENDELLE

There isnt much input needed here, to be honest. The current plans are good, and will add a nice weenie for the park that will be able to be seen from all three approaches to the central lake.

Frozen Ever After - This will follow the story of the first Frozen movie like its predecessor at Epcot, however would follow a different layout. This layout would include a slightly bigger drop than Epcot's version, with effects (able to be switched on/off) getting guests slightly wet during the blistering Summer months.

(As a side note, I think this concept art already supplied is absolutely perfect already. This will be a fantastic addition IRL).
Retail - A small range of shops and food stalls to give that community market vibe.

GALAXY'S EDGE

Unlike its counterparts, this version of the land will be set on the planet Naboo. Yes yes, Naboo isn't set on the actual edge of the Galaxy, but in the interests of keeping within the product name, I would not put it past Disney to keep the name. Plus, the name "Galaxy's Edge" has bankable clout that can be used to promote. So there we are. Architecture will be VERY green, with small waterfalls and elegant shopfronts unlike the dilapidated Batuu. This will also be set during the Empire/Rebellion timeline (characters are more promotable and recognised, more € for Disney) - as a tidbit of background info, there was a strong Empire presence on Naboo (particularly the city of Theed) as they demilitarised the planet to gain compliance from civilians. Despite this, there was a strong rebel presence on the planet carrying out guerrilla-style missions.

Rise of the Rebellion - Same layout as Rise of the Resistance but taking place on a Galactic Empire Star Destroyer, the guest would join C3PO, R2D2 and Lando Calrissian on a stealth mission to free Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, featuring action packed encounters with storm troopers and the fearsome Darth Vader. Guests would eventually make their escape to the secret bunker in Theed.

Millennium Falcon: Escape from Inferno - Exactly the same ride system as Smugglers Run in ORL and CA, but with a different story. Here, you would join Han Solo and Chewbacca on a mission to retrieve a dumped cargo container from the wreckage of a Rebel Assault Frigate. However, there is an ambush from the fearsome Empire Inferno Squad waiting that throws a spanner in the works. Guests would work together to fight off the vicious assault, and escape from the Inferno Squad headed by the infamous Iden Versio.

(To be continued in part 4)

 

[Twilight_Roxas]

If you plan to continue this what would you do with 20th Century Studios in WDSP like Avatar, and The Simpsons?

 

[TheLewisHK]

If you plan to continue this what would you do with 20th Century Studios in WDSP like Avatar, and The Simpsons?

OK so, I actually think Avatar would be better suited to the third park. I did originally do a plan which would have included Avatar in the top right quadrant with a smaller Radiator Springs, but it was more like "Pandora-Lite":

I think a dedicated land in the third park would give it the space it deserves.

The Simpsons I probably wouldn't actually include in the parks. I don't think the artistic style of them can easily be slotted in, and looking at US Orlando the area feels very garish and cheap. I think it would be a good challenge though to try and think of a way to incorporate it, so I'll see what I can think of - perhaps we could do a dedicated land for the third park?

I do think Narnia, Casper, Deadpool and Alien/Predator could potentially transfer very well to the parks too.

 

[Twilight_Roxas]

The Simpsons is popular in Europe even if they have a meet & greet in the park.

 

[Twilight_Roxas]

Casper the Friendly Ghost is Universal.