LP Lotion: Walt Disney Studios Paris Update
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For most Disney enthusiasts the Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris is the runt of the litter. A park that EuroDisney S.C.A. (the public company that owns Disneyland Resort Paris) had to build or risk losing control over the resort land. However the company was so heavily geared (the ratio of debt to equity) that it had limited access to further capital. Therefore there was little money available to build the second gate. Management at the time decided to focus on the basic infrastructure and tried to get as many attractions inside the berm as possible which meant cherry-picking several US ideas (Rock �n� Roller Coaster and Catastrophe Canyon) and creating new entertainment (CineMagique and AniMagique) rather than building rides. Environmentality was the least of the design team�s worries � they simply didn�t have the cash to do anything about it. Any diversion of the funds from the attraction lineup to place-making would have rendered the park a few hours of entertainment rather than a half day or more. The park was little more than a series of stark soundstage boxes grouped into loosely-themed areas such as the Animation Courtyard, Production Courtyard and Backlot. Spending time in the park in the winter became a run-the-gauntlet exercise � trying to keep indoors as often as possible as the lack of any outdoor infrastructure (even trees) meant that the combination of wind and perishing temperatures was far from pleasurable.
However much like an alcoholic attending AA meetings the park is undergoing a seven-point recovery plan. Place-making and additional capacity have gone hand-in-hand. No longer was it necessary (or even acceptable) to just take one at the expense of the other. The first signs of a Disney theme park were unveiled in the summer with the arrival of Toon Studio. The advertising message was firmly focused on the two new attractions: Cars Race Rally and Crush�s Coaster but the project was more than just original rides. The bland beiges gave way to warmer blue hues and a host of animation-themed props including golden figurines of Peter, Wendy and Tinker Bell on the Sorcerer hat of Disney�s Art of Animation building (from Magic Kingdom�s Happiest Celebration on Earth redressing of Cinderella Castle) and a beautiful Sorcerer Mickey entrance sculpture. The area was finally being plussed with touches that we all come to expect at a Disney theme park.
The second phase of this project has recently been completed. The E-ticket Tower of Terror attraction is currently in previews and will be opened to the general public in the New Year. However the place-making around the Hollywood Tower Hotel is now accessible to all. As guests exit the Studio One complex they encounter the Partners Statute that is now framed by Hollywood-inspired facades in the distance. The walkway to the Studio Tram Tour is now flanked with a series of either fully-dimensional set fronts or highly detailed vinyl wraps that hark back to the architectural development of Hollywood in the �20s and later. The cheesy entranceway to the Studio Tram Tour (that was meant to be homage to those late �70s/early �80s movie posters that were hand-drawn like the Star Wars trilogy and Indiana Jones) has given way to a faux-stone park entrance with the legendary Hollywood sign in the background. The new place-making circles the entire front of the Hollywood Tower Hotel and adds a level of detail that previously never existed at the park. The courtyard behind the facades will be available for guests once the Tower of Terror opens for business.
There has even been a clever solution to the issues created by the compact nature of the park. Previously the line between the Production and Animation Courtyards was blurred (and largely ignored by the designers). The arrival of Hollywood Boulevard meant that they had to deal with the issue this time around. The right-hand side of the street (the Franklin Department Store) buttresses right up against the Art of Animation building. The imagineers opted to fill in the back of the facades (rather than the exposed steel supports which are visible elsewhere in the makeover and more typical of the �behind-the-magic� concept of a Studios park) and extend the queue area of the attraction. The blank wall has been painted with sketch-outlined characters to mirror the wall on the opposing side of the queue area. Far more befitting an animation-themed attraction.
Elsewhere the signage for the Stitch Live! attraction in the former Disney Channel building has been installed. The attraction is a development of the Living Characters Program (think Muppet Mobile Lab, Turtle Talk with Crush and Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor) and brings the popular Hong Kong Disneyland attraction to the park. This is the first outing for the Living Characters Program at Disneyland Resort Paris. Stitch Encounter (the Hong Kong attraction) is being tweaked for the Walt Disney Studios Park to ensure that the studios theme is maintained and therefore the interactive show will be an extension of the popular Disney Channel series. The show will be opened in the spring.
In addition the Rendezvous de Stars restaurant has been converted to a Ratatouille-themed buffet.
Tower of Terror is part of Disneyland Resort Paris� 15th anniversary celebrations. Issue 10 of Tales from the Laughing Place magazine featured a Disneyland Paris-themed cover (one of two special edition covers with the second featuring Finding Nemo � The Musical at Disney�s Animal Kingdom park). In addition the issue featured interviews with the creative team behind the Once Upon A Dream Parade and numerous photos from the celebration itself.
For more information visit:
http://www.talesfromthelaughingplace.com/TalesfromtheLaughingPlaceIssue10.html
and
http://www.laughingplacestore.com/Product-9010.asp
