Halloween at Disneyland Paris - Part Two
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In Spirit - Into Halloweenland

Leaving Central Plaza and the giant jack‘o’lantern we make our way to the entrance of Frontierland. Here we are greeted with the oddest of all the halloween creations in the park. A large skull with pumpkins stuffed into the empty eye sockets, seeping smoke and being tended by two goblins, offers a strange bridge between the two stories of this years Halloween. This quite disturbing sight appears out of context especially with what follows in Halloweenland, but perhaps seems more representative of a European influence, which is further explored in the two halloween parties. This scene it would appear is where the paint, so richly flowing on Main Street, has come from.

Halloweenland has evolved over the past few years, and each year more characters appear. One of the most pleasant new elements is the pumpkin patch you walk under into the land, replacing the spiders web. The destroyed roof of the The Lucky Nugget Saloon, the ‘jack in a box’ pumpkin are all still used along with a more weather friendly Spider Web Stage.

Yet any thoughts that the evolvement of the Main Street concept would have hindered the main focus of the festival are soon dispensed with. New to the Rivers of the Far West, the Spirit of the self same river pulls the Mark Twain slowly on its course. A giant figurative framework, cloaked in weathered material with detailed hands, chain and no face has ‘surfaced’ to drag the steamer. This has to be one of the most creative and well executed temporary additions to theme that has been at any Disney park. It felt very much in spirit to the land, and further convinces that this is the strongest Frontierland of all, this really is a ghost town. On board the Twain (not decorated with its usual Mummy overlay) a mournful song plays quietly beneath the sounds of the steamers funnels, whilst birds flocked to their new home atop the Spirit.

Further into the land, the face painting and hairdressing were common place on the kids, and there was pumpkin carving and pony rides at the Critter Corral. Wheeled witches with puppets beckoned the children, and crescent-faced witches rested alongside the Manor.

Although there seems quite a mixture of characters presented, there is a real sense of narrative in their placement in this old west setting, and this ‘non-disney’ character treatment really adds another story level to the lands setting.

We hope you enjoy the photographs from Halloweenland. In the final part we will feature the entertainment offerings including the ‘new’ Disney Villains Parade and the Halloween Parties.

Video
In addition to the pictures below, one QuickTime video is available:

• The Spirit (33 seconds)