Opening Ceremony of the Walt Disney Studios Park
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Finally, Jay read the inaugural dedication in French. Michael immediately followed Jay with the translation.
“To all who enter the studio of dreams, welcome. The Walt Disney Studios is dedicated to our timeless fascination and affection for cinema and for television. Here we celebrate the art and the artistry of storytelling from Europe and around the world to create the magic in a special place through our own memories of the past and our dreams of the future.�?
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Goofy then handed Roy, Michael and Jay each a clapperboard with the words “Walt Disney Studios�? printed on them to the cry of “Lights, Camera, Moteur!�? before a series of daylight fireworks exploded and the canopies of white were dropped to unveil a flood of cast members running through the main gates. The cast engulfed the stage, waving and applauding the invited guests. A voiceover then welcomed the guests to the Walt Disney Studios, as Walt, Roy and Jay took their seats.
The ceremony itself lacked the grandeur of Tokyo DisneySea. The Walt Disney Studios event was low-key and personal. The final moment was left to the cast members who had worked so tirelessly to prepare the park for its first guests. This was a particular fitting tribute. Although the event lacked the artistic wonder that saw Disney’s California Adventure debut last February, the event was appropriate to a smaller, more intimate venture.
And so, the final piece in the jigsaw was opened to huge crowds that had gathered in Fantasia Gardens. The park has a capacity of just 17,000 but was full of guests and invited V.I.P.s throughout the day as the sun shone down on Marne-la-Vallee. The last twelve months have produced four world-class Disney resorts. I’m just not sure I can wait until 2006 for the next to debut in Penny Bay, Hong Kong.
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-- Posted March 18, 2002
-- Story by Lee MacDonald