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THE MAGIC PUMPKIN(G)DOM

This is the tale of a second Halloween. This particular incarnation of the famous festival could not have been a starker contract to the family-orientated version at Walt Disney World.

Upon entry to Disneyland park in Marne-la-Vallee, guests are greeted by a transformation of the Main Street USA Train Station with pumpkins and windows etched with ghostly faces. A giant banner hanging across the underpass welcomes visitors to the Halloween Festival with the ubiquitous Mickey pumpkin head logo.

For the first time in the season’s history in Paris, the Halloween festivities have taken over Main Street. The giant white steel arches of the Lights of Winter debuted over a month early, specifically to aid as physical support for the land’s transformation. This tale begins with an army of trick or treaters, sent by the Disney Villains onto Main Street to paint the buildings and street in the season’s colour, bright orange. However, a grotesque witch, Crazy Gruzella, with revolving eyes, has crashed into the framework, on her way to Halloweenland causing time to stand still. Through “misguided magic�? the painters are transformed into Pumpkin Men and have become “statufied�?, often in comic poses, on the ground, dangling from the buildings and stuck on the arches. Huge splatters of orange paint cover the buildings and street itself (and even some of the Main Street vehicles!). The characters are numerous in number and have become celebrities amongst guests. It was remarkable to notice more of them each time you walked the street.

As guests progress towards Sleeping Beauty Castle, a giant two-storey pumpkin, with red-etched eyes and mouth has control of Central Plaza. Inside, junior guests are invited for crazy hair stylings and individually tailored face painting. The mischievous Trick or Treaters even found their way into the Disneyland Hotel.

Anyhow, enough of the background, I hope you enjoy the following photoessay by Lindsay and myself of this spirited makeover (or is that takeover?) that has firmly established Disneyland Resort Paris as the ultimate Disney Halloween destination anywhere. In the second part of our Paris coverage, we will take LP readers into Halloweenland. The concluding chapter will cover the stunning Le Soiree Halloween and seasonal entertainment.