Today we introduce Lise, aka Ladylilicosplay
Hello Lise, for those who don’t know you, can you introduce yourself?
Hello friends and Disney community! First of all, a big thank you to Chloë and Mathias for this special moment where I can talk with you about my passion for Disney!
My name is Lise, aka Ladylili Cosplay! I was very lucky to have parents who loved Disney and who, ever since I was a baby, immersed me in this magical world! My first Disney memory goes back to the day when my parents brought home the very first Disney videotape released in France: The Sword in the Stone! Disney cartoons have strongly influenced my childhood and shaped my personality! Then one fine day in April 1992, a park opened its doors 1 hour from home. That day, my first visit, I was very small and yet I immediately discovered my true home, a universe where I was at home and whole…Since that day, this feeling has never left me!
All this to say that my passion for Disney has guided my life… my travels, my encounters plus, it’s also what pushed me to start cosplaying and to settle near the park to devote myself 1000% to Disney.
Since when does your Ladylilicosplay page exist?
After a difficult period in my life, I really needed to apply this precious Disney philosophy: Fight for a good cause, sometimes having to face our own dragons and allow ourselves to have a happy ending or at least to exist!
When I discovered cosplay, these people from all walks of life who made their own costumes, I knew right away that making Disney costumes would allow me to live my love for them even more intensely and artistically speaking. Not knowing how to sew a button, I rolled up my sleeves, took out my mom’s old sewing machine and said to myself, “I want to be a Disney princess or Tinkerbell. It’s up to me”! That led me to a wonderful path. It was the opportunity to create costumes from scratch with just my imagination and a good dose of patience!
I was able to travel the world, walk on renowned stages, see thousands of children’s and adults’ eyes light up when gazing upon that Disney character through me and I hope, making Disney proud with my creations. It’s now been 9 years and I never get tired of slipping into a Disney character, be it Pinocchio, Belle, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Gamora or even rarer, Disney Channel characters or cartoons like Gadget or Sarah Sanderson! I have about 60 Disney costumes that have allowed me to pay tribute to my love for this company and this man that was Walt Disney.
What is your relationship with Disneyland Paris? How does your passion translate?
As you know, I was lucky enough to know Euro Disney! I remember that at the time I had my disposable camera. I took pictures everywhere (especially in Phantom Manor with a flash – not good!!) and my first purchase was the Fun Map. Once my photos developed, I hung my map in my room and pinned all my pictures around it! This was the beginning of my greatest adventure and my collection!
As a child, before a visit I couldn’t sleep; I was so excited. When I was a teenager, I got my first annual pass. We had moved, we lived further away but sometimes I took the train to return for a day, just to feel the energy and atmosphere unique to Disneyland Paris. I quickly joined the Disney Central Plaza forum, to meet, learn and share about the park with other enthusiasts! I also read and bought every book to know more and more about every detail of the park and the company’s history! Going there as often as possible, knowing all the secrets, not to mention my countless collections that now sit proudly at home: stuffed animals, snow globes, figurines, books … It’s a real museum. There’s always a “wow” when someone comes to my home and discovers my world often adding, “you have children?” … no no.
What do you like most about Disneyland Paris?
Today when I go with friends who are not really Disney “neophytes”, I like to show them why this park is unique and different. Every detail in the store windows, the history of the replicas in the Liberty Arcade, the coke cooler in Adventureland, talking about the vegetation, how the Imagineers acquired this or that treasure, etc.
I really like Disneyland Paris for its authenticity, its history, the details and precision. I often regret that there are no storytellers in the lands to share their huge repertoire of anecdotes and tell the history of the place with Guests. I love this park because here we can be ourselves, happy, and we feel this part of magic that is missing in the rest of the world.
What is your favorite show and attraction?
I have a great passion for Frontierland. In my eyes, it is THE LAND with the best storyline and architectural landscaping. I have a cult following for Phantom Manor, and I will always remember having the chance to wear my Melanie Ravenswood cosplay when it reopened in 2019, thanks again to insidEars for this happy moment!
Concerning the shows, I have two favorites!… Disney Dreams!, which no fan will ever forget. Every piece of music was a moment lived intensely and I danced and cried so much during this show. Then my girly side can only think of The Starlit Princess Waltz. I can’t count the days I sat front row at the Castle Theater, watching every performance (my coccyx still remembers it ^^), a magical show, songs of love where the characters were in their roles at the right time. Magical!
Do you have any favorite memories about the Resort?
I have so many! I have to mention the 2012 Disney Dreamers Celebration, a private three-day event of crazy celebrations, where I met hundreds of characters but also Disney enthusiasts that I now count among my close friends!
Thanks to the InsidEars team, I have incredible memories of the Toy Story 4 Premiere Party at the WDS where I came as “Aerobics Barbie” and my boyfriend came as Ken! A crazy night where we did the caterpillar with Buzz and Woody!
Also, the AP events were very powerful because we Disney fans were lucky enough to have the Park to ourselves and live incredible adventures! I also have fond memories of the Park’s birthday parties where I was able to see the 5- 15 – 20- and 25-year birthday events. I hope we can all meet again for the 30th birthday of our beloved park.
So, I’ll finish with how I met my soul mate, our first glimpse of each other at Bella Notte followed by falling head over heels for each other at Café Fantasia. The myth of meeting the love of your life in these places! Who said that Disney love stories don’t exist?!
Have you ever been to other Resorts?
Oh yes, I have! A dozen stays at Walt Disney World, a Disney Cruise Line (an incredible experience that I wish for everyone…especially the private island Castaway Cay!!), in Japan at Tokyo Disney Resort and then the first Park, the first stone of this Disney empire, the incredible Disneyland in California. The only ones I’ve missed are the Resorts in China…. I hope to get there one day!
If so, can you tell us more?
I have a great passion for travelling, which is often combined with the world of Disney. I can even say that Disney saved my life. During a dark period where I was depressed and life was no longer of much interest to me, my parents saved my life by sending me (from one day to the next) on my own to Walt Disney World. It was a huge shock. The airline lost my suitcase. I found myself there, completely disoriented and then… the magic happened, the unthinkable happened. I met CMs who became friends, I learned to live for myself and to be happy about it. Three intense weeks where every day the Disney magic gave me back my taste for life, hope, rekindling the light within me! For that, thank you Disney!
What did the InsidEars program give you?
So many things! First of all, it’s a huge honor to be among those lifelong Disney fans, those people who make the Disney magic come alive! Through my cosplays, my videos, or my FB and Insta account, I’ve always cared about, and wanted to share this world with more people – to those who are less fortunate than I am and who cannot go there as much as I do – to be able to bring the Disney magic into every home! I’ve been able to have incredible experiences, beautiful encounters, wonderful friends and get more and more involved in my passion by sharing even more specific content!
Do you collect anything? If so, can you tell us about it?
I have so many things that I collect! The first one that comes to mind is my Disney dolls collection. You know those dolls that were so easy to get 10 years ago and now they are gone in 1 second! I own about 200 of them (I’ll think about counting them someday)! They hold a special place in my heart because during a period when I was ill and bedridden, they were in my room where I could see them… so beautiful with costumes so fine and delicate. Part of my love of costumes and the details on these heroines allowed me to hold on and to continue to stay on this journey, thanks to them. I also collect books about Disneyland Paris as well as other Resorts and books about Walt Disney. I was lucky enough to be interested in them at a very young age, so I have some great treasures in my library! Video K7s, DVDs and Blu-rays, Picsou’s mag, Mickey’s newspaper … maps of the parks! Not far from 300 stuffed animals, tsum tsum, hundreds of figurines … all this in addition to my cosplays and my numerous, voluminous wigs. You can imagine how my life is organized!
Do you have one last word?
Thanks to you for this moment! Thank you to the InsidEars team for creating this community and bringing us together here…from small accounts to a big news site! Our love for Disney is vital at every level and our desire to celebrate is even greater now!
Don’t hesitate to find me if you want to see the making of my costumes, as well as my daily life, my universe full of glitter and magic! See you soon at Disneyland Paris, take care of yourself and the magic, so important in these times!
Lise