Over the last few weeks, Disneyland Paris has been publicising its latest projects. We take a look at the latest news.
News : more and more covered terraces
To further enhance the visitor experience, Disneyland Paris recently began a major project to further protect visitors from the elements.
This concept is in keeping with the fundamentals of the destination, since back in 1992, Disneyland Park innovated with the Main Street, U.S.A. arcades, reinventing the classic experience of the first Disneyland while adapting it to the Parisian climate.
In fact, a large part of the Park can be walked under cover thanks to covered walkways! With the same concern for comfort in mind, the Imagineers are hard at work with the Disneyland Paris teams to integrate these new terraces and sheltered queues into the Resort’s landscape in a harmonious and immersive way.
Fantasyland, Frontierland, Main Street Usa…
Recently, the park inaugurated an extension to the Pizzera Bella Notte restaurant, themed in the colours of Luca, from Disney’s Pixar Studios, which has extended the covered seating capacity of the venue. The transformation of the Fuente Del Oro restaurant into Casa de Coco – Restaurante de Familia was designed in the same spirit. In addition to the interior spaces, which pay tribute to the Rivera family and Miguel’s love of music, there is a new covered terrace decorated in the colours of traditional papel picados.
In Main Street, U.S.A., Casey’s Corner will soon be home to a new Victorian-inspired covered terrace. “We wanted to extend the history of the restaurant by incorporating new references to the sport celebrated here, baseball,” explains Stéphane Poulain, architect at Walt Disney Imagineering Paris. “Our aim with this architecture is to deliberately reduce the scale of the terrace so that the existing Main Street facades remain clearly visible, while at the same time giving personality to the structure”. Work is due to start by the end of the year. Not far from there, the character meeting area will also benefit from an elegant and refined kiosk by 2024, ideal for spending a special moment in the company of your favourite Disney characters.
Walt Disney Studios
At Walt Disney Studios Park, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror will also soon be benefiting from these improvements, with the outside queue to be covered and redesigned to better accommodate the daring visitors who come to explore the building. Other longer-term projects are already in the design phase for implementation in the coming years, including a future redesign of the queue at Peter Pan’s Flight. “We are continually rethinking the experience of our visitors, looking for practical and aesthetic solutions to enhance their visit, which also help to reinforce the magic of our parks,” says Robin Reardon, Director Creative Development. “This is the mission of our Imagineers in the Design & Show Quality team, and this investment programme combining storytelling, immersion and comfort is a perfect reflection of our commitments.”
News : la tanière du dragon a new look
Since 1992, the Dragon’s Lair has welcomed the most daring visitors who have come to meet the gaze of this mysterious beast under Sleeping Beauty Castle in the half-light. Following its restoration in 2023, the Imagineers and central workshops at Disneyland Paris have taken great care of the creature and its refuge, while ensuring that it does not incur its wrath!
Jeremy Declerck, Stage Lighting Designer at Walt Disney Imagineering Paris, explains :
“Last July, we replaced all the spotlights and the show control from a technical point of view. We also wanted to enhance the decor. So we installed new lighting to give a better idea of the volumes, while maintaining the mysterious atmosphere that reigns here. Our visitors can now rediscover the many details of this cavern, with its various crevices, the mother-of-pearl effects on the rock and the roots hanging from the ceiling. Anne-Cécile Houron, Stage Finishing Designer, adds: “In a second phase, during the October closure, we worked on the dragon.
Thanks to the new black light projectors and the application of a paint that reacts to this type of lighting, we created a new effect that makes the dragon’s wrath even more spectacular and more realistic at the same time. The Invisible Black Light paint makes this possible, as it is invisible to the naked eye and only reacts when the black light is switched on. This creates a magical effect for visitors! The collaboration with the Figure Finishing workshop at Disneyland Paris was crucial and very constructive throughout the refurbishment, from the design of the project and the methodology to the lighting adjustments and programming of the effects”.
News : work begins on the Walt Disney Studios
Major works have begun at the entrance to Walt Disney Studios Park. This mainly involves roadworks, protected by barriers, in several areas of the park in several phases from October 2023 to the end of 2025, as well as the complete closure of Studio 1 (and all its services) from the end of April 2024 until the spring of 2025. They are part of the transformation programme currently underway at Walt Disney Studios Park, which aims to continually improve the visitor experience and prepare the Park for the future. The work will mainly affect traffic in and around Studio 1, while allowing visitors to continue enjoying Walt Disney Studios Park attractions and shows throughout the period. The attractions will not be affected by the works (with the exception of the Flying Carpets Over Agrabah) and will therefore remain available for your enjoyment.
News : Symphony of Colours
The programme for Disney’s Symphony of Colours continues to unfold! After the new night-time drone sequence that was recently revealed, we can’t wait to give you a sneak preview of the second new feature: a brand new daytime show that will have us dreaming with songs, dances and stories performed by a host of Disney and Pixar Characters. The show kicks off on 10 February and will be a colourful creation!
