Walt Disney Studios Park
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| Disney theme park | |
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| Walt Disney Studios Park | |
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| Location | Marne-la-Vallée, France |
| Opening Day | March 16, 2002 |
| Resort | Disneyland Resort Paris |
| Theme | Showbusiness |
| Website | Disneyland Resort Paris homepage |
| Operator | Euro Disney SCA |
The Walt Disney Studios Park is one of the main attractions of Disneyland Resort Paris. Owned by Euro Disney SCA, it is one of two theme parks in the resort just outside of Paris, in Marne-la-Vallée, France.
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[edit] History
Opened on 16 March 2002 as part of a new initiative from The Walt Disney Company pledging to open a new theme park gate at each of their resorts around the world, the Studios is the smallest Disney park and has been a criticism from many Disney fans since its opening - mainly stemming from its lack of attention to detail, theming and number of attractions compared to Disneyland Park (Paris) next door.
The park is supposedly themed around a working film studio, with the "lands" being studio lots. Most of its attractions are imported from the other Disney parks in California, Florida and Tokyo, yet the park has some original successes. Moteurs... Action! Stunt Show Spectacular was so popular, it was exported to Disney-MGM Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, where it plays to full audiences.
It was traditional for a period of time for Walt Disney Feature Animation to have a satellite animation studio at each of the company's resorts, but the Paris studio was located in Montreuil, at the city limits of Paris and was never associated with the park. Originally the Brizzi studio owned by brothers Paul Brizzi and Gaëtan Brizzi, Disney purchased the studio in the early 1990s and renamed it Walt Disney Feature Animation Paris. WDFA Paris' first films were A Goofy Movie and the Mickey Mouse short Runaway Brain. WDFA Paris contributed sequences to every Disney film from The Hunchback of Notre Dame to Atlantis: The Lost Empire, most notably producing the Firebird Suite sequence for Fantasia 2000. It was closed in 2004 following Disney Florida and Disney Japan, when Feature Animation was downsized to save production costs.
[edit] Disney-MGM Studios Paris
Disney-MGM Studios Paris was the original plan for a movie-themed park in Paris and was planned to be open sometime between 1996-1998. However, this idea was cancelled around 1992 due to the drastic underpreformance of the resort during that time.
However, after the resort was renamed to the Disneyland Resort Paris in 1996, and many significant changes were made to Euro Disneyland (now called Disneyland Paris at this point), the resort began to make a profit, and plans for a movie themed theme park went into development again. In 2002, the Walt Disney Studios Park opened, and Disneyland Paris was renamed Disneyland Resort Paris. However, the new theme park does not share any of the original concepts for the Disney-MGM Studios Paris, which was to be more art deco in appearance like its American counterpart. The new theme park is much more like a studio lot, but does feature some Pueblo Deco style designs.
[edit] Production Zones
The 4 themed lands of Walt Disney Studios Park are officially called "Production Zones". The overlying "story" of the park is that the guest enters the park as a "nobody", but leaves as a world-class movie star "celebrity", thanks to their starring roles in the park's various production-themed attractions. "Backlot" may be renamed "Action Studio" and "Production Courtyard", "Hollywood Studio" in a very close future.
[edit] Front Lot
The grand entrance of the Studios, with warm, Spanish-influenced buildings in the style of the administration area of a typical Hollywood movie studio. Features boutiques and guest service buildings around the Place des Frères Lumières courtyard, which is home to the centrepiece Fantasia Fountain.
Attractions:
- Disney Studio 1
- Earfell Tower
- Frontlot Square
Restaurants:
- Restaurant En Coulisse
Boutiques:
- Walt Disney Studio Store
- Legends of Hollywood
- Studio Photo
- Shutterbugs
[edit] Animation Courtyard/Toon Studio
The home of Disney's animated classics and storytelling magic, with a more whimsical approach to the movie studio theme and the chance to meet various Disney characters at special meet 'n' greet locations.
Attractions
- Art of Disney Animation
- Flying Carpets Over Agrabah
- Animagique
- Crush's Coaster (opening June 2007)
- Cars: Race Rally (opening June 2007)
- Mickey's Trailer - Meet Disney's biggest stars Mickey and Minnie at their backstage trailer
Boutiques
- The Disney Animation Gallery
[edit] Production Courtyard
An art-deco styled courtyard with various production facilities and entertainment offerings. Will be renamed "Hollywood Studio" in the end of 2007.
Attractions
- Cinemagique
- Studio Tram Tour - Behind the magic
- TV Production Tour at Walt Disney Television Studios
- Stitch Encounter (construction will not begin before August 2007)
- Production Courtyard Stage
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (opening end 2007 or beginning 2008)
Restaurants
- Rendez-Vous des Stars
[edit] Backlot
The action-packed epicentre of spectacular special effects and raw movie magic.
Attractions
- Moteurs... Action! Stunt Show Spectacular
- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith
- Armageddon: Special Effects
- Les Parapluies de Cherbourg
Restaurants
- Backlot Express
- Café des Cascadeurs
Boutiques
- Rock Around The Shop
[edit] Improvements and Growth
Thanks to a major financial restructuring within the park's operating company, Euro Disney SCA, Disneyland Resort Paris will be receiving a major new attraction in either park each year from 2005 to 2009, allowing the long-awaited expansions of Walt Disney Studios Park to begin. The new attractions were announced on January 11, 2005, with Space Mountain: Mission 2 (2005) and Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast (2006) at Disneyland Park being followed by two years of expansion at the Studios.
June 2007 will see the opening of a brand new "land" in the Animation Courtyard area of the park. Called Toon Studio, the new area will be themed as a "toon backlot", apparently representing the film studio work place of animated characters, where they produce their animated classics. The concept has been created exclusively for Walt Disney Studios Park and will feature two brand new attractions, not seen in any other Disney Theme Park, along with small merchandising locations and many character meeting opportunities. The key attraction in this expansion phase will be Crush's Coaster, a custom-designed Maurer Söhne SC 2000 indoor spinning roller coaster. A second attraction - Cars: Race Rally will be themed to the 2006 Disney/Pixar film Cars, with the ride taking the form of an enhanced tea cups ride. Similar attractions can be found in Mermaid Lagoon at Tokyo DisneySea and A bug's land in Disney's California Adventure.
In late 2007/early 2008 The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction will open in the Production Courtyard area of the park. The original plans of the attraction were modified slightly to allow it to be built at Disney's California Adventure park in 2004, hence the fact that the Paris and California versions of the attraction will be practically identical.[citation needed]
[edit] External links
- Walt Disney Studios Park (official site)
- WDS Fans (News, History & Guide)
- DLRP Magic! (Park Guide)
- Everything you need to know about the Walt Disney Studios
