The , known as ''Parc Walt Disney Studios'' in
France , is one of two
Theme Park s in the
Disneyland Resort Paris .
''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.'' -
Michael D. Eisner ,
March 16 ,
2002
Before the Euro Disney Resort (as the Disneyland Resort Paris was known as until 1995) opened, plans were already in place for a European park in the style of the
Disney-MGM Studios , but after Euro Disneyland (the original name for Disneyland Park) failed to impress, plans for the
Disney-MGM Studios Paris were immediately cancelled. 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 '', most notably producing the ''
Firebird Suite '' sequence for ''
Fantasia 2000 ''. It was closed in 2001, when Feature Animation was downsized to save production costs, and the park was built on the grounds.
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.
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''.
- Disney Studio 1
- Earful Tower
- Frontlot Square
- Walt Disney Studio Store
- Legends of Hollywood
- Studio Photo
- Shutterbugs
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. To be expanded beyond recognition in 2007 with
Toon Studios .
- Art of Disney Animation
- Flying Carpets Over Agrabah
- Animagique
- Crush's Turtle Twister (opening 2007)
- Cars: Radiator Springs Spinout (opening 2007)
- Mickey's Trailer
Meet Disney's biggest stars Mickey and Minnie at their backstage trailer
- The Disney Animation Gallery
An art-deco styled courtyard with various production facilities and entertainment offerings.
- CinéMagique
- Studio Tram Tour
- TV Production Tour at Walt Disney Television Studios
- Production Courtyard Stage
The action-packed epicentre of spectacular special effects and raw movie magic.
- Backlot Express
- Café des Cascadeurs
concept for the Toon Studios]]
Thanks to a major financial restructuring within the park's operating company, (2006) at Disneyland Park being following by two years of unprecedented expansion at the Studios.
2007 Will see the opening of a brand new "land" in the Animation Courtyard area of the park. Called
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 Disney Sea and
A Bug's Land in
Disney's California Adventure .
Late 2007 / Early 2008 will become an important point in the park's history, as the long-awaited
The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror attraction opens in the Production Courtyard area of the park. Guests take a dramatic ride through an abandoned 1930s
Hollywood hotel, ending in a plummet "faster than gravity" down the elevator shaft. This attraction has been planned for the park since the initial plans were unveiled in 1999, but was delayed due to the financial troubles of
Euro Disney SCA . 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.
Plans beyond
The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror are currently unconfirmed, but it has been made clear that the resort would like to further expand upon the
Toon Studios concept, should it be successful. Initial rumours point to a clone of
Magic Kingdom Florida's Mickey's Philharmagic cinema attraction, or attractions based upon
Pixar's The Incredibles and
Monsters, Inc. films.
There have also been strong rumours since opening of the construction of an outdoor "Hollywood Boulevard" leading outwards from Disney Studio 1 past
The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror . This would lead to the displacement of the Studio Tram Tour station to next to Café des Cascadeurs and the subsequent creation of extra European Street Sets in the backlot of the park.
