Disneyland Paris
The European version of the Disney franchise was the second to open outside of America, after the theme park in Tokyo. Disneyland Paris comprises of Disneyland Park and the Walt Disney Studios Park. It struggled to gain sufficient visitors at first but expansion and new attractions have improved its prospects.
The theme parks share much the same characteristics at the different locations with some individual variations. The Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris has the familiar areas known to visitors. Main Street USA is a nostalgic look at small town life from a bygone age, with horse driven vehicles, arcades and shops, and a City Hall. Frontierland is a journey back to the Old West with a riverboat and Wild West heroes. The kids love Adventureland and the pirates and Indiana Jones. Fantasyland is home to Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland and Sleeping Beauty’s castle. Discoveryland has a Jules Verne themed Mysteries of the Nautilus and an updated version of the Space Mountain roller coaster called Space Mountain: Mission 2. This has a hill launch and two inversions and was the first version to have a music soundtrack. A railway stops at various locations.
In contrast to the theme park, the Walt Disney Studios Park focuses on the bread and butter industry that launched it, i.e. movies and television. This part of Disneyland Paris is divided into four areas, with tours, rides and themed boutiques. Visitors gain an insight into how animation is achieved at the Animation Courtyard. There is a studio tram tour, a tour of a typical television studio and an attraction called Armageddon: Special Effects. The exciting Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster features rock band Aerosmith as a theme. Plans for expansion have taken place and a new ride is scheduled to come on line in 2007 or 2008. Called The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, it is a simulated freefall ride based on the cult TV show, The Twilight Zone.
Always looking to bring visitors back for return visits, Disneyland Paris likes to keep up with the times in addition to featuring the old classics. The recent working partnership with the production studio, Pixar has resulted in a long list of movie hits. One of these is Toy Story and its sequel. In April 2006, a new attraction was added to Disneyland Park called Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast. It’s a 1930s themed ride and shooting gallery based on Toy Story 2. It may have had a rocky beginning, but Disneyland Paris looks set for the future, to infinity and beyond.