How to fix Disneyland Paris: Final Part

Disneyland Park

Overview

The park would be pretty large by this point. Any future changes would mean Disney World New Fantasyland style changes, with the studios park so close this doesn’t seem necessary especially when they could built a third park.

How long would this all take? The current, recently announced, plan of refurbishments and updates at Paris runs from February 2015 to April 2017, approximately 2 years. It’s unlikely 2 new rides would open at the same time unless they were linked of a new film was being released (Disney synergy). Below is my approximate time scale, each phase would probably alternate between each park.

Take Florida as an example, it appears the Star Wars land won’t be built into 2017 when Avatar land (Pandora) opens. That didn’t really start until New Fantasyland was opened in the Magic Kingdom. There can be some overlapping to enable a new attraction each year. Frozen opens in 2016 replacing Maelstrom to fill the gap. The Toy Story land will probably open between Avatar and Star Wars in late 2017 early 2018. You also can’t really any to remove rides to build new lands without adding other new rides first as a park can become too small and empty.

Phase 1: 2 years
“It’s a small world” becomes “It’s a small Disney world”
“Autopia” becomes “Sugar Rush”
“Le Pays des Contes de Fées” adds Frozen in place of Peter and the Wolf
“Lucky Nugget” becomes “Snuggly Duckling”

Phase 2: 2 years
“Discoveryland Theatre” becomes “Death Star Assault”
“Pizza Planet” becomes the “Cantina”
“Magic Carpets” moves in at Adventureland
“Frozen: as told by the Stone Trolls” comes to Adventureland

Phase 3: 2 years
“Stitch Live” & “Baymax Live” comes to Videopolis
“Beauty and the Beast” comes to Fantasyland
“Gaston’s Tavern” moves in next to “Bella Notte”
“Jungle Trek” comes to Adventureland

Phase 4: 2 years
“Halloween Town” comes to Frontierland
“Just around the river bend” comes to Adventureland
“Grand Mother Willows” restaurant comes to Adventureland

Phase 5: 2 years
“Little Mermaid Voyage” comes to Fantasyland
“Big Hero 6” comes to Discoveryland

Walt Disney Studios

Overview

The will be a number of new Pixar films which would lead to more ride opportunities, expansion space still remains. With the large amount of Marvel films then a third park is more likely to take a Marvel theme than populating the Production Plaza area.

Phase 1: 1 year
“Animagique” gets Pixar Update
“Tram Tour” becomes “Pixar Comes Alive” at Pixar Place

Phase 2: 3 years
“Disney Studio” comes to Walt’s Way
“A Mickey Mouse Tale” comes to Walt’s Way
“Armageddon” becomes “Muppets Mayhem”

Phase 3: 2 years
“Up with Mr Frederickson” come’s to Pixar Place
“Soarin’ Over the Rainbow” comes to Production Plaza

Phase 4: 2 years
“Tron Lightcycles” comes to Production Plaza
“Scream Floor Escapade” comes to Pixar Place

 

The Master Plan

Year 1: 2016 – A Sprinkling of Disney Magic
“It’s a small world” becomes “It’s a small Disney world”
“Le Pays des Contes de Fées” adds Frozen in place of Peter and the Wolf
“Lucky Nugget” becomes “Snuggly Duckling”

Year 2: 2017 – Pixar comes Alive / Live Episode VII
“Animagique” gets Pixar Update
“Tram Tour” becomes “Pixar Comes Alive” at Pixar Place
Star Tours 2 is already opening here too

Year 3: 2018 – Racing into Chaos
“Autopia” becomes “Sugar Rush”
“Armageddon” becomes “Muppets Mayhem”

Year 4: 2019 – The whole saga is here
“Discoveryland Theatre” becomes “Death Star Assault”
“Pizza Planet” becomes the “Cantina”

Year 5: 2020 – It all started with a mouse
“Disney Studio” comes to Walt’s Way
“A Mickey Mouse Tale” comes to Walt’s Way

Year 6: 2021 – Frozen Again
“Frozen: as told by the Stone Trolls” comes to Adventureland
“Magic Carpets” moves in at Adventureland

Year 7: 2022 – Soar over the earth
“Up with Mr Frederickson” come’s to Pixar Place
“Stitch Live” & “Baymax Live” comes to Videopolis

Year 8: 2023 – Soar over Oz
“Soarin’ Over the Rainbow” comes to Production Plaza

Year 9: 2024 – Be our gueat
“Beauty and the Beast” comes to Fantasyland
“Gaston’s Tavern” moves in next to “Bella Notte”

Year 10: 2025 – The Grid is waiting
“Tron Lightcycles” comes to Production Plaza

Year 11:2026 – New Adventureland
“Jungle Trek” comes to Adventureland
“Just around the river bend” comes to Adventureland
“Grand Mother Willows” restaurant comes to Adventureland

Year 12: 2027 – Season of Scares
“Scream Floor Escapade” comes to Pixar Place
“Halloween Town” comes to Frontierland

Year 13: 2028 – A Part of Our World
“Little Mermaid Voyage” comes to Fantasyland

Year 14: 2029 – Baymax is back
“Big Hero 6” comes to Discoveryland

Year 15: 2030 – The Heroes are here
Third Theme Park Opens

How to fix Disneyland Paris: Part 5

Disneyland Park

Phase 5

1 – We are now so far down the line we don’t know what “big” things Disney will have released by now but 2 new rides would be added. One behind Toad Hall, next to the Fantasyland Station, possibly the Little Mermaid which is part of New Fantasyland in Florida. Depending on success this could be Moana or something else unannounced.

2 – The other, which at the moment I would see as a Big Hero 6 ride, would be between the Cantina and Sugar Rush. This could of course be part of an expanded Star Wars area. Most importantly it would create a reason to go all the way around Space Mountain.

 

How to fix Disneyland Paris: Part 4

Disneyland Park

Phase 4

1 – Frontierland is probably the most lacking in rides and attractions in the park. What really fits in this area? I’ve only come up with one answer, Tim Burton. The geysers are popular despite not working for a long time and they may be coming back but I would do away with them. At this point I would add Halloween Town next to the graveyard of Phantom Manor bringing Nightmare Before Christmas to the park and allowing guests to see more of the lake around Big Thunder Mountain.

2 – More expansion between Jungle Trek and Pirates of the Caribbean would be next up, new ride and additional restaurant. Water rides have always been an issue for Paris, the issue seems to be around electronics freezing which is why Le Pays des Contes de Fées closes in winter and Dumbo and it’s a small world doesn’t. A re-worked Pocahontas themed Splash Mountain, Just Around the River bend, which was entirely indoors like Pirates would be placed here.

3 – A Native American restaurant and a smaller quick service place selling the famous Disney Turkey Legs would also be here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walt Disney Studios

Phase 4

1 – The entrance and route of the renamed tram tour has left a lot of expansion space. The next two rides use a good chunk of this. The first is behind Muppets Mayhem. This will see Tron Lightcycles from the Shanghai Park rebuilt.

2 – The second goes next to RC Racer and behind the Mickey ride. This is a Monster’s Inc. ride I think everyone has imagined. A cross between Peter Pan and Nemesis from Alton Towers. Relatively high speed but hanging from the ceiling. Sat in a monster’s arms you will fly through doors into numerous areas in the “Scream Floor Escapade”. The queue will take you through Monsters Inc. before the ride takes you to the North Pole, Boo’s bedroom, into Monster’s University and other locations.

 

 

How to fix Disneyland Paris: Part 3

Disneyland Park

Phase 3

1 – The next switch would see Stitch Live within the Arcade area of Videopolis. Some small expansion may be required despite this being a very small attraction. If size allowed one half could be Stitch Live and the other half Baymax Live.

2 – Now we’re on the major expansions. The first harks back to the original opening of the park. Finally delivering a Beauty and the Beast dark ride. The space for this has been set aside since opening opposite Bella Notte.

3 – Converting the ice cream parlour by Bella Notte into a Gaston Taverns similar to that of Orlando would really complete an area which often feels separate from the rest of Fantasyland.

4 – If you’ve ever looked on Google Earth at Disneyland Paris you will have seen the train track that runs around the edge. Between it and Indiana Jones is a huge area which could probably home an entirely new land. The Animal Kingdom park is unlikely to ever be a good fit for Paris but this area could be perfect for bring some of these rides across. First though would be a brand new ride with more of a feel of Magic Kingdom’s Jungle Cruise. Instead of a boat ride it would be more like the Kilimanjaro Safari, no live animals but full of Disney animals and animatronics. A river where you see Baloo with Mowgli on his stomach, Bagheera sleeping in a tree, Grand Mother Willow, Meeko stealing from a camp site, Louis playing his trumpet, Tiana and Naveen on lily pads, Simba, Timon and Pumba walking above a pool, Tarzan and many others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walt Disney Studios

Phase 3

1 – With Magic Carpets removed a space would now exist for a new ride. The footprint isn’t massive but the ride to go here would complete the Pixar Place without overspill from other areas. If you’ve seen a pie in the sky type ride this is the sort of ride that would be here. The difference is that this will be a house, Carl Frederickson’s. You will be able to walk round the whole house while it lifts into the sky, balloons reaching above and amazing views from the windows on all sides.

2 – Another hugely successful ride in California and Orlando is Soarin’. With the space between Cinemagique and Stitch Live a new Soarin’ attraction could be added as well as taking over the Stitch Live space. This version of Soarin’ would be a bit different, starting in Kansas, the ride would see you swept up in a storm, over the rainbow and soaring over the land of Oz. Naturally you’ll encounter a few airborne characters too.

 

How to fix Disneyland Paris: Part 2

Disneyland Park

Phase 2

1 – What the park would need next is actual new rides. The cheapest way is to make use of pre-built buildings. With the new Star Wars films on their way the park can’t wait too long to make the most of the films. Stars Tours 2 is already coming but with Discoveryland Theatre just showing 10 minute Ant-Man previews this building needs to be used better. A new Star Wars ride would be an easy choice. With Star Wars lands just be announced there are already rides being developed, what they will be exactly we don’t know. My idea would be a dual track ride will similar technology to the new Tron ride destined for Shanghai but with light guns being added and the two tracks battling around the Death Star. Letting the queue use guns to fire at the cars would also add an interactively that’s being seen in other Disney Park’s queues.

2 – Creating a Star Wars bank of attractions along the back of Discoveryland would leave Pizza Planet out of place, a relocation to the Studios Park could work but for the Phase 2 this would be turned into the Cantina famously shown in the original film.

3 – The studios park needs changing, to facilitate that the main park would benefit from some transfers. Switching to the other side of the park, there would be one initial change. This would be the addition of a slightly re-themed Magic Carpets ride removed from the Studios Park. This would now be placed between the Hakuna Matata restaurant and Agrabah Café with the exit going into the shops opposite Agrabah Café.

4 – The last part of Phase 2 would be to make the most of a film we already know will be on the way, Frozen 2. With a small Arendelle area already built by the Chaparral Theatre, behind Arendelle would be a Frozen dark ride. Based on the stories of the two films and told by the rock trolls and the addition of some amusing brief songs. Imagine brief chunks from “A bit of a fixer upper” from the original film. 3D glasses merged with animatronics could bring some variety to the troll’s movement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walt Disney Studios

Phase 2

1 – In the centre of the park a new land would include the Art of Animation, Walt’s Way. Outside Tower of Terror would be a reimagining of the soon to be closed One Man’s Dream from Florida. A video would show the history of Disney parks, another room would be a recreation of Walt’s original office, a third would be the test studio where actors playing the Sherman brothers would show creating songs. Imagine live scenes from Saving Mr Banks and you’d have the right idea.

2 – The final part of Walt’s Way would sit on the current Tram Tour loading site. Walt Disney would say “remember it all started with a mouse”, strangely there is a lack of Mickey rides. Here would be a Mickey ride, using a combination of 3D and animatronics, this dark water ride would be a cross over between the classic “Steamboat Willie” and recent short “Get a horse”.

3 – The other half of the park is the least themed of all, changes over the years have made this even less themed. This half will now focus solely on live action. With Cinemagique remaining and covering a lot of films, and a Tower of Terror film on the horizon this area is already started. Armageddon has needed replacing for a while and Toy Story Mania has been extremely popular in the states but a fifth Toy Story ride would really be a step too far. What do appear to be rejuvenated is the Muppets, two recent films and a new TV Show. Muppets Mayhem would be a re-themed version of Toy Story Mania.

 

How to fix Disneyland Paris: Part 1

The title of this article may seem like I’m about to slag off Disneyland Paris but that’s not what I want to do. I’ve been to the park for what must for 30+ holidays now and keep going back. There is a lot to love about Paris and it’s version of the Magic Kingdom and castle are the best designed in the world. With the recent cash injection and refurbishments it should soon be back to its best. Financial problems have caused the parks problems and led to missteps in the overall progress of the park. There was no doubt a master plan before anything was built but it’s clear that it hasn’t been possible for it to be followed. Space Mountain is an obvious example as well as the announced Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid rides which have never appeared. So with some of the financial issues on hold or in the past how do the parks get back on track.

Disneyland Park

Since opening 4 rides have been added to the park and 2 others have been replaced. Coming up to its 25^th year, that is an incredibly small amount. Indiana Jones was added to Adventureland. The dual combo of Casey Jr and a small boat ride come to Fantasyland which also lost the Old Mill. Space Mountain came to Discoveryland while Buzz replaced Visionarium. Captain EO and Honey I shrunk the audience traded places with both now gone. The Aladdin and Nautilus walkthroughs were also added. Since its 1992 opening that is all. One look at the park on Google Earth and the space for expansion becomes quite clear yet all that is currently announced is Star Tours becoming Star Tours 2, some extract characters to Pirates of the Caribbean and a refresh of Peter Pan, Big Thunder Mountain and It’s a Small World.

So here’s what I would do.

Phase 1

Reimagining older rides is a cheap way to give a new life to an ageing ride. Star Tours is a prime example, Big Thunder Mountain’s doesn’t appear to go far enough but you could argue these are already rides that draw the crowds. I’m assuming all the announced changes still happen.

1 – Its a small world is already getting new dolls and a paint job and “some Disney magic”. In Phase 1 I would see a new name, the reason will become clear. Inside most of the dolls would be removed and replaced by Disney characters set in their homeland. Imagine London with Peter Pan and 101 Dalmatians merging into the country side with Alice in Wonderland before finding Robin Hood in the Forest. You’d find Baymax between the USA and Japan, Oliver in the USA, Pinocchio in Italy, Snow White in Germany, Stitch in Hawaii etc… Forgotten and well used characters all coming together, always something new to spot and a ride that can constantly add new characters with the new film slate. This would be under the new name of It’s a Small Disney World.

2 – Next up would be Discoveryland. Autopia has been getting a bit tired for a while and looking very dated, the cars don’t feel futuristic or have the stunning Steampunk style of Space Mountain. It’s also in a land lacking in Disney. Only Buzz exists which I still view as Pixar not true Disney. It’s not a hard guess for what would be a good makeover for Autopia. Wreck-it-Ralph. A slight re-theme of the queue into Game Central Station and the rest of the ride into Sugar Rush. Adding Venelope’s home to drive through would be a great extra touch too.

3 – Third would be a restaurant change. I loved Lucky Nugget Saloon and its shows when I was younger. It now feels like a lost gem of days gone by. A film massive underused is Tangled. The Snuggly Duckling pub shown early in the film would be used to bring music back to the bar too with classic Disney pub songs. Think “I have a dream” from Tangled as the big number but being in France you couldn’t leave out “Gaston” and even “Everybody wants to be a cat” could work too.

4 – The final Phase 1 change is to Le Pays des Contes de Fées and probably the cheapest of all. The removal of Peter and the Wolf which seems a bit out of place with the other bit Disney hits in this ride. That leaves a large snow covered area which obviously would have Frozen added to it. Elsa’s ice castle, Marshmallow and models of the main characters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walt Disney Studios

The Disneyland Park had a lot going for it when it opened, the Studios Park has had issues from day.  Criticised for a lack of rides and doing things on the cheap but this park arguably has two of the best rest in any Disney park, Crush’s Coaster and Ratatouille. Aerosmith and Tower of Terror are also right up there. What the park has lacked most of all is a really identity; where the main park as well defined lands and clear themes, even with the odd misstep, this park feels a bit cobbled together.

Phase 1

1 – Let’s get the lands sorted. The right hand side of the park has become almost a Pixar land already with more Pixar films covered in this park than any other single park. The first two phases solidify this area as Pixar Place. First is Animagique, already scheduled for changes anyway, an update to focus on Pixar would fit right in. Inside out seems a great fit with Animagique’s styling.

2 – The Tram Tour is also scheduled for updates, three new scenes. I don’t believe it’s clear if these are replacements or additions. I’m assuming replacements. First up is Reign if Fire in London, this would be updated to be a Syndrome attack on the city with the Incredibles also added. Next is the Catastrophe Canyon, this is already expected to get a Cars overhaul. The final one is Dinotopia. To complete my trio this would become rubbish towers will an actual Wall-e roaming around. The entrance would be moved to between the Ratatouille restaurant and RC Racer. You would board the redecorated “Thought Train” to see “Pixar Comes Alive”.