Friday, August 20, 2010

Road To Paris...

A better park...




Wee, wee...
While I've always thought that Disneyland Paris is the most beautiful Magic Kingdom style park, its younger sister is the black lamb of Disney Parks...

Over at the Disney and More Blog, which you should check out quite often if don't btw, Alain has another post in his Toy Story Playland series. There are tons of great pics and videos to give you a sense as to what this new land looks and feels like at Walt Disney Studios Paris. If you've ever been to DCA, the new land in France is kind of like what A Bug's Land is here. It is nicely themed, but is lacking in terms of feeling "Disney." That should change with the addition of Midway Mania in the distant future. The time line for that attraction addition is ever changing and will depend on attendance at the park before it gets the green light.

That said, Alain's newest post gives you a sneak peak at something Disney hasn't announced yet: The Ratatouille attraction. Oh, it's not built yet, but the path leading from the Toy Story Playland goes directly toward where it will be in a couple years. Go over and take a look at some of the photos and dream of Remy.

Now, if only Iger would approve a makeover of the front entrance of this park like the one California Adventure is getting. The entrance to a Disney theme park should be a beautiful doorway, not an ugly cave.

Which is what the front of Walt Disney Studios is...

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Funny you should say that about the entrance.
When I went, the entrance was one of the few places I actually liked. It's themed really nicely and gets you in the mood for a movie-themed park (even if the park doesn't deliver it)

The other good thing about the park in my opinion in the Cinemagique attraction. Which is an amazing experience, and feels really special cause it wouldn't work in any of our parks over here as it needs a non english-speaking protagonist.

Anonymous said...

I always thought the entrance was one of the very few nice areas of that park

Dysitopic Enuciator said...

Really? You guys are the only people I've ever heard like the entrance. It's so bland. Compare it to Disneyland or the Magic Kingdom's entrance. Disney-MGM's entrance before the Hat was added? Or Tokyo Disneysea's amazing entrance?

It has no character, I've seen dozens of entrances that are just as generic. It needs to say something unique and it needs a weenie. There is no weenie in that park and it should be seen when you walk through the gate. Just look at Disneyland Paris and then go next door. Underwhelming is an understatement.

Honor's right. They need to do what they're doing in DCA right now. Make a great window into the park with a great entrance.

Hugh Hogwarts said...

A Ratatouille ride would be sooooooo welcome to this park, as it's badly in need of more of the Disney touch.

As for the front entrance. Blaaah. It's plain and I too agree with Hunter.

Tom said...

I too think that WDS's entrance is one of the most beautiful of all Disney parks. The arches are nicely themed, the Front Lot looks great and entering the park trough Disney Studio 1 is great, it's like a movie park should be and different from "another" copy of Main Street...

The actual entrance looks so much better than DL/MK/TDL and even Tokyo DisneySea has a simple entrance... WDS has the big gate in the middle and the style I love, I don't understand why anyone would not like it AND this is really the first time I hear that someone doesn't like the entrance. Normally everyone says the entrance is the "only" good part of the park!

Anonymous said...

Obviously when you went, you forgot your seeing eye dog.

If you think this looks better than Disneyland Paris, much less Disneyland? You are crazy. And that "simple" entrance to DisneySEA is incredibly detailed in its design. Walk through it and then out into the harbor. Simply breathtaking.

Walk through the lame entrance to WDS and what do you see? Actually, I'm sorry. I forgot.

You can't.

Unknown said...

Maybe you could clear this up, Honor: For the Ratatouille ride, they've built an imitation Paris street - even though the park is in the actual Paris?

Tom said...

Rueben:dlp is not IN Paris, it lies 32 kilometers east from Paris...

And talking about the entrance, I am talking about the entrance arches, not the view into the harbour etc, which is obviously way more beautiful in Tokyo.
The actual entrance from Tokyo DisneySea is not that impressive, does it even have the parkname on it? (I remember not...)

Anonymous said...

i don't mind the entrance to WDS. it kind of fits well with the studio style park. It would be nice if what is inside studio one was replicated as a real street and outside of a sound stage. The street could get a nice themed canopy to help with the weather.

Rosabella said...

Tom, I too think that Walt Disney Studios has a nice looking entrance area though I can't say it's amazing like some of the entrances at other Disney parks. It seems your definition includes only the turnstiles and the area around it, whereas others count the entrance as including the plazas that are encounter after entering (Mickey floral in the Disneylands, the lush Oasis in Animal Kingdom Spaceship Earth, AquaSphere, etc. I still think that the neighboring Disneyland Paris has a far more stunning and memorable entrance with its walkway under the Disneyland Hotel.

As for Tokyo DisneySea's entrance not being impressive, I have to completely disagree. For me, it is the most beautiful and breathtaking entrance into a theme park I have ever seen (it is almost unfathomable to hear that you were not impressed unless neoclassicism is not your thing). And I am "not" including that view into the harbor either. The Tuscany village architecture of the Hotel MiraCosta that towers and flanks the entire entryway is just stunning and incredibly detailed. Every time I see it in person, my jaw just drops in amazement at the sheer scale of the detailing on those Italian buildings.

Also, what does having the name of the park have to do with how nice an entrance is? I personally think tacking the name of a park in large and bold signage is tacky. The entrance should be attractive and inviting enough without having to blatantly remind guests what park they are visiting. Tacking a big "Tokyo DisneySea" onto the entryway would ruin the Italian village setting they were going for, and I'm thankful they chose to go with a more classy and elegant approach.

Anonymous said...

If you want generic and bland, this entrance says that in style.

I'll take Bob Weis' old Disney-MGM Studios Europe entrance any day.

It should be a great throwback to the Golden Days of Hollywood. Instead, it looks like every other entrance you'd find at a sub par, non-Disney park.

I seem to recall reading comments about people that liked the front entrance to DCA too. They must have never been to any other open, outdoor mall. The same could be said of those that like WDS.

It needs a makeover.