Disneyland, the vacation that everyone has ever dreamed of
1. Nothing foreshadowed that Disneyland Paris would even exist, because when the park opened in California, the 30,000 guests at the opening (among them, Frank Sinatra, Charlton Heston and Sammy Davis Jr. ) , in addition to the 90 million viewers who watched the premiere on ABC, found that several attractions were not working , with their shoes sinking into the cement, still wet, with restaurants running out of food and drink... However, Disney, a tireless worker, he stayed to live there until everything was perfectly tuned, and in seven weeks, the park received its millionth visitor.
two. Before settling in Europe in 1992, Disney was torn between two locations for some time: Marne-la-Vallée in France and The Costa Dorada, in Catalonia! After tough negotiations, the company ended up choosing Paris for your good connections and its high number of hotels.
3. Paris is not California, nor Florida, where the two previous parks were built; however, the feeling of warmth felt by the guests (that's how they call park users) had to be the same. For this reason, several modifications were made to protect the park from the Parisian climate, building covered walkways and installing 35 chimneys in hotels and restaurants.
Covered walkways, like the amazing Discovery Arcade
Four. For the construction of the park, everything was counted on an army of artisans . Among them, he highlighted Paul Chapman , a specialist in stained glass, who had worked for the Queen of England and in the Restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral . He was 80 years old when he was asked to supervise the ones in the castle, which represent the tale of Sleeping Beauty (one of them even magically changes from one image to another!) Which led him to say that it was the opportunity to finally make people smile , having spent a lifetime creating "serious" art.
5. Speaking of Sleeping Beauty: the castle in which she rested until her prince charming arrived, the main element of the Disney parks, is the same everywhere... except in Paris. There, fueled by the need to create a monument that would stand out from the many beautiful European palaces , the artists let their imagination run wild and gave it a much more fanciful . In addition, they painted it pink so that contrast better with the usual gray sky of France, while in the park in Florida, for example, the castle is a duller color, because the sky is usually blue.
6. Another of the basic elements of Disneyland architecture is the main street, Main Street. The same is inspired by Disney's hometown of Marceline, Missouri, and uses a "trick" called "forced perspective" to create the illusion of a larger space. So, when you enter the park, the castle seems to be very far , even if it is only a few hundred meters away.
Main Street, the most iconic street in Disneyland
7. On Main Street and Walt's Nostalgia We could be talking for hours. For example, you can search your ride for the Lillys Boutique , baptized in honor of the Disney woman, and with photos of the two inside; you will also find one old barbershop (decorated, by the way, with original elements of a barbershop in Chicago from the beginning of the 20th century) in which there is usually a hairdresser working in honor of the businessman's father , who was dedicated to that profession. By the way: in another memorabilia exercise that Disney liked so much, that bench where Disney dreamed of the park is on display in its California park.
8. Disneyland Paris is a microworld in which nothing is left to chance, and in which each element is taken care of in detail. For example, if you pick up the old phone in the New Century Notions store, you can listen to conversations between the locals ; if you pass by the large marble tomb in the cemetery adjacent to the Frontierland Haunted Manor attraction, you will hear heartbeats; If you approach the armor of the castle, where the soldiers sleep, you will notice that they snore ... As you may have noticed, the entire park has its own soundtrack.
9. Come on, let us tell you a few more secrets (we love them!) : near the ice cream parlor on the main street, you will hear piano lessons coming out of the first floor, and if you walk around the Frontierland well, you will perceive the noise made by the pickaxes of the mining dwarfs. As if that were not enough, the smell of the complex is also thought out to the millimeter: Notice that even some parade floats spread aromas while following their routes!
The barbershop supplies belonged to a Chicago barber
10. And, of course, don't forget about magic, which is obviously very present throughout the park: next to the armor, for example, you'll see the maleficent raven; if you take a picture of it with a flash, it will come out with red eyes. Also, take a good look when, in line at a Main Street attraction, you see the spell book containing the recipe for the poison apple potion: you'll notice that the apple... turns into a skull . And that a shadow is projected on the torch that illuminates it resembles a crow moving...
eleven. Speaking of extraordinary beings: have they told you that in the castle moat there is a dragon ? Disneyland Paris is the only park that houses this distinguished guest, a friend of Merlin, who represents the largest animatronic in the complex , with almost 23 meters long and about 2,500 kilos in weight.
12. Another thing you cannot miss in the palace: La Boutique du Château, that is, The Castle Shop, a place where it's always Christmas!
Pure magic
13. Did you know that Disneyland Paris costume reservations are the largest in Europe ? The park has 250,000 suits in storage, and each year about 5,000 more are created; some need more than 200 hours of work!
14. Animals, which play very prominent roles in Disney movies, also have their place in this fantasy setting. For this reason, there is a department in Disneyland Paris called 'Wild life' whose task is to ensure that the many animals that are free in the park do not get into "trouble" . We are talking about the adorable wild bunnies and the large colonies of cats, rescued from shelters, that you will find on your walk.
fifteen. And for the last one, a Traveler tip: Did you know that you can visit Disneyland practically alone? If you stay in the Disney Hotels that are located before entering the park or you have the Dream Annual Pass, they will let you in two hours before the official opening. Although not all attractions and restaurants will be open, it will be a joy being able to walk through that fantastic world before the crowds show up, with time to admire every little detail it's made up of the cozy universe that Walt imagined for children like you.
Hmmm... what does it smell like in here?