The celebration continues... big time
From the smallest child to the biggest kids of all ages, Disneyland Resort Paris has been turning dreams into reality for the past 15 years and to mark this special anniversary, Joanne Cocks was invited to join the biggest, most magical celebrations in...
From the smallest child to the biggest kids of all ages, Disneyland Resort Paris has been turning dreams into reality for the past 15 years and to mark this special anniversary, Joanne Cocks was invited to join the biggest, most magical celebrations in Disney's history
Millions of guests are this year heading to Marne-La-Vallée, in France, or to be more precise to Disneyland Resort Paris to take part in the resort's 15th anniversary celebrations which continue until next March.
I was one of those millions, lucky enough to receive an invitation to represent The Times for the official celebrations for international and European media. So I packed my bags, and those of my husband and 20-month-old son and headed to Paris.
This was April and the weather was still cold. In fact, that weekend it snowed in Paris. However, the weather was no deterrent to our mood and the atmosphere at the park was uplifting in itself.
Our hotel, the New York, is situated just a stone's throw from Disney Village and only a five-minute walk away from the park. So once we had signed in and had been given our accreditation passes and VIP tickets, we immediately made our way out to the park.
Matthew, our son, loves watching Disney cartoons, so I was looking forward to seeing his reaction once he saw some of his favourite characters like Mickey, Pluto and Goofy.
As we strolled out into the biting cold, wearing our thick jackets and quite heavily wrapped up, we were immediately hit by the sense and feeling of celebration. Banners highlighting the 15th anniversary flew from most corners of the park. Memorabilia and souvenirs could be seen everywhere.
But I digress. That Friday afternoon we headed straight out for Main Street USA, to find a good spot to view Disney's Once Upon a Dream Parade, with the Sleeping Beauty Castle providing a spectacular backdrop. The parade features famous moments from a number of renowned Disney stories, which are incorporated in large floats. The interactive parade jostles all five senses into working mode, especially those of smell, sight and sound. Winnie the Pooh and his friends, Peter Pan and Co, characters from the Lion King and many more made their way down the main thoroughfare to the amazement of onlookers.
We had jostled right up to the front, to make sure Matthew was well positioned to get a good glimpse. But this was quite short-lived: Once the music started and the life-size images began getting closer, he panicked, burst out crying and did not stop until I had to relinquish that front-row spot and move back. That was a sign of things to come. For Matthew would not have any photos taken with any Disney characters. He was scared stiff of them. However, both myself and my husband became kids once more, if we had ever grown up! We walked from one park to the next, viewing shows like The Lion King and going on rides. Matthew particularly enjoyed the rides for the kids, flinging his arms out and giggling all the way, in a teacup, in a circus animal cage, in an Aladdin's lamp or on board a boat.
Stopping for a bite or a drink is not a problem, since the park is dotted with kiosks selling anything from toffee apples and popcorn to restaurants serving some of the best meals around.
Getting Matthew to bed that evening was quite an easy feat. Although it's impossible to be sure what he dreamt about that night, I'm sure Mickey and Goofy must have featured somewhere in his dreams.
The following morning, following a hearty breakfast, we made our way to the park once more. This morning, apart from the cold, we also had to face the rain. The programme for journalists had been drawn up in such a way as to leave us at liberty to explore the resort for ourselves most of the time. However, that morning, I also had a 15-minute slot with one of Disney's most important people - Peter McGrath, who leads the Creative Studio of Walt Disney Imagineering as vice president of creative development, the creative division of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide, in Glendale, California, bringing more than 16 years of Disney experience to his role.
Mr McGrath started his career with Walt Disney Imagineering in 1989 in Paris, where he was project engineer for It's A Small World, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Mad Hatter's Tea Cups and Le Carrousel de Lancelot in Fantasyland.
That interview was an experience as I learnt what it entails to try and come up with stories, rides, staff and ideas for such vast parks spread across the globe. In fact, during the design and construction of Tokyo Disney Sea, Mr McGrath spent five years in Los Angeles and Tokyo as director of design management. He also spent several years directing the design of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort before rejoining Disneyland Paris in 2004. Last year he returned to Walt Disney Imagineering, in Glendale, to lead the creative studio providing content to all Walt Disney parks and resorts worldwide.
Another great experience was the spectacular 30-minute motors stunt show, which kept everybody gob-smacked.
Over the past months, various rides and shows have been opened to coincide with the resort's anniversary.
Among them is Crush's Coaster, which is inspired by the Disney Pixar film Finding Nemo. Crush's Coaster uses gravity, weight distribution of riders and a number of riders to create unexpected turns and twists along the way.
Stitch's animated show came to life too, jostling and wiggling inside a great "parcel" before freeing himself and showing himself to the guests - the journalists and their families.
Another attraction which came to life in the Walt Disney Studios Park from this April is the High School Musical, which will be showing daily.
However, the main highlight of this year full of activities is the resort's latest attraction: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror inside Walt Disney Studios Park and officially inaugurated on April 5. Throughout our weekend at the resort, we could see a lot of activity near the area as barriers and fences were put up around the tower and the Place des Stars area. Camera cranes and lighting rigs extended into the sky ready to light up the area despite the cloudy weather.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was gift-wrapped for the occasion and for its grand opening on the red-carpet Saturday night. But why all the hype surrounding the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror?
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is in fact a recreation of the mysterious, suspenseful world of the classic Twilight Zone, a popular television series which ran in America from 1959 to 1964.
Looming 13 storeys, the attraction is Disneyland Resort Paris's highest attraction. Guests are led through the lobby of the hotel, past the ruined elevator doors and into a library, where they view the opening moments of an episode of The Twilight Zone. This "lost episode" featuring Rod Serling, was never broadcast. It tells a story unique to "Tower of Terror - The Twilight Zone" and was created specifically for the attraction.
"On a dark and stormy night in 1939, lightning struck the landmark Hollywood Tower Hotel and five hotel guests in an elevator were forever transported into The Twilight Zone. Today's guests retrace those footsteps," explains Theron Skees, show producer for Walt Disney Imagineering.
Once inside the library guests are invited to board one of the service elevators which passes through mysterious hotel passageways where ghostly images of lost guests appear and disappear at will. As the journey progresses, the elevator cage hurtles faster than the speed of gravity through the "fifth dimension" in a pitch-black shaft as guests embark on a not-forgotten journey.
Promotional posters encourage you to "drop in if you dare!" I did and was surprised when I was asked to remove my specs. We were strapped into our seats and each and every one of us had to lift both hands over our heads and then asked to tug onto the belt strapping us in. I realised later why this had been asked of us. The fall and the adrenaline rush was amazing, although I would not recommend the ride to the faint hearted. I loved it, even though I was weak at the knees when I walked out.
However, it will definitely be one of those experiences I will talk about in the future, as I remind our son of his first trip overseas in the years to come.
One thing's certain, we will definitely visit the resort again, if anything to make sure that Matthew finally gets to meet the Disney characters without crying his eyes and heart out!
Did you know that?
• Disneyland Resort Paris is the number-one tourist destination in Europe and incorporates two theme parks - Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park - seven themed hotels and three selected hotels.
• Mickey Mouse was "born" in 1928. He was originally going to be called Mortimer, but to please Walt Disney's wife Lillian, his name was changed to Mickey.
• Minnie, Mickey's girlfriend also came to life in 1928. The other characters are not quite so old: Pluto was created in 1931, Goofy in 1932, Donald Duck in 1934, Daisy Duck in 1937, Huey, Louis & Dewey in 1938 and Chip 'n' Dale in 1943
• The Disneyland Resort Paris property covers one-fifth the size of Paris (1,943 hectares), of which 900 hectares have been developed to date.
• Over 1,000 artistes work at Disneyland Resort Paris.
• The oldest visitor to the Resort was 106 years old.
• Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disneyland Park is 43 metres high.
• There are 580,000 bricks on Main Street USA laid out in a pattern similar to New York at the turn of the century.
• 225,000 light bulbs illuminate the Main Street USA building façades.
• Disneyland Resort Paris has 68 different dining facilities including counter and table service. Ther are over 150 chefs, four million hamburgers are eaten each year, 20 tonnes of fish and seafood and 700 tonnes of chicken; 283 tonnes of chips are consumed each year and six million litres of Coca Cola drunk each year.
• Ms Cocks travelled to Paris courtesy of KD Travel and Air Malta.
Millions of guests are this year heading to Marne-La-Vallée, in France, or to be more precise to Disneyland Resort Paris to take part in the resort's 15th anniversary celebrations which continue until next March.
I was one of those millions, lucky enough to receive an invitation to represent The Times for the official celebrations for international and European media. So I packed my bags, and those of my husband and 20-month-old son and headed to Paris.
This was April and the weather was still cold. In fact, that weekend it snowed in Paris. However, the weather was no deterrent to our mood and the atmosphere at the park was uplifting in itself.
Our hotel, the New York, is situated just a stone's throw from Disney Village and only a five-minute walk away from the park. So once we had signed in and had been given our accreditation passes and VIP tickets, we immediately made our way out to the park.
Matthew, our son, loves watching Disney cartoons, so I was looking forward to seeing his reaction once he saw some of his favourite characters like Mickey, Pluto and Goofy.
As we strolled out into the biting cold, wearing our thick jackets and quite heavily wrapped up, we were immediately hit by the sense and feeling of celebration. Banners highlighting the 15th anniversary flew from most corners of the park. Memorabilia and souvenirs could be seen everywhere.
But I digress. That Friday afternoon we headed straight out for Main Street USA, to find a good spot to view Disney's Once Upon a Dream Parade, with the Sleeping Beauty Castle providing a spectacular backdrop. The parade features famous moments from a number of renowned Disney stories, which are incorporated in large floats. The interactive parade jostles all five senses into working mode, especially those of smell, sight and sound. Winnie the Pooh and his friends, Peter Pan and Co, characters from the Lion King and many more made their way down the main thoroughfare to the amazement of onlookers.
We had jostled right up to the front, to make sure Matthew was well positioned to get a good glimpse. But this was quite short-lived: Once the music started and the life-size images began getting closer, he panicked, burst out crying and did not stop until I had to relinquish that front-row spot and move back. That was a sign of things to come. For Matthew would not have any photos taken with any Disney characters. He was scared stiff of them. However, both myself and my husband became kids once more, if we had ever grown up! We walked from one park to the next, viewing shows like The Lion King and going on rides. Matthew particularly enjoyed the rides for the kids, flinging his arms out and giggling all the way, in a teacup, in a circus animal cage, in an Aladdin's lamp or on board a boat.
Stopping for a bite or a drink is not a problem, since the park is dotted with kiosks selling anything from toffee apples and popcorn to restaurants serving some of the best meals around.
Getting Matthew to bed that evening was quite an easy feat. Although it's impossible to be sure what he dreamt about that night, I'm sure Mickey and Goofy must have featured somewhere in his dreams.
The following morning, following a hearty breakfast, we made our way to the park once more. This morning, apart from the cold, we also had to face the rain. The programme for journalists had been drawn up in such a way as to leave us at liberty to explore the resort for ourselves most of the time. However, that morning, I also had a 15-minute slot with one of Disney's most important people - Peter McGrath, who leads the Creative Studio of Walt Disney Imagineering as vice president of creative development, the creative division of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide, in Glendale, California, bringing more than 16 years of Disney experience to his role.
Mr McGrath started his career with Walt Disney Imagineering in 1989 in Paris, where he was project engineer for It's A Small World, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Mad Hatter's Tea Cups and Le Carrousel de Lancelot in Fantasyland.
That interview was an experience as I learnt what it entails to try and come up with stories, rides, staff and ideas for such vast parks spread across the globe. In fact, during the design and construction of Tokyo Disney Sea, Mr McGrath spent five years in Los Angeles and Tokyo as director of design management. He also spent several years directing the design of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort before rejoining Disneyland Paris in 2004. Last year he returned to Walt Disney Imagineering, in Glendale, to lead the creative studio providing content to all Walt Disney parks and resorts worldwide.
Another great experience was the spectacular 30-minute motors stunt show, which kept everybody gob-smacked.
Over the past months, various rides and shows have been opened to coincide with the resort's anniversary.
Among them is Crush's Coaster, which is inspired by the Disney Pixar film Finding Nemo. Crush's Coaster uses gravity, weight distribution of riders and a number of riders to create unexpected turns and twists along the way.
Stitch's animated show came to life too, jostling and wiggling inside a great "parcel" before freeing himself and showing himself to the guests - the journalists and their families.
Another attraction which came to life in the Walt Disney Studios Park from this April is the High School Musical, which will be showing daily.
However, the main highlight of this year full of activities is the resort's latest attraction: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror inside Walt Disney Studios Park and officially inaugurated on April 5. Throughout our weekend at the resort, we could see a lot of activity near the area as barriers and fences were put up around the tower and the Place des Stars area. Camera cranes and lighting rigs extended into the sky ready to light up the area despite the cloudy weather.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was gift-wrapped for the occasion and for its grand opening on the red-carpet Saturday night. But why all the hype surrounding the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror?
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is in fact a recreation of the mysterious, suspenseful world of the classic Twilight Zone, a popular television series which ran in America from 1959 to 1964.
Looming 13 storeys, the attraction is Disneyland Resort Paris's highest attraction. Guests are led through the lobby of the hotel, past the ruined elevator doors and into a library, where they view the opening moments of an episode of The Twilight Zone. This "lost episode" featuring Rod Serling, was never broadcast. It tells a story unique to "Tower of Terror - The Twilight Zone" and was created specifically for the attraction.
"On a dark and stormy night in 1939, lightning struck the landmark Hollywood Tower Hotel and five hotel guests in an elevator were forever transported into The Twilight Zone. Today's guests retrace those footsteps," explains Theron Skees, show producer for Walt Disney Imagineering.
Once inside the library guests are invited to board one of the service elevators which passes through mysterious hotel passageways where ghostly images of lost guests appear and disappear at will. As the journey progresses, the elevator cage hurtles faster than the speed of gravity through the "fifth dimension" in a pitch-black shaft as guests embark on a not-forgotten journey.
Promotional posters encourage you to "drop in if you dare!" I did and was surprised when I was asked to remove my specs. We were strapped into our seats and each and every one of us had to lift both hands over our heads and then asked to tug onto the belt strapping us in. I realised later why this had been asked of us. The fall and the adrenaline rush was amazing, although I would not recommend the ride to the faint hearted. I loved it, even though I was weak at the knees when I walked out.
However, it will definitely be one of those experiences I will talk about in the future, as I remind our son of his first trip overseas in the years to come.
One thing's certain, we will definitely visit the resort again, if anything to make sure that Matthew finally gets to meet the Disney characters without crying his eyes and heart out!
Did you know that?
• Disneyland Resort Paris is the number-one tourist destination in Europe and incorporates two theme parks - Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park - seven themed hotels and three selected hotels.
• Mickey Mouse was "born" in 1928. He was originally going to be called Mortimer, but to please Walt Disney's wife Lillian, his name was changed to Mickey.
• Minnie, Mickey's girlfriend also came to life in 1928. The other characters are not quite so old: Pluto was created in 1931, Goofy in 1932, Donald Duck in 1934, Daisy Duck in 1937, Huey, Louis & Dewey in 1938 and Chip 'n' Dale in 1943
• The Disneyland Resort Paris property covers one-fifth the size of Paris (1,943 hectares), of which 900 hectares have been developed to date.
• Over 1,000 artistes work at Disneyland Resort Paris.
• The oldest visitor to the Resort was 106 years old.
• Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disneyland Park is 43 metres high.
• There are 580,000 bricks on Main Street USA laid out in a pattern similar to New York at the turn of the century.
• 225,000 light bulbs illuminate the Main Street USA building façades.
• Disneyland Resort Paris has 68 different dining facilities including counter and table service. Ther are over 150 chefs, four million hamburgers are eaten each year, 20 tonnes of fish and seafood and 700 tonnes of chicken; 283 tonnes of chips are consumed each year and six million litres of Coca Cola drunk each year.
• Ms Cocks travelled to Paris courtesy of KD Travel and Air Malta.