Enter The Cave of Wonder

It's always fun to revist attractions here at DF'82, and today we are going to head back over to Adventureland in Disneyland Paris to see one of our favourites.
That's right, it's Aladdin's Enchanted Passage! A chance to enter into the world of Aladdin and experience the story of his journey and the magic lamp. And the genie, of course!

There are some beautiful scenes throughout this walkthru attraction (all of which can be quite hard to photograph and really should be experience in person). Just don't forget to say the magic word (as per the Genie!).Due to the fact this is a walkthru attraction, there is never a wait or alot of people waiting to pass through. It is a great experience with some fantastic effects scattered throughout!We'll see you there, Genie!

Driving into Discovery

Disneyland Paris may have a very different Tomorrowland, in the shape of Discoveryland, but there is one attraction that guests will find very familiar.The Autopia ride can be found in Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, Magic Kingdom (in the form of Tomorrowland Indy Speedway), Tokyo Disneyland (Grand Circuit Raceway) and, of course, in Paris, as 'Autopia'.
A thoroughly popular attraction, if you fancy taking a ride on this futuristic, 1950's style, Grand Prix track, you are advised to get there early. The queues for this ride can get very long as the day goes by, as it is a long attraction and the loading can be quite slow.The theme here is far more retro-futuristic, trying very hard to fit into the Jules Verne-theming of the rest of Discoveryland. It is a great chance for children to try their hand at driving a real car! Although it may be more appealing to younger children (under the age of 10, perhaps) it is a fun, family attraction and can bring back memories to those older guests who may have enjoyed this attraction at a younger age.

Autopia is sponsored by Ford, and it is 'On Route to the Future'!

Honey, I Shrunk Paris!

The Honey, I Shrunk The Audience attraction is located in Discoveryland in Parc Disneyland, Paris, close to Star Tours and behind Space Mountain.

As you can see, the attraction title is Cheri, J'ai Retreci le Public - doesn't that make it sound more exotic? For those who have not experienced this attraction before, it takes place in the Imagination Institute and introduces us again to the Szalinski family from the classic movie by the same name. Guests put on 3D glasses - protective glasses for the experiments that are possibly going to take place! - as they watch a presentation honouring the works of Wayne Szalinski.

It is a great attraction for the whole family - and I won't spoil it for any of you - but be prepared! Also, under-5s may find this is a little intense, so procede with caution. As even certain Princesses find this a little, ahem, intense also...

Ending the Studio Tram Tour

Thank you for joining us on our small look at the Studio Tram Tour at Walt Disney Studios, Paris. Just as the tour is ending, we have a look at a few more boneyard pieces which are now left here as distant memories. Shall we have a look at them before disembarking?
Well, thank you again. Remember, please mind your head and watch your step as you leave the vehicle, and enjoy the rest of your day here at DF'82.

There May Be Dragons Here

After experiencing Catastrophe Canyon, we can breathe a sigh of relief that it was all just a movie set. But as we pass by the boneyard and film set again, we eventually come to London, England, 2022. And all is not what it seems.
Now we are on a replica of the set from the 2002 film "Reign of Fire". In this, dragons invade the city and destroy it. But don't worry, we don't actually come face to face with a dragon. Just some of his very hot fire and large roar!

And Then There Was This Tanker...

If you have visited Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida then you will already be familiar with our next stop on the Studio Tram Tour in Paris. It is, of course, the infamous Catastrophe Canyon.For those of you unfamiliar with it, the Canyon consists of a rocky area, similar to the Grand Canyon, which has a large petrol tanker. The Studio Tram drives through and, unfortunately, has a problem and has to stop. It is then we are greeted with some amazing special effects! Yes, we become the Extras in this film sequence, and take part in the action. All we have to do is act scared. That shouldn't be too easy on this...Let's have a look at some of the facts from this attraction - please don't read any more if you want to be surprised by what exactly happens! Over 265,000 litres of water is used on this attraction, amongst the earthquake and fire effects. It can get hot, and the left side of the tram may get a little, well, wet!

Behind the Camers

Continuning on with our Studio Tram Tour of Walt Disney Studios, we are faced with a replica of a set used in the mini-series Dinotopia.
This is the Waterfall City facade which was used on the mini-series, and it allows the guest to have a closer look at how a movie set is constructed and how it appears from behind the camera.
Here we see some of the runs and riggings for the camera, and also a truck used to transport equipment. And what's that? Another detail from the Imagineers in the number plate? Let's have a closer look.I am not sure what '9606' stands for. I guessed June 1996, and the only major achievement with the Resort then was the extension of their festival tie-in with the new Space Mountain ride. However 'VA92' relates to the opening of Euro Disney in 1992 (presuming VA stands for Marne-la-Vallee, where Euro Disney is situated). And can you also find the Hidden Mickey?

Let's Fly Away!

After we board the Studio Tram Tour, we are taken among the first of a couple of boneyards on the tour. This one shows some more traditional forms of travel used in the movies. Let's have a look, shall we?
These planes were used in the making of the film Pearl Harbour, which starred Ben Affleck and Kate Beckinsdale.
Of course, we are also introduced to some more unusual forms of travel. Anyone tried travelling on a dinosaur?
I'm only joking! This dinosaur 'shell' was used in the film Dinosaur as an animatronic.

Let's Start the Tour!

When the Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris opened, one of the largest attractions and draws was the Studio Tram Tour. The Tram Tour takes you "Behind the Magic" and allows guests to get up close and personal to artifacts from movies, and shows you how many of the special effects on our favourite movies are created!
The ride experience lasts 15 to 20 minutes and takes us around a very large area, making it the largest attraction of the Park - and possibly the Resort. It has been adapted from the Florida Park, Disney's Hollywood Studios, but there are several new elements. The entire attraction takes place in the tram (unlike the Florida counterpart) and due to the language barrier, there is no Cast Member guiding us throughout the attraction. Instead there is a video screen commentary in English and French, with the English part being narrated by a Disney favourite - Jeremy Irons.

The tour is great for the whole family, but it's important to note that younger children may get frightened at a few of the scenes, as there are explosions and loud noises. Although, if they are warned, they may not be as scared!
Over the next few days here at DF'82, let's take a trip through the Studio Tram Tour, and behind the Magic of the Movies!

A Voyage of a Different Kind

Jumping over the pond - or over a couple of them, depending where you are in the world - let's have a look at going to Tokyo DisneySea over in Japan.

What ride will we try today? Last time we had an adventure with Indiana Jones. How about another kind of journey - Sindbad's Storybook Voyage! Let's see what Sindbad has in store for us...

Spin Me Round

Sitting quietly in Fantasyland, Parc Disneyland in Paris, is one of the most thrilling, terrifying and stomach-churning rides of the entire park. No, I'm not talking about Space Mountain or even Tower of Terror - I'm talking about Mad Hatter's Tea Cups, or informally as The Teacups.

Like it's sister attractions throughout Disney parks in the rest of the world, Mad Hatter has his tea cups placed in Fantasyland. Of course, due to the inclement weather Paris experiences throughout the year, this attraction has a beautiful glass roof, shaped like a petal, which helps blend it in to the surrounding gardens. It consists of 18 tea cups, with two to four persons per cup!

As with every Disney Theme Park attraction, ride or building, it's the little details that I love. Like this - the giant milk jug and sugar holder. Just to help you feel like you really are at a tea party.

An attraction that I don't get to experience very much, as my father gets violently sick on them, on our last trip my mum and I made the effort to have a go on them. And neither of us were sick - luckily!

Memorabilia Monday

I thought it could be fun if every Monday I share with you some of my Disney memorabilia that I've collected throughout the years. Some of it to do with Disneyland Paris, but most of it to do with the American parks.


The first item I'd like to share with you is this fantastic patch I received from my fabulous friend who worked at Disneyland Resort Paris.


The patch was issued to Cast Members to celebrate the last ride of the original Space Mountain: De la Terre de la Lune (Space Mountain: From the Earth to the Moon) attraction in January 2005. Translation of the bottom of the part of the patch reads: Last journey before Mission 2.

The ride was updated, with new music and new theming, to be called Space Mountain: Mission 2, and re-opened in April 2005. You can read my previous post on Space Mountain here.

Let's Rock!

Continuing on with our 'Ticket To' series, I thought we should have a wee wander about Walt Disney Studios. So, let's enter and head over to one of the 'E ticket' attractions the park houses. And while we're there, we can grab a fastpass and then head on into Rock n' Roller Coaster avec Aerosmith!

The ride has the same premise as it's sister ride in Disney's Hollywood Studios, over in Orlando, Florida. You enter into a record company's building - Tour de Force records - and snake through it into a recording studio, where you find Aerosmith. They're talking about this amazing ride that Steve Tyler has just been on, and he's talking about the G-Forces that happen as the car rides off a loop.

During the queue line, the announcements are in French, but once you meet Aerosmith in the recording studio, they are speaking in English. The pre-show is slightly different to that of Disney's Hollywood Studios - apart from it being a different scene, the pre-show itself is shorter, allowing a quicker processing of guests. This is probably due to the large amount of non-English speaking tourists that will experience the attraction, and to save them standing impatiently watching something they can't understand.

Another difference between the two attractions is that this ride puts the guests in the situation of a music video (not the travel through the LA freeways to the Aerosmith concert); and instead of road signs throughout the ride itself, there are hundreds of lasers and flashing lights. The music is the exact same, though, but the 'limos' are SoundTrackers.

Construction for the ride began in May 2000, with the building itself constructed around the roller-coaster's steel supports and tracks. The finished attraction officially opened on March 16th 2002. Interestingly, the large and shiny CD disc 'prop' on the outside of the building was originally destined to be the entrance to the attraction, but ended up being place on the side. There was also talk of the attraction's exterior having a superb light and laser-show, similar to that inside, but this never happened.

It's one of my favourite attractions at the Walt Disney Studios in Paris, and on a quiet evening it's very easy to go on the ride at least 12 times in a row (that's what I could do - 16 in a day). It's possibly not as story based as the Florida attraction, but if you look for the story you can see it, and sometimes those are the best rides. The ones that have a story but it's not spelled out for you.

So what are we waiting for - do we all have our fastpasses? Let's go!

It Is A Small World After All!

As most of you probably know, there are lots of opinions flying around with regards to the proposed update to It's A Small World in over in Disneyland, California - the oldest of all the IASW. While I have my opinions on the subject, I will leave it to other blogs to discuss the different sides of the arguments.

But, with all the discussions that are going on, I thought back to all my trips on IASW in Disneyland Paris. So, guess what? I'm going to share with you some pictures from the attraction on this side of the pond (but over the sea from me).

So, please join me over the next couple of days when I try and take you around the It's a Small World attraction in Parc Disneyland as best I can (the photos may not be amazing, but hopefully it will help you appreciate the attraction). I guess it is pretty relevant at the moment, as the Disneyland Paris version has the USA section in the ride, which is proposed for Disneyland California.

Anyway, enjoy the pictures and please don't forget to post any comments or even just say hi! I definitely appreciate it.

Spotlight on...Space Mountain: Mission 2

From time to time, I'd like to shine a spotlight on some of the Disney Park's E-ticket attractions. With my most recent trip being to Disneyland Paris, I thought I would start with the marvellous Space Mountain.

Unlike the majority of other Disney parks throughout the world, which houses the attraction in Tomorrowland, Disneyland Park Paris has Space Mountain in Discoveryland. As soon as you step into Discoveryland, you can tell that the Imagineers found their inspiration from historical figures such as Jules Verne. And, of course, most Disney geeks know that a lot of the ideas for the Land came from the idea that "never was", Discoveryland. I'll explore this Land in a later blog entry.

One of the largest icons of the Land is Space Mountain, designed as a giant cannon Columbiad, from the Baltimore Gun Club. A giant over-sized gun barrel, which is ready to send unsuspecting guests from the Earth to the Moon, just like the Jules Verne novel of the same name. Originally named "Space Mountain - De la Terre à la Lune" (Space Mountain - From the Earth to the Moon), the attraction opened 1st June, 1995. I can remember the 'big deal' that surrounded the opening, even here in the UK. With corkscrews, loops and special effects inside the mountain, including the shoot-off at the start from the cannon, this introduced a brand new style of coaster into the Space Mountain dynasty. The cannon blasts riders amidst a puff of 'smoke' uphill at a speed of 43mph (in under 2 seconds), setting the ground for future Disney rides Rock N' Roller Coaster and California Screamin' at WDW and Disneyland respectively.

The ride was originally to be called "Discovery Mountain", and this can still be seen on certain items around the loading and unloading area of the cars. The cars also had "DM" on them, but I'm not sure if that has been removed now.

After almost 10 years, Space Mountain had a re-theming, mainly due to the nearby and closely themed "Visionarium" attraction closing down. The ride changed to "Space Mountain: Mission 2", with the Columbiad shooting guests into the depth of the universe, rather than just to the moon. This has allowed the ride to incorporate more special effects, such as meteorites and supernovas. Mission 2 re-opened on 9th April 2005, with new music composed by Michael Giacchino (Rataouille, The Incredibles). The new theme introduced additional references to George Méliès.

Some information for you fact fans: the ride lasts approximately 2 and a half minutes, with a track length of around 3280 feet and a car capacity of 24 people.

From a personal viewpoint, this is probably one of my favourite rides from all the Disney theme parks I've been lucky enough to visit. I never had a chance to ride the original Space Mountain, but I love Mission 2. The blast-off is fantastic, and the music times brilliantly with the inversions of the ride. It's a relatively smooth rollercoaster, and the theming is impeccable. As you walk to the cars, you pass through a fantastic room, with star constellations on the ceiling, and diagrams of the Columbiad cannon on the walls. The theming is like something right out of a Jules Verne novel, and you could imagine him sitting with the Imagineers as they develop this attraction.

If, however, you don't like rollercoasters or rides in the dark, the building itself is something magical to look at. There's plenty of details throughout the building, and just the fact that the outside is based like a cannon shows the painstaking planning and attention to detail from the Imagineers. This is definitely something I recommend you see if you visit Disneyland Paris - and if you can, take some time to appreciate the building in the evening, as it is even more beautiful and brilliant at night.