It was over one year ago now that the first preview of the upcoming attraction was added to the construction site – a giant billboard on top of La Terrasse. Reading “Préparez-vous pour le grand saut! … Get ready for the BIG DROP!” and showing a darkened illustration of the finished Hollywood Tower Hotel, the board mentioned neither an opening date or the attraction’s actual name.

Now, a second phase of preview decorations have been added to the expanded construction walls mentioned yesterday, with a strictly more extravagant Hollywood style. Although, having said that, the new decorative boards which stand out the most are the grimy, rusty Service Elevator doors modelled on those in the attraction itself.

Credit to burne on Disney Magic Interactive Forum for capturing these latest photos from the park.

Taking up two wall sections each, the false doors feature a large number “13” as a foreboding warning, and are joined by large reproductions of the recognisable “HTH” (Hollywood Tower Hotel) symbol on either side.

Several of these “Service Elevators” are featured along the length of the fences bordering Disney Bros Plaza and Place des Stars, whilst between them, separated by three fence sections, are smaller placards displaying a visual of the final attraction and some brief preview text.

In a modern early-20th Century typeface and enclosed within a fitting Art Deco border, the text takes its inspiration from the infamous speech of Rod Serling (or at least the actor portraying him) heard during the attraction’s pre-show video and on board the elevators themselves. Whilst it certainly doesn’t tell us anything new about the attraction, by removing all details of what exactly happened “on that fateful night”, suspense is taken to new heights…

Hollywood, 1939.
Amid the glitz and the glitter of
Hollywood at the height of its golden age, The
Hollywood Tower Hotel
was a star in its own right.
But something happened.

Something dark.
Something unexplainable.
Something terrifying.

And it’s happening once again.

But this time…
It’s happening to you.

The
Twilight Zone
Tower of Terror

These signs are the very first mention of the attraction’s name within the park – no longer will passing guests point towards “The Big Drop”. And perhaps more importantly, The Twilight Zone itself is very prominently mentioned, finally putting to rest the discussion of its inclusion in the Paris version that has been simmering ever since the new attraction was first announced in January 2005.

The full French name as rumoured many months ago is also confirmed. Taking the style of “Les Tapis Volants – Flying Carpets Over Agrabah“, the official in-park name will therefore be “The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – Un Plongeon dans la Quatrième Dimension” (A drop into The Twilight Zone). Try saying that after you’ve just fallen from the 13th floor!

However, in a similar style to “Buzz Lightyear Bataille Laser“, the attraction will be advertised in France with the much more marketable “La Tour de la Terreur”, ensuring the audience understands the concept whilst keeping a quick and punchy title.

For guests wondering what on earth the enormous 183-foot construction is, these fantastically well themed fences (at least considering DLRP’s history in this department) should now provide a vital preview over the next nine months.

Conveniently, they’ve also been added just in time to catch the extra Anniversary guests of April, before then lying in wait for the stampede of newcomers to Toon Studio in June – hopefully giving them all a reason to return when those Service Elevator doors open. Through quite a powerful editing of the text to describe simply “something”, the suspense and tension of The Hollywood Tower Hotel should now be capturing guests long before the January 2008 opening.

Of course, we know exactly what this “something” is, right? We know of the lightning strike, the disappeared guests and the plunging elevator. We all know exactly what happened on that terrifying October 31st in 1939…

Or do we?!

See – the mystery is working already!

Photo 1 by Photos Magiques. All other photos by burne, Disney Magic Interactive Forum.

In 1992 Euro Disneyland raised eyebrows by being the very first Disneyland to allow alcohol to be served inside its gates, though only at its six/seven table service restaurants. Other Disney parks have since followed, and alcohol can now be ordered with table-service meals at Tokyo DisneySea, Disney’s California Adventure and three of Walt Disney World’s parks.

Now, to honour the 15th Anniversary of the Parisian resort “dans une manière très française”, another daring initiative is being launched, this time as a key merchandise or gift item in the rapidly-growing collection of 15th Anniversary souvenirs. Presented in a beautiful, dark glass bottle with silver seal and white etched logos, the first branded wine from Disneyland Resort Paris comes in a presentation package and displays a lot of “taste” before you’ve even managed to pop the cork.

Following a premiere at the January Cast Member Rendez-Vous event, it will be launched imminently as a red Merlot and a white Sauvignon, available for 15 Euros from both table-service restaurants and boutiques.

An excerpt from the latest Backstage magazine, previewing the wine:

Have a wine time

Wine is synonymous with all sorts of celebrations. And because this year we’re enjoying our biggest birthday bash ever, we’re also launching our first branded wine.

Disneyland Resort Paris’ first ever bottle of branded wine is launched in boutiques and table-service restaurants throughout the Resort from early March. The wine, available as red Merlot and a white Sauvignon, actually premiered Backstage at last January’s Rendez-Vous des Cast Members event.

From the bottle to the contents, every inch of this product is something special. The front of each celebratory bottle is beautifully etched with the 15th Anniversary Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant. “We wanted the bottle to be very modern, and a lot like a bottle for olive oil – another great French delicacy,” explains Nathalie Scialom, Food & Beverage Communication Manager.

The responsibity of selecting the wines went to a group of experts that included Bacchus-qualified Food & Beverage Cast Members. The group of wine experts, trained by our Company to understand and speak about wine, met for a tasting sesssion and made their selection.

The wine retails at 15 Euros (in restaurants and boutiques) and comes in a presentation package. It is therefore the ideal gift for any celebration.

– – – – –

If the two varieties of branded wine are a success, who knows where this new merchandise line could go… Pirates of the Caribbean-branded rum?

Beginning with the familiar view over Cars Race Rally, something here will catch your eye as interesting progress. The whole area has suddenly become surrounded by large wooden poles and posts of various sizes, most surrounding the ochre desert rocks. Though we can’t be sure if they’ll remain this size, they appear to be ready to act as path barriers and to help restrain the extra greenery due to arrive in this area, eventually forming a large natural sheild around the canyon from the courtyard outside Animagique.

However, a series of far larger poles could have a different story. Roughly bordering the future Route 66 leading from the Crush’s Coaster entrance to the far edge of the Cars area, their height gives the impression of large telegraph poles, a common sight along Route 66. Though perhaps currently, at least, their vast height is too large even for this when compared to the miniaturised canyon below. We’ll definitely keep you posted on this one. (oh yes!)

The poles even appear to tower above the Toon Town backdrop, seen above, which has now added a few more metal frames to its collection. These will eventually be the supports for various buildings in the faux environs of Toon Studio.

A few short steps and there’s even more progress to see, this time with paint and primer. Paint, for the side wall of the Crush’s Coaster dark-ride building. After the installation of the stunning “fresque” early last month, the wall to its left has finally received colour, leaving only the longer section of the building, to its right, without its ocean blue finish.

The primer is, of course, for Disney Studio 3. After several months of “will they”/”won’t they”, the front wall of the Animagique theatre was finally wrapped in scaffolding late last month and has already lost its classic yellow to a fresh coat of white primer. The building will almost certainly be repainted in the same blue as Art of Disney Animation and Disney Studio 5, completely tying the land together in a single, different colour scheme. No signs of work on the rear wall facing Front Lot have yet been reported, and, since blue here would throw off the entire park entrance, it’s safe to say this will remain yellow.

Now, whilst not an incredible step in the transformation of the land, it’s nice to see that the new planter in front of Art of Disney Animation (added last October) has now received some extra plants amongst its tall, stylised trees. No signs of a barrier around the planter yet, though this will perhaps be added along with the Sorcerer Mickey statue and his arch of stardust.

Time for the most major part of our update today – a unique look at the rapid progress made on Cars Race Rally recently. Specifically, the queue line buildings and boarding area. The photo above shows the circular entrance building with the pistachio-green Flo’s V8 Café canopy on the far right. Concrete flooring and queue line barriers can already be seen, and some very traditional Route 66 tiles have already been applied to the bare concrete of the circular building.

Finally, two photos exclusive to DLRP Today from Photos Magiques! Over the temporary fence next to Art of Disney Animation, the zoom lens focuses in further on the queue and boarding area, giving a very first look at the more industrial, “backstage” area of this Pixar “film set”. To familiarise yourself with the layout of the attraction, take a look at the map here.

In the first photo, one of the two boarding areas and the ride’s main control booth can be seen. The boarding areas will be used to group the correct number of guests ready for the two pairs of turntables, and the gas station themeing of Flo’s V8 Café can already be clearly seen. Rounded concrete footers and gas pump-themed supports will enclose guests, whilst the booth is themed somewhat like the pay kiosk of a Route 66 filling station. Buttons and control equipment can already be seen inside.

The second photo turns the lens as far to the left as possible, with the attraction entrance and Radiator Springs storefronts directly ahead. Upon entering the queue, guests will walk through several indoor corridors inside these “film set” buildings, before then stepping outside to this “backstage” canopy-covered area. The bare concrete form of the paths can be seen, and many of the queue line railings are already in place.

All three of these photos also show the height difference very clearly – once out of the higher entrance building, the paths lead down a small gradient into the Flo’s V8 Café boarding area seen above. This adds not only to the effect of the “canyon” ride area but to the general immersiveness of the entire Toon Studio area.

So much progress from every angle! And all in a park named after the champion of progress, Mr Disney himself. The themeing seems on an entirely different level to the rest of the current park, taking you into different, foreign lands, and they’re still not done! The next few weeks should see even more construction walls descend on the land, as the tarmac flooring is replaced with a more “Disney” alternative and Flying Carpets Over Agrabah receives a long-awaited, three week refurbishment.

And so, to end, a photo dug up from the WDSFans.com archives, taken little over one year ago, that truly shows the power of progress…

Click Here and remember what we’ve left behind!

All photos by Photos Magiques. You can see the full collection here.

Our last update, back in December, told of the giant crane being removed, elevator doors added and the first signs of weathering. Two months on, and progress has continued at a steady pace.

Almost the entire painted and primed section of the Tower’s behind has now received a dirty smothering of the Imagineers’ ageing and weathering effects, whilst very pale yellow paint now covers the front of the building down to the level of the first elevator opening. Scaffolding has been removed from the highest dome, but scaffolding has instead grown to completely surround the front body of the building. Covered by Disney’s trademark construction tarp, painting and ageing are now being added to the lightning-struck building underneath.

Another piece of painted Tower was uncovered this weekend – Tower Hotel Gifts – the gift shop of the hotel. The side wall of the annex building has been primed with texture and painted pale yellow, with some Art/Pueblo Deco details already visible but more still to come. The small tower that forms the entrance and exit (similar to Studio Photo in Front Lot) has yet to be touched.

It has also been confirmed today that testing of the elevator systems has begun. Recent visitors to the Studios have reported hearing muffled “whoosh” sounds from inside the Tower – without doubt the “faster-than-gravity” vertical drop of the elevators – though currently none of the six doors at the front of the attraction are functional, therefore hiding the tests from view. With such a prominent place right at the heart of the park, these sounds and screams from the 13th floor will be a constant source of activity and kinetics within the Studios.

Finally, forums were buzzing over the weekend with the sight of a small themeing touch under one of the “balcony rooms”. The dark brown Art Deco quarter-circle might not look like much, but it’s an exciting detail simply for the fact that it is totally absent on the 2004-inaugurated California version of the attraction.

Although, it should be admitted that it can be seen in California. The detail was present on much of the original Paris concept art for the attraction, as well as on a computer-drawn preview visual and even on the wall painting seen in the gift shop of the attraction. Obviously somewhere on the way up to the 13th floor, The Twilight Zone got them…

The sudden appearance of this lost detail in Paris blows open the possibility for more changes, tweaks or enhancements to the quickly-constructed California version. Could there be more changes to the design of the Tower, perhaps even the colour? What of the strange back-story involving a disastrous fire told by Roland Kleve back in January? And of course, without doubt, the Hollywood Studio placemaking will give the Parisian hotel a unique and more immersive environment to the tagged-on California version.

We thought we knew it all, but it seems The Hollywood Tower Hotel still has many more secrets yet…

Photo 4: Paris photo by Disneytheque.com, Others © Disney.

All other photos by Photos Magiques. You can see more here.

Saturday March 10th 2007

Angry Stitch
Ref number 209401007033
Price 6.00 Euros

Framed Stitch
Ref number 209411007034
Price 6.00 Euros

Tired Stitch
Reference number 209411007035
Price 6.00 Euros

Saturday March 17th 2007

St Patrick’s Day LE
Ref number 209401007100
Limited Edition 900 ex.
Price 10.50 Euros

Belle Princesses 2007
Ref number 209411007080
Price 6.00 Euros

Cinderella Princesses 2007
Ref 209411007082
Price 6.00 Euros

Ariel Princesses 2007
Ref 209411007078
Price 6.00 Euros

Jasmine Princesses 2007
Ref number 209411007083
Price 6.00 Euros

Wednesday March 21st 2007

Mickey and Minnie Spring LE
Ref 209401007027
Limited Edition 900 ex.
Price 10.50 Euros

Friday March 23rd 2007

15th Anniversary Countdown D-20 LE
Ref 20940100700
Limited Edition 900 ex.
Price 10.90 Euros

Saturday March 31st 2007

Stitch WDS Invasion #6 LE
Ref 209401007024
Limited Edition 900 ex.
Price 10.50 Euros

It was confirmed back in 2006 that, unlike the designs shown on much of the attraction’s concept art, the vehicles would not be characters from the film. Instead, to give the “Race Rally” its own story and identity, they would be new, unique vehicles, yet cars which could certainly be from the “Cars” universe. Aside from that, nobody quite knew what to expect – until these first photos were posted by Frank on MagicForum and the e-pinions began speeding in.

The new introductions to the Cars world certainly have a unique look. Beyond the familiar hood/bonnet-noses, windscreen eyes and grill moustaches, the cars have a very stylized raised back, dotted with red break lights. The rear wheels are either missing or hidden, and the cars feature many nods to those which may have populated Route 66 in its heydey – such as metallic fins, chevrons and raised headlights. Whilst the characters in the film were designed as ultra-realistic real-life car models, the more abstract and cheeky design of these little vehicles gives the currently very well-mannered Toon Studio one its first truly “toonish” icons.

The cars work wonders for the forced perspective of their Route 66 desert surroundings, too. The miniaturized Willy’s Butte rock formation suddenly appears to tower over the entire area, thanks to the ride platform being 1 metre below ground level, whilst the earthy, deep colours mix with the turquoise of Flo’s V8 Café canopy and the brown rockwork to give a real sense of place like nothing else at the Studios.

Like Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups at Disneyland Park, the spinning cars only come in a select palette of colours – red, blue and teal. They feature two seating rows but, from these photos, it is hard to confirm how many guests will be able to fit into each. It could certainly be possible that only one adult will fit in each row, though two handrails are featured for both.

The boarding area, themed to Flo’s V8 Café, has also progressed a great deal from our last update on the attraction. The full, turqoise roof is now in place and themeing has begun on the brown supports, the location (in the film, at least) of the gas pumps. With new planting added to the area, the cars installed and themeing begun, the photo above right already bears a good resemblance to the key concept art featured on the construction walls.

Finally, a look at the current state of the general Toon Studio expansion area – in particular the wall at the back of the land, which has now been fully constructed and prepared for painting. At the gateway on the far right, several steel frameworks are now in place for the buildings of the Toon Town backdrop which will enclose this area of the land, placing the backlot of Toon Studio within its own theme world.

Thanks to Frank on MagicForum for all photos featured. You can see more here.

The new parade is once again introduced by the now-familiar face of François Leroux, Vice President of Entertainment at the resort, before we get to see a couple more of the people “behind the Dream” as they proudly present their work.

Below, an artist proudly holds up the full concept art for the Dreams of Fantasy float, showing the extra pirate flag artists and “Jolly Holiday” penguins which, as with the extra performers for every float, were removed from the concept art shown at the recent Shareholders’ AGM. Beyond the large concept art, the tower of Big Ben can be spotted, part of the float’s concept model, whilst the huge drawing board features plans for the float design. Surrounding the artist’s area are stills and artwork from Peter Pan, showing the level of detail and accuracy the designers are striving for in their representations of these classic films.

When designing a parade, much moreso than when designing a theatre show, the directors must work in 3D to ensure the scene works with the perspective of the floats to their audience. A key part of the process, seen previously with The Wonderful World of Disney Parade and Disney Cinema Parade, is therefore to create scale models or maquettes of the floats. The next image above shows a sculpter at work on the maquette for Dreams of Laughter and Fun, in particular the giant Alice stuck inside a thatched cottage.

Next, a close-up on a finished maquette for Dreams of Friendship. Lead by the Toy Story characters in a familiar Andy’s Room environment, the first section of the float features many of the key characters from the first film along with Bullseye from the sequal. Unlike the other floats, the two scenes here are clearly divided, with a page of the storybook also providing a backdrop to the scene.

For the first time, Winnie the Pooh will get his own parade float – albeit shared. The scene – a tea party in the Hundred Acre Wood – is remarkably similar to the former set of his “Winnie the Pooh and Friends, Too” show, during its time at Royal Castle Stage between 1998 and 2005. Pooh’s oak tree home is featured, with colourful lanterns surrounding the wooded grove.

The next image below is definitely worth a click, both for its revealing look at the design of Dreams of Power and its highlighting of the intricacy and artistry involving in crafting the floats. The designer’s drawing boared is filled with a huge diagram of the float’s exact final design, whilst the maquette itself gives us a clearer look at the villain-infested float after the promising concept art seen last weekend.

Finally, a split-second close-up is given of a full coloured maquette, showing Ursula at the back of the float. It isn’t clear yet which of these larger characters will move, or how they will be controlled. Characters such as Pumbaa, for example, could be controlled from inside the float using a puppetry system similar to that used at The Legend Of The Lion King or even California’s Parade of Dreams.

Given the similarities in the style of this parade to California’s 50th anniversary debuted parade, character puppetry could well be added to the line-up of performers giving life to the floats. The list already features stilt walkers, dancers, jugglers, flag artists, bungee acrobats… and elephants! (Taken from Katy Harris’ previous project, the Kids Carnival).

Poppy The Monkey confirmed on MagicForum last week that rehearsals have now begun, taking place at night after Disneyland Park closes its gates. These will continue most nights up until the “soft-opening” premiere on 31st March.

From rumours, to sketches, to maquettes, to construction, to rehearsals – the time and effort required to create a new daytime Disney parade is unsurpassed by anyone else. And now we’re less than 30 days away from the final step… seeing it for real !

Concepts and video stills © Disney, published by arn0 on his blog.

And so, for one year only, every character will receive a special medal to commemorate fifteen years of Disney magic in Paris. Or, for the Disney Princesses, an ornate blue and gold brooch. This covers yet another key area of the resort in vital 15th Anniversary emblems, and yet again adds to the special “VIP” celebration feeling guests are expected to receive throughout the year.

And what of the “new Character locations created for this very special year” we were first promised back in June 2006? Well, according the final concept art below, four new “Character Experience” locations will be popping up at the four corners of Central Plaza, providing a kind of character “hub” around the redecorated Central Plaza stage and Castle. It’s also possible, perhaps, that the locations will be tied into the lands they border.

As for characters in Walt Disney Studios Park, the opening of Toon Studio in June will bring new character locations here, with latest rumours suggesting Ratatouille will be one of the new locations, giving a location for Rémy and Emile to meet guests. Walk-about characters from Meet the Robinsons are also expected.

The major Disney character event, though, will take place early each day on Main Street USA, as Disney’s Character Express steams into the park following a similar route and set-up to last Halloween’s Stitch Cavalcade. Taking place four times each day with a cast of around 14 Disney characters, the cavalcade will use the retired Dumbo float from The Wonderful World Of Disney Parade (seen above in its original concept art and in the park).

The “Casey Jr”-styled float, which consists of several articulated sections, will be completely repainted and redesigned, with a bold colour scheme of blue, white and gold and additional decorations on each carriage. The final carriage, previously closed, will be redesigned to allow more characters to hop onboard.

Characters seen on the concept art include Chip n Dale, Mr Smee, Captain Hook, Woody, Jessie, Buzz, Goofy, Donald, Eeyore and Tigger. Mickey and Minnie won’t be featured, their “top VIP” status obviously restricting them to Disney’s Once Upon a Dream Parade only. As it makes its way up Main Street and around Central Plaza, the Character Express will stop four times to allow the characters to disembark and interact with guests… which sounds like a joy for the Guest Flow teams!

How these events will affect the usual Halloween and Christmas seasons is still uncertain, though forgetting the long-awaited new attractions and even-longer-awaited new parade, the 15th Anniversary looks to be a fantastic year for park entertainment. With extra Disney characters, a morning cavalcade and an evening castle show apparently performed every day, this is the scale of entertainment usually restricted to a one month season extended to cover an entire year.

Concept art © Disney, captured by Mouetto on Disney Central Plaza forum.