News / Adventureland

The king of the Pride Lands will meet the king of the swingers this summer at Disneyland Paris as the resort unveils a new stage show and summer season, The Lion King and Jungle Festival.

This New Year weekend saw the lands and attractions of Disneyland Paris shrouded in an eerily beautiful white glaze of frost and freezing fog as 2016 gave way to 2017: the Disney magic as you’ve perhaps never seen it before. Read More…

The most exciting thing about the 25th Anniversary isn’t even the 25th Anniversary. No — for every one of the new events, there are probably five more good reasons for any passionate fan or visitor to return to Disneyland Paris next year.

In this final part of DLP Today’s series looking behind the 2017 announcements, let’s look at why the so-called Experience Enhancement Programme is the real game-changer for this resort. Read More…

Disneyland Paris has formally revealed a four-point renovation plan to “reinvent the magic”, covering ten key attractions in both parks. In planning for several years with the codename “Project Sparkle”, the major slate of refurbishments and updates will both restore lost details and add fresh new features, aiming to bring the Disneyland Paris experience fully in line with its American counterparts. Read More…

Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril closed on 7th January for a major refurbishment which Disneyland Paris swiftly announced would last until 28th May 2014.

Work on the 20-year old Adventureland roller coaster will see replacement of “ride related components” and include the complete replacement of the entire trademark loop. Most notably, though, the complete “Temple of Peril” itself will be stripped down and reportedly rebuilt using more durable “real” stone materials. Already as of mid-January the temple has been wrapped in scaffolding with intermittent visits from a huge cherry picker crane above the skyline.

Opened 30th July 1993, the Intamin-built coaster was originally intended largely as a capacity-boosting stopgap until the young Euro Disney could properly expand its attractions roster. Grand ideas for an interweaving “Adventure” jeep ride and mine train coaster were quickly abandoned, as were concepts for extra scenes and animatronics along the route of the ride, or even a second temple.

What eventually made it into the park, yet with remarkable speed in just one year, was essentially a classic Pinfari TL-59 track layout wrapped around the fake temple structure.

Some elements of the track were altered in early 2000, when the ride was turned “Backwards!” to be promoted as a new attraction and its cars were rebuilt to each carry six people, instead of four as originally designed. The trains were returned to their original direction in late 2004.

Early concept art for an Indiana Jones roller coaster

Investment in park maintenance and refurbishments is always welcome, and continues to improve at Disneyland Paris, but you could almost guarantee if the Temple of Peril was in California, it’d re-open not just with a rebuilt loop, but some kind of storyline enhancement or “plussing” too. If an attraction (especially one quite lacking in story elements) has to close for almost six months, why not squeeze just a tiny bit more budget and make its re-opening something for us to look forward to?

Basically, we’ll never be happy until we get the tiger.

PHOTOS @InsideDLParis (Twitter)

Please don’t “feed the birds”, as several notices around Disneyland Paris kindly request. Maybe it’s the large bodies of the water, the endless dropped food and crumbs, or perhaps even the allure of the Disney magic itself; over the years seagulls have become a frequent nuisance for the mouse in Marne-la-Vallée. Not just detracting from exotic vistas such as the legendary Rivers of the Far West, but causing a maintenance pain for cleaning and repainting too.

Time for some new tactics, then, as the resort unusually announces on its official Twitter the past eight days have seen a trial operation with a falconer and his trusty bird of prey, circling the Chessy skies to deter gulls from descending in the parks. One moment saw the falcon swoop right across the stained glass window of Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant.

Disney_ParisFR later confirmed the effort had been a success and would be used again in the future. Coincidentally, seagulls only ever appear to be an issue in Disneyland Park and around Lake Disney in Disney Village. In Walt Disney Studios Park, you’re actually far more likely to see animatronic versions. Maybe they’re disappointed by the park, too?

With this trial proven, perhaps falconry could be employed to discourage other Disneyland Paris nuisances: the street sellers on the resort hub, that guest who blocks your view of Disney Dreams! just as the show begins, the lone smoker along a crowded parade route… What, no?

VIA @Disney_ParisEN (Twitter)

If Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland Paris was ever going to welcome Jack Sparrow, like all its three cousins around the world, the three-month closure this winter could have been the ample opportunity. But, just as when the rumour surfaced for the 15th Anniversary in 2007, again in 2008, again in 2009, again in 2011 and again for the 20th Anniversary in 2012, fans can lament (or rather celebrate) accordingly as the ride re-opened without any major changes or additions to its story.

Instead, as reported around 7th January when the Adventureland dark ride closed, the refurbishment amounted to little more than a technical upgrade, with seemingly minor changes visible to guests on board — backstage, the works may well have been more complex.

This included, first and foremost, a new process for loading and despatching the boats themselves. As reported by Mouetto, admin of Disney Central Plaza forum, Cast Members no longer give a hand signal to the elevated control box but have their own control panel at ground level to despatch the boats themselves. The Cast Member up above is now hidden behind a screen, with only the closed-circuit screens monitoring the inside of the ride for company.

Within the scenes themselves, improved lighting has been the most remarked-upon aspect since the ride reopened on 16th March so far, with scenes apparently appearing more colourful and better-lit. Animatronics, such as the duelling pirates, were reported to appear perhaps slightly more fluid and sound effects tightened, all as you would expect after any standard refurbishment. Nothing major, then — and in fact, there’s disappointment that minor effects remain untouched or unreliable (such as the chain which is meant to “pull” you up the lift hill not moving).

While most of us probably agree that Disneyland Paris can do without the now increasingly passé Jack Sparrow tie-in (unless that 5th film renews interest), it would be wonderful to see genuine special effects upgrades and gentle “plussing” of classic attractions — include Phantom Manor in that, too. Just a single new special effect or a fun new trick to make us go “oh, that’s new!”

Don’t go rocking the boat but do, please, keep moving forward…

Watch a glimpse of the newly-refurbished ride in the video by Mouetto below… Read More…

Yesterday was a special day for character fans, as troublesome kittens Berlioz and Toulouse from “The Aristocats” made their first ever park appearance at Disneyland Paris. The pair joined sister Marie, who has been sighted rarely at the resort before, for a special photo shoot on Town Square and a brief parade event aboard the Main Street Omnibus.

Titled “Be my Valentine!”, the day’s events also included decorations around Town Square gazebo and numerous “rare” character appearances all around the park, captured here in pictures by @InsideDLParis, @DisneylandPFans and @DisneyMoi.

Unusually, some characters were out as couples: Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy, Woody and Jessie, Peter Pan and Wendy, Stitch and Angel… even Chip ‘n’ Dale vying for Clarice’s heart together. Even more unusual, there was a chance to see characters including Bernard and Bianca from “The Rescuers”, Phoebus and Esmeralda from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and, over at Walt Disney Studios Park, Chicken Little and Abbey Mallard (remember them?!).

Disneyland Paris never usually celebrates Valentine’s Day with this much effort, so it was great for them to do this for their guests, right? Well, yes, and also the certain Prince with deep pockets who was reportedly visiting… but still, we get to enjoy most of the events too, so let’s not complain. Like we all said about the fantastic 12th April 2012 events, which were again presented mostly for a visiting VIP party: this is simply how Disneyland should feel all year round, for all paying guests.

Watch a complete video of The Aristocats’ “Be my Valentine!” cavalcade… Read More…