News / Refurbishments

The anniversary now begins right as you enter the resort. After a limited number were added the day before, Friday 30th March 2007 finally saw the end of the circa-2002 dark blue Disneyland Resort Paris banners, featuring the Castle and Earffel Tower, now replaced by the familiar 15th Anniversary Lumiere designs. The base of the three new flagpoles, previously just concrete footers and earth, has now been filled with a bright array of yellow and orange flowers, guiding people toward the information sign and bringing some much needed colour to the hub.

New banners and flowers on the hub / Press viewing platform

Not all the last-minute changes were positive for the park, though. To accommodate the press photographers during the following day’s pre-parade ceremony and debut of Disney’s Once Upon a Dream Parade, a tiered viewing platform was installed in front of Town Square’s gazebo, covered in white tarp and also featuring an undercover area for the resort’s own cameras (lucky, considering the weather). Notice also the sea of yellow ponchos – now also featuring the 15th Anniversary logo!

New banners and flowers on the hub / Press viewing platform

More strange additions could be found in Frontierland, ready for the nighttime event following the 31st March fireworks. Whilst unnoticed by most normal guests rushing to Big Thunder Mountain and Phantom Manor, the restaurants, boutiques and Thunder Mesa themeing were all covered end-to-end in anniversary flags featuring yellow lanterns. And the guests rushing to Big Thunder? They might have been disappointed – the attraction remained closed for several hours, perhaps also due to press event preparations.

Flags and lanterns cover everything in sight at Frontierland

Amongst all the new additions for the 15th Anniversary Press Event, there were also a few final changes to the already-familiar events and decorations. After losing his bouquet of flowers for several days, the Character Castle Makeover statue of Mickey now instead picked up his magic wand…

Original Mickey with flowers (Photo by Joel) / Mickey now with magic wand

Whilst Disney Characters’ Express began its rehearsal performances. Steaming up Main Street through the rain, its characters then ran off to their four Lumiere locations around Central Plaza, without their candles seen in the previous weekend’s trade preview but instead with their new 15th Anniversary medals…

Characters receive their 15th medals / Disneyland Hotel roof cleaning, afternoon

Of course, there were also the expected clean-ups and repainting around the park. Best of all, the cleaning of Disneyland Hotel’s roof – from almost-black to its warm original shade of red.

With the Plaza Gardens Restaurant refurbishment completed a few days earlier, repainting continued (weather permitting) of the railings between its entrance doors and Central Plaza. The drained centrepiece fountain, still being returned to its former glory, was filled with temporary plants over the weekend to make sure not a single hint of the magic was broken for the press visitors.

Central Plaza railings repaint / Plaza Gardens fountain given temporary plants

The park was quiet for the most of the day, Walt Disney Studios Park even more so, definitely giving the impression of a “calm before the storm” (almost literally). And as the light faded, guests slowly left the park at 6pm, leaving it to get a long night of rest before its big, premature birthday bash the next day… Though, no doubt, its workers continued on long into the night.

A good night’s sleep before the big day tomorrow…

In the past, each of these little updates might have been given its very own news update, but these days they’re lost amongst construction, parades, and endless preparations for the grand Disney party of the 15th Anniversary. So instead, they’ve all been collected up here in one bumper collection, each with its own headline-that-could-have-been in trademark DLRP Today style… ;-)

Flying the flags

Let’s begin with those flags – both old and new! The resort now has a new centrepiece decoration on its hub – three giant, white flagpoles displaying the European and French flags with a special one for Disneyland15 in the middle. The flagpoles, right behind the main resort information board, present quite a statement about the resort – it’s European, it’s French, and it’s proud of it! They’re also in a much more sedate and stylish design than much of the resort area, blending well with the new signage and detail installed since the opening of the new hub area in late 2005.

Flag fans – don’t desert us yet! The best is yet to come! Not only does the always-rather-bleak-looking Fantasyland entrance gate now have some colourful new flags adoring it, but Main Street‘s full collection of USA flags have been returned after years of absence. The only flag to be found previously was atop The Emporium’s middle, but now almost every key building in the street is once again flying a period-correct 45-starred flag, paying tribute to the patriotism of America.

Casting a spell

Missing for endless years, a new detail was welcomed back with much delight at Le Confiserie des Trois Fées (the three fairies’ sweet shop) in Fantasyland. Hovering above the stove of their fairytale confectionary store, the three faries from Sleeping Beauty – Flora, Fauna and Merryweather – can once again be seen thanks to the return of this nifty projection effect, similar to those in the post-show of “it’s a small world”. Photos Magiques even captured a video of it, which can be seen here.

Rebuilding fairytale defences

Elsewhere in Fantasyland, the ramparts of the fairytale buildings have regained some old details, such as the metal torches along Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains and the defence spikes of the castle.

More Frontier fix-ups at Fuente del Oro

Fuente del Oro Restaurante in Frontierland has had some incredible luck lately. Not only has it been fully repainted, repaired and refurbished, but new murals and details have appeared all over – either new or returning, they’re a great example of why Disney is king of detail…

Plaza Gardens Palissades & Fresh Paint on Main Street

Les Palissades – the construction fences! For years they’ve been enveloping different sections of Main Street for much-needed refurbishments, but Plaza Gardens Restaurant has always sat on the edge, unloved. Now, much like the story of how Main Street grew out from the railroad station, the refurbishments have finally reached the Plaza inn and a full exeterior refurb is underway. Back at Town Square, the Riverboat Excursions mural has finished its repaint and is certainly looking much cleaner and brighter.

The flames of Adventure

Since Autumn 2006 burning flames have finally returned full-time to the torches of Adventureland Bazaar and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril. From time to time, they can also be spotted once again atop a look-out tower next to Pirates of the Caribbean. Now, they’ve even returned to a spot where their absence perhaps wasn’t even noted, just outside Le Girafe Curieuse boutique.

Meet the Robinsons!

The new details aren’t just confined to Disneyland Park. Though much of the enhancement work at the Studios is on-track for the June opening of Toon Studio, there are still touch-ups to the sets and backlots. In true Disney-synergy style, for example, Meet the Robinsons are now presented on new posters at both Art of Disney Animation and Backlot Express. Fairly quiet until late last year, Disney has suddenly had a surge of pride with their 2nd Disney-only CGI film, and is doing a great job with advertising. See it in 3D if you can, or return to the Studios very soon to meet two stars from the film in real 3D!

Spiffing-up the first Sorcerer Mickey

Soon to be outdone by an even grander Sorcerer Mickey statue at the entrance to Toon Studio, Front Lot‘s bronze statue has just reacted with a much-needed touch-up to its rocky plinth, returning a mellow brown colour the heavily worn rocks.

Armageddon: Plus d’Effets Speciaux

A nice effect has either returned after a long absence or been introduced outside the exit of Armageddon: Special Effects. Next to the motion-activated special effects wind machine, this grate in the ground now emits steam throughout the day. A nice, industrial way to bring more life to Backlot.

What am I queueing for again?

Just incase guests heading into Art of Disney Animation have a sudden spot of amnesia, a new sign has been added right above the entrance doors to the “Art of Animation” pre-show room. Using a pink background matching the repainted brickwork and a nice illustration of Mickey at an animator’s desk, the sign should actually be very useful to place the name and intention of this attraction in guests’ mind. This is a park, afterall, where guests are often heard to comment “Wow, number 8 was amazing!” or “Have you been on number 3 yet?”, referring to the Studio and park map numbers…

Phew! …and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of new and returned details, not the mention the endless refurbishments and new constructions across the two parks. Look out for part 2 very soon, to get right up-to-date with all the latest changes, including brand new photos from Photos Magiques.

A huge thanks to the following for photos included here: Joel, Scrooge, Photos Magiques.

It has always been a point of both positive and negative that Front Lot is by far the most beautiful of all the Walt Disney Studios Park lands. Fantastic that the second gate gives such a good first impression, a disappointment that the rest of the park doesn’t follow the same level. Of course, there’s a reason beyond the strict budget… movie studios have traditionally always had extravagant, glossy facades at their entrance and administration area, before quickly becoming simple soundstage complexes beyond.

And so, for this latest, large-scale refurbishment, only the best will do! It’s out with the asphalt and in with hundreds, thousands of coloured bricks. The work isn’t due to be fully completed until late May or June, and now we can see why. The flooring will keep a pattern (though not necessarily identical to the original), but the patchy and worn-out asphalt is now high quality bricks similar to those used on the new central esplanade in December 2005.

The new path meets up perfectly with the existing compass design of the esplanade’s hub, and begins with larger bricks around the security check area. Around half of the bricks have currently been laid, with the work breaking in half to allow guest glow before beginning again right at the Studio gates – this time with far smaller and different coloured bricks.

Similar work is expected to begin this week inside the park itself, as the black tarmac of Toon Studio is finally replaced with a lighter colour, reportedly actual paving and large flagstone tiles.

As we’ve been seeing for several weeks, the amount of construction walls throughout the resort is truly at an all time high. Most noticable of all are probably those surrounding the Disneyland Park entrance, Fantasia Gardens. Work here is centering on replacement of lamps, tidying of gardens and the refurbishment and repainting of the several tired gazebos.

The work isn’t necessarily as major as that in front of Walt Disney Studios, but the prominent location and design of the gardens gives it much more of an impact on guests. Luckily, the resort are well on top of their game – almost every construction fence (and that goes for those inside both parks, too) is now sporting a special sign proclaiming “More magic is being prepared for the 15th Anniversary” and to “Join us from 1st April 2007”.

Most (if not all) of the work around Fantasia Gardens is due to be complete by late this month, just in time for the anniversary launch, though it remains to be seen if the iconic Disneyland Hotel and busy esplanade area will get any hint of the anniversary. We’ve seen the number “15” pop up in almost every corner of the resort lately, yet the esplanade is still, for now, left out of the party.

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

Beginning with a walk right down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A., the Tilyou Building and Boardwalk Candy Palace are fenced off for a major refurbishment similar in scope to that at The Emporium last year. The bright pistachio and pink façades were repainted before Christmas, and in early January the store closed to allow for a major refurbishment and remodelling. The displays and props of sweets inside had been looking a little less than tasty for a few years, so hopefully this will return a bit of the sparkle and sugary sweetness to the Atlantic City-themed boutique.

On Town Square, the Riverboat Excursions advertisement mural outside the Southern entrance to Liberty Arcade is being given a touch-up, following the completion of work on the buildings at its Northern end – see photo here.

Plaza Gardens has been looking a little worse for wear over recent months (and years), but whilst the rest of Main Street has seen copious amounts of new paint and rehabs the country park restaurant has been left overlooked. Now, the rehab crews have finally reached the end of Main Street and the restaurant is at last getting a well-deserved spot of TLC. The main building has been wrapped in scaffolding and tarps ready for work to begin.

Over on Central Plaza itself, it looks like a familiar Christmas gift will be here to stay. Whilst the flower beds and planters surrounding the hub were returned to their normal, non-elevated and non-snow-covered normality, the removal of fences around the plaza reveals the stage is now ready and waiting for the April launch of the new Candlabration show. The Christmas props have been entirely removed, and a hint of blue colouring even seems to have made its way onto the sides of the cleaned-up stage. The “Once Upon a Time” motif may sit rather oddly with the non-Princess-themed ceremony, but within a few months it could be that we won’t be able to remember Central Plaza without the addition, due to stay now until March 2008.

Now, with themeing, restaurants and boutiques all covered by refurbishments, shouldn’t the attractions get a polish-up too? Scheduled to finish tomorrow are the clean-ups of Le Carrousel de Lancelot and Les Mystères du Nautilus, whilst Casey Jr. – Le Petit Train du Cirque and Le Pays des Contes de Fées are also due to return for the new year.

With all this Disneyland Park-centred refurbishment beginning to rival the construction wall record of Walt Disney Studios Park, could the second gate be getting worried? It need not fear – the major resurfacing works in front of – and around – its grand entrance arch more than outdo the competition! All of the old searchlight and stars floor decoration has been scraped away, leaving a bare concrete base for new – and hopefully more resilient – flooring to come, ready for the park’s first ever new attraction openings in mid-June.

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

Usually, fashion makeovers are ruthless. Bin this, chop that, lift everything. Unfortunately, when you’re the entertainment district of a financially struggling resort still busy improving its two theme parks, it seems you’ll be left standing with a few balloons and some paint colours that can be seen from the Moon. A far cry from the postmodern, monotone designs of original architect Frank Gehry, recent works have attempted to all but eliminate the cold designs and “Disneyfy” the Village street.

After removing the central steel columns in late 2005, colourful illuminated balloons were added to the remaining pylons and along the row of stores on the left-hand side of the street. Next, the area of the former Central Stage was gutted and totally repainted to form a warmer undercover area for the Sports Bar, with new flat signage replacing the neons. The latest phase of work continues this project, with the remaining grey stores repainted neon colours and more new signage installed.

Team Mickey has seen the most change, with its name finally officially changed to “Disney Fashion”. The rebrand already took place inside the store over two years ago, albeit with a different, more modern style to this green and orange redesign. When originally opened in 1992, the store represented the American love of sports with a wide variety of Disney-themed sports items and clothing. Strangely, the various sports balls adorning the entrance arches have remained in place and been given a fresh coat of metallic silver paint, highlighting their design even more than before.

Further along the street, the new orange and pink colours of the Hollywood Pictures and World of Toys stores are nothing short of unmissable. The original large neon signs of the boutiques, previously positioned on the outside of the metal canopy, were removed in late 2005, leaving only 2D signage behind. Some rumours say the stores along this row will be further brightened with murals of Disney characters, any hints of whom are currently totally absent from the main avenue (excluding Café Mickey).

A stunning makeover or a fashion faux-pas? I’ll let you decide…

All photos © Joel.

Beginning, like most guests, as the entrance to Disneyland Park, let’s take a moment to marvel as the fully completed refurbishment of Disneyland Hotel. With its original, warm, pink colour returned, the hotel is glowing with magic once again. The next job for the crew will be to replace the scores of blown bulbs across the rooftops, but aside from that, the envy of every other Disney Resort has never looked more stunning.

Deep inside the park at Fantasyland, those fences just won’t budge from the Wishing Well. Work has been going on here for at least two months, and, as you can see, there hasn’t been much of a rush to get it finished. Also in Fantasyland, Le Pays des Contes de Fées and Casey Jr. are closed during the low season, with walls in place whilst the usual Winter refurbishment goes on.

Over in Frontierland, it seems they’re having trouble ridding the park of the Pumpkinmen, with a gathering of green fences still to be found around the site of the Pumpkin Paint Tower. With a quick change of parks, the refurbishment of Front Lot’s buildings continues, with Studio Photo revealing its newly refreshed colours and Studio Services getting the white basecoat treatment. Once repainted, the refurbishment project should finally be complete, unless they plan on starting on Disney Studio 1…

And finally… the atmosphere in Disney Village feels a bit deflated recently. Can you find a reason why? Those balloons were less than a month old – it should only be a few more days now before the (rather sleek) new red ribbon decorations on the second entrance drop off aswell.

For more of the latest photos, check Photos Magiques »

Reopening day itself, Saturday 14th October, was reportedly an eventful one. Scrooge at Disney Magic Interactive forum reported that just seconds after opening the whole of Frontierland was closed, before reopening a few minutes later. Big Thunder Mountain itself didn’t open until after midday, and suffered several technical problems throughout the day.

As for the refurbishment, which began on 21st August, whilst Big Thunder itself was cleaned and repainted in sections before the closure and during its early stages, impressive changes have taken place at the attraction’s loading station recently. The most noticable of these to mine train riders is the addition of new safety gates on each platform, similar to those installed in 2005 at Space Mountain: Mission 2. Unlike the gates at other attractions, though, these have been themed to fit perfectly with the attraction, with the seams of the metal bars made clearly visable to give an old-fashioned, Western style.

Outside of the station building itself, the difference between old and new is remarkable. The classic red tint on the wood has been restored to its full glory after becoming practically invisible due to years of weathering and neglect.

The ochre rockwork around the station has been cleaned just as spectacularly as the mountain itself, and the Southern sides of the queue building have had their vibrant yellow tint restored, completing the ride’s iconic Western colour scheme of brown, red, yellow and green (the wagons). Meanwhile, a new height indicator is just one of the many minor tweaks and modifications to the attraction.

The only way to truly experience the superb changes here, though, is to take a ride on “the wildest ride in the wilderness” itself. Whilst every turn presents new areas of rockwork painstakingly cleaned and repainted, one of the key scenes with a lot of new vibrancy is just after the first lift hill, where all manner of spiky cacti grow in the middle of a u-turn in the track, seen below. Finally, the moss and dirt have been removed to return the arid, desert feel to this incredible landscape.

Adjustments have, of course, been made to the more major elements of the ride, such as the roller coaster’s track (in particular the first lift hill), animatronics and special effects. Whilst some effects were reportedly not functioning this weekend, it is expected they will all return eventually.

Photos by DLRP Today, Photos Magiques, Dlrp.fr and Scrooge (Disney Magic Interactive forum).

Starting as every budding starlet does, on the Place des Frères Lumières in Front Lot, the refurbishment of Walt Disney Studios Store is progressing well. A few weeks ago the huge boutique was repainted in a basecoat of grey, but now its trademark yellows are beginning to return and, so far, they seem a shade or two deeper than before. There also now appears to be more contrast and detail between the different areas of paint, with the arches in the side walls receiving a darker yellow to the pale edging. Repainting has also been going on outside the park gates, across the canopy of Studio Services.

Further into the park, at the Tower of Terror construction site, everything seems to be going, ehm, “peachy” with the installation of fabricated windows and window frames across the front of the tower, whilst scaffolding has grown up around both sides of the main showbuilding as more details are added. The concrete panels already in place on the back of the tower, to give more detail and relief to the design, are now making their way up the sides of the tower.

At the back of the tower, the peachy base coat has now been applied to almost all of the bare concrete, giving a slightly more pleasant look to the imposing construction. The lower concrete building at the back of the tower, housing the large power grid needed to operate the tower and its three high-power elevator shafts, has also been given the same basecoat along with extra art deco touches on its corners. Eventually, the entire Tower of Terror will gain a colour more akin to that seen in Front Lot above, although with a few extra scorch marks…

As for the opening of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, nothing at all has been confirmed. In fact, apart from the small billboard in front of the construction site, Disneyland Resort Paris seem to want to pretend it’s not even happening. Why for? Well, with even only a vague opening schedule rumoured, people are more likely to visit for Toon Studio in June 2007, rather than wait a little longer for the fully expanded Walt Disney Studios experience.

The theme of prolonging things has spread further recently, though, since current favourite rumours indicate previews of the attraction in late 2007 and a January 2008 official opening. This would mean the attraction won’t clash with the popular Halloween and Christmas seasons, nor will it’s opening come too early in the timeframe of the 15th Anniversary year. With a large number of people traditionally booking their Summer holidays in January each year, could they be booking themselves into a visit to the Hollywood Tower Hotel instead? It’s possible. But then, so could be an opening of January 2208 at this point…

Photos by Photos Magiques / WDS Fans.