Paris Hilton Visits Disneyland Paris
posted on October 20th, 2011 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
Look at who made a surprise visit to Disneyland Paris this week. Paris Hilton and some of her friends celebrated Halloween early at the park with Cruella De Vil, Maleficent and the Evil Queen after Disney’s Maleficious Halloween Party. During Paris’ visit, she also enjoyed a few attractions, including the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Here is another shot from our friends at Disneyland Paris.
This Week in Disney History: Disneyland Paris Marks Castle Milestone
posted on August 3rd, 2011 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager
Western Europe is full of castles that astound and inspire, evoking thoughts of fairy tales and a time gone by – and Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty Castle) at Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris is no exception.
The castle, which was topped off in August 1991 (20 years ago this week), is a bit different than the first Sleeping Beauty Castle, built 5,659 miles away at Disneyland park in California. The French version features pink-tinted turrets, stained-glass windows and a basement cavern that is home to a dragon (La Tanière du Dragon), who awakens if you wait long enough.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes video of the topping off from Disneyland Paris.
Giant Disney Sleeping Beauty Sand Castle Created in Paris
posted on July 28th, 2011 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
For the first time, Disneyland Paris is participating in Paris Plages and we thought you’d enjoy a peek of some of the amazing work now on display, including a 16-foot sand sculpture of Sleeping Beauty Castle. If you’ve not heard, Paris Plages is a yearly summer event held in the heart of Paris where the Seine riverbanks are transformed into a giant beach.
Seven expert sculptors worked for nearly 300 hours to transform 60 tons of natural sand into our famous castle along the Seine River. Take a look at their finished work.
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Also, for the 10th edition of Paris Plages, Disneyland Paris and the Mairie de Paris social services division are holding a special day for children unable to go on vacation this summer. Paris Plages continues through August 21.
Disney Inspires Artist Sand Sculptures – Take a Virtual Tour
posted on June 24th, 2011 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
When nearly 40 of the world’s best “sand” artists gather, amazing sculptures happen. And when they’re inspired by Disney Parks, it’s a must-share on the Disney Parks Blog. For the first time, the theme of this year’s Sand Sculpture Festival in Blankenberge (Belgium) is Disneyland Paris. There are 125 sand sculptures and they’re all inspired by favorite places at Walt Disney Studios Park, Disneyland Park as well as heroes of Disney and Pixar.
At the festival, there’s a labyrinth of sand art to check out and you can do it right now from your computer with a stunning virtual tour. Go to the site and use your mouse to navigate around the Disney artwork – Tink will lead the way around sand versions of Main Street, U.S.A., to Toy Story Playland. What’s your favorite?
Take 5: Disney Parks and Resorts Abroad
posted on June 11th, 2011 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
Ever wonder what goes on at the Disney Parks and Resorts around the world? With properties in Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong, there are plenty of fun facts and milestones to share from our international counterparts. Thinking of taking a trip to one of these locations? Stop by and see us!
Take 5: Disney Parks and Resorts Abroad
- Hong Kong Disneyland 5th Year Anniversary – Last September Hong Kong Disneyland celebrated its 5th year Anniversary. More than 2,000 families from the Hong Kong community joined over 2,000 cast members to celebrate the milestone.
- Take a Tilt-Shift Trip to Disneyland Paris – Check out this tilt-shift video, “A Magical Day at Disneyland Paris,” and see just about everything Walt Disney Studios Park and Disneyland Park has to offer.
- A View From…Tokyo Disneyland – Love Christmas time at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts? Check out some cool photos from Tokyo Disneyland’s holiday celebrations.
- This Day In Disney History: Disneyland Paris Debuts – On April 12, we shared with readers that on that day in Disney history in 1992, Disneyland Paris opened to feature 29 attractions in a layout much like Disneyland park in California.
- Disney Vacation Club opens Doors with Presence in Tokyo Disneyland – We updated readers about Tokyo Disneyland’s grand opening of its first Disney Vacation Club Model Showroom at the Ikspiari shopping and dining complex.
‘Rafa’ Celebrates Sixth French Open Trophy at Disneyland Paris
posted on June 7th, 2011 by Darrell Fry, Sports Media Director, Walt Disney World
After capturing his sixth French Open and 10th Grand Slam title, the world’s No. 1 tennis player Rafael Nadal proudly showed off the La Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy on Monday at Disneyland Paris.
During his visit, Nadal waved to fans and signed autographs while enjoying the Magical Moments Festival and his favorite Disney attractions, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain: Mission 2, Tower of Terror and Crush’s Coaster.
Regarded as the new “King of Clay,” Nadal was once again victorious on Roland Garros’ clay courts, earning his milestone sixth French Open title, tying him with Björn Borg for most all-time.
This Day In Disney History: Disneyland Paris Debuts
posted on April 12th, 2011 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager
Disneyland Paris, originally Euro Disneyland, opened its doors April 12, 1992.
Located in Marne-la-Vallee, France (just outside of Paris), the park opened to feature 29 attractions in a layout much like Disneyland park in California, with the exception of offering a Discoveryland instead of Tomorrowland.
The centerpiece of the theme park is Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty Castle). The 167-foot structure was inspired by the architecture of Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, as well as castle descriptions that appear in different versions of the Sleeping Beauty fairytale.
Disney’s first European park welcomed more than 11 million guests in its first year alone, and has since celebrated exciting growth over the years, including the debut of attractions like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril in 1993, Space Mountain: De la Terre a la Lune in 1995 and Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast in 2006.
Did You Know? When The Walt Disney Company was scouting spots to build its first European theme park, another location that was a top contender was Barcelona, Spain.
Take a Tilt-Shift Trip to Disneyland Paris
posted on March 16th, 2011 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager
Today marks the ninth anniversary of Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, France. And what better way to celebrate than to share a day at the park with all of our Disney Parks Blog readers?
Pack your bags and get ready to enjoy a whirlwind trip via our new tilt-shift video, “A Magical Day at Disneyland Paris,” and see just about everything Walt Disney Studios Park and Disneyland Park has to offer.
Tilt-shift videos like these use different photo angles, focus settings and color saturation adjustments to make the subject of a photo appear miniature.
It took more than seven months and 4,000 photographs to produce this 2:38-minute clip.
See more tilt-shift videos in the posts below:
- A Model Day at Disney Parks – Exclusive Tilt-Shift Video Featuring Magic Kingdom
- A Model Day at Epcot – Exclusive Disney Parks Tilt-Shift Video
- A Model Vacation on Disney Cruise Line – Exclusive Tilt-Shift Video
Happy New Year from Disneyland Paris
posted on December 31st, 2010 by Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks
The clocks just struck midnight at Disneyland Paris and they’re bringing in a bright and beautiful New Year with some amazing fireworks over Sleeping Beauty Castle. This year, our friends are hosting an “unforgettable” party at the parks as well. Stay tuned, Walt Disney World is next.
Kooky ‘Kompanion’ For Holiday Cards
posted on December 14th, 2010 by Steven Miller, Merchandise Communications Manager
I love sending holiday cards with handwritten greetings for good health and holiday cheer. One thing I always need is a good pen. I recently discovered some that are the perfect “kompanions” courtesy of Kevin-Michael Lezotte, Product Developer for stationery and electronic accessories. I’m talking Kooky pens and Kevin-Michael has been leading the development of these pens for Disney Parks.
“Here, smell these,” said Kevin-Michael as he showed me the two newest limited edition Kooky Kollections created for the holidays (yes, everything has a “K,” not a “C”). “The Mickey Mouse set smells like peppermint and the Donald Duck set smells like gingerbread.”
They did smell wonderful, like Christmas morning. I proceeded to spend the next hour smelling both sets. The scents come from little Mickey Mouse icons attached to each of the pens. The three-pen sets have an edition size of 5,000 each and will be sold at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. Retail is $24.95 for each set and the ink is refillable (which is great since I write a lot).
I asked Kevin-Michael for a brief history of our relationship with Kooky pens.
“We introduced these pens about two years ago as a partnership with Courage Brands, Inc. who manufactures Kooky pens,” he explained. “It has been wonderful to bring fun, engaging and creative Disney designs to these pens. Since 2008, we have released more than 80 different designs, and we have many more on the way. They are also now found in Disneyland Resort Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland will release them in December.”
The artwork for the pens is created by Cody Reynolds and Costa Alavezos from Disney Design Group using a stylized template provided by Kooky. Kevin-Michael said it takes about a year to have a pen produced.
“We work about a year in advance,” said Kevin-Michael. “When selecting the various characters, we review company strategies and key initiatives. At the same time, we like mixing high affinity characters along with characters you don’t see that often. The goal is to give our guests lots of choices.”
Similar to Disney Pins, there are limited edition and limited release pens. The limited edition pens have a finite production number, whereas the limited release pens are sold for a period of time then retired. You can identify them by looking at the back of the pen or finding the small Mickey Mouse icon attached to select pens.
I asked Kevin-Michael if he has a favorite one.
“That’s a tough choice,” he sighed. “Today’s pens are incredibly different compared to when we started. There are now better treatments, applications, art styles and features, like those scented attachments. Yet, I also like simple designs like the pen featuring Mike Wazowski.”
I better return to writing my Christmas cards as the holidays are fast approaching. Before I go, what is your favorite Kooky pen?
