When I first walked through Disney Village nearly 13 years ago on a cold, drizzly September day I remember thinking how cold, miserable, gloomy, industrial, and decidedly un-Disney the area seemed for an entertainment complex. Judging by online reviews, I'm not the only one who thought so. The Disney stockholder who published the first photo above writes,
"On the way, Disney Village was utterly deserted, and in the daylight, it looked run down. As a Disney stockholder, I was mortified!"The first photo was taken AFTER Planet Hollywood and King Ludwig's Castle were added, concrete was colored, Billy Bob's was painted terracotta instead of gray, and metallic panels on the columns were removed, so it was actually worse in the beginning.
Apparently Michael Eisner, a big fan of architecture, chose the design from among several alternatives which were favored by others on the design team. The one he chose was added simply to flesh out the choices but was never intended by designers to be "the one". Eisner saw something he liked in it, though - I'm guessing the nod towards New York City themes and the lights strung across the voids at the top of the pillars meant to simulate an eternally clear, starry night in oft-overcast France. It didn't work. The place felt cluttered, claustrophobic and gloomy from the outset even in fine weather.
I generally enter the Wild West Show via the backstage entrance, hole up in my dressing room, and rarely venture into Disney Village, so it was via a fan-based website forum that I discovered Disney Village has undergone a rather significant landscape upgrade, much to the delight, I'm sure, of visitors. The news inspired me to venture into Disney Village myself and take the the rest of the photos you see here. I think it's a vast improvement. Comments?
I went to EuroDisney (as it was called then) for the first time in 1992, and I also remember seeing the Disney Village and thinking, "This isn't what I was expecting." It seemed like they choose to spend money on Disney Village, and the train station, last. I was last at Disneyland Paris in 2006 and the train station looked really run down, and Disney Village hadn't changed much since I first saw it.
ReplyDeleteThe planters are a huge improvement.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteIts good to know that Disney are investing in Paris. I have visited Tokyo, Florida and Paris and the Paris Disney seemed much more run down in comparison to the others.
Anyway, I really enjoyed reading through this blog, gotta love a pensioner who skydives, cool ;)
I have added you to The Expat Directory, I think other Expats will enjoy reading through your blog.
I added a link to your site here:
http://www.theexpatdirectory.com/community/France/Paris.htm
and
http://community.theexpatdirectory.com/France/Paris.htm
Kind Regards,
TED