Disneyland Resort Paris

[darkside]

^ Thats probably because they were celebrating the 15th for about 3 years!

[Sam]

Construction site photos:

[ukool]

^ Thats probably because they were celebrating the 15th for about 3 years!

Lol, really?

[siralgenon]

^ Thats probably because they were celebrating the 15th for about 3 years!

Lol, really?

Yeah, they dragged the 15th Anniversary on for ages, two years at the least!

[jackgcse]

This is a Q&A with some of the directors and creaters of Disney Dreams for Disneyland Paris, for the 20th anniversary of the theme park. Its very insitefull and great to find out the in depth analysis of probably one of the most expensive shows to produce, Disney has ever tried. It can be found on the DLRP Fansite, here is a link to the video;
http://www.dlrptoday.com/2012/04/05/vid ... ty-harris/

Sorry if this was not posted in the right place!

[Sam]

On Star Tours II:

2014 - Star Tours 2 - Rumor - (4/18/12) The subject of Star Tours came up in an interview with the CEO of Disneyland Paris, who mentioned that in 2013, DLP would be the only Disney park still running the original version of Star Tours. Technically, Disneyland Paris is ALREADY the only Disney park will running the old version of Star Tours as Tokyo has already closed their ride to begin conversion for the Star Tours 2 to open in early 2013. That said... with the mentioning of the 2013 date, I can only assume that they’re not planning on opening Star Tours 2 in Paris until at least 2014.

On Toy Story Mania:

2014/2015/2016 - Toy Story Mania - Rumor - (4/18/12) The CEO of Disneyland Paris talked with the French media again this week and mentioned a few interesting items about possible new attractions. According to the breakdown posted at NewsParcs, he mentioned they were looking at adding an “interactive attraction inspired by Toy Story” inside Disneyland Paris, which seems to be a wink at adding Toy Story Mania. Plans to add Star Tours 2: The Adventures Continue were also discussed, though I don’t believe a timeline was mentioned.

On Ratatouille:

2014 - Ratatouille - Rumor - (4/18/12) The CEO of Disneyland Paris talked with the French media again this week and mentioned a few interesting items about possible new attractions. According to the breakdown posted at NewsParcs, he gave several hints, all seeming to indicate that the long rumored Ratatouille ride is indeed the new 2014 attraction as well as other hints for future Disneyland Paris attraction concepts.

[mrbrightside]

In other words 'we're still behind all the other Disneyland parks but due to our ridiculous debt we're doing naff all about it'

[Coolbeans14]

But, what can they do? for a serious revamp, they will need to rely on money from Disney, and until that happens they can only have new shows etc, with the occasional new ride.

[captain]

I've just stumbled across this so apologies if it's been shown before.

The Disney Dreams show press premiere

I'm not really a big Disney fan but my god, that was incredible. Mainly the synchronisation of the fireworks and things like turning the whole castle into a factory, or launching each of the towers as fireworks. I don't think the projection mapping looked quite as tight as Efteling's, but it was on a much larger scale.

Definitely worth a watch.

[Nightfall]

I don't think the projection mapping looked quite as tight as Efteling's, but it was on a much larger scale.

I was just watching Efteling's one the other day. I really hope projection mapping is used more, not just as shows but actually on rides as well.

Anyway I think the issue is not so much the quality but the building they are projecting onto. Villa Volta is quite a plain, mostly flat building which makes it ideal for projection mapping. The Disney castles are much more intricate which limits what they can do because some effects just won't look right.

The other self inflicted issue Disney has is they are trying to project objects on the castle that don't actual fit. Living shapes are the prime example such as the bit at the start when Peter Pan is scaling the tower. This is what spoils the effect for me. Projection Mapping works best when it’s trying to trick you that a building is something more than it is (ie. The tower fireworks you mentioned). Some of the time Disney are just trying to use the castle as an oversized projector screen.

But overall it looks good and when the effects work it looks spectacular.

[DiogoJ42]

The mapping is very good, but I feel it was a tad over-used. I'd rather see a few more fireworks in the mix, rather than relying on projection for 90% of the show. I'm sure it looks better to the eye than it does on camera though. These things always do.

[Sam]

More Star Tours rumours:

2014 - Star Tours 2 / Star Wars Mini-Land - Rumor - (4/26/12) Disney and More reports that an entire Star Wars themed mini-land may be in development for Disneyland Paris as early as 2015. According to the report, the plan is not only to upgrade Star Tours to the current Star Tours 2 attraction, but will incorporate the existing Captain EO theater, Star Traders gift shop and Pizza Planet restaurant together into a new Star Wars themed mini-land. The thought is that a much larger gift shop, complete with character Meet & Greet areas will be added, and that an indoor version of the Jedi Academy show may take over the Captain EO theater. Even better may be an interesting plan proposed to transform Pizza Planet into a new restaurant experience themed after the famous Mos Eisley Cantina on Tattooine. Sounds like a fantastic idea to me, and one that could possibly find some traction within the rumored Tomorrowland refurbishments planned for Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland as well.

[mrbrightside]

Cantina = YAY!

However, finding Pizza Planet all tucked away in the corner was like "OFMDGSHDFDGHGSHKJ" moment when I discovered it 4 or 5 years ago on my only visit to DLP. Being a HUGE Toy Story fan (I practically wore the VHS out as a kid) I was amazed xD I know it's not a great restaurant, and it isn't exactly fantastically themed - but it was good enough for me, and I'd be sad to see it go

[darkside]

Pizza Planet was good, but since they turned it into an over priced all you can eat buffet, its been rubbish and unpopular.

The Pizza-Burger they used to do in there was actual heaven!

[Sam]

Oh dear!

Disneyland Paris announced EuroDisney financial results for the first part of its fiscal year - the last six months - and let's say it frankly, they are extremely bad. Losses have grown 22% due to higher wages and the cost of refurbishments made ahead of its 20th anniversary this year. EuroDisney lost 120.9m euros (£97.4m; $157.4m) in the first half of its financial year compared with a net loss of 99.5m euros in the same period a year earlier and the number of visitors to the parks also fell, but those who went spent more on average, helping revenues rise 1%.

I wish the result would have been better but that's the unfortunate reality. Will these have an affect on DLP future? It might be, as DLP warned "that if it was on a course to miss these targets it would have to reduce operating costs and some investment, and sell assets or seek help from parent company The Walt Disney Company or other parties". I don't think that the construction of the WDS Ratatouille ride will be stopped but we might see others projects delayed, if not cancelled.

These bad results are definitely no good news and i wonder how long it will take to Bob Iger to understand that DLP need - since years - a kind of "Marshall Plan" to resolve the problem once and for all. Iger did it for DCA, now that DCA is finished, think about DLP! Below, the AFP news release.

PARIS — The Euro Disney theme park near Paris reported a 22-percent increase in its net loss for the first half of its financial year on Monday and warned it might have to take cost-cutting action.

Euro Disney, the biggest amusement park in Europe and celebrating its 20th anniversary, reported a net loss of 100.8 million euros ($130.6 million), an increase of 21 million euros from the loss for the first half 12 months ago.

The company reported an increase in an operating loss of 38.0 percent to 84.7 million euros, and an 8.0-percent fall in sales to 552.4 million euros.

Euro Disney has debt of nearly 1.8 billion euros and has to meet pre-set objectives each year.

The firm warned that if it was on a course to miss these targets it would have to reduce operating costs and some investment, and sell assets or seek help from parent company The Walt Disney Company or other parties.

However, the management held that currently it had enough resources for the foreseeable future, including lines of credit from TWDC.

Another factor was a possibility to delay conditionally the payment of part of management and licence fees due and interest, the company said in a statement.

Euro Disney intends to repay loans of 72.1 million euros in the second half, in line with targets laid down.

The number of people visiting its attractions and its hotels fell, in a "difficult" context for the economy, but despite the hard time the average amount spent by each visitor rose.

The accounts were also burdened by big charges for renovation and for the launch of new attractions to mark the 20th anniversary of the creation of Euro Disney on a green field site east of Paris.

In its 20-year life, Euro Disney which involves important real estate interests, has encountered various severe financial difficulties.

Deputy chief executive Mark Stead, commenting on the latest figures, told AFP: "We have withstood the (economic) crisis very well."

He expected investment marking ther 20th anniversary to boost activity in the second half of the firm's financial year from April to September.

This period is usually the stronger part of the firm's year because it coincides with the summer holiday period in the northern hemisphere.

"We are already seeing encouraging signs for the second half with an increase of hotel reservations," he said.

The average amount spent by visitors rose by 2.0 percent to 44.11 euros per day in the parks and by 4.0 percent to 207.29 euros per room in the hotels, owing mainly to an increase in prices.

The number of visitors to the parks fell by 1.5 percent to 6.9 million and the rate of occupation in the hotels by 3.6 points to 79.8 percent.

[DiogoJ42]

1.8 billion? What the hell are they doing with the money?!

[Craig]

1.8 billion? What the hell are they doing with the money?!

It's one of the key reasons why Merlin will never build a brand new park (as Nick Varney stated in a recent interview).  The costs involved in acquiring the land, investing in masses of infrastructure along with building the park itself and it's associated rides are eye wateringly huge.  It's all well and good getting hideous numbers of visitors through the gates, but the outlay is so huge its a long long road to breaking even.  It's easy to look at DLRP and see it as a relatively small park in terms of the numbers of rides, but when you take into account everything that was built to support the place, you start to realise just how much money went into making it happen 20 years ago.

The figures are bad I guess, but certainly not unexpected.  Considering the success of other Disney parks, I wouldn't be surprised to see additional funding coming DLRP's way from TWDC.  Ratatouille was funded by that cash injection they got from them earlier this year so I wouldn't put it past them putting more in at some point in the near future as well as negotiating existing debts yet again.  Tis a shame though, going a little easier on the spending 2 decades ago may have meant things would be a little easier for them these days, but alas hindsight is a wonderful thing.

[DiogoJ42]

Does that sum include the high speed rail link and international station? If so then it's just about understandable. But it's an obscene ammount of money otherwise.

[Sam]

Apparently this is the first Ratatouille teaser trailer.

[DanB]

Some interesting information from the shareholders meeting last week.

• Park development will focus on the Studios until at least around 2017-2018.
• The future of Studios - there is a serious need for change and a change of theme is considered, there's two ways it can go about:
• Progressive: By adding things that have nothing to do with the original theme, we come to forget it and one day the theme will be changed as Disney has no other options
• Voluntary: Disney change the theme overnight (Gas:"and not just the name") after considering the case.
• The second method is favoured because the change can be more easily communicated to guests, but it also requires a high investment.
• The disrepair of the Tower of Terror was also mentioned - The investigation is ongoing, but it is long because it involves insurance, experts, who is responsible, ... and all that before actually doing anything about it.
• A hotel at the park entrance is envisaged. A brand new hotel or an extension of the DLH which is in high demand.

You can find all the highlights here