We’re not talking Indiana Jones Adventure or Journey to the Centre of the Earth here. We’re talking those small niggles, those simple changes and those clever schemes from other resorts which would make Disneyland Resort Paris better for visitors and us, as fans, prouder to support it.
And so, in a strange early twist, our first entry on the Wish List isn’t an addition at all — rather, a removal.
Epcot’s wand “sparked” countless removal campaigns.
No doubt you’ve picked up on the hoopla over at Walt Disney World since the infamous “Epcot Wand” was finally confirmed for removal. The 25-story decoration, first installed for the millennium events before then being kept in place with the word “Epcot” replacing “2000″, has had ongoing campaigns and torrents of online fan-anger launched in its direction for years. Last week, removal began.
However, should any of the magic wand’s meagre fanbase still wish to see a Disney park icon spoilt by bad thinking, they need only to hop across the Atlantic to Paris. Where, with one week to go until its second anniversary, they’ll find the Disney Studio 1 billboard.
No.1 - Bye-bye billboard, hello Hyperion
Two years ago today, something was growing on the front of Disney Studio 1… Scaffolding piling higher and higher, eventually reaching as far up as the soundstage’s Mickey Mouse cameraman icon. A refurbishment? No, the sky was falling…!
Front Lot in the early days, an overlooked gem of Imagineering.
On 8th August 2005, the Chicken Little billboard was finally unveiled. A giant logo for the film against a massive blue sky backdrop, however - a piece was missing. As they approached the entrance to Disney Studio 1, guests would find the hexagon-shaped “piece of sky” lying on the tiled floor of Place des Freres Lumiere. Like the Epcot wand circa 1999/2000, fans were more than willing to accept the “temporary” addition.
Principal design for the Chicken Little billboard, mid-2005.
Eight months later, billboard still in place, things took a turn for the worse. Whilst the Chicken Little advertisement had slotted neatly between the two pillars either side of the studio’s main doors, the scaffolding now grew to cover almost the entire height of the building. On 6th April 2006, the giant Cars billboard was unveiled, showing Lightning McQueen and Sally driving around the canyons of Ornament Valley.
Current Cars billboard, far taller than Chicken Little.
At the foot of the advertisement, hastily stuck onto a construction wall (since the billboard doesn’t reach to the ground), guests could first discover a “Cars - Coming Soon!” clapperboard before months passed and this changed to “Cars - Look out for it on DVD!”. Today, the billboard will be presumed by new guests to be in aid of Cars Race Rally.
Who do we have to thank for this “hard-sell” welcome to a Disney park? If word is to be believed, Disney’s movie distribution arm Buena Vista International, who apparently provide Euro Disney SCA with a nice spot of money on the side for turning their Imagineering landmarks into advertising space. With the release of Pixar’s latest film, Ratatouille, the former spaces reserved for the park’s traditional Disney attraction posters now plug the upcoming movie and a second spot on the rear of the building has been turned into more advertising space.
The inspiration for Disney Studio 1 - Walt Disney’s Hyperion studios.
Now, it goes without saying that Disney Studio 1 isn’t regarded as highly as Disneyland Hotel or Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, but don’t forget - the soundstage isn’t just the first thing guests see when they enter the park, it was designed as a tribute to the first soundstage ever owned by the Disney brothers, on their old Hyperion Avenue studio lot. Guests browsing the shelves in Front Lot’s Walt Disney Studios Store might spot the surprising resemblance from the black and white photographs presented throughout the boutique. “Might” being the key word here, considering the inspiration has been hidden for two years. What would happen if Sleeping Beauty Castle, Main Street Station or Hotel MiraCosta were suddenly adorned with a 70-ft tall advertising billboard?
Walt Disney himself was not afraid of a good advertising opportunity, of course. One of the first uses of the Main Street shop windows was to plug the upcoming feature Lady and the Tramp, and we can’t forget that the original Sleeping Beauty Castle was constructed four years before the release of the film. It’s the constant refreshing of Disney’s characters and film tie-ins in the parks that have always made them feel vibrant and new, year after year.
But to lose a park icon to advertising?
Cars billboard up-close, as if Disney Studio 1 is under constant rehab.
The Epcot wand, though completely out of touch with the incredible geosphere it belittled, was innocent in that it served no real purpose. The same goes for the Sorcerer’s Hat at Disney-MGM Studios.
The Disney Studio 1 billboard has, for two years, sought only to undermine the entrance to an already struggling park with nothing more than uninspired advertising. And in that time, the building itself - the visible portion - has been completly neglected with dirty edges and fading paintwork. Behind the billboard, things must be looking even worse.
Walt Disney Studios Park - a stunner under nighttime lights.
Will we see this again by the time Tower of Terror opens its doors?
Enough is enough, Disneyland Resort Paris — let us say “Bye-bye advertising billboard” and “Hello” once again to the great Hyperion studio which truly started it all.
‘Fate is kind’ - Could the Wish ever come true?
What are the chances of this wish coming true? Quite good, actually. With Cars Race Rally open for two months already, the Cars DVD out of the spotlight, Ratatouille occupying elsewhere, and the all-important opening of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror on the horizon, the billboard could — or rather, should — see its end credits roll in the next few months.
The only (hopefully very unlikely) possibility is that an advertisement for Disney’s Christmas live-action/animation release “Enchanted” could take over from Cars.
Makes no difference who you are…
What do you think? Would removing the billboard from Disney Studio 1 be on your Wish List for Disneyland Resort Paris, or should it stay? Share your thoughts in the comments box below!
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The Wish List is your column! This is your chance to have a say about Disneyland Resort Paris today, a unique platform — reaching thousands around the world — where you can present the case for realistic changes and improvements that could make the magic even more magical. We’re not aiming to moan or complain — this is all about constructive ideas.
So, if you’ve got any realistic wishes perfect for a future Wish List entry, don’t hesitate to pop them in an email to us via the quick Contact Us page. Just head up your message with “Wish List”.
You never know — the Blue Fairy might be listening to your wishes, next Wednesday.
Photos © Disney, Chris_J, Photos Magiques and DLRP Magic!.
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Today marks the start of a brand new weekly column for DLRP Today - Wish List. The life of a Disneyland Resort Paris fan is full of wishes, be it new merchandise for your favourite attraction, a forgetten restaurant reopening or a major project like Splash Mountain. In this new column we’ll add an item to the DLRP Wish List each week that’s realistic, achievable and would hopefully make a visit to the resort even more magical. Then, it’s up to you to either support the cause or shout us down! 