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Go behind the scenes of this year’s events with Creative Director, Kat de Blois!

Our latest exclusive Disneyland Paris interview from Jérémie Noyer is now available to read:

Kat reveals how the team progressed from Mickey’s Magical Party and sought to finally integrate a new generation of characters with the old favourites.

It’s a new year and a New Generation of characters are on the horizon. Most exciting of all, Princess Tiana from Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, which for most of us is now, finally hitting cinemas in less than a week’s time!

So, our interviews deviate a little into the animation side of things. After all, those characters in the parks don’t just come from anywhere. When Jérémie Noyer got the chance to meet Tiana’s actual supervising animator Mark Henn to discuss the creation of a new Disney heroine, that’s something you don’t pass up…

Don’t worry — no spoilers! This is the perfect lead-in for the film, which you’ll be first in line for when it opens this week, right? (3rd Feb in Netherlands, Belgium; 5th Feb in UK & Ireland)

Read to the end for a sneaky bit of info about Disney’s next traditionally-animated feature!

Our fourth and final interview for Christmas 2009 is here. Jérémie Noyer talks exclusively with Katy Harris, director of the new Snow White – Happily Ever After mini-show and meet ‘n’ greet, giving the Castle Stage the kiss of life…

Read the full interview

The Interviews site itself has been developed to include special archive pages — so you can see all interviews with Katy Harris, or all the previous interviews in our Disney’s Fairytale Christmas 2009 series, for example. So far around half the previous interviews have been transferred to this new system, more to come soon!

As for new interviews, join Jérémie Noyer in the New Year for a whole New Generation… not just at Disneyland Paris, but in Disney Animation.

Against the Tree Lighting Ceremony, Disney’s Fantillusion, Mickey’s Winter Wonderland, Disney’s Santa Claus’ Village, Belle’s Christmas Village, the illumination of Sleeping Beauty Castle and “it’s a small world” Celebration, what does the resort’s second gate have to offer in the way of festivities?

We’ve gone right to top to find out…

Read the full interview

…and to ask where Christmas at the Studios is headed in the future.

Though the oceans are wide and the mountains divide, all the world will come together in Disneyland Paris this Christmas season to celebrate together — no one more so than the children of “it’s a small world”, whose seasonal ‘Celebration’ overlay opened today after several years’ absence!

Fancy going behind-the-scenes to see photos of the newly-installed decorations and talk to the costuming production senior manager, to find out all the secrets and details of how such a huge overlay is accomplished?

Read the full interview

Two hundred miniature costumes and one hundred and fifty accessories later, the re-decorated ride re-opened this morning!

Today’s the day… Merry Christmas!

The festive season officially begins today at Disneyland Paris, and what better way to celebrate than to talk exclusively to the person tasked with putting the whole thing together behind the scenes — show director Christophe Leclercq. Imagine how it is getting all those decorations down from your loft each year… now imagine doing that for the whole of Disneyland!

Look out for some of the very first photos from this year’s events, too, hot of the presses…

Read the full interview

This is just the first in a great series of special Christmas interviews we’re lucky to have been provided with by Jérémie Noyer, who has also talked to Katy Harris, director of the new Snow White Castle Stage happening, Emmanuel Lenormand, in charge of the Walt Disney Studios offerings and Helene Hanquez, senior manager of costume production on the returning “it’s a small world” Celebration overlay. Look out for those very soon.

Notice anything different? Our Interviews section is being transformed with a brand new blog system. Behind the scenes, it’ll allow the interviews to be uploaded directly by Jérémie, allowing for much easier collaboration between us. On the surface, we’ve got a nice new colour scheme — though a few things still need to be finished off. Thanks for your patience, bear with us!

Halloween night is upon us! As the ghosts and ghouls wreak havoc outside, settle down with a look behind-the-scenes…

From the early scarecrows to the all-conquering Pumpkin Men, where does the fiendish madness of Halloween at Disneyland Paris come from? For the most part – from the mind of Jérôme Picoche!

This long-time scenic designer for Disneyland Paris talked to Jérémie Noyer earlier this month all about the history of the festival – where they’ve come from, and where they’re going…

The interview concludes with an exclusive gallery of concept images and sketches provided by Jérôme himself just for us.

Read the Full Interview

Happy Halloween everyone!

Disneyland Paris show director Emmanuel Lenormand took the time to chat to Jérémie Noyer for us again just a few days ago, as he was putting the finishing touches to this year’s Halloween Festival, which begins on Saturday.

So, with just 24 hours to go before the brand new horrors begin, this exclusive interview is an essential read for all the secrets of the 2009 events, including new surprises for the two ticketed Party Nights…

Jérémie even dares to pose the eternal question: When will Walt Disney Studios join the frights..?

Read the Full Interview

X Atencio — certified Disney Legend and songwriter of “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life For Me)” — has joined Jérémie Noyer for a new interview to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of The Haunted Mansion (Phantom Manor) attraction series and his work on the project, which included writing the “Grim Grinning Ghosts” theme song.

Enjoy this exclusive excerpt as the clock strikes 09/09/09…

Read the Full Interview

Bruce Healey, legendary Disney park composer and senior music producer at Disneyland in California, with credits ranging from Fantasmic! to the latest Magical fireworks, reveals the secrets behind his epic Disney’s Fantillusion Parade soundtrack exclusively for us in English…!

Jérémie Noyer quizzes the master about the dramatic score, playing out over Disneyland Park again every night this Summer, from its Eastern European and Japanese influences to that unforgettable opening fanfare.

Read the Full Interview

The Updates page has been… updated!

Now featuring a new, simpler design, it’s running as a WordPress blog, which means you’ll now be able to view updates individually and search all the entries by category — Guidebook, Calendar, Video, etc. (using the buttons on the left). Most importantly, the updates won’t disappear forever when they drop off the page, and they can be posted from any computer, giving much more flexibility.

On the right, you’ll find the new Feeds column, with more of the latest from all the Disneyland Paris projects in our little web family. Note the new Memorabilia Blog, which will be getting going during September, and the long-awaited return of the “latest from the forum”, made possible via the new magicforum Twitter feed.

This has all been set up in just 24 hours, so there’s still a few things to be sorted. One special new feature in particular will be Comments, meaning you can respond directly to each and every update (be kind!). You’ll start seeing more changes appear at the start of September.

Finally, if you subscribe to the RSS Feed, first of all — thank you! Second of all — don’t worry about a thing. An invisible redirect has been put in place “backstage”, so whichever old feed URL you originally subscribed to, you’ll continue to get all the updates.