Disneyland Paris (Resort)

This attraction in Walt Disney Studios’ Paris park provides guests with a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to create a Disney animated feature. The building’s facade is an homage to the actual Roy E. Disney Animation Building on the Disney Studios Lot in Burbank, complete with a giant blue hat similar to the one Mickey wears during the Sorcerer’s Apprentice segments of the Fantasia films. Official Information: DisneylandParis.com

Crush’s Coaster is a spinning roller coaster ride at Walt Disney Studios Park based on the 2003 Pixar film, Finding Nemo. The ride takes place in and under Sydney Harbour in Australia. Queue Details A few signs along the outdoor queue welcome you to Sydney Harbour and advertise a number of local businesses. The indoor portion (ride loading area) features Angel’s Cove snack bar (where the seagulls of Finding Nemo like to hang out) as well as a picturesque (because it is a picture) scene of the harbour during sunset. Official Information: DisneylandParis.com

Earl of Sandwich is a chain of sandwich shops founded in 2004 by John Montagu, the (11th Earl of Sandwich), his son Orlando (both are direct descendants of the 4th Earl of Sandwich, inventor of the namesake food item), and Robert Earl (founder of Planet Hollywood). The company operates two other Disney locations besides this one: one in Disney Springs and one in Downtown Disney. Visitor Information: Earl of Sandwich  

This Bavarian style restaurant in Disneyland Paris’ Disney Village is inspired by King Ludwig II and his extravagant castle, the beautiful Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany which also happens to be the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland. The restaurant’s exterior façade resembles the real castle and a painting near the bar pays tribute. That’s like: true Disney inception! This location is mentioned in our blog post: The Best View in Bavaria: Seeing a Disney Castle In Real Life Official Information: DisneylandParis.com

The Partners statue is an iconic statue of Walt and Mickey located in Disneyland Paris’ Walt Disney Studios Park. Designed by Disney Legend Blaine Gibson, it’s one of five identical statues located around the world. Discover all of them and learn more in our blog post: Partners: The History, Details, and Insight Into Walt & Mickey’s Most Famous Statue. Official Information: DisneylandParis.com

Planet Hollywood is a chain of themed restaurants founded in 1991 whose decor showcases film props and pop culture memorabilia along with clips from classic movies shown on screens while you dine. The company was founded by Robert Earl (who also founded Earl of Sandwich) and operates two Disney locations: one in Disney Springs and one here in Disney Village. This location opened in 1996 and has remained relatively the same in terms of ambiance and displays. A number of props from both Disney and non-Disney films from the early nineties can be seen throughout the dining area. The Disney ones that stuck out are bats and balls from Angels in the Outfield (1994), hockey equipment from D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994), and a slot car from Pulp Fiction (1994) – yep, technically a Disney movie! You can also find one of Sankara’s stones from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) on display, which is pretty cool! On your way out (through the gift shop, of course) don’t miss the vintage Disneyland banner hanging proudly on the wall. Visitor Information: Planet Hollywood

Rainforest Cafe is a chain of rainforest themed restaurants owned by Landry’s, Inc., the same company that operates T-Rex Cafe and Yak & Yeti. Rainforest Cafe is synonymous with Disney as you can find four restaurants at Disney Resorts around the world: one in Disney Springs, one just outside Disney’s Animal Kingdom, one in Tokyo Disney’s Ikspiari, and one here in Disneyland Village. Visitor Information: Rainforest Cafe

Sleeping Beauty Castle (French: Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant) is the iconic centerpiece of Disneyland Paris. This beautiful castle represents the 1959 animated film, Sleeping Beauty, but even though this Princess has Castle in the original Disneyland Park, the design of this one is unique to the Disney Parks. When designing the castle, Imagineering felt that the European audience needed something different since real castles are somewhat common in the area. Many approaches were looked at but the team went with Imagineer Tom Morris‘ approach to exaggerate elements from French landmarks such as the island and greenery along the sides of Normandy’s Mont Saint-Michel. The square-shaped trees are direct references to those found near King Stefan’s Castle in the 1959 film. Another unique aspect to this castle is the interior which features La Galerie de la Belle au Bois Dormant, an open gallery with beautiful stained glass panels, exhibits, and a terrace. In the castle’s dungeon, you’ll find La Tanière du Dragon, Maleficent’s liar where a real-life (animatronic) dragon lives. Be sure to take a look at the other iconic Disney Parks castles: Sleeping Beauty Castle (Disneyland Park) Castle of Magical Dreams Cinderella Castle (Magic Kingdom) Cinderella Castle (Tokyo […]

In 1987, the original version of Star Tours opened in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. The motion simulator ride based on the Star Wars franchise featured Captain Rex, a droid that attempted to fly guests to the planet Endor. In 2011, Disney debuted an updated version of this ride: Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. The new ride uses advanced 3D technology, randomly chosen alternate scenes, and frequent updates with new characters and locations as new Star Wars films come out. The new version also exists at other Disney Parks around the world: Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disneyland Park and Tokyo Disneyland. Queue Details Captain Rex can still be found in the new version – the droid is near the entrance to the queue’s cargo bay, ready to be shipped far, far away as DEFECTIVE stickers are now stuck to him. The droid found during the boarding pre-show is Aly San San. She is inspired by Attack of the Clones‘ waitress droid, WA-7. In the US versions of the ride, this character is voiced by actress Allison Janney which has a “glitch” to provide safety information in Spanish. In this version of the ride, the droid is voiced by a French actress with her “glitch” being part of […]

This thrill ride in Paris’ Walt Disney Studios Park is based on the original Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with changes in its design based on the defunct Disney California Adventure version (now Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!). The attraction’s queue winds through the hotel’s “lobby”, which is a variation of the Walt Disney World version, which was based on the real-life Rendezvous Court inside the Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles. You can still see the similarities in this updated version. The Tower of Terror’s gift shop, Tower Hotel Gifts, contains an easter egg: if you look above the top shelf above the merchandise, you can find a vintage framed photo of Walt Disney World’s Tower of Terror hidden among the various other era-appropriate props. Official Information: DisneylandParis.com