Disneyland Paris ~ Walt Disney Studios Park ~ A Look into the Future!

Well, zippi-di-doo-dah-day! Talk about an amazing surprise. As you know, The Walt Disney Company surprised everyone by announcing some brand new, exciting news for Disneyland Paris. Or more specifically, Walt Disney Studios Park, the underwhelming second gate for Europe's number one theme park. Bob Iger, Disney's CEO, went to France to meet the French President, and then publicly announced plans for a huge expansion toWDSP, including new attractions and three new lands for the park. Yep, Disney's biggest theme park flop is about to get a huge injection of life and magic to it - Marvel Land, Star Wars Land, a Frozen land (Arendelle), and a lake (!) are all going to be built for the park. This is quite the time to be alive if you are a Disney or a theme park fan, since all of the major Disney parks are getting new attractions.

Let's have a closer look at the new plans for WDSP by examining the official concept art released by Disney. Remember, this is just the first piece of artwork, so things may change or not even come to be. All of this is just speculation, and I'm just a blogger obsessed with Disney, and not a reliable source of information!

Isn't it beautiful! - (C) Disney

I am impressed that Disneyland Paris is finally taking advantage of the available land to them. Without the new lake, Star Wars Land and Frozen in the image above, everything else you see is all that is in the park. Yes, it is that small. However, the expansion will take Walt Disney Studios Park to new heights...or lengths. As you can see, there aren't many changes to the eastern side of the park. All of the existing attractions are still there. Studio One appears have gained a slight makeover, but The Art of Disney Animation, the Animagique Theatre, Cars Road Rally, Magic Carpets, Crush's Coaster, and Ratatouille are still there.

Fans will be relieved to see that the Tower of Terror is still there, with speculation that the iconic ride would be reimagined as Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, like the one at Disney California Adventure. However, the new addition, is some sort of boulevard that leads up to the new lake. It passes through the centre park and beyond the original boundaries. This means we'll be saying au revoir to the Studio Tram Tour, one of the original attractions, and the last of its kind. There doesn't seem to be many features on the new path, but on close inspection, you can see a number of possible vendor stalls on the left side of the path.

(C) Disney

Toy Story Playland appears to be gaining an additional attraction. Namely, the Alien Swirling Saucers. It shows it being behind the RC Racer, so it likely means the staff buildings currently situated beyond the park will be demolished to make room for the rest of the newcomers. There is also an additional building behind the Alien ride, perhaps a new dining facility or even a new attraction altogether.

Let's move on to the new Marvel Land, and will likely be the first land to be built. It was announced barely a couple of weeks ago, that Rock 'n' Roller Coaster was to be refurbished as an Iron Man-based coaster. Well, that was likely just a prelude for this announcement. There has been talk that Cinemagique, which closed last year, will be repurposed for some sort of Marvel show. So, that might mean that the whole west side of the park will become the new Marvel Land, from Cinemagique to the stunt show. This would mean that the old TV studio where Stitch Live plays, the restaurants, the Armageddon SFX simulator, and the stunt show will all be transformed into new attractions.

(C) Disney

 I can easily imagine the stunt show remaining, but now with the Avengers. There aren't really that many details to decipher in the new Marvel Land, though that S.H.I.E.L.D. quinjet is a nice touch. This will probably be the first changes made to the park, which begin in 2021. Just in time for the 30th anniversary of Disneyland Paris.

There isn't much to say about Star Wars Land either (or Galaxy's Edge, depending on what it is called). It will obviously be a copy of the new lands at Disneyland and Hollywood Studios. It may just be the artwork, but it looks smaller than the American counterparts. Whether or not it will have the immersive environment remains to be seen. It may also not be to scale, as that X-Wing is rather large and in the middle of a spacious area. What will become of Star Tours is unknown, but it is unlikely the ride will be removed from Discoveryland due to its recent refurbishment.

(C) Disney

And now, we come to Arendelle, and the new lake. I think the lake took me by surprise. Upon close inspection, the lake will have ferries sailing across it (the dock being on the western side of the lake), and a nighttime show as well. The North Mountain of Arendelle is very beautiful, and will likely serve as the front of a show building for Frozen's attraction(s). My money is Frozen Ever After being brought over from Epcot, though I'd love to see an original ride as well, like a rollercoaster or a bobsleds ride. The royal castle also stands out, and I'm guessing it will likely have a major restaurant and M&G area to meet Anna and Elsa.

(C) Disney

 On the other side of the lake, there is a large vacant wooded area with a larger flat area to its right. I suspect this is either a new backstage area, or space reserved for another new land that would come after the others. There is also a large amount of green space behind the Tower of Terror. This could also be a backstage area, since official Disney maps usually hide their non-magical areas with forests.

I am so looking forward to what is to come at Disneyland Paris. As I said, not everything may make it to the final rendition, or appear as it does on this artwork. But, boy, is it going to be spectacular!