Disneyland Resort Paris

Disneyland Resort Paris is a vacation and recreation resort in Marne-la-Vallée, near Paris, featuring two Disney theme parks, Disneyland Park (usually called Disneyland Paris) and Walt Disney Studios. It is owned and operated by the French company Euro Disney SCA, a public corporation of which 39.781% of the stock is held by The Walt Disney Company, 10% is held by the Saudi Prince Alwaleed and other shareholders hold 50.22%.

History

Construction began in 1988: the entertainment Resort officially opened as Euro Disney Resort and the first theme park as Euro Disneyland on 12 April 1992, but attendance was disappointingly low. Five hundred thousand guests were expected on opening day, but only a fraction of this number turned out, and the numbers fell further after the first three months. Some believe the park was built larger than it should have been for opening day, and the project carried too much debt. Additionally, the park failed to plan for certain cultural issues such as initially not offering wine in its restaurants and trying to offer more French food on its menus to visitors who were more interested in distinctly American cuisine. High entrance fees were also blamed for the lack of visitors. Furthermore, the theme park faced protests by commentators who thought a Disney park in France would harm French culture with its American influence; some went as far as to call the project a "cultural Chernobyl." The Simpsons parodies the initial response to EuroDisney in the episode Itchy and Scratchy Land when the screen cuts to "Euro Itchy and Scratchy Land". A man with a French accent is berating people for not coming to the park. ("Hello? Itchy and Scratchy Land open for business! Who are you to resist it, huh? Come on! My last paycheck bounced...my children need wine!")

Related Topics:
1988 - 12 April - 1992 - France - French culture - The Simpsons

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On 1 October 1994, Euro Disneyland and Euro Disney Resort changed their name to Disneyland Paris (after the opening of the Walt Disney Studios Park in 2002, Disneyland Paris was given its actual name, Disneyland Park, and the entire Resort became known as Disneyland Resort Paris). As a result of the name change, the addition of more attractions, and the retooling of the entire Theme Park complex to better appeal to European tastes, in 1995, Disneyland Resort Paris finally turned a profit. But profits for the park have been small, when it has been profitable at all.

Related Topics:
1 October - 1994

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On 16 March 2002, Disneyland Resort Paris introduced its second theme park, Walt Disney Studios. The tenth Disney theme park in the world, Walt Disney Studios park opened with the aim of keeping visitors to the resort on property for more days, but the park was criticized for not having enough attractions, many of which were copied from Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World.

Related Topics:
16 March - 2002 - Walt Disney Studios - Disney-MGM Studios - Walt Disney World

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That same year, Euro Disney S.C.A. and the Walt Disney Company announced another annual profit for Disneyland Resort Paris. But it has incurred a net loss in the three years following, and the park is still about US$2 billion in debt.

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Disneyland Resort Paris has plans to expand over the next few years with addition of several new rides: Buzz Lightyear's Laser Blast will open in Disneyland Park in 2006; a new land, Toon Studios will open in Walt Disney Studios park in 2007; and the long-awaited Tower of Terror will open in Walt Disney Studios in 2008. These new rides are in addition to The Legend of the Lion King Show that began in 2004 and Space Mountain: Mission 2, a 2005 retheming of the popular roller coaster Space Mountain.

Related Topics:
Tower of Terror - Space Mountain

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Disneyland Resort Paris is now the first tourist destination in Europe with more than 12 million visitors per year.

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