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With Walt Disney World’s 40th anniversary one month away and Disneyland Paris’ 20th anniversary on the way early next year, representatives from both theme park resorts are eyeing the recent Disney-inspired creations of a popular annual sand sculpture festival in Belgium to add to the ongoing celebrations.
According to nieuwsblad.be, a Belgian news site, Public Relations staff Craig Dezern of Walt Disney World and Angela Bliss and Yves Boulanger from Disneyland Paris visited and were impressed by the international Sand Sculpture Festival in Blankenberge, which has themed its 2011 sculptures around Disneyland Paris and Disney characters.
The Disney representatives spoke told creators Francis and Alexander Deman Vandendorpe Disney is interested in having them build similar displays for Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris in 2012. 51 sculptures were created for the 2011 festival, which opened on June 10 and continues through September 12. The sculptures are larger than life, with a team of artists working countless hours to recreate buildings from Main Street USA, Tomorrowland, Frontierland, and Fantasyland, as well as the Tower of Terror from the Walt Disney Studios Paris park and many Disney and Pixar characters in between.
A pair of videos showcases the creation of the 2011 Disneyland Paris-inspired sand sculpture festival as well as takes a tour through the many impressive works of art:
A photo gallery and 360 virtual tour are also shared on the sand sculpture festival’s web site, with some of my favorite images below:
Admission to the 2011 Sand Sculpture Festival featuring these Disney sights and many more costs €11 for adults and €7 for children ages 4-12. Ticketing information and directions can be found on their web site.
Bringing similar sculptures to Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris doesn’t sound like it’s a done deal, but would certainly add an extra touch of Disney magic to the anniversary celebrations for both theme park resorts.
(Thanks to Sven for the heads-up!)
