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Credit: Eleanor Brooke, UnsplashIt’s out with the old and in with the new at this Disney Park.
As Walt Disney declared upon the opening of Disneyland in 1955, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” This has meant plenty of development at the parks over the years – from the original Disneyland Resort to Walt Disney World Resort to its international locations in Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.
The Disney fandom is extremely passionate about what it loves (and what it hates). When it comes to changes in the parks, some go down better than others.
When Splash Mountain closed at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom earlier this year to make way for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, inspired by The Princess and the Frog (2009), diehard Splash Mountain fans were outraged. Regular parkgoers were equally furious over the decision to eliminate The Great Movie Ride at Hollywood Studios in 2017, as well as Disney’s decision to close the Tower of Terror at California Adventure and Maelstrom at EPCOT.
Related: Disney Park Goes All In on Splash Mountain, Rejects Tiana Retheme
One thing all these closures have in common is that their replacements were inspired by Disney IP, such as Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and Frozen (2013). While it makes sense to integrate faces guests recognize into the parks, the issue many fans take with the decision is that it wipes out a piece of Disney history.
Not that that’s swayed Disney on its mission to inject IP into as many rides, lands, and parks as possible. Over the next few years, three new Frozen-inspired lands – each complete with their version of the ride Frozen Ever After – will open at Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea (where it’s part of the bigger Fantasy Springs area), and Walt Disney Studios Park.
The latter is also set to receive an as-yet-unannounced IP-inspired land, rumored to be based on The Lion King (1994). Its neighboring park, Disneyland Park, is also thought to be getting its own version of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge sometime soon.
Before that happens, however, Disneyland Paris is switching out some old IP in the park.
⚠️ Breaking: a complete refurbishment of “Le Pays des Contes de Fées” in 2024 will include two new scenes based on “Frozen” and “Winnie The Pooh” pic.twitter.com/cQ5gqgEZtE
— DLP Report (@DLPReport) October 9, 2023
According to DLP Report, one of its oldest attractions, Le Pays des Contes de Fées (Storybook Land Canal Boats), is getting a makeover. Like the version at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, this sees guests ride a boat through miniature versions of iconic Disney movies.
As of 2023, these movies are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), the Hansel and Gretel short from the Silly Symphony collection, Tangled (2010), The Little Mermaid (1989), Fantasia (1940), Peter and the Wolf (1946), Aladdin (1992), The Sword in the Stone (1963), Beauty and the Beast (1991), and Return to Oz (1985).
Related: Disney Officially Recasts the Voice of Winnie the Pooh
During its upcoming refurbishment, the ride will see two scenes replaced with those inspired by Frozen and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977).
If the concept art is anything to go by, the Frozen section of the ride will include miniature versions of Anna (Kristen Bell), Elsa (Idina Menzel), and Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) approaching Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post and Sauna. In the background stands the ice palace Elsa builds during the film’s iconic “Let It Go” sequence. Meanwhile, the Winnie the Pooh scene will include Pooh Bear and Tigger playing outside Pooh’s House in the Hundred Acre Wood.
DLP Report says that the Frozen scene will replace Peter and the Wolf while the Winnie the Pooh scene will replace Hansel and Gretel.
For now, there’s no update on when Le Pays des Contes de Fées will close for this update. This is just one part of the grand makeover coming to Disneyland Paris, with the resort set to receive $15 billion for upgrades and new attractions over the next decade.
What would you add to Disneyland Paris? Let us know in the comments!