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Credit: Disneyland ParisIt’s true – Disney is making a few changes to a popular feature on one park’s Main Street, U.S.A.
If there’s one thing diehard Disney parkgoers don’t like, it’s change. While some level of change is inevitable at theme parks as new attractions are added and old ones are changed or demolished in their wake, Disney’s parks, in particular, have an extremely nostalgic fanbase that isn’t always impressed by the company’s decisions.
The most recent major example is, of course, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Magic Kingdom Park’s newest attraction officially opened to all guests on June 28 (after weeks of relatively disastrous previews), but plenty of fans are still bitter about it replacing Splash Mountain.
Similarly, guests have had issues with some of the retheming at Disney’s theme parks in the past. A lot of the garish, colorful, and creative details of the 1990s and 2000s have been swapped out for simpler, more neutral designs. For proof, just see the newly opened CommuniCore Hall, which was compared to “a poorly designed college dining hall” when it debuted at EPCOT earlier this month.
With all this in mind, it shouldn’t be too surprising that some fans were apprehensive when Disney announced another major refurbishment project in May.
As per our previous report, Disneyland Paris will shutter its candy store on Main Street, U.S.A. – known as Boardwalk Candy Palace – on July 4 for what has been described as a “substantial makeover.”
Responses weren’t exactly enthusiastic. “Please please please don’t make it white and grey for the love of god,” wrote one X (formerly known as Twitter) user in response to the news. Indeed, the general sentiment did indeed appear to be fear that Disney would strip Boardwalk Candy Palace – the Paris equivalent of Disneyland’s Candy Palace and Candy Kitchen and Magic Kingdom’s Main Street Confectionery – of its colorful charm.
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This wouldn’t be totally left field if it did happen. Disney has truly been in its “beigification” phase as of late. Disneyland Paris recently gave its iconic Disneyland Hotel a Disney Princess makeover that saw it remove much of the original elegance of the luxury hotel. As one X user put it: “Disneyland Paris, or how to transform things that really don’t need to when so much [needs] to be done elsewhere part 5929.”
Further afield, Walt Disney World Resort has also been accused of transforming its hotel rooms into something more akin to a generic Marriott as of late. Last August, fans slammed the newly renovated rooms at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, comparing them to hospital rooms.
⚠️ Disneyland Paris has confirmed the imminent closure of Boardwalk Candy Palace which will reopen in 2025 “to indulge in an even more delightful experience”. WDIP will be “preserving its original charm” while “expanding the resort’s food & beverage offerings”.
⚠️ Disneyland Paris has confirmed the imminent closure of Boardwalk Candy Palace which will reopen in 2025 “to indulge in an even more delightful experience”. WDIP will be “preserving its original charm” while “expanding the resort’s food & beverage offerings”. pic.twitter.com/NmcLDVrdU9
— DLP Report (@DLPReport) June 28, 2024
Fortunately, Disney seems to have pre-empted these fears. Disneyland Paris has offered some more details about the upcoming renovation of Boardwalk Candy Palace and confirmed that it will “[preserve] its original charm” while also “expanding the resort’s food & beverage offerings” (via DLP Report).
Related: No, Cinderella Castle Has Not “Burned to the Ground” at Disney World
If you’ve ever visited Disneyland Paris, you’ll know that the latter is deeply needed. France may be known for its culinary offerings, but its resident Disney parks? Not so much.
What’s even more promising in this statement, however, is the fact that Disney is intent on retaining the location’s aesthetic. Boardwalk Candy Palace is one of the park’s most charmingly designed stores, complete with an intricate mural of Atlantic City in 1892.
We’ll stand for a little beigification every now and then, but when it comes to Boardwalk Candy Palace – or any classically designed element of any Disney park’s Main Street, U.S.A., for that matter – we’re willing to go down swinging.
What’s your favorite part of Main Street, U.S.A.?