The Disneyland Paris Resort may be closed to guests through February 2021, but that has not stopped the park from making news. Recently the park announced a major refurbishment of Sleeping Beauty Castle and a first look at the upcoming Cars Route 66 attraction and Disney’s Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel refurbishment.
Sleeping Beauty Castle
In a video posted on the Disneyland Paris YouTube page, Tracy Eck, Artistic Director for Disneyland Park, announced that Sleeping Beauty Castle will undergo a major refurbishment beginning in January 2021 in advance of the park’s 30th anniversary in 2022.
This is the first major refurbishment the castle has undergone since the park opened. Disney has been planning on this for the last two years. Eck said that they are going to be working with “the best craftsmen in France.” She said the roofs will be worked on by some of the same people who work on other historical French monuments including Notre Dame.
As with many other Disney projects, some of the towers will be constructed off-site and then brought on site and hoisted into place. Based on drawings shown in the video it does not appear there will be any major additions or color changes, just a refresh.
Eck said Sleeping Beauty Castle will not be closed to guests during construction. Guests will still be able to walk through the castle and shop, however some areas may not be open at certain times – it will be “very fluid.”
As with virtually all Disney construction sites, guests will not be able to see what construction is taking place. Disney will construct a themed tarp with the image of the castle. “We are aware of the image of this icon,” stated Eck. “Plus we [want to] make sure that when our guests arrive, they can have the castle in the photo when they take their picture.”
“We want it to really be perfect for the 30th anniversary!,” said Eck.
“Cars” inspired attraction
Disney has been busy transforming the Walt Disney Studios Park with a new Frozen-themed land and Avengers Campus. In addition, the park is reimagining the former Studio Tram Tour attraction into a “Cars” inspired area.
Tom Fitzgerald, Creative Executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, discussed what guests can expect when they visit this updated attraction.
Fitzgerald said that when guests reborn the former studio trams they will now be taking down Route 66 “to see some of the wacky roadside attractions that have made the mother road so famous.” In addition, some of “Cars” most beloved character will be along for the ride. Guests will go on a “picturesque road trip adventure” and discover some local sites such as the world’s largest flat head nuts.
Similar to the backlot studio tour at Walt Disney World, this attraction also had a Catastrophe Canyon. It will still be featured in the journey only it will feature “Cars” themed vehicles.
According to press notes, The unnamed attraction will “include new decor, familiar vehicles for Cars fans, a new boarding station, and extensive landscaping work.”
Fitzgerald said that teams from Walt Disney Imagineering and Pixar are collaborating on the project, in addition to the know-how and expertise of artisans, both locally in Seine-et-Marne and across Europe with suppliers from Italy and the United Kingdom. Several of the attraction’s iconic pieces were created by companies very near to Disneyland Paris, in Collégien and Crécy-la-Chapelle in particular.
This attraction, inspired by Cars, will transport guests on a picturesque road trip adventure, as reimagined by Pixar. This journey will be marked by local discoveries, including one of the world’s largest flat head nuts, and guests may see some of the most popular Cars characters, making Walt Disney Studios Park a place of unforgettable adventures where Pixar stories come to life.
Disney’s Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel
When Disneyland Paris began its phased reopening after being closed for months due to the coronavirus pandemic, visitors were able to return to Disneyland Park, Walt Disney Studios Park, Disney Village, and a at two of Disney’s resort hotels. It was their hope to gradually reopen the other resort hotels over the course of the summer including Disney’s Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel.
Originally the Hotel New York, Disney closed the hotel in 2019 for a transformation showcasing the art of Marvel complete with super hero-themed guest rooms. The new hotel was to reopen this summer, but the closure has delayed the reopening.
The 549-room hotel, located near Disney Village, was expected to reopen sometime after October, now Disney has pushed the grand reopening date back to 8 March 2021.
Disney Imagineers Sylvie Massara, artistic director for Disneyland Paris hotels, and Thomas Muller, designer-scenographer discussed what has been going on during the renovation and what guests can expect to see when they stay at the hotel.
According to press notes, the project required two years of feasibility studies, then two years of construction. The hotel has been redesigned to immerse guests in a New York art gallery. The hotel is very Art Deco with vertical architectural lines. The hotel will have more than 300 works of art on display, created by more than 95 artists.
On one end of the lobby is a huge backlit black and white comic strip panels featuring images created just for the hotel. In addition, a huge showcase will feature three life-size armors of Iron Man, and the famous shield of Captain America.
The Manhattan Restaurant will display a luminous sculpture in the form of a chandelier. Massara said what inspired her for the chandelier, “in an abstract way,” was the skyline of Manhattan, as well as the kingdom of Asgard. The chandelier is 4m (13 feet) in diameter, weighs 1100kg (2,425 pounds), and is composed of 255 elements.
For the Downtown Restaurant, the Imagineers were inspired by New York City delis complete with sketches of celebrities. However these celebrities – 90 of them – are characters from the Marvel Universe.
The Imagineers said the Skyline Bar will transport guests to a bar at the top of a New York City skyscraper. “The Skyline Bar has been reconstructed in 3D, a virtual reality system made possible by our Imagineer colleagues in Glendale,” said Thomas Muller. “They’ll find the shot that will be projected on these screens, a shot that is as realistic as possible and takes into consideration the positioning of the bar and particularly a view that will not make you dizzy!”
No detail has been missed including the indoor swimming pool. The Metro Pool was redesigned to evoke one of the essential elements of New York City: the subway. According to press notes, “no detail is left to chance: on the floor there are gray markings like those found on subway platforms, typical white tiles on the walls, and even the names of some stations that Super Heroes may have used!”
