One Rainy Day at Disneyland Paris

As I'm wandering through the maze of Disney internet sites, there are three pretty sure fire links I will click on: Epcot, Tokyo Disneysea, and Disneyland Paris. While I have yet to visit the park in Japan, I can say with certainty that the most beautiful castle park is found in France. In fact, I wrote an entire article on at: The Theme Park as Work of Art. Imagineer Tony Baxter and team deserve all the accolades for creating a park where you could not go on a single ride and still feel deeply satisfied after spending the day there.

So, on to the photo above: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in all its glory! Paris' Frontierland is the best version ever created perhaps on par with the early Anaheim version when it was stuffed with attractions. The wildest ride in the French wilderness begins on the landside before riders are taken under the river onto the island. A truly unexpected and spectacular setting my a fan favorite attraction.

This photo by Gregg Jacobs is taken from the porch of the Phantom Manor. It is part of his trip report posted on the Mouse Planet site. (Speaking of that, I'm still finishing up my trip report to Anaheim.) In a park drenched in atmosphere, the weather certainly added a special dimension, resulting in one terrific photo!

 

The Upside of Guardians of the Galaxy at California Adventure

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is one of the modern masterpieces of Disney Imagineering. The storyline mystical, the engineering a marvel (particularly in Florida), the attention to detail incredible- the end result, amazing! The attraction packs them in at Disney's Hollywood Studios. There's less crowds to be found in Paris or Anaheim, but even there, it is still a very popular attraction. 

All this makes Twilight Zone Tower of Terror the perfect Disney classic- to be remade into something else. Really? No, of course not. The move is just the latest and fastest way to bring Marvel based attractions into the Disney theme parks. Starting stateside in California.

Photo from Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix of MousePlanet.

The rebirth of California Adventure clearly captured the hearts and dollars of the picky Disneyland fan, making the second property a solid success. The sparkling, retro based Buena Vista Street sets the perfect stage for new explorations, with its very stunning Red Car Trolley line taking guests from the entrance of the park to the front of an old abandoned Hollywood hotel. 

Imagineer Joe Rohde has been tasked with transforming a beloved attraction into something Marvel worthy and shoe-horning it into a place it truly doesn't belong- just step one toward a full Marvel superhero land in a Golden State themed park. Tarps up and change happening- the old hotel becomes a weird sci-fi warehouse power plant. Good luck, Joe!

In the midst of realizing it is a done deal, and trying to make the best of it, I had an eye opening revelation: Much like the unique and popular version of the ride found in Tokyo DisneySea, giving California's a Guardians of the Galaxy makeover may be a pretty smart move. Look at Tokyo. Their Shiriki Utundu mesmerizes, bringing a sharp and fresh story to the popular ride mechanism. It fully fits into the area in which its placed. 

These two photos copyright Disney.

Now, that will be a problem for a Guardians attraction as it stands, but rest assured, a full Marvel land is on the way to California (and France, and Tokyo, and Hong Kong, and Shanghai). Can it come soon enough? No- not now that they have made this travesty of a building, a scar on the successful California Adventure remake. But perhaps the plans for the new land are so incredible, so marvelous, so mind-blowing, that when everything is open, the new revised Tower and it's unique story will fit like a superhero glove. Maybe. Here's hoping.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)