(Okay, okay, lets get the obvious out of the way first. I know Im a lucky beggar, but there are also 4,300 words here to prove I know a thing or two about theme parks 
)
It was all systems Go! For the Walt Disney Studios on March 15 with a full media preview of the new park in advance of its official opening to the public the following day. The media were there en masse more than 1,000 from all over Europe and a fair few from the US and Canada. We talked a lot, we walked a lot (and I mean a LOT!) and we were all fairly impressed.
I had already spoken to four of the key Imagineers prior to the opening, so I felt I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. I also had a lot of insight into the planning, design and costuming of the new park, and felt that if it lived up to 80 per cent of their descriptions, it ought to be a winning formula. I think they are about 70-75 per cent of the way there. More importantly, I managed to get (brief) interviews with both Roy O. Disney (Walts 72-year-old nephew) and CEO Michael Eisner along the way (see THIS link on the DIS Home Page for more), who provided some unique insight into the parks creation.
A new Disney park is always exciting, and this version of the Studios is no exception. Yes, it lacks a bit at the moment in terms of the number of attractions and some of the theming is a bit thin, to say the least, but the overall feel of the place is quite energizing and consistent.
The one real doubt I have about this latest variety concerns how little appeal there seems to be for young children. The six and under age group may well find that, once they have ridden the Magic Carpets of Agrabah, seen the Animagique show and watched the sections of The Art of Animation and Cinemagique that are simple enough for them to follow, there is nothing else to keep them amused.
Rock 'n Roller Coaster, Armageddon Special Effects and the Studio Tram Tour (at least the Catastrophe Canyon and Reign of Fire sections) are all unsuitable, while the amazing Moteurs, Action! stunt show has a lot of talking in between four fabulous set-pieces and it may not hold the attention of a toddler for the whole 45-minute duration (plus, they may not like the various pyrotechnics which occur at a number of points).
With that one (admittedly quite major) criticism aside, there is still a fair bit to do and especially see here, despite there being just the nine out-and-out attractions, and it is a real contrast to the 'pixie dust' world of the neighbouring Disneyland Paris Park. The dynamics of this park are appreciably higher, and I would say it has more in common with Universal Studios than the Disney-MGM Studios park in Orlando.
There is also a strong feeling that at least two more attractions will be added within the next two years - probably Tower of Terror and a version of the Fantasmic! show - while there is also a parade in preparation for later this year (I think), which will round things out quite nicely.
I also feel there is a bit more to come in terms of the theming and small details around the park. There are very few frills in the queuing areas (no TV monitors or other 'extras' to keep you amused while standing in line) and it remains to be seen how well the nine attractions can cope with the crowds that are sure to build up for things like Armageddon and Rock 'n Roller.
Where the park does score heavily is in the unscheduled entertainment around the park, what Disney call the Streetmosphere touches. This was a notable feature of the media preview day and, while they may just have been throwing everything at it because of the event, it did provide a good number of entertaining distractions of a whole variety of types - from a Keystone Cops jazz band, to pretend actors, a wacky inventor and a group of clumsy film technicians who suddenly turn into a percussion group using various unlikely implements (like a fire extinguisher and a metal-shelled suitcase!).
The Studio 1 area is also quite an attraction in its own right (although, again, not especially for the young 'uns) with its indoor 'street' scene and riot of visual gags (it is very much like being in an elaborate film set), and the upper level of the Cafe is a great place to sit and watch the world go by here.
Having said all that, here is a more detailed blow-by-blow description:
After coming through the turnstiles, you arrive in the FRONTLOT and a very pleasant courtyard (flanked by one general merchandise store the Walt Disney Studios Store on one side and the guest relations, pushchair rental, Studio Photo store, first aid, etc, on the other), which features a lovely Sorcerer Mickey fountain and the parks main icon, the 110ft tall Earffel Tower. The parks music is most noticeable here it is big, widescreen, technicolour music, and really gets the anticipation going for plenty of excitement within.
You then go into the huge doors of Disney Studio 1, which is effectively the Main Street area (or Hollywood Boulevard to compare it to Disney-MGM). On your right is the huge Restaurant en Coulisse, a counter-service diner serving nothing particularly remarkable from what I saw (basically, burgers and chicken). It has two seating areas, one at each end of the Studio and a neat upstairs gallery with plenty more seating. The other side is taken up by the big Legends of Hollywood store, with a large range of Disney merchandise behind various different 'shop' facades. Michael Eisner told me that the 'indoor' styling was inspired as much by the covered Main Street in Disneyland Tokyo (which I haven't seen, I hasten to add), which he rates very highly in design terms (and almost had designed for Disney-MGM a few years later), as by the need to protect people from the Parisian winter weather. It is a wonderfully inventive area, and it is just a shame there isn't some more of this around the park (at the moment). You should also get your first taste of Streetmosphere here (look for the Keystone Cops and even Sulley and Mike from Monsters, Inc).
You exit from Studio 1 into the park proper, with three different ways to go.
Turn right and you are in ANIMATION COURTYARD (the four different areas are largely indistinguishable from each other in theming terms, by the way), which has most appeal for younger children.
The Art of Disney Animation is a four-part interactive show-and-tell adventure, featuring the full heritage of Disney's famous film legacy and introduced by Walt himself and his nephew Roy (although dubbed into French and with English sub-titles). The first part is the holding chamber, which tells the story of early animation (not just Disney's) through a short film presentation and a series of exhibits and things to try yourself.
It then leads you to a mini cinema, the Disney Classics Theater, which shows an eight-minute montage of Disney film clips, themed into both eras and scenes. It is classic stuff and is sure to keep kids amused throughout. You then exit into another theatre with live character and film interaction, featuring the story of how Mushu (from Mulan) was created. If you have seen the Animation attraction in the new Disneys California Adventure park in Anaheim, you will already have seen this highly amusing element. It is presented in French, which means you need headphones for the English translation, and the French soundtrack still tends to intrude slightly, despite the headphones (I thought this about the Visionarium in DLP, too, and it is a touch annoying). The Animation Stations await in the last room of the attraction, with six different animation techniques to try your hand at, from basic drawing lessons with an artist to providing voice-overs for well-known characters. Older children should find this a lot of fun and quite educational, too.
Here you will also find the Disney Animation Gallery, a shop selling a range of collectables from many of Disneys animated features (wallets beware!) and two snack outlets of the Studio Catering Co, plus the main character photo spot Mickey and Minnie, Meet the Stars of the Show! (which you have to queue for).
Across the plaza, Animagique is one of the parks star turns for children. This 1,100-seat theatre is home to a charming puppetry and special effects show involving Disney favourites like Jungle Book, Pinocchio and Dumbo. It features Mickey and Donald, with the latter getting involved in a series of adventures in the Disney film vault. It is a combination of Japanese Bunraku puppet manipulation and Black Light Theatre from Prague, with ultra-violet light and other fluorescent effects. It lasts around 35 minutes and there are 17 puppeteers working in the carefully co-ordinated darkness, showing up to 12 times a day. It really is a visual treat and the giant pink elephants are an absolute hoot.
At the furthest end of the Courtyard are the Flying Carpets over Agrabah (or Tapis Volants, as they are listed in French). And this is the one element which seems a bit out of place - although under-5s may not agree. This is another standard Dumbo-type ride, with tilt n turn flying carpets in an Aladdin theme (the same as the new Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride in the Magic Kingdom in Orlando) instead of elephants, but it is pretty ordinary by comparison with the rest of the park. The theming is quite cute and the scenario is the Genie has become a film director here and the carpets are performing in a scene he is directing, but kids will probably miss all that and just focus on the ride, which is fairly tame. It is also a FastPass attraction and, as it is a slow loader, is sure to draw some serious queues.
If you go front and left out of Studio 1, you are in PRODUCTION COURTYARD, home of three more contrasting attractions and another of the parks highlights.
The 20-minute Studio Tram Tour (featuring Catastrophe Canyon) will be familiar to those who have visited Disney Worlds MGM Studios park in Orlando, only here it is up-dated with several novel extra elements. The basic idea is you get a secret look into the Studios working areas costuming, outdoor stages and special effects, but there is a catch. Your tram wanders into Catastrophe Canyon, where a disaster movie is in full swing, and YOU are the extras! In the space of 60 seconds of brilliantly-crafted mayhem, the tram is hit by an earthquake, explosions, fire and flood. Will you survive to tell the tale? (Well, who will they get to buy all the T-shirts if you dont!).
You also get to look at some large-scale scenery from the six-hour mini-series Dinotopia (ABC television) and last years Pearl Harbor (who said Big hairy deal ?). Rob has already commented that he thinks the theming here is pretty thin, but I think they may have added a few things in the last couple of weeks (like the Star Cars garage, perhaps) and just about have enough here to keep you interested. You also get a look inside the Costuming building, but the main things of note here are the costumes used in the Cinemagique show, so they have a way to go to make this particularly valid. The tour is jointly hosted (on TV monitors) by Jeremy Irons (for British visitors) and Juliette Binoche (I think, for the French) and Irons is in prime laconic form.
The finale features a look at the forthcoming Disney blockbuster, Reign of Fire. Set in London and with dragons as the main characters, the ruinous scenery set-up here is superb, but they could make a bit more of it, I feel. There is one special effect, and it is pretty effective, so I wont spoil the surprise by mentioning it here, but I cant help feeling there should be more to it. The Tram Tour is also a FastPass attraction.
By contrast, CineMagique is one of Disneys top-drawer, five-star fantasy attractions. All new and with no comparison anywhere, it brings the film world to life in dramatic and highly amusing fashion. It starts out as a purely big-screen presentation of well-know classics, but the live action soon kicks in (is that really a guest wandering on stage with his mobile phone ?) and takes you on a journey through the silver screen. Martin Short (who seems to get most of his work through theme park films these days he also featured in the old MGM Studios attraction the Monster Sound Show, and is the star of Akbars Adventures in Busch Gardens, Tampa) is the hapless victim who gets drawn into the on-screen action with some hilarious results (watch out for the Spaghetti Western sequence just hysterical). There are also some additional special effects throughout the cinema and some very clever effects with the movie screen as Martin goes backwards and forwards. The theatre again holds 1,100 and the whole show lasts around 40 minutes, but this is one of the key areas where they need something to hold your attention while you wait for the next show (there is not even a countdown clock to keep you amused).
Ever wanted to be on TV? Well, you could get your chance in the Television Production Tour, a backstage walking expedition into the parks genuine working studios. This is the home of the French Disney Channel and guests can see it in full working order some may even end up in front of the cameras. In truth, this wasnt working when we visited for the press preview, so I will have to borrow heavily from the Media Guide here.
When guests arrive in the holding area, they discover a countdown clock ticking away. As it nears 0:00, six European hosts appear on the video wall, offering a multi-lingual glimpse into the world of TV production. The hosts then introduce a live host who escorts guests on their tour. In the first gallery, Miss Finster (from the Disney Channel cartoon Recess) greets you, while the host describes the core area of the building (with help from Buzz Lightyear). The Disney Channel transmission area is one of the largest and busiest areas of the studio facility, and you then visit the pre- and post-production areas. If a show is taking place, guests can see it directed from the Studio Control Booth. In the tour finale, there is a blue-screen section where, by using digital technology, you can be imposed on to the set of the Zapping Zone programme at last, youre on TV! Its hard to know how much of this will appeal to non-French visitors, but it should be worth browsing, if nothing else.
For food, there is another diner, the Rendez-Vous des Stars Restaurant, which is a distinctly smarter-looking, art-deco style of buffet eaterie, but I didnt try anything here (and it was reserved for the VIPs on the Friday evening sadly, so I didnt get a look-in!), and therefore I cant comment on the food quality at all. There are also a number of Studio Catering Co wagons and a covered food court area, La Terrasse, at which to eat their wares. Surprisingly, there isnt a single shop of any kind in the Production Courtyard, so there is no Disney hard-sell at work here.
The final section of the park (through the Production Courtyard) is the high-energy BACKLOT, where Disney aim to turn up the adrenalin levels to the Max and keep them there. Here, the three attractions are all top of the line for thrills and spills, and two can be experienced nowhere else on earth.
The Rock n Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith is an indoor ride in true rock n roll style 0-60mph in just 2.8 seconds! The ride itself will be familiar to fans of MGM Studios in Disney World (two looping inversions and a corkscrew), and is also very similar to Space Mountain in the next-door park. This version which starts out as a journey into the Tour De Force record studios has a new introduction from rock superstars Aerosmith. Instead of being invited on their super-stretch limo to a concert, via the sights of Los Angeles, you get to test their revolutionary new musical experience (which turns out to be the coaster). You leave the studio to enter the research and development area where technicians are working on the audio soundtrack. Video monitors showing computer models of the ride systems also feature as guests prepare to launch on the prototype vehicles known as Soundtrackers. Once on board, you hear an engineer and lead singer Steve Tyler completing the sound check, and then there is a final countdown, with lights and music, into the ride itself. And whoooooooshhhhhhhhh, off you go into one of five different musical rides in the dark, with all manner of weird and wonderful lighting systems along the way. It really is a complete blast from start to finish (and you get a different feel in the front cars as opposed to the back) as the lights and music combine for a breathtaking whiz through what feels like a crazy video kaleidoscope. It is quite different from the Orlando version in terms of the look of the whole ride (or what you can see in the dark, anyway), although it still finishes much too soon for my liking (another minute would be ideal). You exit into the Rock Around The Shop (and ride photo opportunity), and will probably be one of many if you head straight for the queue again. R n R is also a FastPass ride.
The next attraction, Armageddon, Special Effects brings visitors into new territory for theme park adventure a blockbusting scene from the hit film starring Bruce Willis. Bruce himself may not make an appearance, but a flaming meteor will right through the Russian space station where you have just been transported! Effects just dont come more special than this. Rob thinks this is over a bit too quickly, but my main criticism is that the soundtrack (in French and Russian-accented English) is hard to pick out at times, so you are rather confused as to what exactly is happening. But what is fairly easy to understand is that the space station comes apart all around you in fairly dramatic and convincing fashion under the meteor attack. There is also a pre-show attraction here as you enter the auditorium, but I feel this is a bit lame. A couple of kids are picked to go up on the stage with the assistant SFX director and he or she directs them to act according to the images which are projected behind them on screen. There is then a short film about the history of special effects which is much more interesting, with Michael Clarke Duncan (from Armageddon) explaining how modern SFX are done. He then invites guests to come and see for themselves inside . The full show, which lasts about 5 minutes, features a whole variety of indoor pyrotechnics, with smoke, sparks, flames, explosions (two meteors actually fly right through the room youre standing in!) and the collapse of the platform you stand on. It is loud, graphic and chaotic, but far too intense for young children, IMHO. If youve been to the Twister attraction at Universal Studios Florida, this is far more real and imaginative (if only they could adjust the vocal soundtrack ..). It is also an attraction I can imagine people wanting to do two or three times, as you get a different perspective on things depending on where you stand in the room.
Finally, saving the very best for last, is the Stunt Show Spectacular, or Moteurs Action! This 45-minute extravaganza is performed by a small army of specially-trained stuntmen several times a day, and each time you will not believe the carefully scripted chaos they unleash. It is positively balletic at times as the cars, motorbikes and jet-skis perform an outrageous series of close-quarter manoeuvres in four different scenes which are all explained beforehand and then shown on the giant video screen to reveal how their stunt tricks are worked into a real film scenario. The only drawback here is the fact that it has to be constantly narrated in both English and French, which tends to slow things down and make it a bit of a drag for younger children. There are some very funny moments and some stunt secrets which make you gasp (a car with no driver? Surely not? But then !), while Herbie also makes a special guest appearance and the use of a handful of volunteers from the audience adds to the fun. It is a l-o-n-g show (a good 10-15 minutes longer than Indiana Jones at MGM Studios) and very involved, but the set-piece stunts truly are astounding and deserving of every bit of applause they get. There is also a surprise finale which I will not reveal (but keep your eyes just under the video screen I nearly missed it and it is a real tour de force), so dont nod off before the end! The whole Mediterranean village set here is also quite magnificent and you can see where they spent a small fortune in setting it all up. Every sequence has to be just about inch-perfect, and it is no wonder they took 9 months just rehearsing the drivers. The stuntmen also seem to get a real kick out of performing for a live audience, and there are some serious show-offs in the cast! All in all, I cant imagine there is a better stunt show anywhere in the world (not surprisingly, as this has all been designed and co-ordinated in collaboration with Remy Julienne, the world renowned French stunt showman, who has worked on films like Goldeneye, Licence to Kill, The Rock and Gone In 60 seconds). The cars are all specially-built, too, and are a real tribute to the mechanics at Opel. It is designed to be able to perform 5 times a day and it will be amazing if they manage to do that every day. My feeling is they will probably do it 3 or 4 times, so try to go early here and then work out if you want to see it again! The grandstand holds a good 3,000 people, so there should be plenty of capacity, but I can see the word on this being so strong that many will make a bee-line for this attraction quite early in the day.
The only other thing to mention here is the Backlot Express Restaurant (more predictable counter-service food), plus three more Studio Catering Co outlets. Intriguingly, the media Guide mentions Le Café des Cascadeurs next to the Stunt Show, an art deco 40-seat diner, but there was no sign of this and nothing on the park map, either. Perhaps this is something they will add in due course, and they certainly seem to need a good, full-service restaurant as it is quite noticeable that the food outlets are nothing special at the moment. Compared to some of the fine restaurants they have in the park next door, it is pretty surprising. Nearly everything is designed to be inside, however, which means plenty of shelter in winter.
Finally, a word about the Streetmosphere performers, Currently, there are nine separate acts which are all worth looking out for. CineFollies are a bunch of improvisational artists in Disney Studio 1, who invite guests to get involved in their crazy film shoots. There are also three bands who play in Studio 1 the Fabulous Dandies perform classic American musical numbers, the Keystone Cops play songs from the silent classics, and the Studio 1 Orchestra perform film scores from well-known European composers like Michel Legrand and John Barry. The Sound System, meanwhile, is a mad scientist who roams the park with his strange musical contraption that he invites guests to get involved in (very funny) and Rythmo Technico are the film technician group who discover how to make great sounds from their assorted paraphernalia (also well worth catching, especially if you have children they love the madcap musical style of bashing and crashing everything in sight!). The Italian Cine Band are an inventive group of humorous musicians (they can all actually play really well) who start off in cacophonic style but then move into a journey into Italian film music. The Knights are a short-handed bunch of Medieval actors who need to recruit some guests to help with their film, while Sister Act 3 are a gospel song and dance act on the Production Courtyard stage. Good stuff once again.
And that's the full, dramatic picture (for now, anyway). Fans of the Disneyland Park, with its almost non-stop fun, may be surprised by the relatively small number of attractions, but the Walt Disney Studios insist that less is more. Fewer rides and shows, certainly, but a longer and more intense experience with each one. The only real question mark is the crowds, which by all accounts were pretty intense on opening day (Saturday, March 16). Even with FastPass, you may have more queuing here than most.
I will certainly be going back in the not-too-distant future (after all, there could be another book to write here!) and it will be interesting to see what elements they add next (the parade is probably favourite). But I also think the majority will have a lot of fun here and be seriously wowed by the big attractions.
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS FACTFILE
Size: 25 hectares (62 acres)
Opening date: March 16, 2002
Construction: 5,000 tons stainless steel, 45,000 cubic metres of cement, 1.6million cubic metres of earth moved; 262 miles radio cabling.
Tickets: One-day, £23 adult, £18 child (3-11); Three-day Hopper (for both parks) £62 and £48.
)It was all systems Go! For the Walt Disney Studios on March 15 with a full media preview of the new park in advance of its official opening to the public the following day. The media were there en masse more than 1,000 from all over Europe and a fair few from the US and Canada. We talked a lot, we walked a lot (and I mean a LOT!) and we were all fairly impressed.
I had already spoken to four of the key Imagineers prior to the opening, so I felt I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. I also had a lot of insight into the planning, design and costuming of the new park, and felt that if it lived up to 80 per cent of their descriptions, it ought to be a winning formula. I think they are about 70-75 per cent of the way there. More importantly, I managed to get (brief) interviews with both Roy O. Disney (Walts 72-year-old nephew) and CEO Michael Eisner along the way (see THIS link on the DIS Home Page for more), who provided some unique insight into the parks creation.
A new Disney park is always exciting, and this version of the Studios is no exception. Yes, it lacks a bit at the moment in terms of the number of attractions and some of the theming is a bit thin, to say the least, but the overall feel of the place is quite energizing and consistent.
The one real doubt I have about this latest variety concerns how little appeal there seems to be for young children. The six and under age group may well find that, once they have ridden the Magic Carpets of Agrabah, seen the Animagique show and watched the sections of The Art of Animation and Cinemagique that are simple enough for them to follow, there is nothing else to keep them amused.
Rock 'n Roller Coaster, Armageddon Special Effects and the Studio Tram Tour (at least the Catastrophe Canyon and Reign of Fire sections) are all unsuitable, while the amazing Moteurs, Action! stunt show has a lot of talking in between four fabulous set-pieces and it may not hold the attention of a toddler for the whole 45-minute duration (plus, they may not like the various pyrotechnics which occur at a number of points).
With that one (admittedly quite major) criticism aside, there is still a fair bit to do and especially see here, despite there being just the nine out-and-out attractions, and it is a real contrast to the 'pixie dust' world of the neighbouring Disneyland Paris Park. The dynamics of this park are appreciably higher, and I would say it has more in common with Universal Studios than the Disney-MGM Studios park in Orlando.
There is also a strong feeling that at least two more attractions will be added within the next two years - probably Tower of Terror and a version of the Fantasmic! show - while there is also a parade in preparation for later this year (I think), which will round things out quite nicely.
I also feel there is a bit more to come in terms of the theming and small details around the park. There are very few frills in the queuing areas (no TV monitors or other 'extras' to keep you amused while standing in line) and it remains to be seen how well the nine attractions can cope with the crowds that are sure to build up for things like Armageddon and Rock 'n Roller.
Where the park does score heavily is in the unscheduled entertainment around the park, what Disney call the Streetmosphere touches. This was a notable feature of the media preview day and, while they may just have been throwing everything at it because of the event, it did provide a good number of entertaining distractions of a whole variety of types - from a Keystone Cops jazz band, to pretend actors, a wacky inventor and a group of clumsy film technicians who suddenly turn into a percussion group using various unlikely implements (like a fire extinguisher and a metal-shelled suitcase!).
The Studio 1 area is also quite an attraction in its own right (although, again, not especially for the young 'uns) with its indoor 'street' scene and riot of visual gags (it is very much like being in an elaborate film set), and the upper level of the Cafe is a great place to sit and watch the world go by here.
Having said all that, here is a more detailed blow-by-blow description:
After coming through the turnstiles, you arrive in the FRONTLOT and a very pleasant courtyard (flanked by one general merchandise store the Walt Disney Studios Store on one side and the guest relations, pushchair rental, Studio Photo store, first aid, etc, on the other), which features a lovely Sorcerer Mickey fountain and the parks main icon, the 110ft tall Earffel Tower. The parks music is most noticeable here it is big, widescreen, technicolour music, and really gets the anticipation going for plenty of excitement within.
You then go into the huge doors of Disney Studio 1, which is effectively the Main Street area (or Hollywood Boulevard to compare it to Disney-MGM). On your right is the huge Restaurant en Coulisse, a counter-service diner serving nothing particularly remarkable from what I saw (basically, burgers and chicken). It has two seating areas, one at each end of the Studio and a neat upstairs gallery with plenty more seating. The other side is taken up by the big Legends of Hollywood store, with a large range of Disney merchandise behind various different 'shop' facades. Michael Eisner told me that the 'indoor' styling was inspired as much by the covered Main Street in Disneyland Tokyo (which I haven't seen, I hasten to add), which he rates very highly in design terms (and almost had designed for Disney-MGM a few years later), as by the need to protect people from the Parisian winter weather. It is a wonderfully inventive area, and it is just a shame there isn't some more of this around the park (at the moment). You should also get your first taste of Streetmosphere here (look for the Keystone Cops and even Sulley and Mike from Monsters, Inc).
You exit from Studio 1 into the park proper, with three different ways to go.
Turn right and you are in ANIMATION COURTYARD (the four different areas are largely indistinguishable from each other in theming terms, by the way), which has most appeal for younger children.
The Art of Disney Animation is a four-part interactive show-and-tell adventure, featuring the full heritage of Disney's famous film legacy and introduced by Walt himself and his nephew Roy (although dubbed into French and with English sub-titles). The first part is the holding chamber, which tells the story of early animation (not just Disney's) through a short film presentation and a series of exhibits and things to try yourself.
It then leads you to a mini cinema, the Disney Classics Theater, which shows an eight-minute montage of Disney film clips, themed into both eras and scenes. It is classic stuff and is sure to keep kids amused throughout. You then exit into another theatre with live character and film interaction, featuring the story of how Mushu (from Mulan) was created. If you have seen the Animation attraction in the new Disneys California Adventure park in Anaheim, you will already have seen this highly amusing element. It is presented in French, which means you need headphones for the English translation, and the French soundtrack still tends to intrude slightly, despite the headphones (I thought this about the Visionarium in DLP, too, and it is a touch annoying). The Animation Stations await in the last room of the attraction, with six different animation techniques to try your hand at, from basic drawing lessons with an artist to providing voice-overs for well-known characters. Older children should find this a lot of fun and quite educational, too.
Here you will also find the Disney Animation Gallery, a shop selling a range of collectables from many of Disneys animated features (wallets beware!) and two snack outlets of the Studio Catering Co, plus the main character photo spot Mickey and Minnie, Meet the Stars of the Show! (which you have to queue for).
Across the plaza, Animagique is one of the parks star turns for children. This 1,100-seat theatre is home to a charming puppetry and special effects show involving Disney favourites like Jungle Book, Pinocchio and Dumbo. It features Mickey and Donald, with the latter getting involved in a series of adventures in the Disney film vault. It is a combination of Japanese Bunraku puppet manipulation and Black Light Theatre from Prague, with ultra-violet light and other fluorescent effects. It lasts around 35 minutes and there are 17 puppeteers working in the carefully co-ordinated darkness, showing up to 12 times a day. It really is a visual treat and the giant pink elephants are an absolute hoot.
At the furthest end of the Courtyard are the Flying Carpets over Agrabah (or Tapis Volants, as they are listed in French). And this is the one element which seems a bit out of place - although under-5s may not agree. This is another standard Dumbo-type ride, with tilt n turn flying carpets in an Aladdin theme (the same as the new Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride in the Magic Kingdom in Orlando) instead of elephants, but it is pretty ordinary by comparison with the rest of the park. The theming is quite cute and the scenario is the Genie has become a film director here and the carpets are performing in a scene he is directing, but kids will probably miss all that and just focus on the ride, which is fairly tame. It is also a FastPass attraction and, as it is a slow loader, is sure to draw some serious queues.
If you go front and left out of Studio 1, you are in PRODUCTION COURTYARD, home of three more contrasting attractions and another of the parks highlights.
The 20-minute Studio Tram Tour (featuring Catastrophe Canyon) will be familiar to those who have visited Disney Worlds MGM Studios park in Orlando, only here it is up-dated with several novel extra elements. The basic idea is you get a secret look into the Studios working areas costuming, outdoor stages and special effects, but there is a catch. Your tram wanders into Catastrophe Canyon, where a disaster movie is in full swing, and YOU are the extras! In the space of 60 seconds of brilliantly-crafted mayhem, the tram is hit by an earthquake, explosions, fire and flood. Will you survive to tell the tale? (Well, who will they get to buy all the T-shirts if you dont!).
You also get to look at some large-scale scenery from the six-hour mini-series Dinotopia (ABC television) and last years Pearl Harbor (who said Big hairy deal ?). Rob has already commented that he thinks the theming here is pretty thin, but I think they may have added a few things in the last couple of weeks (like the Star Cars garage, perhaps) and just about have enough here to keep you interested. You also get a look inside the Costuming building, but the main things of note here are the costumes used in the Cinemagique show, so they have a way to go to make this particularly valid. The tour is jointly hosted (on TV monitors) by Jeremy Irons (for British visitors) and Juliette Binoche (I think, for the French) and Irons is in prime laconic form.
The finale features a look at the forthcoming Disney blockbuster, Reign of Fire. Set in London and with dragons as the main characters, the ruinous scenery set-up here is superb, but they could make a bit more of it, I feel. There is one special effect, and it is pretty effective, so I wont spoil the surprise by mentioning it here, but I cant help feeling there should be more to it. The Tram Tour is also a FastPass attraction.
By contrast, CineMagique is one of Disneys top-drawer, five-star fantasy attractions. All new and with no comparison anywhere, it brings the film world to life in dramatic and highly amusing fashion. It starts out as a purely big-screen presentation of well-know classics, but the live action soon kicks in (is that really a guest wandering on stage with his mobile phone ?) and takes you on a journey through the silver screen. Martin Short (who seems to get most of his work through theme park films these days he also featured in the old MGM Studios attraction the Monster Sound Show, and is the star of Akbars Adventures in Busch Gardens, Tampa) is the hapless victim who gets drawn into the on-screen action with some hilarious results (watch out for the Spaghetti Western sequence just hysterical). There are also some additional special effects throughout the cinema and some very clever effects with the movie screen as Martin goes backwards and forwards. The theatre again holds 1,100 and the whole show lasts around 40 minutes, but this is one of the key areas where they need something to hold your attention while you wait for the next show (there is not even a countdown clock to keep you amused).
Ever wanted to be on TV? Well, you could get your chance in the Television Production Tour, a backstage walking expedition into the parks genuine working studios. This is the home of the French Disney Channel and guests can see it in full working order some may even end up in front of the cameras. In truth, this wasnt working when we visited for the press preview, so I will have to borrow heavily from the Media Guide here.
When guests arrive in the holding area, they discover a countdown clock ticking away. As it nears 0:00, six European hosts appear on the video wall, offering a multi-lingual glimpse into the world of TV production. The hosts then introduce a live host who escorts guests on their tour. In the first gallery, Miss Finster (from the Disney Channel cartoon Recess) greets you, while the host describes the core area of the building (with help from Buzz Lightyear). The Disney Channel transmission area is one of the largest and busiest areas of the studio facility, and you then visit the pre- and post-production areas. If a show is taking place, guests can see it directed from the Studio Control Booth. In the tour finale, there is a blue-screen section where, by using digital technology, you can be imposed on to the set of the Zapping Zone programme at last, youre on TV! Its hard to know how much of this will appeal to non-French visitors, but it should be worth browsing, if nothing else.
For food, there is another diner, the Rendez-Vous des Stars Restaurant, which is a distinctly smarter-looking, art-deco style of buffet eaterie, but I didnt try anything here (and it was reserved for the VIPs on the Friday evening sadly, so I didnt get a look-in!), and therefore I cant comment on the food quality at all. There are also a number of Studio Catering Co wagons and a covered food court area, La Terrasse, at which to eat their wares. Surprisingly, there isnt a single shop of any kind in the Production Courtyard, so there is no Disney hard-sell at work here.
The final section of the park (through the Production Courtyard) is the high-energy BACKLOT, where Disney aim to turn up the adrenalin levels to the Max and keep them there. Here, the three attractions are all top of the line for thrills and spills, and two can be experienced nowhere else on earth.
The Rock n Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith is an indoor ride in true rock n roll style 0-60mph in just 2.8 seconds! The ride itself will be familiar to fans of MGM Studios in Disney World (two looping inversions and a corkscrew), and is also very similar to Space Mountain in the next-door park. This version which starts out as a journey into the Tour De Force record studios has a new introduction from rock superstars Aerosmith. Instead of being invited on their super-stretch limo to a concert, via the sights of Los Angeles, you get to test their revolutionary new musical experience (which turns out to be the coaster). You leave the studio to enter the research and development area where technicians are working on the audio soundtrack. Video monitors showing computer models of the ride systems also feature as guests prepare to launch on the prototype vehicles known as Soundtrackers. Once on board, you hear an engineer and lead singer Steve Tyler completing the sound check, and then there is a final countdown, with lights and music, into the ride itself. And whoooooooshhhhhhhhh, off you go into one of five different musical rides in the dark, with all manner of weird and wonderful lighting systems along the way. It really is a complete blast from start to finish (and you get a different feel in the front cars as opposed to the back) as the lights and music combine for a breathtaking whiz through what feels like a crazy video kaleidoscope. It is quite different from the Orlando version in terms of the look of the whole ride (or what you can see in the dark, anyway), although it still finishes much too soon for my liking (another minute would be ideal). You exit into the Rock Around The Shop (and ride photo opportunity), and will probably be one of many if you head straight for the queue again. R n R is also a FastPass ride.
The next attraction, Armageddon, Special Effects brings visitors into new territory for theme park adventure a blockbusting scene from the hit film starring Bruce Willis. Bruce himself may not make an appearance, but a flaming meteor will right through the Russian space station where you have just been transported! Effects just dont come more special than this. Rob thinks this is over a bit too quickly, but my main criticism is that the soundtrack (in French and Russian-accented English) is hard to pick out at times, so you are rather confused as to what exactly is happening. But what is fairly easy to understand is that the space station comes apart all around you in fairly dramatic and convincing fashion under the meteor attack. There is also a pre-show attraction here as you enter the auditorium, but I feel this is a bit lame. A couple of kids are picked to go up on the stage with the assistant SFX director and he or she directs them to act according to the images which are projected behind them on screen. There is then a short film about the history of special effects which is much more interesting, with Michael Clarke Duncan (from Armageddon) explaining how modern SFX are done. He then invites guests to come and see for themselves inside . The full show, which lasts about 5 minutes, features a whole variety of indoor pyrotechnics, with smoke, sparks, flames, explosions (two meteors actually fly right through the room youre standing in!) and the collapse of the platform you stand on. It is loud, graphic and chaotic, but far too intense for young children, IMHO. If youve been to the Twister attraction at Universal Studios Florida, this is far more real and imaginative (if only they could adjust the vocal soundtrack ..). It is also an attraction I can imagine people wanting to do two or three times, as you get a different perspective on things depending on where you stand in the room.
Finally, saving the very best for last, is the Stunt Show Spectacular, or Moteurs Action! This 45-minute extravaganza is performed by a small army of specially-trained stuntmen several times a day, and each time you will not believe the carefully scripted chaos they unleash. It is positively balletic at times as the cars, motorbikes and jet-skis perform an outrageous series of close-quarter manoeuvres in four different scenes which are all explained beforehand and then shown on the giant video screen to reveal how their stunt tricks are worked into a real film scenario. The only drawback here is the fact that it has to be constantly narrated in both English and French, which tends to slow things down and make it a bit of a drag for younger children. There are some very funny moments and some stunt secrets which make you gasp (a car with no driver? Surely not? But then !), while Herbie also makes a special guest appearance and the use of a handful of volunteers from the audience adds to the fun. It is a l-o-n-g show (a good 10-15 minutes longer than Indiana Jones at MGM Studios) and very involved, but the set-piece stunts truly are astounding and deserving of every bit of applause they get. There is also a surprise finale which I will not reveal (but keep your eyes just under the video screen I nearly missed it and it is a real tour de force), so dont nod off before the end! The whole Mediterranean village set here is also quite magnificent and you can see where they spent a small fortune in setting it all up. Every sequence has to be just about inch-perfect, and it is no wonder they took 9 months just rehearsing the drivers. The stuntmen also seem to get a real kick out of performing for a live audience, and there are some serious show-offs in the cast! All in all, I cant imagine there is a better stunt show anywhere in the world (not surprisingly, as this has all been designed and co-ordinated in collaboration with Remy Julienne, the world renowned French stunt showman, who has worked on films like Goldeneye, Licence to Kill, The Rock and Gone In 60 seconds). The cars are all specially-built, too, and are a real tribute to the mechanics at Opel. It is designed to be able to perform 5 times a day and it will be amazing if they manage to do that every day. My feeling is they will probably do it 3 or 4 times, so try to go early here and then work out if you want to see it again! The grandstand holds a good 3,000 people, so there should be plenty of capacity, but I can see the word on this being so strong that many will make a bee-line for this attraction quite early in the day.
The only other thing to mention here is the Backlot Express Restaurant (more predictable counter-service food), plus three more Studio Catering Co outlets. Intriguingly, the media Guide mentions Le Café des Cascadeurs next to the Stunt Show, an art deco 40-seat diner, but there was no sign of this and nothing on the park map, either. Perhaps this is something they will add in due course, and they certainly seem to need a good, full-service restaurant as it is quite noticeable that the food outlets are nothing special at the moment. Compared to some of the fine restaurants they have in the park next door, it is pretty surprising. Nearly everything is designed to be inside, however, which means plenty of shelter in winter.
Finally, a word about the Streetmosphere performers, Currently, there are nine separate acts which are all worth looking out for. CineFollies are a bunch of improvisational artists in Disney Studio 1, who invite guests to get involved in their crazy film shoots. There are also three bands who play in Studio 1 the Fabulous Dandies perform classic American musical numbers, the Keystone Cops play songs from the silent classics, and the Studio 1 Orchestra perform film scores from well-known European composers like Michel Legrand and John Barry. The Sound System, meanwhile, is a mad scientist who roams the park with his strange musical contraption that he invites guests to get involved in (very funny) and Rythmo Technico are the film technician group who discover how to make great sounds from their assorted paraphernalia (also well worth catching, especially if you have children they love the madcap musical style of bashing and crashing everything in sight!). The Italian Cine Band are an inventive group of humorous musicians (they can all actually play really well) who start off in cacophonic style but then move into a journey into Italian film music. The Knights are a short-handed bunch of Medieval actors who need to recruit some guests to help with their film, while Sister Act 3 are a gospel song and dance act on the Production Courtyard stage. Good stuff once again.
And that's the full, dramatic picture (for now, anyway). Fans of the Disneyland Park, with its almost non-stop fun, may be surprised by the relatively small number of attractions, but the Walt Disney Studios insist that less is more. Fewer rides and shows, certainly, but a longer and more intense experience with each one. The only real question mark is the crowds, which by all accounts were pretty intense on opening day (Saturday, March 16). Even with FastPass, you may have more queuing here than most.
I will certainly be going back in the not-too-distant future (after all, there could be another book to write here!) and it will be interesting to see what elements they add next (the parade is probably favourite). But I also think the majority will have a lot of fun here and be seriously wowed by the big attractions.
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS FACTFILE
Size: 25 hectares (62 acres)
Opening date: March 16, 2002
Construction: 5,000 tons stainless steel, 45,000 cubic metres of cement, 1.6million cubic metres of earth moved; 262 miles radio cabling.
Tickets: One-day, £23 adult, £18 child (3-11); Three-day Hopper (for both parks) £62 and £48.
Me again. What am I looking for on the home page?
- I feel an October trip coming on 
