Walt Disney Studios Park

Walt Disney Studios Park is a theme park located in Marne-la-Vallee, France, located 20 miles east of Paris. It opened March 16, 2002 as the second gate of Disneyland Paris. The park's overall theme is that of a working film studio where guests can experience rides, attractions, and shows themed to movies, production, and behind the scenes. In 2010, Walt Disney Studios Park hosted approximately 4.5 million guests, ranking it number two of European parks (Disneyland Park is number one) and number 19 worldwide. However, Walt Disney Studios Park has the lowest attendance figures of all eleven Walt Disney Parks worldwide.

 

Front Lot serves as the park’s main entrance and is home to most shops and services of the park. The park’s iconic symbol, the Earful Tower, is located within Front Lot. The entrance courtyard, La Place des Freres Lumiere, is designed in classic Spanish architecture which was common of the grand entrances movie studios of the 20s and 30s had. La Place des Freres Lumiere is loosely based on the design of the original Disney Bros. Studios on Hyperion Avenue.

 

Toon Studio is inspired by classic Disney and Pixar animated characters. The lot features such Disney and Pixar characters as Crush (from Finding Nemo), The Genie (from Aladdin), Mater and Lightning McQueen (from Cars), Buzz, Woody, Slinky, and other characters from Toy Story, in addition to the classic Disney characters present in the land’s show, Animagique.

 

Production Courtyard’s theme revolves around the production aspect of Hollywood movies and the Hollywood mythos, including movie legends. The land contains two distinct parts: Hollywood Boulevard, which features Hollywood-inspired street sets and the rides Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic; and Place des Stars themed around the production facilities of movie lots, containing the attractions CineMagique, Stitch Live!, and Playhouse Disney: Live on Stage!.

 

The Backlot is themed after actual movie backlots with an industrial theme and is very plain. This lot showcases the high thrills of movies and is targeted toward older children and adults with three thrilling attractions. The Backlot also features soundtracks from blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible II, Planet of the Apes, Batman, or Independence Day.