DLRP Rewind: Halloween Season

A question that has raged for a number of years between Disney fans is those who prefer Halloween or

Christmas celebrations in the resort. Both have their particular merits, both are exceptional. This year's Halloween celebration has wowed all Disneyland Paris fans, but we've seen some strange and wonderful celebrations in the past.

As a celebration in France, Halloween is still reasonably unknown, until the mid 1980's, the only way French people really heard of Halloween was through foreign tourists passing through. This however changed when an American bar in Paris began to celebrate the festival, following on from that in 1992 the mask museum in a town called Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent opened and also played a roll in spreading the festival to a new French audience. In 1996, the town Saint-Germain-En-Laye (Just outside of Paris) held a daytime Halloween party to give a taster of what the celebration was all about. It is however, thanks to American influences on French culture such as Disney, McDonalds, Coca-Cola amongst others, this had two effects on French people: The first was educating French people into an American holiday, the second was imposing yet another aspect of American life onto the culture of France (do not forget this was one of the criticisms of the Euro Disneyland development).

1997
The first Halloween celebrated in Disneyland Paris (and in any theme park in France!) took place in 1997, although a relatively small affair at the time, it is clear that many of the original plans have become more permanent fixtures of what we expect from a Disneyland Paris Halloween today. The season consisted of pumpkin decorations in Frontierland and the addition of the 'Mummy cruise line' and a small parade on Main Street USA.
The humble beginning of the Halloween Soirée was nothing more than a special night of entertainment inside Frontierland,with just 5000 guests in attendance. Critter Coral was where children of all ages could participate in various activities as well as meeting Disney Villains. Dress up was naturally encouraged, and those that did dress up could enter the Hurricanes night club in Disney Village for free!

New Features: Halloween, Halloween Soirée, Mummy Cruise Line, Halloween Parade

1998 & 1999
This party continued in 1998 and 1999 and even extended to taking place across two nights, these two years the park managed to reach capacity reasonably early in the day forcing the police to block off the motorway leading upto the park as it was blocking through traffic.


2000

Image: Disney

The Halloween Soirée extended in 2000 to yet another night making it a total of 3 nights of Halloween celebrations (27,28,31 October); Frontierland once again became 'Halloweenland' and the night now covered Main Street USA, Halloweenland and Discoveryland from 21h00 until 2h00. During the season new decorations were being introduced into the park. Imagine entering Halloweenland through Fort Comstock only to see a giant spider overhead. Other than the 'Mummy Cruise Line', another big new
addition included the 'Spider Web Stage' where guests could learn a new dance in the 'Zombie Mania' show, hosted by our undead friends. The Halloween parade was followed by a show named 'Halloween Castle Spectacular'.
The 2000 Halloween Soirée was priced at 149 FF (Which equates to about £20) offering the following special shows:
Main Street USA: Hocus Pocas Concert, Disney Villains Parade, Halloween Castle Spectacular
Discoveryland: Monster Mash DJ Party (Videopolis), Sarruga (Giant insects by Star Tours)
Halloweenland: Sorcerers Apprentice (Arts & Crafts), Halloween Scarecrow Party, Zombie Mania

That's not all, Disney Village also proposed a special Halloween offering with events such as 'The Cabaret of Horror', 'Infernal Dances', 'Diabolical Karaoke'.

New Features: Mummy Cruise Line, Spider Web Stage

2001
As per the previous few years, the Halloween season at Disneyland Paris was still growing in 2001, the usual Halloween Happening parade was still happening on Main Street USA, and Halloweenland was still decorated in it's Halloween best. Phantom Manor's grounds also received some Halloween decorations this year, as guests approached the Pocahontas Village at the back of Halloweenland, they will have encountered the Trick or Treat Labyrinth, as you go through the maze, guests would knock at a series of doors in which they would encounter a cackle of laughter or a Disney Villain. Cottonwood Creek ranch was awash with fantastic decorations such as pumpkins in water and giant hands pulling dead bodies out of a boat. Disneyland Paris was becoming a real place to go after the Summer season during the October break period.
New Features: Phantom Manor grounds decorations, Trick or Treat Labyrinth

2002
The sixth Halloween season in Disneyland Resort Paris in 2002 extended the season once again towards Fantasyland, but this however would not be accessible on the Halloween Soirée nights which this year took place on the 31st October and the 1st November incorporating Main Street USA, Discoveryland, Halloweenland and Indiana Jones and the temple of doom backwards!
The Disney Villains had moved from Frontierland to Fantasyland (where they remain to this very day), pumpkins had begun to climb up Sleeping Beauty Castle. Halloween themed menus were added to the Cowboy Cookout, Funente del Oro and Lucky Nugget restaurants.
For the Soirée, a giant pumpkin was placed on the castle stage (much like recent years) for a special concert that entertained guests throughout the night. Other highlights included Dumbo the Flying Elephant manned by the Big Bad Wolf as well as shows on the Fantasy Festival stage.

New Features: Villains in Fantasyland, Halloween Menus, Special shows and character appearances.

2003

Did you ever think Zorbing and Halloween could ever mix? Well, in 2003 at Disneyland Paris they did, Main Street USA became a pumpkin paradise as the pumpkin men took over the Town Square's bandstand, and even appeared in front of Phantom Manor in Frontierland.
Cast Members working in Disneyland Paris also saw their nametag replaced by something a little bit more spooky.
Disney Villains invaded the Princess Parade to make the event more spooky



Finally, one of biggest ever Halloween additions made an appearance this year as a ghost was attached to the Mark Twain who would pull in around the Rivers of the Far West.

New Features: Pumpkin Men, Ghost Cruise Line (Version 2)

2004
2004 was the year in which Main Street became the rather unfortunately named 'Spooky Street' which was similar to the previous years. The Pumpkin men made their successful return, as well as a bit of a back story being created for them in 'PumpkinWood', HalloweenLand. The special villains parade and Phantom Cruise Line returned for a second successful run. Perhaps the most memorable thing about this edition of Halloween in Disneyland Paris was a spectacular projection show onto Phantom Manor during the Halloween Soirée.

The story of the attraction was told through projecting onto a sheet which covered the attraction, as well as using lights to enhance the effects. The result is a thrilling one off display which Disneyland Paris fans still mention to this day.
  
2005
In 2005, Disneyland Paris guests had a choice to make. Pumpkin Men or Pink Witches? The Halloween Witch had disappeared, the pink witches wanted to take over Halloween, but the Pumpkin men still wanted to paint the park Orange. Guests decided their camp. These new 'pink witch' characters joined in the Halloween parade which was invaded once again by villains and pumpkin men.  A giant zip wire was built by the pumpkin men across the rivers of the far west connecting Thunder Mesa to Big Thunder Mountain.

New Features: Pink Witches

2006
The pumpkin men returned to Main Street and HalloweenLand, Stitch became the main character of the Halloween season featuring on all the promotional material and was generally more present in the park. Stitch also appeared through the day on the FantaStitch stage in Halloweenland, where three different shows took place: Stitch and the Steals, Donald and the Bat and Goofy and the Magic Pot.

New Features: Stitch as the leading character

2007

The 15th Anniversary of Disneyland Paris saw the pumpkin men invading the park once again (but perhaps to a lesser extent than in previous years). Stitch once again took a prominent role and 'took over' the Once Upon a Dream Parade in the form of a short pre-parade. The pink witches had taken to the streets as giant versions of them roamed the park (as well as the face characters from previous years). Disney Villains' Showtime spectacular also got introduced onto the central plaza stage in front of the castle.

New Features: Halloween Pre-Parade, Roaming giant Pink Witches, Disney Villains' Showtime Spectacular.

2008

Source: Radio Disney Club

As the 15th Anniversary got extended for 12 months, Disneyland Paris launched into their (mostly unchanged) Halloween season. Central Plaza hosted a show hosted by Minnie named 'Disney Villains' Showtime Spectacular', the Once Upon A Dream parade saw the addition of Jack and Sally during the pre-parade. The pumpkin men return for another year, but without the pink witches accompanying them, Stitch was also removed as the leading character of the season. For the first time Jack and Sally could be met on Boot Hill, the characters express would also get a Halloween themed make over.
Following the massive success in the United States of the 'Not So Scary Halloween Party', the parties finally made in to the European resort, these 4 nights of entertainment saw Fantasyland given a new decor for the evening and some special Disney streetmosphere added with a finale in the castle courtyard.
For a more 'adult' spook during this Halloween season, French retailer FNAC organised the inaugural Terrorific Night in the Walt Disney Studios park, this adult orientated event scarred guests with attraction make overs, and creepy cast member actors.

New Features: Jack and Sally arrived at Disneyland Paris, Halloween Themed Character Train, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, Terrorific Night.

2009
After the success of adding Jack and Sally to the parks during the 2008 Halloween season (albeit moved to Cottonwood Creek Ranch), they would be returning for the 2009 Halloween season (and every subsequent season since). The Pumpkin men returned to turn Frontierland orange. The year celebration that was being celebrated in 2009 was 'Mickey's Magical Party', to celebrate this the character express had turned into 'Minnie's Party Train', which received a Halloween makeover (much like the previous year). The show 'It's Party Time, with Mickey and Friends' on the central plaza stage got a villain invasion. Last year's Not So Scary parties return, with the addition of Frontierland to entertain guests throughout the evening.

New Features: It's Party time, with Mickey and Friends, and Disney Villains,

2010
The Terrorific Night in Walt Disney Studios returns for a second year after it's first year hiatus, as well as the return of the Not So Scary party in Disneyland Park. This year saw the addition of the 'Dreams of Trick or Treat' float in the Once upon a dream parade in Disneyland Park, which featured Jack, Sally, Pumpkin Men, and the Disney Villains. Pride of place was given to the new arrival for the season, who was given a float to himself. 
After introducing Jack and Sally two years prior to 2010, the New Generation Festival saw a new character premiere, that of Doctor Facilier who took part in Disney Villains' Showtime - Featuring Doctor Facilier.
The pumpkin men return to decorate the park in their favourite colour, orange.


New Features: 'Dreams of Trick or Treat': Pre-Parade float, Doctor Facilier.

2011

Image: Disney

This year saw the addition of Mickey's Trick or Treat in the Street show which took place of the Castle stage. This show was a blend of singing, dancing and games involving the audience which ran in both 2011 and 2012 Halloween seasons.
HalloweenLand was finally removed from the Halloween festival leaving us with the simple Frontierland we know and love year round. Instead, Halloween was taken back to basics, pumpkins instead of pumpkin men. A new show was added onto the Central Plaza Stage (in the final months of it's existence) 'Malificent's Halloween Party' featuring all the Disney Villains

New Features: Mickey's Trick or Treat in the Street,  Malificent's Halloween Party

2012

After the previous year's back to basics approach, it was time to start on rebuilding Halloween in Disneyland Paris. The addition of the Main Street ghosts was universally applauded by Disneyland Paris fans for it's tasteful design, Main Street was littered by the previous residents and shop keepers, who had come out to greet guests. Pumpkin head versions of the Disney characters (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy) were added to the central plaza area.
Goofy Bonbons was a new goofy meet and greet located in Town Square where Goofy would meet friends next to his candy machine, and new cackling sound effects could be heard throughout the street.
Mickey's Halloween Trick or Treat in the Street show remained on the Castle Stage. On a slightly less happy note, the Halloween Soirée this year featured the final ever appearance of Disney's Fantillusion Parade.
To date, this was also the final running of Disney's Terrorific Night in the Walt Disney Studios Park

New Features: Main Street Decorations, Goofy Bonbons.

2013

As Halloween continues to be rebuilt at Disneyland Paris, this year featured a substantial new addition in Mickey's Halloween Celebration; a three time daily parade taking the traditional spooky Halloween celebration in a new Harvest themed direction with it's beautiful floats and country soundtrack. Numerous new Disney characters made an appearance, general improvements in decorations were also seen.
A new Minnie Mouse photo location was added, and Duffy made an appearance in his Halloween costume.

New Features: Mickey's Halloween Celebration, Clarabelle Cow, Minnie's Costume Couture, Duffy in a Halloween costume.

Disneyland Paris has seen something new and exciting added to the Halloween season each year, whilst the smaller details change from year to year, the overarching themes remain the same, with the Disney Villains taking centre stage. 2013 saw a new style of celebration, which will be exciting to see how it is developed in the years ahead. One thing is certain, Halloween is much better known in France because of this American influence.

Continue

First glimpse of Disney Dreams of Christmas

Having tried to stay away from spoilers posted on twitter by @DLPTreasures (Whose new blog I do recommend you read by clicking here), I finally gave in. I saw his photos and was blown away by the entire new show, whilst not a surprise the quality seems high and I think we can be expecting a real treat this Christmas. Now, as you know I'm a bit of a fan of the festive season at Disneyland Paris (I've been keeping a tracker since the site launched in July!). Today, Disneyland Paris finally released a 1 minute trailer featuring footage from the show, which I certainly recommend you take a look at. But, as I tried to avoid spoilers, and I know some of you are also trying, I'm attaching a SPOILER ALERT to this post from this point onwards, as I will try and 'disect' this promotional video.

The first clear image we see are the Toy Soldiers marching perhaps as part of the promised Toy Story
Nutcracker sequence since these toys are traditionally linked to this very famous piece of music.
To me, one of the most interesting (and perhaps exciting) pieces on this video was a small snapshot of Mickey and Minnie ice skating through a wintery scene, depending on the length could we claim this as Mickey's first real Disney Dreams appearance (and yes, I am aware he features briefly in the Be Our Guest segment of the normal show), but also making an appearance will be chip and dale and the 101 dalmatians.

Obviously we can expect Frozen to take a reasonably large part in this incarnation of Disney Dreams, especially with Olaf featuring as the main character in the way that Shadow is represented in Disney Dreams! There also seems to be elements of a more traditional Christmas as a toy train appears on the castle snaking around.

Perhaps the star of this show will be the aforementioned Toy Story nutcracker sequence, which from the clips shown in this video looks to be spectacular (in perhaps a similar way to Never had a friend like me is currently). Steve Davison appears on the video and tells us to expect scenes from Fantasia, 101 Dalmatians and Frozen in additional to ones that have already been rumoured such as Bambi.

As Santa Claus himself wraps up the video, we can safely say the show looks fantastic and that it will be an unmissable feature of the Disneyland Paris Christmas season for years to come. Personally, I cannot wait for those first videos to appear on YouTube and to be blown away, and I know many of you feel the same way.

Continue

Coup de Cœur: Disney's Halloween Festival

The word 'Festival' in the official Halloween celebration title 'Disney's Halloween Festival' is not coincidental. For 2013 is the year where 'spooktacular' Halloween is replaced by a more humble harvest theme. It all begins as we enter Disneyland Park and we meet the friendly Main Street USA residents who have been replaced by ghosts for one month only.

We quickly learn that these ghosts aren't here to terrorise us, but instead to socialise with us and welcome us to their favourite season. Everything about the decorations on Main Street Station reassures guests that a Disney Halloween is different. As we move through the station, we see more friendly ghosts on Main Street

USA who've decorated their street in the Halloween colours. The lampposts have been turned green and a witches hat placed upon them. As we walk through Town Square we hear more of a playful cackle than the usual jolly loop we are familiar with, the sounds of Halloween fill the air, pumpkins are placed on the lush green grass and the colours of Autumn surround us. This isn't the usual 'ghost and ghoul' style Halloween, this is something different. In one corner of Town Square, we see Goofy taking Halloween incredibly seriously; he is making all the candy for his friends who come and see him for a trick or treat. In another corner, Duffy is also enjoying Halloween by putting on his best Halloween outfit as he prepares to go trick or treating.

It's not just in Town Square where friendly ghosts come out to meet their guests. As we wander further down Main Street USA we meet ghosts from all sorts of different walks of life, ever wondered who really fixed the vehicles of Main Street USA? Who really cooks your food in Walts? The residents of the town, for one month only, have arrived to meet their favourite clients, you!

Three times a day on the parade route through Disneyland Park, the ghostly atmosphere is interrupted by Mickey and Friends who have come along to celebrate a more traditional harvest festival (To read more, check out this article by our friend at Dedicated to DLP). The parade soundtrack alludes to the more playful side of this harvest festival by referencing things such as 'climbing trees'. The floats themselves bring the image of harvest through the country crop themeing along with the characters you know and love in their farmyard outfits. Character hunters will be pleased to see Clarabelle making her Disneyland Paris debut along with all the Ducks. What is particularly well done with this parade is the sheer number of performers involved, for a short two float parade this achieves the same satisfaction as a twenty minute parade. The gaps before, after and in between floats are littered with dancers in beautiful costumes and with beautiful props. From the moment the parade reaches you, to the moment it has finished passing by, there are plenty of things to see and enjoy, which is it's charm. This is a parade worthy of the Disney name, and will only grow in the future. We're excited to see it's evolution.

As we continue walking down Main Street we hit Casey's Corner, and Minnie's Costume Couture where we see her outdoor fashion house. We all know that Minnie is a fashionable mouse, but we've never before been allowed so close to her workspace. And, if you are lucky you might even get a photo with the designer herself, who is happy to pose for photos with her friends!

We move closer and closer to the Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant, and as we arrive in Central Plaza, we begin to notice some familiar faces in a rather unfamiliar form. We all know that Halloween has become synonymous with pumpkins. What perhaps we did not expect was that we would see Mickey and friends in pumpkin form; providing guests with a perfect photo opportunity.

Frontierland is the home of Halloween spooks, with pumpkin men welcoming you to their home in Thunder Mesa, as well as the ever spooky Phantom Manor attraction which takes on a particular thrill at this time of year. But, just outside Phantom Manor why not take time to visit Jack Skellington at his spooky cemetery.

As we stroll throughout the enchanting Disneyland Park, our ears are filled with the music of bands playing Disney Halloween favourites. We reach our final destination of our walk through Disneyland Park this Halloween, and we receive a less than warm reception from the Disney Villains who have gathered close to the Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant, ready to spook us.

Halloween 2013 is one of the best seasonal line ups we have seen in recent years, and just thinking that Christmas is usually taken even more seriously and that every year Halloween will get bigger sends a shiver down our spine. We look forward to finding out just what Christmas is like next month.

Coup de Cœur is a monthly feature on DLP Town Square celebrating what we love about Disneyland Paris and the details that make the resort so unique.
Disney's Halloween Festival runs from the 5th - 31st October 2013

Continue

Disneyland Paris launch new website - and we love it

For years we've been waiting for a new Disneyland Paris website that keeps up with modern website design patterns from recent years. This morning, Disneyland Paris have launched their new United Kingdom website with a brand new design promising 'a better and more responsive' design. Gone is the clunky flash, and instead we have a sleek design with large beautiful images.

It's important to note that the embedded YouTube video is on a slider, along with beautiful promotional shots of the resort. I'm a little disappointed that a YouTube video has been used at all here, but it can't be argued that video media is effective.
Moving onto the Parks and Activities tab, and we see a newly presented calendar and attraction closure offering a less overall view at a glace and a more personalised view. This is good for families who know when they are going, but for those yet to decide, there is now a lot of clicking involved to find your park hours. However, now a new page doesn't load to tell you the attraction closures, in that sense this saves a lot of time.

We were promised pages for each attraction, now I envisaged extremely detailed pages such as those found on DLRP Magic! - Regrettably that is not the case. However what we do find is a fantastic guide as to who can and can't ride the ride, as well as a brief synopsis as to what can be expected illustrated by fantastic, large images. This is a useful tool in trip planning and could really help families in deciding what is and isn't suitable for their party. Nevertheless, it would be great to see a sort of wait time estimation, nothing scientific but, like DLRP Magic, the words 'Long, Very Long' etc. could be used.

Obviously an important part of booking your stay in Disneyland Paris is the hotels, these pages too have received an overhaul, again with beautiful images and more at a glace information using symbols (such as those on the attraction pages). The sheer amount of information available on one hotel page is fantastic, from GPS Co-Ordinates, to reasons to pick the hotel, detailed information about the room you are booking as well as entire pages dedicated to the hotel restaurant and bars. Disneyland Paris have finally provided you with all the information you need to make an informed choice of hotel.

We also love the extended information pages on what to do once the parks are closed, thanks to extensive Disney Village information, and other attractions in the region. Disneyland Paris certainly has always done it's bit to provide information in the resort as to what other attractions are available to guests, but now the website has an extensive set of pages dedicated to it.

Choosing a place to eat in Disneyland Paris can be a difficult choice, especially with the lack of information avaliable online. Not anymore! Disneyland Paris now provides a page for each restaurant which can be sorted into location, type of service and price. On each page you are given the restaurant location, brief background text as well as information about special dietary requirements and booking information (which unfortunately, still cannot be done on the Internet, only over the phone).

The big new feature is the map. Now, this could sound rather unimpressive, however on the contrary. In the new Disneyland Paris website there is no more useful feature for trip planners. Each item, be it hotel or attraction, always shows a button on its page asking you to 'view on the map', click it and you'll be taken to its location on the resort map. It's the advanced search feature that will really help the planning.Not into big thrills? Remove them, don't want expensive food? Just take them away. What you are left with is a map that tailors to your requirements and budget.

If you have little ones, I know you'll be sorting via the minimum height requirements. Planning a trip between friends? Click an item and copy the URL and they will be taken to the exact location on the map. You can add favorites and much more. This is singly handedly the most useful feature on the website, and one planners across the world are going to enjoy and find incredibly useful.

Finally, the 'Trip Planning' tab is worth a look as there are all sorts of useful pieces of information and commonly asked questions answered. 

The new Disneyland Paris website offers useful tools to plan any trip, including a very impressive map function which I am sure will be used by many trip planners. This website will put a smile on every bodies face with the new sleek design, and well thought out features.
For the second time this week, Bravo Disneyland Paris!

Continue

Spectacular Halloween begins at Disneyland Paris

As the calendar turns to October, Halloween begins to register on every bodies radar across the world. The same is true for Disneyland Paris. Two years ago, Disneyland Paris essentially took everything we knew about Halloween as it was celebrated in the resorts, and rebuilt from the ground up. Last year, we had a very successful Christmas reboot, this year it was Halloweens turn. Let's start by saying: It sure does look spectacular and builds very well on the foundations we saw last year.

The big addition this year is the brand new Halloween cavalcade entitled 'Mickey's Halloween Celebration', this fall themed parade features a mix of harvest Halloween fun and the Disney characters we know and love. The Pumpkin men return, Huey, Dewey and Louie make their Disneyland Paris debut as does Clarabelle. The country soundtrack fills the air creating a fun and party atmosphere rather than a scary ambiance. In short, this parade screams fun and will certainly put a huge grin on your face, despite the fact that it does to seem confirm Fantillusion won't come back as these floats are redesigned floats from that parade.

 

Video: DLRP Express

The characters, performers and cast members seem to be enjoying this new parade and it really shows, this has been a finely crafted parade. Bravo Disneyland Paris!

There is also a new addition close to Casey's Corner as Minnie's Costume Couture has arrived, every day Minnie will meet guests in her beautifully designed fashion workshop featuring all sorts of props for guests to have their photo taken with as well as themed sewing equipment and mirrors. Also of note are the Halloween themed parasols, it suits the season much better than the ordinary green parasols and look beautiful.

Fans of Jack and Sally's Cemetery close to Phantom Manor will be delighted to learn that it returns for the new Halloween season, but with the addition of Jack's water feature. Other returning features include Goofy's Sweet Corner in Main Street USA as a photo location including one or two treats for Goofy's friends (don't worry, there are no tricks!). The Disney Villains will mix and mingle in the castle courtyard (all tricks and no treats!). Disneyland Paris have always managed to provide excellent character meets for the Halloween season and provide pleasing moments for all guests.

Finally, Main Street USA has been decorated extremely well with this Main Street Ghosts making their welcome return for another season, but with the addition of even more decorations such as orange banners and a new Halloween banner on Main Street Station (replacing the previous 20th Anniversary logo).

But, all this is just a start, Disneyland Paris promise us that each year will see a growth in the season, the fantastic looking season so far has already lead to Disneyland Paris fans proclaiming it the best Halloween the resort has ever seen, this just leaves the thought that the future of Halloween at Disneyland Paris is very bright, and will offer us many treats, and luckily no treats.

Bravo Disneyland Paris, you've made fans and guests of your resort very happy. 

Disney's Halloween Season runs from the 5th October until the 31st October 2013.

Continue