Ever since it opened in 2002, the Disney Studios at Disneyland Paris has been
the poor relation of the original theme park next door. This is partly to do
with the concept.
Anyone who has been to a film studio knows that, even at their best, the
exteriors have all the allure of a light industrial estate in Staines.
Compared to the busy, multifaceted “lands” in the main park, the Studios, a
collection of giant soundstage hangars, looked a little like, well, a light
industrial estate in Staines that had been given a gaudy paint job.
Not that there weren’t some great rides. The Rock’n’Roller Coaster delivered
the 360-degree goods, the Moteurs ... Action! stunt show was excellent, the
Armageddon disintegrating space station fine, eyebrow-searing fun. Against
that, the studio tour was (one excellent special effects set-piece aside) a
pale imitation of Universal’s version. Even the parade seems lacklustre now,
compared to the genuinely eye-popping one Disneyland unveiled at the
beginning of this month for its 15th birthday celebrations.
However, this year will see considerable change at the Studios, with much of
this criticism being addressed.
Already the Tower of Terror, a deservedly popular American attraction that was
originally designed for Paris in the 1990s and then shelved, has risen like
a behemoth above the park. The majority of visitors I asked seemed to assume
it is a new, rather hideous hotel, rather than the Twilight Zone-themed
falling-elevator ride it actually will be when it debuts in 2008.
Prior to that there will be two other rides opening this June, as part of a
new area called Toon Studios, which will absorb the current Animation
Courtyard zone. As it did when its film business was stuttering, Disney has
turned to the ace animators Pixar for a helping hand. Cars: Race Rally is a
gentle ride based on the Pixar movie, and will feature two figure-of-eight
driving tracks and newly designed vehicles inspired by those in the film.
It’s a very junior attraction, hardly likely to raise the pulse of seasoned
ride-hounds, but one of its important benefits will be the theming it brings
to a previously lacklustre corner. The extensive neon-soaked facades of
Radiator Springs (the Route 66 town in the film) will certainly address some
of the paucity of eye candy on the lot.
Opposite Cars is yet another giant hangar, but this one holds this year’s most
important debut, Crush’s Coaster, a spin-off from Finding Nemo. As the Walt
Disney imagineer and art director of the ride, Thomas Flowers, told me:
“This the first thrill ride based on a Disney-Pixar movie anywhere in the
world. We spent a considerable amount of time with Pixar making sure the
look of the scenes in the ride accurately reflects the movie.”
I did a walk-through of the 12 scenes that make up Crush’s Coaster. It begins
with guests loading into four-seat turtle shells at Sydney Harbour, under
the watchful eye of a pair of seagulls (as in the film, they chant “Mine,
mine,” which Flowers admits might just send the cast members crazy), with
two riders facing forward and two back. First comes the “static” portion,
where the cars are taken through renditions of Marlin and Nemo’s coral reef,
into the “deep”, where angler fish lurk, and through a field of jellyfish
before they enter the sunken submarine. This is one of the most innovative
sections, for the wreck encloses the “lift”, where the cars are ramped up a
slope to begin the coaster section. While inside the submarine, Bruce the
shark will smell the guests and start pounding on the side to get at the
human snacks, culminating in ... I promised not to tell. It’ll be fun,
though.
At the apex of the climb the cars are unlocked and are free to spin as they
are launched into the “dark ride” section, snatched away by the East
Australian Current: in Finding Nemo, the eponymous Crush is the surfer-dude
turtle who catches this oceanic highway.
Having seen the rails in daylight — when in operation, glowing bubble streams
and ripples are the only illumination — it looks like a pretty exhilarating
ride, with a sharp “hammerhead” turn and plenty of dips and twists. It is
not as extreme as the Rock’n’Roller Coaster or Indiana Jones next door in
Disneyland, but better realised than both in terms of theming, and younger
kids should be able to experience it, although height restrictions have
still to be decided. It is the kind of attraction the Studios badly needs to
raise its game and I look forward to riding it for real. Dude.
The new rides are scheduled for a mid-June opening. At that time, prices
start from £151 per adult and £73 per child (undersevens go free) for a
two-night, three-day package staying on a B&B basis at Disney’s Santa Fe
hotel, including a three-day entry ticket for both parks. For further
information, call 0870 503 0303 or visit www.disneylandparis.com.
Eurostar (0870 518 6186, www.eurostar.com)
runs daily trains direct to the park from Waterloo and Ashford
International, with fares from about £70
What else is new?
BRITAIN
The big news on the home front is Dickens World (www.dickensworld.co.uk),
scheduled to open this Friday on the site of the former Royal Naval Dockyard
at Chatham, Kent. They’re not holding back on the Dickensian squalor: the
centrepiece of the £62m indoor attraction is a dark boat ride through a
mocked-up London sewer, and there are lots more vicarious thrills to be had
at a reconstructed prison, a fearsome Victorian school and a haunted house
(Scrooge’s ghosts put in an appearance, naturally).
In another astute appeal to younger kids’ enthusiasm for things scatological,
Alton Towers (0870 444 4455, www.altontowers.com),
in Staffordshire, has a new Dung Heap adventure playground, full of
creepy-crawly themed activities and fake poo. There is also a “spooky” trail
through woodland, dubbed Haunted Hollow, and Extraordinary Golf, a kind of
crazy golf on steroids.
Over at Legoland (01753 626111, www.legoland.co.uk),
near Windsor, there’s Land of the Vikings, which consists of a wet’n’wild
longboat ride called Viking’s River Splash and Loki’s Labyrinth, a
Nordic-themed hedge maze. Opening dates are still to be confirmed.
HOLLAND
The Efteling theme park (www.efteling.com)
used to be very junior-orientated, but over the past few years it has
introduced a number of adrenaline-rich rides such as the Pegasus coaster to
broaden its appeal. After a few technical problems in 2006, this year
finally sees the unveiling of its Flying Dutchman, a 2g, 45mph rollercoaster
ride with a dramatic splash landing. Efteling is just north of Tilburg,
easily reached after a ferry crossing to Ostend or Hook of Holland.
SPAIN
PortAventura (www.portaventura.com),
an hour south of Barcelona, is set to unveil a new high-accelerating (084mph
in 3 seconds) wine-themed coaster called Furious Baco this summer in the
Mediterranea area. A little weird, but it should be fun: giant barrels run
on the rails, with the riders hanging out over the edge at either side.
CALIFORNIA
Like its counterparts in Paris, Disneyland at Anaheim is also capitalising on
the Disney-Pixar link. It is debuting a new A Disney imagineer creates Cars:
Race Rally submarine ride based on Finding Nemo, with eight submersibles
that take guests on a subaquatic coral reef trip. See www.disney.com.
Universal Studios in Los Angeles (www.universalstudioshollywood.com)
has a new walk-through House of Horrors, featuring old fiends such as
Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man, as well as arrivistes such as
Chucky.
This year, Legoland California (www.legoland.com),
near San Diego, will unveil the largest ever Miniland of any Lego park, to
include a micro-Las Vegas. Expect an exploding volcano in front of the
Mirage hotel, an animated battle of pirate ships in front of Treasure
Island, a miniature wedding chapel, monorails, and real-life sounds recorded
on the Strip. Don’t expect leggy Lego showgirls or sleazy hookers, though.
The Pirates Shores area will add Captain Cranky’s Challenge, an attempt to
induce seasickness with a pirate ship that sits on a U-shaped track and
rotates in two directions.
SeaWorld in San Diego has a new nighttime lights’n’ cetaceans show called
Shamu Rocks and a new encounter called Wild Arctic Interaction, which allows
guests to paddle with beluga whales in a giant, and chilly, tank. It costs
about £80, including wetsuit and other gear, and participants must be over
10. See www.seaworldsandiego.com
.
FLORIDA
More of that ubiquitous clown fish when Disney unveils Finding Nemo — The
Musical at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, while the animation-puppetry ride The
Seas with Nemo & Friends at Epcot aims to continue the story where the
movie left off. The live Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor show opened in the Magic
Kingdom this month.
Over at Busch Gardens (www.buschgardens.com),
the two-year-old coaster SheiKra (200ft climb, 90 degrees straight down) is
being taken out of action for three weeks at the end of May so it can be
modified with floorless trains (the floors retract once you leave loading),
thus upping the fear factor.
Meanwhile, SeaWorld Orlando (www.seaworld.com)
has introduced Shamu Rocks (see California, above), plus three new family
rides (Ocean Commotion, Flying Fiddler and Sea Carousel). It’s also gearing
up for 2008, when it will open Aquatica, a whole new water park.
more theme park pictures
tom, MILTON KEYNES, ca