Innovation has always been a part of the DNA of Disneyland Paris. For more than 30 years, our resort has continued to innovate to offer experiences that are always more compelling and astonishing.
“Disneyland will continue to grow, expand and offer new ways to have fun, learn and share adventures”, said Walt Disney. Disneyland Paris – which fulfills the pioneering vision of its original founder – is itself a place that has innovated since its opening, by using the latest technology to enhance our Guests’ experience.
When it opened, one of the Park’s iconic attractions – Le Visionarium: Un Voyage à Travers le Temps (1992-2004), was already the only attraction in the world that combined the circarama process – a 360-degree movie theater – with state-of-the-art Audio-Animatronics characters – Nine-Eye and Timekeeper – as part of an incredible journey through time alongside Jules Verne.
In 1993, the first looping roller coaster in a Disney Park opened. It was named Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril. And the following year, Imagineers designed the very first roller coaster featuring on-board music – Casey Jr. – Le Petit Train du Cirque. The latter gave a foretaste of the audio system installed in Space Mountain – From the Earth to the Moon (1995). But that’s not all, since this attraction – which was described as “the biggest adventure of the galaxy” – also featured a unique catapult launch sequence, inside an iconic cannon inspired by Jules Verne’s novel. It really was groundbreaking for that time, and as a result, the attraction won a THEA Award in 1995 – which is the equivalent of an Oscar for attractions!
In 2014, it was the turn of the Ratatouille: The Adventure attraction to innovate thanks to a never-before-seen combination between a trackless ride system and 3D projections of images inspired by Disney Pixar’s animated film.
Many innovative experiences will also await this summer at Avengers Campus, which will push back the boundaries of creativity and storytelling. You can totally trust Tony Stark on that!
Disney D-Light – the iconic daily pre-show of our 30th Anniversary – is also a technological marvel, as it features no less than 150 synchronized drones that form the 30th Anniversary logo in the sky above Disneyland Paris, along with other sparkling figures, which is the first experience of this kind in a Disney Park.
[Update September 14th, 2022: Disney D-Light was named Best Live Entertainment 2022 by Park World Excellence Awards in London]
Innovating also means meeting and even anticipating our Guests’ needs. Our resort is constantly searching for opportunities to leverage technology to offer new experiences, which is what we did when we designed our mobile app that offers all kinds of services (restaurant booking, waiting time management, etc.), which makes it possible for Guests to enjoy each visit to the fullest.
It also means developing innovative and committed approaches to accessibility, such as MagicAll, which is intended to enhance the experience of our Guests with disabilities by giving them the opportunity to assess their level of autonomy, or fostering the adaptation of our different shows in French Sign Language so as to make it possible for the greatest number of people to be immersed in our stories.
Innovating also means leveraging technology to protect the environment
On September 30, 2010, Disneyland Paris partnered with Veolia to build a wastewater treatment and recycling plant – the first time a theme park did so – which has made it possible to save more than 2 million cubic meters of drinkable water since 2013.
And last week, Disneyland Paris announced that the first section of the solar canopy plant is now operational: 10 GWh will now be supplied per year – which is equivalent to the annual energy consumption of a city of 4,800 inhabitants. The solar canopy plant, which was developed through a co-investment with French company Urbasolar, and which started being built in fall 2020, will produce 36 GWh/year by 2023 – equivalent to the annual energy consumption of a city with 17,400 inhabitantsand will contribute to the reduction of Val d’Europe local territory greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by approximatively 890 tons of CO2 per year. The plant, which already has over 46,000 photovoltaic panels installed in the main guest parking lot, will be one of the largest in Europe upon completion. The solar canopies generate renewable energy at the same time as they provide additional guest enhancements, including shade and shelter from direct sunlight, rain or snow.
This is a great way to make our world shine a little brighter every day… while respecting our planet!