On March 16, 2002, the year Disneyland Paris turned 10, Walt Disney Studios Park opened. And that was already 20 years ago!
Today we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Walt Disney Studios Park, the second park of Disneyland Paris themed to the magic and backstage of cinema, television and animation.
The park’s first concept was developed by Imagineer Bryan Jowers in 1992, the same year Disneyland Park opened. It was shortly after the opening of the first park that Disney confirmed its desire to open a second theme park linked to the 7th art and its behind the scenes.
On the eve of its grand opening, the park welcomed 5,000 special guests, including media, celebrities and icons of international cinema to parade on the red carpet of the Place des Frères Lumières: an evening worthy of Hollywood! The park then opened on March 16, 2002 with 4 thematic zones: Front Lot, Animation Courtyard, Production Courtyard and Backlot.
In 2007 for its fifth anniversary, Animation Courtyard welcomed Crush’s Coaster and Cars Race Rallye and became Toon Studio, a land that immerses you into the world of Pixar animated films.
The following year, one of the flagship attractions of Disneyland Paris opened in Walt Disney Studios Park: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
Characters from the Toy Story universe made their grand entrance in 2010 with the opening of Toy Story Playland, a new land where nothing is on a human scale and where you will be shrinked to the size of toys.
In 2014, it is the animated film Ratatouille that makes its entry into Walt Disney Studios Park with the arrival of a Parisian plaza where you can find the attraction Ratatouille: The Adventure, the Chez Marianne store, and the table service restaurant Bistrot chez Rémy.
In constant evolution, the Walt Disney Studios Park continues to transform itself and will soon welcome new thematic zones such as Avengers Campus this summer, with more to come…