DLP hosted a big event for social media types yesterday, which included a lot of news tidbits. Here are some of the highlights: Other announcements included a transformation of Colonel Hathi's, Disney Village to be remodeled with a new concept, seasonal entertainment updates and details, expanded & extended Rendez Vous Gourmand, and food & merchandise previews (including things being copied from the US parks) Lots of news here, so here's a quick rundown of my thoughts on things Philharmagic: It's a solid 3D attraction, but the animation and segment choices are pretty dated by 2018 standards. And of course, it horribly out of place in Discoveryland; I know it's just a quick and cheap addition, but it really doesn't fit at all Ratatouille: I suppose I'm glad they're taking time to do the maintenance, but I'm disappointed it will be closed when I'm there in September. I'll have limited time, so this may give us another day to sightsee in Paris instead of the parks Mark Twain: I'm honestly a little surprised that the second boat will make a return, but given that it won't be done until 2020, work on it probably won't begin for another year; I'll wait to really get excited until they're actually working on it. It seems like something that could quietly be cancelled, yet again DLP Hotel: I'm concerned about the new "universe." This sounds like it could only mean some sort of character infusion, which will likely be entirely inappropriate for the top-tier venue Colonel Hathi's: I have no idea what this could be, but at the very least it sounds like they're planning on keeping it open more often, which is always a good thing. Perhaps they'll increase the SEA presence leftover from the original Explorer's Club Disney Village: While the original design was distinct and iconic, the current look is dated and kind of awkward. I hope that this overhaul will include changing some of the stores and restaurants to give a wider variety of options, similar to the other Disney shopping areas around the world Phantom Manor: It needed a refurbishment, but I'm concerned about the new storyline. The original version was one of Disney's greatest attractions anywhere, so I worry that major changes could take away from that. I'm all for plussing it up, but I hope that the changes enhance what was already there, rather than an entirely new approach In general, it's great to see so much in the pipeline for the resort. Obviously WDSP will be getting major attention over the next few years, but it's reassuring that it won't come at the expense of the rest of the resort. While there aren't many "major" announcements here, I think these types of projects will go a long way to help round out the various improvements that have taken place in recent years
I'm pleased the original park is getting some love. I agree with most of your assessments of these announcements. PhilharMagic is definitely out of place, but it won't be the first time that's happened in that venue. DLP tend to look at these spaces purely on a nuts and bolts level rather than give too much thought to theming - hence Lion King in Discoveryland and Tarzan in Frontierland. I won't miss Ratatouille too much as I enjoy it, but it's not a particular favorite. The hotel redo will be ok if they keep it subtle and appropriate. It would lose the Americana theme, but something like Mary Poppins could work well if limited to artwork etc. No one wants to see it go Pop Century. I like Colonel Hathi's a lot! Hopefully this will bring something new to the venue that honors the original intent. Disney Village is getting really grotty in places. I look forward to seeing what they do. I'm keen to see what they do with Phantom Manor too. I feel it loses it a bit towards the end when it gets silly so I wouldn't mind seeing that changed out a bit.
As I've been pondering these announcements, I realized that in a weird way, DLP's rocky financial situation was sort of a blessing in disguise for preservation of the park's original design. The overwhelming majority of the park is either from opening day or shortly after, designed by the original team and with a similar philosophy (with the notable exception of Buzz Lightyear, which is an awkward late addition). While DLP has been forced to maintain its existing attraction roster, Disney's design philosophy has drastically shifted, inserting IP anywhere and everywhere that it could possibly fit (and lots of places it doesn't fit too). Now that they're finally investing in new stuff for the park, it is being done with the modern philosophy that is completely different from the rest of the park. Although WDI's recent designs have all been very well executed, I often question the fundamental choices of which attractions and/or themes to use; it will be interesting to see how this all plays out at DLP, which is widely regarded as the most beautiful and one of the most pure castle parks I don't mind large-scale entertainment that doesn't fit its surroundings, since each park tends to have limited locations (which is how we get things like Fantasmic! in Frontierland/New Orleans Square and the Nemo musical in Dinoland) and tend to only last a few years, but I think attractions should stay true to the theme. I assume Philharmagic will be filling the Honey/EO theater, not the Videopolis stage, right? Given how long things to last in that venue, I'm worried about how long its legacy will linger I agree that there's a big tonal shift at the end, as the ride descends into the catacombs and ghost town. In a way, it feels like the designers wanted to give people what they'd expect from a haunted house ride at a travelling carnival or low-end amusement park; now that DLP and PM have been around long enough for people to expect something more serious, maybe there's an alternative way of doing those scenes. The first part of the attraction does a great job of being haunting without being "scary," so I hope that this can match that tone
I assumed PhilHarmagic was a temporary thing. I don't expect it to last much longer than the encore edition of Captain Eo. It's just a bit of quick filler. At least that's how it seems to me. To be honest, other announcements aside, they should just swap this with the new Cinemagique show. Marvel isn't necessarily discovery either, but it seems like a better fit for Star Wars/Space Mountain corner.
Once again, DLP knocked it out of the park with their Fan Daze event. The pictures I've seen online look like a lot of fun, and the Max Live show is exactly what I was hoping it would be. I got unreasonably excited at the end when everybody did the Perfect Cast together. I don't know if a show like this would be popular for a normal park audience, but it's a perfect fit for the fan crowd I don't know who is in charge of DLP's Entertainment right now, but it seems like they've done a fantastic job on everything for the past 3-ish years, starting with that nature-themed show in Frontierland. Everything from the new parade, to Mickey and the Magician, to the Halloween parade upgrades, to the 25th and runDisney events, to even the cheesy princess stage show has just been far better than it has any business being. I can only hope that some of that will come to the US parks when Catherine Powell's influence begins to grow
Disneyland Paris has revealed the season for the next year. <!--Can't find substitution for tag [blog.Disneyandmore]-->
