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20 Days to 20 Years- 1993

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Today, Beth, Manda and I are absolutely thrilled and honored to usher in the year 1993 at EuroDisney with a distinguished Disney community member and creator of the Designing Disney Research Center, Maxime.  When I began to plan for my first trip to Disneyland Paris last winter, I found Maxime’s blog to be an unparalleled resource.  The newly redesigned site offers a masterful look at the art and history of all 5 Disney Parks around the world!  I encourage you to not only investigate their DLP Twenty series for up-to-the-minute updates surrounding the Disneyland Paris 20th Anniversary, but stop by the Lost Treasures gallery for a complete history of its past.  (The Lost Treasures Series pays tribute to venues- attractions, shops, restaurants, etc.- that were once part of Disneyland Paris.)  The homage that Maxime pays to Walt Disney, Walt Disney Imagineers, and the Disney Parks roots is something that all Disney fans will deeply appreciate.

Lost Treasures – Fantasyland

Les Pirouettes du Vieux Moulin.
At the back of Fantasyland stands a windmill that seems to be the carbon copy of the one that can be seen in the 1937 “Disney’s Silly Symphonies” cartoon “The Old Mill”.
Originally, this structure only had a counter service window where (in 1992) “Chambourcy” branded ice cold yogurt, sandwiches, beverages, complete picnic baskets and marzipan figures modeled after the characters that populate the neighboring “it’s a small world” ride were sold.
 In 1993, a Ferris wheel was added to the back of the old windmill to increase the attraction capacity of the Disneyland Park. The addition, “Les Pirouettes du Vieux Moulin”, was loosely based on a concept that had been developed (but never executed) in the early fifties for Disneyland California.
 Due to its small capacity and slow loading procedure, the attraction was closed in 2000. Today, only the original snack counter remains. At the occasion of the approaching twentieth birthday of Disneyland Paris, the entire structure has been refurbished.
“it’s a small world” – “World Chorus” post show.
In the early nineties, most of the Disneyland Paris attractions were coupled with an official corporate partner. Between 1992 and 2008, “it’s a small world” teamed up with “France Telecom”. The attraction’s sponsorship was supported by the “World Chorus” post show.
 In the “France Telecom” pavilion located at the exit of the ride, guests could wander amid exquisite miniature recreations of world famous landmarks. When you peeked through the tiny windows of some of the models, one could see animated shorts starring children from all over the world rehearsing for a concert.
 Despite the huge distance between them, they were able to work together thanks to several means of communication such as telephone, fax, video and minitel (a Videotex online service launched in France in 1982 by the PTT). In a very special way, they showed us that “it’s a small world after all”.
All movies were projected on a glass panel that was part of the three-dimensional setting inside each show box. It was one of the first applications of the Pepper’s Ghost video technology.
 The animated shorts were produced in Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis, France) by Walt Disney Animation France, S.A. and directed by Chris Bailey. The soundtrack of each movie was synchronized to the background music of the pavilion.
On August 16, 2010, the “World Chorus” post show was closed to become a new covered “interactive” Princess meet n greet area, named “Disney Princesses, A Royal Invitation”.
Photos: © Disney
Photos “it’s a small world”:
–          Outside: Giulia
–          Inside: Aspargsen

We are thrilled that Maxime @DesigningDisney was able to share this piece of Disneyland Paris’s beginnings with 20 Days to 20 Years.  Please visit his entire Lost Treasures Department for other selections of precious Disney history.


Tomorrow, we turn to 1994 and our friend Deb @DebsDisTwit at Focused on the Magic!

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Comments

  1. Aww! I miss the World Chorus post show! I absolutely loved it! Fantastic Article Max! Thank you so much once again for taking part! 🙂 x

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  2. Max, we saw the major refurbishment that was being done on Les Pirouettes du Vieux Moulin when we were in the park in June. I simply must get back to see all of their completed projects. We can't thank you enough for this share; you work is stellar!!

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