Disneyland Paris

For more than a quarter of a century this theme park has welcomed guests from all around the world. Here we track some of the major milestones achieved to date

DISNEY – ARGUABLY the world’s most recognisable media company of the past century. From Snow

White and the Seven Dwarfs, the oldest feature length animated film released in 1937, to the recently revamped Star Wars franchise, the brand is synonymous with on-screen entertainment. Not only this, such has been the brand’s immense appeal down the decades, fans are flocking to numerous theme parks around the world dedicated to their favourite characters.

In Paris, this has been the case since 1992 when what was then known as Euro Disney opened its doors. This followed five years of planning and construction, the original agreement between French authorities and Disney being struck in 1987. In 1994, the resort changed its name to Disneyland Paris, and has since witnessed well over 320 million visitors pass through its gates.

The late 1990s saw continual additions to the park. For example, Space Mountain (now known as the Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain) arrived in 1995, while Eurostar began running train services directly to the

site just a year later.

Walt Disney Studios Park opened alongside Disneyland in 2002, the number of guests already hitting the 100 million mark by this time. This was followed in 2007 by Toon Studio with larger-than-life rides and the chance to explore the art of Disney animation.

The quarter of a billion guest mark was passed in 2011, just before the theme park’s 20-year anniversary celebrations which were capped by a spectacular night show and parade.

Fast-forward to the present day and Disneyland Paris continues to welcome visitors of all ages and investing in new attractions. According to a new Disney blog, a multi-year expansion project will be taking place, including the installation of new Marvel-themed rides.