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[Maarten]

I heard that they're going to add more Disney Characters on the façades of the buildings, to bring more Disney Magic to it.

They can add as much characters as they want, Disney Village will remain ugly and cold. Although some areas look better then before, I think that they really ripped the heart out of Disney Village when they took away the stage and the starry night effect. To get this place up to the standards of the other Downtown Disney's worldwide, they need more money. As long as they can't afford some real additions and placemakings to this place, nothing will work. But thats just my opinion.  :?

[penfold12]

I agree Maarten, I never understood the decision to go with the cold metalic design in the first place. The weather is not as forgiving as in WDW or DL, and they designed their areas with low rise wooden outlets full of charm. Instead we are left with cold metalic dated look, which over the years has been cheapend, and now looks tacky and as if it belongs on some cheap sea side town such as Blackpool, trying to evoke the "magic of Disney". We have all been to those cheap theme parks that we moan are trying to feel like Disney, but end up looking cheap and tacky, but in actual fact, thats exactly what the village is!!

The original design was chosen by Michael Eisner because it was designed by a renown designer (and his personal friend), because he view France as a cultural destination with taste, and therefore felt cutting edge desing instead of family freindly themeing was the way to go. 15 years on, it looks cheap dated and tacky! Sorry that was all a bit harsh..... I just wish DLRP had a nightime area that made me feel as warm and welcome as the marketplace etc in wdw

[Anthony]

Great posts Maarten and penfold12, I totally agree with both of you.

As an overall pointer, Disney should never ever do modern architecture.  Especially not from Frank Gehry!!  I'm not sure how they're going to fix DV in the long term, but I think it could actuall be best to return the original street to its more industrial, factory look with a totally American theme.  Then, the new street(s) can take up the European or Worldwide themes we've heard rumoured, creating a kind of World Village split into several areas.

What worries me is their lack of commitment to any single vision - where does the new IMAX building fit into all of this?  Or the new Vinci car park?  They're nice, but it seems someone just saw the art deco of WDS and said "hey, that's nice! let's do that!".

Going back to the original modern architecture thing - aren't you glad they didn't build any of those hotels shown in the back of "From Sketch to Reality"? :shock:

[penfold12]

Totally!!! I think that Michael Eisner was trying to be too clever, and appears slightly apologetic about what Disney is all about. It is big and brash and bold, but its done with some much attention and detail that it works. It does not fit in with the culture of modern design, it works best when it creates what people percieve to be real, like MGM, the hollywood that people want to believe it was with its glamour. Just like Epcot's world show case is not really what the country are really like, but what people want them to be like... The UK pavilion is like stepping into Mary Poppins London!

Even worse would of been if they had built the one idea they had instead of the castle, a tall sculpture inspired by Jules Verne.....

But back to the topic, the cheesey frontages added to the existing buildings like King Ludwigs does nothing to help at all. The only building's that I feel sort of work are Annettes and Cafe Mickeys. They are themed, but still stylised and look of higher quality.

[Samninetysix]

But back to the topic, the cheesey frontages added to the existing buildings like King Ludwigs does nothing to help at all. The only building's that I feel sort of work are Annettes and Cafe Mickeys. They are themed, but still stylised and look of higher quality.

Does Ludwigs not fit in because the rest of the village is so cold and bland?

Personally I think that most of the facades in the village except for maybe ludwigs are completely nondescript, the whole thing needs a serious makeover, whenever we stay in a Disney hotel that warrants us walking through the village, there is no reaction as such, we kinda know where the stores are, and the restaurants, nothing really prompts a response to look any further than we are already familiar with if that makes any sense.....

[metromuppet]

Unfortunatly in this day and age it all boils down to profit.
The village to most in a day is the last thing they go to- sort of like a walk throgh at the end of the day before going home. I think more shops will open, selling the same sort of things they are selling now, but more of it, and in more shops, with more advertising to go with it.

I last went in June, and it was quite popular at the weekend, with a great atmosfere during the world cup matches, which where being shown in the village on a big screen, that was nice, but i have a feeling i will be more dissapointed that the disney feeling will have been taken away from the "soul" of the village when i return this june.

As soon as a place connected with Disney becomes more non-disney the feeling of the area will be taken away.

Shame realy...

But with the rehab so to speak of the village, it could be much better then expected

[penfold12]

I think to truely work, it also needs to attract people who are not staying on the resort. Locals etc. I cant see that many locals wanting to visit the village as it is....

[Anthony]

I think to truely work, it also needs to attract people who are not staying on the resort. Locals etc. I cant see that many locals wanting to visit the village as it is....

But apparently they do, especially for the cinema.  Why else would they be so against showing original language versions of films?

If anything it seems they want to increase the Disney presence in the village, which is probably quite a good idea.  It's just a shame they have both a horrible starting point and a feeble budget.

Considering how much they seem to care about the appearance and quality of the parks these days, I think if the anniversary year is a success 2008-2010 should finally bring some major improvements.  We just have to wait... and disable all senses between Lake Disney and the park gates. :wink:

Btw - will our World of Disney be on 2 floors, do you think?  From what I can tell the WDW version is only on 1, but the space in Paris is so much smaller.

Also, did you read ESPN are trying to get more well known in Europe?  It would be cool if they used the rumoured ESPN Zone near the new parkling lot as a kind of European base - and it's near the Disney Channel Studios too, creating a European Disney TV hub.

[Owain]

Would be nice if they could fit in a Starbucks Stall there !

Nothing like a good Frappuccino  

Like this size, from london bridges tube station;

[Anthony]

Oh god, Starbucks?  Nooooo! :lol:

A Disney coffee shop would be cool though, one thing Disney Village lacks is a good café where you can get a nice drink and snack.  Not everyone wants to go in the Sports Bar, and New York Style Sandwiches is too small.  If they're still going for the "world showcase" idea, a Vienna theme could be nice.

I also think they should open a small shop called something like "Souvenirs de Paris" and sell their full range of Disney-themed Paris souvenirs, plus a few generic items.  It might help to cut a few of those street sellers, as well as cashing in on a good market and theme.

[Kristof]

Besides, there's a Starbucks at Val d'Europe.

[Owain]

It would be good to have one in the Disney area seems people might not want to go all the way to Val d'Europe for a coffe !

[penfold12]

So what are the present lomg term plans for the village? I remember this time last year there was plenty talk and activity with the pillars being taken down etc, and the talk of a new street and possibly a new themed hotel opposite Sequoia Lodge. It all seems to have gone a littel quite. I always thought that they should expand the offer from WDW & TDL and open a Cirque de Soleil in DLP...

[Patrick]

and open a Cirque de Soleil in DLP...

I thought dlrp already had enough of cirque de soleil :lol: , halloween and christmas was enough, a full show would just be torture.

[penfold12]

I mean an actual CDS show, as in La Nuba at WDW not a wanna be style show