For the first few years in the park's history, I could understand why they didn't bother with any substantial Christmas decorations. The park wasn't exactly an ideal canvas for cozy decorations (a wreath on one of its lighting rigs would have been one waste of a wreath), it closed early, etc. Then they added Toon Studio and Hollywood Boulevard and I thought we might see some nice holiday greenery at last, perhaps even period holiday greenery. But no, just the same old rope-light displays and the odd €2 garland strung around something even cheaper.
And once again the Studios hasn't been included in the press release for this year's holiday season. So why? Why are they not jumping on the opportunity to make a cold park a little warmer, or simply to draw more guests?
It's also the only Disney park on the globe that doesn't have a big Christmas tree. Even Animal Kingdom has one, while none of the park's featured locales is a Christian country.
I must have tried to block last year's attempted festivities from memory because it was only reading this that brought it all back...
http://www.disneytheque.com/phototheque ... 01/001.jpg (http://www.disneytheque.com/phototheque/disneyland_resort_paris/rehab_wds/081201/001.jpg)
http://joel.at.dlp.online.fr/dlp/20081202/DSC05285.JPG (http://joel.at.dlp.online.fr/dlp/20081202/DSC05285.JPG)
http://www.images-squish.net/users/VDR/6272.JPG (http://www.images-squish.net/users/VDR/6272.JPG)
And Walt is still screaming somewhere.
Even came across your review from the time:
Quote from: "pussinboots"I had hoped they would dress up the new Hollywood Boulevard facades and possibly erect a proper Christmas tree at last (it's the only Disney park without a big tree), but this is even worse than nothing. I thought these stands were abysmal when they were just in Disney Village... This is supposed to be a theme park. And not Weihnachtsfestland at that.
After last year I'm happy to see an empty press release.
But I agree, the whole situation with the Studios and seasonal celebrations is incomprehensible. Why they'd want to leave the park virtually unchanged and spend their
entire budget next door, I've no idea. It seems like bad planning and/or lack of imagination.
Does Walt Disney Studios have its own manager? I know DCA does (they're about to get new offices within the park), but the way things happen in Paris I'm not so sure. A lot of its problems could be down to that, if they really run it just as an offshoot of "the main park", like an overflow car park.
You do know WDS is part of DLP Convention Centres?
Funny you should open this today...
(//http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/1328/noel.png)
(//http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/2937/noel2.png)
Minor, but relevant (and not to mention ealry!) :wink:
:arrow: http://www.newsdlrp.com/dlrp-446-wds-noel.html (http://www.newsdlrp.com/dlrp-446-wds-noel.html)
Quote from: "The Butlin Boy"Funny you should open this today...
Minor, but relevant (and not to mention ealry!) :wink:
:arrow: http://www.newsdlrp.com/dlrp-446-wds-noel.html (http://www.newsdlrp.com/dlrp-446-wds-noel.html)
If the
Halloween season is starting soon , why have they got
christmas stuff out in
October ? Or was this picture taken last year ?
What are those two new things meant to be? They'll be done by the merchandise department anyway, so I suppose can't really be classed as park decorations.
Quote from: "Kristof"You do know WDS is part of DLP Convention Centres?
Oh I remember you telling me now! So Disneyland Park is run on its own, then WDS is lumped in with the convention centres? Just let me type "lunacy" into the thesaurus for an opinion on that...
If it doesn't already, the park really needs its own, dedicated management to fight its corner.
Quote from: "Anthony"Even came across your review from the time:
I do apologize for being so very unoriginal. But yes, perhaps it's better to have nothing at all than another Christmas market-type thing airlifted out of a Makro car park.
Quote from: "Kristof"You do know WDS is part of DLP Convention Centres?
Haha, really? Do they distribute their efforts equally between their real estate?
It's strange that the Studios aren't mentioned at all in the press releases, because reading through the interviews Jeremie Noyer has very kindly sent over, there's quite a bit to look out for.
Beyond the Christmas version of Stars 'n' Cars (well, only the arrival music changed as Poppy the Monkey confirmed), the markets are back, there's a new tree and more. Here are some cheeky excerpts from Emmanuel Lenormand:
Quote"Last year, it was more about a test. This year we applied to make it more magical and more 'cinematic'."
"This year we've created a tree completely different from the one of last year, and at the same time, completely different from the one of the Disneyland park, with a perspective and a colour in the blues."
"It's true that, eventually, our will is to have Christmas celebrated as much in the Walt Disney Studios Park as in the Disneyland Park, but we prefer to go slowly, step by step. And, this year, the other innovation is the "Christmas" version of Stars'n'Cars..."
The market will become a movie-set style "Christmas Lane", with a second Santa Claus post office, a reindeer enclosure (?) and new lighting.
If last year was a "test", hopefully this year is something more worthy of "Disney".
I always thought that the Sudios being so "cold" it would be nice to put the "Arches of Winter"somewhere in the park.
Quote from: "Anthony"It's strange that the Studios aren't mentioned at all in the press releases, because reading through the interviews Jeremie Noyer has very kindly sent over, there's quite a bit to look out for.
Beyond the Christmas version of Stars 'n' Cars (well, only the arrival music changed as Poppy the Monkey confirmed), the markets are back, there's a new tree and more. Here are some cheeky excerpts from Emmanuel Lenormand:
Quote"Last year, it was more about a test. This year we applied to make it more magical and more 'cinematic'."
"This year we've created a tree completely different from the one of last year, and at the same time, completely different from the one of the Disneyland park, with a perspective and a colour in the blues."
"It's true that, eventually, our will is to have Christmas celebrated as much in the Walt Disney Studios Park as in the Disneyland Park, but we prefer to go slowly, step by step. And, this year, the other innovation is the "Christmas" version of Stars'n'Cars..."
The market will become a movie-set style "Christmas Lane", with a second Santa Claus post office, a reindeer enclosure (?) and new lighting.
If last year was a "test", hopefully this year is something more worthy of "Disney".
They sure do go about it slowly. But the novelties sound promising. I wonder where they'll put the tree? I suppose we'll see soon enough.
I presume they will be the same sheds as last year but this time with some kind of facades.
I hope this returns.....
(//http://www.images-squish.net/users/VDR/6272.JPG)
:P
They must have spent several euros on that.
Quote from: "Willow"I hope this returns.....
The world's most over-elaborate power cable ever.
It's not very clear from the interview how it'll look, but it does sound like they're creating some kind of picture-postcard "Holiday" scene. Perhaps like the backdrop they used to have around the Gossip Column in Studio 1 for Ciné Folies and Edelweiss, if anyone else remembers that?
Here's another quote (I'll have posted the whole thing ahead of schedule soon):
Quote"...we aren't situated anymore behind the scenes but truly "within" a scenery, as if the guests were in a film. We wanted to plunge the guests into a dream rather than showing them the back side of the scenery. Thus that's in this spirit we created this lane."
As for location, perhaps the route leading to Backlot, with the tree somewhere outside Armageddon, as a weenie? They've no parade or High School Musical show at the moment that needs the parade route there. Although, he does state "Production Courtyard" and "the route towards Stars 'n' Cars" earlier...
That's great news. Hope you put the full interview online soon, Antony.
It's nice to see that they are in fact trying to bring some magic to the Studios. It surely needs it. Will this new tree actually be as large as the one in Disneyland Park?
I always imagined how cool a 'Chistmas make-over' for the Studio 1 building would be, but now that they are having 'technical difficulties' with the refurb (for god sake!), I don't think we can expect anything on that front.
Oh well, it all IS improving. Bring the Disney magic to the Studios, please!
Well things are starting to appear in the Studios for Christmas now...
(//http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/6704/cimg1060u.jpg)
(//http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/9641/cimg1061.jpg)
(//http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/6379/cimg1062.jpg)
http://www.newsdlrp.com/dlrp-459-noel-d ... photo.html (http://www.newsdlrp.com/dlrp-459-noel-disneyland-paris-2009-photo.html)
When Emmanuel Lenormand said they are slowly improving it, how slowly did he mean? :roll:
Should I comment? Maybe reuse a quote...
Quote from: "pussinboots"They must have spent several euros on that.
But at least I can say: The location?! Are they trying to make it as hard they possibly can to see Stars 'n' Cars?
Maybe the tree will be in the gap between Café Cafés and the new TV Studios kiosk?
Those things were a huge eyesore last year during my visit - painting them white hasn't made them any better. ](*,)
Can't each of them at least have a bit of personality to them? My local kiddie fun park could do better than this.
Hell's bells. Maybe next year's addition on the road toward improvement will be the backstory of how Germany's least ambitious Weihnachtsmarkt ended up in Hollywood.
All I can think is that this would not fly over in Anaheim! It would not.
Oh no! Why are they doing this? The Christmas market doesn't fit into the studios.
Here's a link showing some of Disney's Hollywood Studios' Xmas decorations...
Link (//http://www.wdwmagic.com/Events/Holidays-at-Disneys-Hollywood-Studios/News/05Nov2009-Holiday-decorations-and-Christmas-tree-now-up-at-Disney%27s-Hollywood-Studios.htm)
Maybe they aren't finished yet......? (I presume they are complete but I won't give up hope just yet)
Hollywood Studios always has pretty laid back decorations, remember the main event here at Christmas is the Osbourne lights..
Well, I think I have to wait till next monday. But I don't like what i see. :?
Here's that interview I promised: http://www.dlrpmagic.com/interviews/chr ... -director/ (http://www.dlrpmagic.com/interviews/christmas-at-walt-disney-studios-park-emmanuel-lenormand-show-director/)
I was there 8th-12th Nov, really enjoyed the little christmas touched that had been made in the studio, not too much to take away from the studios, no wow factor, but just enough in my opinion.
We also really liked the "Sheds", although the content of the shops gave a little to be desired but they were a nice touch anyway. As for them getting in the way for Stars in Cars, they didnt seem to, more in the way for the toon train, but again added a little holiday feel as the train passed through them.
Whats with all the negativity?
Disney's Stars 'n' Cars with Christmas Music :)
[youtube:15zx3hui]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-Mtvxnwk-8[/youtube:15zx3hui]
It's depresseing to see that the parade passed by in les than 2 minutes! While here in Florida, Block Party Bash, Jamming Jungle Parade, Spectromagic or the MK parades last so long and are so entertaining!
Quote from: "Kinou"It's depresseing to see that the parade passed by in les than 2 minutes! While here in Florida, Block Party Bash, Jamming Jungle Parade, Spectromagic or the MK parades last so long and are so entertaining!
That is just the start of the Stars in cars Parade, the cars park up in a designated roped off area, the Characters disembark, and perform a stage show, aswell as interact with the crowd for photo and autograph oppurtunities. I prefer it alot more than the conventional floats go past parades.
Pictures...
Quote from: "Kristof"New album added!
Walt Disney Studios Park Christmas 2009 (//http://www.photosmagiques.com/gallery/walt_disney_studios/entertainment/christmas_09.php)[/list]
Thanks for sharing. It is great to see a tree finally, but it is so plain. Hopefully things will get better next year.
The one thing DHS does do really well is Christmas, I would love for WDSP to follow suit.
Isn't that just the old tree? Or is it bigger? I can't quite tell.
(//http://joel.at.dlp.online.fr/dlp/20071211/DSC03620.JPG)
Anyway, it's a waste of a tree. A supermarket comes to mind. And you don't put a tree in a bare place to add atmosphere. You put it somewhere where there already is atmosphere. They could have made it into a perfectly lovely 1930s-style tree and put it a few yards to the right. Maybe next year...
If it's not exactly the same it's remarkably like the "old" one. In fact, compared to that, the decorations on it this year look like it's been dressed for a funeral. So drab and colourless.
Thank god for Studio 1 at Christmas, it's lovely in there.
The tree just looks like its been placed in any random place they could find.
I'd love for both parks to buy some new Christmas Trees, both parks aren't brilliant.
Quote from: "Willow"I'd love for both parks to buy some new Christmas Trees, both parks aren't brilliant.
I don't see what's so terrible about the Disneyland Park one at all. And God only knows what Entertainment would replace it with.
Quote from: "pussinboots"Quote from: "Willow"And God only knows what Entertainment would replace it with.
Theyd probably want to follow the latest fad;
(//http://www.mediabistro.com/agencyspy/original/upside-down-christmas-tree.jpg)
upside down tree anyone ? :roll:
Sorry Owain, they already did that one 10 years ago. The characters had their trees around the hub and Goofy's was upside down.
I'm not a fan of the Disneyland Park tree, I'd rather have something like the Anaheim tree.
Yes, but we wouldn't get the Anaheim tree, would we.