The History of Disney Village (1992-2016)

Welcome to Disney Village!

Introduction

All Disney resorts around the world have their own exclusive shopping, dining, and entertainment complexes. Walt Disney World in Florida, for example, has Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) and Disneyland Resort in California has the Downtown Disney District. Disneyland Paris is no exception of course and has the rather brilliant Disney Village. The following is a little guide to the history of Disney Village and the many changes it has faced throughout it's history to date.

How It All Started

When plans were finally decided to build Euro Disneyland, it was decided that the new park would need it's own entertainment district, similar to the ones found at the other Disney parks. Canadian-born American architect, Frank Gehry, was chosen to lead the project. Disney gave Gehry almost complete control of designing the new entertainment district which would be called Festival Disney. Other than providing entertainment, shopping, and dining experiences for guests, it was also designed as a transitional space for access from the Disneyland Park and Marne-la-Vallee train station to the Disney resort hotels. Much like it's American counterparts, Festival Disney's goal was to provide exciting dining and shopping opportunities for guests to experience after a day at the Disneyland Park. Dining and shopping aside, there were also plans for concerts, shows, and it's very own nightclub.

Frank Gehry's concept for Festival Disney was based around the idea of an old abandoned American power station, which was now full of life and music. Festival Disney would be lit up from all sides with a central avenue composed of a bright starry sky. Supporting the starry sky would be columns, representing pylons of the old power station. Gehry explained in the following interview his reasons for designing Festival Disney around an old power station:

"The idea of a station in the U.S. made me think of power stations which are often found this close to a railway line. Festival Disney a bright place full of life. The power stations are illuminated at night, hence my idea of a network of 3,600 low-intensity bulbs that cover all of the structures. Naturally, the lights will be suspended between towers and, as a measure of the design process, I blew and embellished the towers that I wanted to sparkle without merely being decorative. Once the towers were imagined, I disposed of buildings and other parts of a normal avenue."

Original Concept Model of Festival Disney.

Welcome to Festival Disney!

Welcome!

On April 12th, 1992, Euro Disneyland opened it's doors for the first time, as did Frank Gehry's Festival Disney. While some of the restaurants, shops, and other features remain the same today, things were quite different on opening day.

The first thing people would see when they entered Festival Disney was Annette's Diner, situated at the front left of the site. Based on the American diners of the '50s and '60s, Annette's was an instant hit with visitors for it's delicious American fare and was especially known for its delicious burgers. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Anette's is still very much open to this day and is as popular as ever.

You'll always find a retro car outside Annette's Diner!

Annette's Diner, a firm fan favourite.

Towards the front right of Festival Disney was Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Another place still open today, Buffalo Bill's is a dinner show which lets guests experience the Wild West, including shootouts, stage coach robbery's, and even some appearances from everyone's favourite Disney characters. This family friendly show has gone on to become one of Festival Disney's signature attractions and has even broken the world-record attendance of a show with over 10 million guests experiencing the show.

Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show! 

Almost central to the entrance of Festival Disney was the Streets of America Shop. This shop sold merchandise themed around different states of the USA as well as products based on American culture. The shop didn't prove very popular with European guests, and closed just over a year after opening.

Walking further down Festival Disney, guests would find the following shops:

The Disney Store

Disney Fashion

Hollywood Pictures

The Surf Shop

Buffalo Trading Company

The Disney Store and Disney Fashion are both still open to this day. The Surf Shop closed in 2002, while Buffalo Trading Company and Hollywood Pictures closed more recently in 2009 and 2013.

As you would expect, The Disney Store is crammed full of Disney merchandise, almost anything you could think of. Although the shop has not changed dramatically through the years, it originally housed an indoor playground offering child minding activities for children aged three to ten. The play area was named the 'Never Land Club Children's Theatre'. Interestingly, the only way to enter this area was through a large window. Although it was popular with children and offered a much welcome break for many parents, it only stayed open for a couple of years. 

Original Exterior of The Disney Store.

The Disney Store as it looks today.

Disney Fashion is perhaps the best place to find clothing in the whole of the resort. Offering many unique Disney products not available anywhere else on site, the shop has never had any major changes since opening.

Disney Fashion.

Hollywood Pictures was a shop featuring merchandise primarily based on films, although not just Disney films. Inside, visitors would be able to buy products such as film clapperboards and director's baseball caps. Certain parts of the shop specialised in products from certain films, with large sections based on Star Wars and A Nightmare Before Christmas. 

Hollywood Pictures.

The Surf Shop was situated next to the Los Angeles Bar & Grill restaurant. As the name suggests, this sold lots of surfing goods as well as beachwear. One fun element to The Surf Shop was that visitors could try on clothes in old fashioned beach cabins. 

Concept Art for The Surf Shop.

Buffalo Trading Company was a shop selling lots of Wild West themed products. It was very popular with guests, not surprising considering the nearby Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show is so popular. The shop sold many Western themed clothing such as cowboy style hats, as well as toy rifles for children and many other similar products.

Buffalo Trading Company.

Shopping aside, there were plenty more restaurants on opening day other than Annette's Diner. These included:

Sports Bar
New York Style Sandwiches
Los Angeles Bar & Grill
Key West Seafood
The Steakhouse
Billy Bob's Country Western Saloon

The Sports Bar, just next door to the Disney Store, has been a popular place for guests to reside ever since it first opened it's doors on opening day. The popular venue has an indoor bar full of sports memorabilia as well as an outside area with a massive screen to watch live sports.

The Sports Bar terrace in 2010, decorated for the World Cup.

Next door to the Sports Bar is New York Style Sandwiches, a quick service restaurant. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating as well as a take out option.

Enjoy a quick bite to eat at New York Style Sandwiches.

Los Angeles Bar & Grill was a popular opening day restaurant, situated at the end of Festival Disney, facing Lake Disney. The restaurant was well regarded for it's steaks and served perhaps the best pizza to be found in Euro Disneyland.

Los Angeles Bar & Grill.

Right opposite the Los Angeles Bar & Grill was Key West Seafood. This restaurant was themed after Florida's Key West island and had a bright and colourful tropical atmosphere inside. Seafood was the restaurant's speciality but it was very well known for serving Florida favourite dessert, Key lime pie. 

Key West Seafood Entrance Sign.

The Steakhouse, has been Festival Disney's best venue for fine dining ever since opening day. Like the name says, this is the place for a good steak!

The Steakhouse Entrance.

Another opening day venue is Billy Bob's Country Western Saloon. At Billy Bob's, guests can grab a drink and light snack while watching live music entertainment every night. Upstairs in Billy Bob's is the popular La Grange buffet restaurant. With a cheery atmosphere and brilliant live performances, it's no surprise why Billy Bob's is still as popular today as it was in the early years.

Billy Bob's Country Western Saloon.

Much Misunderstood and In Need of Change (The '90s)

Festival Disney with much needed changes.

The 1990s saw a lot of changes for Festival Disney, one change just a year after opening. Perhaps the biggest change however was it's name. The years leading up to the new millennium saw Festival Disney welcome new restaurants, shops, and entertainment.

The first change to happen to Festival Disney occurred in June 1993. The Streets Of America Shop closed and made way for the new Rock N' Roll America, a restaurant themed around America's favourite rock n' roll artists. The new restaurant featured music memorabilia and would host live music every night. This was considered an inspired change to Festival Disney as The Streets Of America shop didn't prove to be very popular. Rock N' Roll America became a favourite destination for many guests. It's choice of American food and live rock n' roll music was a surefire hit for many.

Rock N' Roll America.

1996 was a big year for Festival Disney. The year saw the opening of Planet Hollywood with a grand opening ceremony including film stars Sylvester Stallone and Gerard Depardieu. The Planet Hollywood restaurant chain already had strong links with the Disney company as they had a restaurant based at Downtown Disney in Florida, so it was a no brainer to open one in Festival Disney. Planet Hollywood was indeed an instant winner with guests who were in awe of the amazing film memorabilia inside the restaurant as well as the fantastic food on offer. Unsurprisingly, Planet Hollywood is still open today, and is still a popular destination for many.

The instantly recognisable Planet Hollywood.

Although Planet Hollywood was a fantastic addition, it was not the biggest change to happen to Festival Disney in 1996. The year saw the entertainment district find a new name in 'Disney Village', which it is still called to this very day. Most visitors and cast members liked the name change which seemed to fit better than Festival Disney. It was thought that the name was changed to coincide with Euro Disneyland also being renamed. Euro Disneyland was renamed to Disneyland Paris.

Disney Village, a beautiful sight at night.

Frank Gehry's much misunderstood Disney Village would go through further changes in the 90s, sadly changing a lot of Gehry's original concept. The once appealing starry sky of lights was eventually taken down. The pylons supporting the starry sky were kept in place although some had metal plates removed. Inside some pylons were now statues and food kiosks. Disney Village was a great sight at night but the daytime was another story. Unfortunately, Gehry's Disney Village was beginning to look very dated during the day, not an image the Disney company wanted it's guests to see.

The original pylons with removed metal plates, now featuring statues.

One very much welcomed change to Disney Village was the addition of new shop, The Disney Gallery. Originally, the building housed a tourist information centre. With other places for tourist information, it was quickly decided that there was no need for it, so The Disney Gallery was born. The shop features beautiful Disney art, most of which is for sale. 

An example of some of the lovely artwork on offer at The Disney Gallery.

The eight screen Gaumont Multiplex Cinema opened it's doors on May 7th 1997. This was a big addition for Disney Village as it was proving to provide a lot more than just shopping and dining. The Gaumont is still open to this day and proves to be popular with guests due to the fact it shows films in not just only French but also English.

Concept Art for the Gaumont Multiplex Cinema.

In 1999, just before Disneyland Paris welcomed in the new millennium, two new dining additions were added. On the 25th January 1999, Disney Village was pleased to announce the opening of McDonald's, the world famous fast food chain. Due to there not being many fast dining options in Disney Village, it's fair to say that McDonald's was a much welcomed addition. McDonald's was an entirely new building and was built in the area just behind Hurricane's Night Club. The second addition in 1999 was the Rainforest Cafe. A very popular chain restaurant in America, the Rainforest Cafe was an instant hit with families for it's family friendly menu, not to forget the amazing interior filled with animatronic animals. The Rainforest Cafe was built in place of opening day restaurant Key West Seafood.

Mc Donald's.

Rainforest Cafe.

Throughout the late '90s, Disney Village played host to concerts, almost nightly, on it's central stage (just outside where the Sports Bar is now) and these continued into the early 2000s, although they became much less frequent.

Disney Village Central Plaza Stage.

A New Millennium and A New Lease of Life (Early 2000s)

One thing bugging a lot of guests and on the minds of Disney employees was the fact that there was not a single Disney themed restaurant to be found at Disney Village. Plans were quickly discussed to rectify this matter and the idea of Cafe Mickey was born. It wasn't until 2002 that Cafe Mickey would finally open it's doors to the public. Cafe Mickey replaced the opening day restaurant Los Angeles Bar & Grill, which closed in 2001. The Surf Shop next door also closed it's doors in 2001 and was replaced by the new World of Toys store, a smaller version of the Disney Store. Cafe Mickey was everything Disney fans had wished for. Cafe Mickey provides guests with the chance to dine with the characters as well eating lots of Disney themed food. The likes of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Pluto are always bound to turn up at your table. Proving to be a massive hit, Cafe Mickey is still very much open today and always full with Disney diners.

Disney's World of Toys store.

Cafe Mickey. You can still see traces of the original restaurant Los Angeles Bar & Grill.

May 10th 2003 welcomed guests to dine in the new establishment, King Ludwig's Castle. Themed to Bavaria's Neuschwanstein Castle, King Ludwig's features a menu of mainly German fare but also many other options. It has a more adult feel to it but it caters for all ages, just like everywhere else in Disney Village. A lot of guests suggest this is the best place in Disney Village to get an alcoholic drink. King Ludwig's was built in place of fan favourite Rock N' Roll America but thankfully King Ludwig's has now turned into a firm fan favourite itself.

King Ludwig's Castle.

Despite the negativity about it, Disney Village became a favourite night spot for people not visiting the Disneyland Park. It was therefore decided to finally build it's own car park. On December 3rd 2004, the new art deco themed VINCI Park opened, finally providing non-Disney park guests somewhere to park.

VINCI Park car parking facilities.

2005 could have been considered as the year of change for Disney Village. With Disney Village still looking very much dated during the day, Disney resort management started on renovations which would take a few years to complete. The neon lights and large signs which were situated over most restaurants since opening day, were being removed one by one. The central stage was also removed and would only come out for very special occasions. To make Disney Village look more visually appealing, the pylons in the middle were all removed, with only a few remaining to this very day. Colourful light up balloons were added to the remaining pylons. In April of 2005, Disney Village introduced PanoraMagique, a captive hot air balloon that reaches 100 metres into the sky and can hold up to 30 guests at a time. Situated on the edge of Lake Disney, PanoraMagique boasts the world record of being the largest captive hot air balloon in the world. A 570-seat IMAX cinema was also added as part of the Gaumont Cinema Multiplex in 2005.

Original neon light signs were all removed from Disney Village.

PanoraMagique, sitting on Lake Disney.

The visual changes continued at Disney Village in the next few years. In 2008, resort management added more plants and trees to the central plaza as well as adding terraces to all of the restaurants and bars. All of the buildings were also repaired and repainted. Disney Village was finally starting to get the love that it deserved.

Buffalo Trading Company ceased operations in 2009 after 17 years of service. In July that same year, Starbucks opened in it's place. It was the first Starbucks to open on a Disney resort, and many more have now opened in the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland California.

Starbucks, sitting where Buffalo Trading Company once stood.

Things Are Looking Good! (2010 to 2016)

With Disney Village finally coming into fruition, the last 6 years have seen some big additions, perhaps paving the way for Disney Village to finally be given the glory it deserves and possibly even set Disney Village in a new direction.

March 1st 2010 saw the first change at Disney Village. The once brilliant Hurricane's Nightclub, finally closed. Although it declined in it's final years, Hurricane's Nightclub will live long in the hearts of many that experienced it. Many loved Hurricane's for it's much welcome departure from the Disney side of things, perhaps making it the most adult of places in the Disneyland Paris resort. Hurricane's does live on, although in a much different capacity. The area which once held Hurricane's is now a cast members rest area.

Hurricane's Nightclub, once party central, now a cast members rest area.

On the 15th June 2011, Disney Village was pleased to announce the opening of Earl of Sandwich, a new dining experience for visitors. Ever since opening, Earl of Sandwich has been a big big hit with guests. Many will leave the parks just to eat in Earl of Sandwich. Other than offering amazing toasted sandwiches, the restaurant provides guests with stunning views of Lake Disney.

Earl of Sandwich.

Many fans would agree that the biggest addition to Disney Village was the opening of the World of Disney Store on July 12th 2012. The art deco themed shop proved to be an instant hit with visitors and many say that this is the best addition to ever happen at Disney Village. The fantastic theming and products surely make this the best shop in all of the Disneyland Paris resort. If this is how Disney want to improve Disney Village, then this is definitely a step in the right direction.

World of Disney Concept Art.

The most recent change to Disney Village was the opening of the Lego Store in 2014. The Lego Store replaced Hollywood Pictures, an opening day shop. Hollywood Pictures closed in mid-2013. With the popularity of Lego, it was an easy choice to open a new store in Disney Village, and with no surprise, it has been a huge hit.

The Lego Store, a very welcome recent addition to Disney Village.

With all of the changes since the new millennium, it's fair to say that Disney Village has grown a lot more in popularity, especially with the people who once doubted it. Even die-hard fans of Disney Village would find it hard to argue that Disney Village now looks better than it ever has done. With the amount of changes since opening in 1992, it's hard not to feel sorry for Disney Village designer Frank Gehry. While Gehry's original designs for Disney Village certainly looked fantastic, it never really ended up looking that way. Still with all the changes, you can still see a lot of Gehry's original vision for Disney Village, and we should never forget how much of an influence he was to the Disney Village we see today. It's fair to say that there will be many more exciting changes to look forward to at Disney Village in the coming years.

Disney Village from the air.