April 12, 1992 – Euro Disneyland Opens
Image credit: Disneyland Paris Official Website
“In a Magical Kingdom not so far away – somewhere between a place where you wish upon a star and dreams come true – Disney heroes and heroines live in fairytales that are, happily, never ending.”
On April 12, 1992, Euro Disneyland opened in Marne-la-Vallée, France, approximately 20 miles from the center of Paris. Renamed “Disneyland Paris” in 1994, the park is the second Disney park created outside of the United States, the first being Tokyo Disneyland, but is the first to be owned and operated by Disney.
Inspired by success of Tokyo Disneyland, plans for a European Disney park started in the 1980s, and were narrowed down to two areas: one near Barcelona, Spain, and one near Paris, France. Michael Eisner and Frank Wells finally made the decision to go with the area near France, due to its easily accessible location and its fairytale-like landscape. After years of construction, the park was completed, and has been deemed as the most beautiful of all Disney parks by many who cite the latest technology and architecture at the time used in creating the park. Disneyland Paris has the same layout as Disneyland, except the change of name from Tomorrowland to Discoveryland. The park itself consists of two parks—Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park—as well as an entertainment area called Disney Village. The complex also contains seven Disney-themed hotels.
The park does not come without controversy. Although almost 11 million visitors visited the park its inaugural year, the park lost money, due to both the economic conditions at the time and the interest payments on construction debts. Prominent French figures opposed the park’s construction, and French labor unions held protests. In 1994, the park went through a financial reorganization (including a new name), and in 1995, the park saw its first profit. It is now France’s and Europe’s most visited themed attraction.
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