Disney Village is a

shopping Shopping is an activity in which a customer browses the available goods or services presented by one or more retailers with the potential intent to purchase a suitable selection of them. A typology of shopper types has been developed by scho ...

, dining, and

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...

complex in

Disneyland Paris Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, Seine-et-Marne, Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disney ...

, located in the town of

Marne-la-Vallée Marne-la-Vallée () is a new town located near Paris, France. Disneyland Paris, Walt Disney Studios Park, Val d'Europe, Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée, ESIEE Paris, and École des Ponts ParisTech are located in Marne-la-Vallée. ...

, France. Originally named Festival Disney, it opened on April 12, 1992, covering an area of approximately inside what was then known as Euro Disney Resort. Based on Walt Disney World's Disney Village Marketplace (now

Disney Springs Disney Springs (previously known as Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village in 1975, Walt Disney World Village in 1977, Disney Village Marketplace in 1989, and Downtown Disney in 1997) is an outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at th ...

), Disney Village was designed by

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Frank Gehry Frank Owen Gehry, , FAIA (; ; born ) is a Canadian-born American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become world-renowned attractions. His works are considered ...

with towers of

oxidized Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a ...

silver and bronze-colored

stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's r ...

under a canopy of lights. It is adjacent to the two

theme parks An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

and the Lake Buena Vista hotel area.

History

Original concept

Disney specified that the primary focus of the new facility should be entertainment. It was envisioned as an attraction inside of the Euro Disney Resort, as well as a free transitional space for visitors of the

Euro Disneyland Disneyland Park, originally Euro Disneyland Park, is a theme park found at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, France. The park opened on 12 April 1992 as the first of the two parks built at the resort. Designed and built by Walt Disney Ima ...

theme park and train passengers from the RER/TGV train station traveling to the resort hotels. The space would include numerous shops, bars, concerts, shows, and nightclubs. The original concept was a large, open space full of life and

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

. It would be lit from all sides around a central avenue and include a starry sky as its crowning feature. The columns that would support this sky would be the remnants of an old power station, which had been left standing after the site had been converted. Gehry noted:

Changes and alterations

Although the starry sky was generally well-received, the same could not be said for many other aspects of ''Festival Disney''. From the beginning, guests and cast members alike criticized the project, perceiving it as having a cold, industrial, and soulless atmosphere. As a result, many changes were made to Gehry's original concept. Metal frames that had been placed on many of the pylons were removed and replaced with statues and food counters. In 1996, just four years after opening, ''Festival Disney'' was renamed Disney Village. Popular restaurant chain Planet Hollywood opened in front of the ''Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show'' building, and the following year an eight-screen Gaumont multiplex cinema complex opened next door to Planet Hollywood, blocking the Wild West Show's original entrance. Many changes and adjustments took place in existing buildings over the next 10 years, such as the opening of ''Café Mickey'' in 2002 (replacing the ''Los Angeles Bar & Grill''), the opening of ''King Ludwig's Castle'' in 2003 (replacing ''Rock 'n' Roll America''), and the opening of the ''

Rainforest Café Rainforest Cafe is a jungle-themed restaurant chain owned by Landry's, Inc., of Houston. It was founded by Steven Schussler. The first location opened in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, on February 3, 1994. By 1997, the chain co ...

'' in 1999 (replacing ''Key West''). On January 25, 1999, a large

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...

fast food restaurant opened with a theme based on Italy's

Commedia dell'arte (; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charact ...

. Later in 2004, a 570-seat

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme ...

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

opened as part of the Gaumont multiplex. Finally, on December 3, 2004, an

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...

themed multi-story parking structure called '' VINCI Park'' (now

Indigo Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', ...

) opened. In 2004, the resort management team began renovations that would take several years to complete. The neon lights, oversized signs, and central stage were all removed from the main area. Colorfully lit balloons were added to the remaining columns for nighttime lighting. ''PanoraMagique'', one of the largest captive balloons in the world, opened in April 2005. It carries up to 30 passengers into the sky. In 2008, resort management added large planters that contained trees, hedges, and flowers to the main thoroughfare. Terraces were added to restaurants and cafés, and the facades of buildings were updated. In the same year, a new beverage stand/snack bar was added near the entrance to Disney Village, and the tourist kiosk nearby was rebuilt in more of a neo-industrial

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

ian style. In 2009, the ''Buffalo Trading Company'' closed and the premises are now occupied by a

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 cou ...

coffee house. As part of a €2 billion expansion of the

Disneyland Resort The Disneyland Resort, commonly known as Disneyland, is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division and is home to two theme parks ...

, it has been confirmed that Disney Village will receive an overhaul and potential expansion. Further details have not yet been confirmed.

Current venues

Attractions and entertainment

*Disney Stadium Arcade Games *Disney Village Marina *Disney Village Stage *Dôme Disney Village : Conference center for professional event and evenings. It sometimes hosts public events like the 2005 production of '' Grease'', concerts or sports competitions. *Lake Disney Road Train * Gaumont Disney Village : Cinema with

, 4DX and D-Box Technologies *PanoraMagique :

Aerophile Aerophile SAS is a French company specialized in building and operating tethered helium balloons. Formed in 1993 the tethered gas balloons operate as tourist attractions around the world. The company has sold more than 60 balloons in 30 countri ...

Observational Balloon

Restaurants and bars

*Animator's Palate (table service restaurant) *Annette's Diner (table service restaurant) *

Ben & Jerry's Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings Inc., trading and commonly known as Ben & Jerry's, is an American company that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet. Founded in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont, the company went from a single ice cream ...

Kiosque De Glaces (ice cream kiosk) *Billy Bob's Country Western Saloon (table service restaurant & snack bar) *

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance bar, temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pembe ...

Cool Stop (refreshment kiosk) *

Earl of Sandwich Earl of Sandwich is a noble title in the Peerage of England, held since its creation by the House of Montagu. It is nominally associated with Sandwich, Kent. It was created in 1660 for the prominent naval commander Admiral Sir Edward Montagu. ...

(counter service restaurant) *

Five Guys Five Guys Enterprises LLC (doing business as both Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and simply Five Guys) is an American fast food restaurant chain focused on hamburgers, hot dogs, and french fries, and headquartered in Lorton, Virginia, part of ...

(counter service restaurant) *King Ludwig's Castle (table service restaurant) *La Grange (buffeteria) *

(counter service restaurant) *New York Style Sandwiches (counter service restaurant) * Planet Hollywood (table service restaurant) *

Rainforest Cafe Rainforest Cafe is a jungle-themed restaurant chain owned by Landry's, Inc., of Houston. It was founded by Steven Schussler. The first location opened in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, on February 3, 1994. By 1997, the chain con ...

(table service restaurant) *Sports Bar (snack bar) *

(coffee house) *The Steakhouse (table service restaurant) *Vapiano (counter service restaurant)

Shopping

* World of Disney *

Disney Store The Disney Store is a chain of specialty stores selling only Disney related items, many of them exclusive, under its own name and Disney Outlet. It was a business unit of Disney Consumer Products with the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products s ...

*Disney Fashion *The Disney Gallery *World of Toys * *

Lego Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocki ...

Store *Planet Hollywood Gifts *

Retail Village *

Bureau de change A bureau de change (plural bureaux de change, both ) (British English) or currency exchange (American English) is a business where people can exchange one currency for another. Nomenclature Although originally French, the term "bureau de chang ...

Closed venues

*Streets of America - closed in 1993 *The Surf Shop - closed 1993 *Key West Seafood - closed in 1999 *Los Angeles Bar & Grill - closed in 2002 *Rock'n'Roll America - closed in 2003 *Buffalo Trading Company - closed in 2009 *Hurricanes Discotheque - closed on March 1, 2010 *Hollywood Pictures - closed in July 2013 *NEX Fun Bowling & Games - closed in 2016 *

Buffalo Bill William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but he lived for several years ...

's Wild West Show with Mickey & Friends: an original show re-enacted twice nightly in a purpose-built arena since 1992. Despite technological production elements, the show retained a high degree of authenticity, including

bison Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North A ...

, Longhorn cattle, and

quarter horse The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile or less; some have been clocked at ...

s imported from North America. The cast included Native American members, as well as trained

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaq ...

cowboys. Most of the more famous elements of the original show remain, including the Pony Express, Indian Attack, and Stagecoach Robbery. A dinner show entry included a

cowboy hat The cowboy hat is a high-crowned, wide-brimmed hat best known as the defining piece of attire for the North American cowboy. Today it is worn by many people, and is particularly associated with ranch workers in the western and southern Unit ...

and a themed menu of chili and

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke ...

ribs The rib cage, as an enclosure that comprises the ribs, vertebral column and sternum in the thorax of most vertebrates, protects vital organs such as the heart, lungs and great vessels. The sternum, together known as the thoracic cage, is a semi- ...

. The show was approaching world-record attendance with over 10,000 shows performed in front of 8.5 million guests. Since 2009, the show starred Mickey Mouse and his friends. - closed in 2020 *Café Mickey (table service restaurant) - closed in 2020

References

External links

*
Disney Village Food Guide

Google Maps - Disney Village

DLRP Magic - Disney Village Guide

PanoraMagique Official Site

VINCI Park Press Release

EuroSouvenirland - Disney Village's former buildings photos
{{Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Disneyland Paris IMAX venues 1992 establishments in France