Though Disneyland Paris kicked off its 30th Anniversary Celebration on March 6, it officially opened its doors to guests on April 12, 1992, making today its true anniversary.
It originally opened as Euro Disney, and the lines to get in on opening day were long.
At 9:01am, Michael Eisner, then Chairman of The Walt Disney Company, and Sabine Marcon, Ambassador of Euro Disney, welcomed the very first family to enter the park.
Once inside, guests saw Robert Fitzpatrick, President of Euro Disney, kick off the official dedication ceremony:
Guests next heard from Roy Disney, Walt’s nephew, as he stood alongside of Mickey Mouse to dedicate the park, and he stated “”For my family and me, Disney – or D’Isigny – has returned to Europe.”:
Then Michael Eisner stood on the castle balcony with Mickey to proclaim the park officially open:
The last 30 years have seen more than 375 million visitors step through the gates. You can read our history of Disneyland Paris for more information on those 30 years.
In honor of this special day, more than 900 Cast Members who are celebrating 30 years or more with the company, recreated the 1992 inauguration photo:
And you can also watch a lovely video of the Cast Members getting together to do the photo (it has English subtitles):
This morning Disneyland Paris Cast Members gathered to form a receiving line on Main Street, U.S.A., at the entrance of Disneyland Park, welcoming guests with flags commemorating the important day.
Disneyland Paris has also invited 270 underprivileged young people from France and Belgium to celebrate this Anniversary. These young people – who benefit from the support of such charitable organizations as Restos du Cœur, Secours Populaire, Red Cross and Pêcheurs de Lune – were among the first Guests who entered Disneyland Park today.
Throughout the day, they are going to spend unforgettable and magical moments, and discover the new experiences offered as part of the resort’s 30th Anniversary as well.
Also this morning, Disneyland Paris gathered together many of the Walt Disney Imagineers that have worked on the park for a special live stream event from the Disney’s Hotel New York — The Art of Marvel to talk about the creation of the parks, hotels, and more over the last 30 years.
Among the Imagineers were: Tony Baxter, Beth Clapperton, Tim Delaney, Tracy Eck, Björn Heerwagen, Sylvie Massara, Tom Morris, David Wilson and Tom Fitzgerald.
If you missed the talk, it is available online to watch. The announcements are in French, but the conversation is mostly in English. The Imagineers share some incredibly interesting tidbits about the park and their methods for creating new lands and attractions. There are also several video clips of the building of Disneyland Paris from the construction of the castle to testing the rides. This panel is a must watch for Disney fans.
Today, in addition to the two parks, Disneyland Paris includes Disney Village (the dining, entertainment, and shopping district), and seven hotels, including the recently opened Disney’s Hotel New York — The Art of Marvel, which includes an art gallery of more than 350 Marvel collectibles
But the resort isn’t done growing! As part of the 30th Anniversary of Disneyland Paris, the overall transformation of the destination continues.
Plans are already underway for a multi-year Walt Disney Studios Park expansion plan which will include the opening of the Avengers Campus this summer, a new “Frozen” land, as well as a royal transformation of the Disneyland Hotel, and the complete redesign of Disney Village.
I’ll be bringing all those details to you soon, but for today we say, “Joyeux 30e anniversaire Disneyland Paris!”
Have you ever visited Disneyland Paris in these 30 years? Let us know in the comments!