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25 Years of Disneyland Paris in 25 Facts
Opened on April 12, 1992, just 32 kilometers from the City of Light, Disneyland Paris celebrates its 25th anniversary with a multitude of new attractions and plenty of interesting facts hidden in its history and "worlds."
The Sleeping Beauty Castle is the only Disney castle that has its own dragon. This castle was created from European legends. Its design was inspired by ancient manuscripts, illustrations from classic books, and the animated film Sleeping Beauty, featuring its characteristic square trees on the sides. Additionally, the castle incorporates typical aspects of French architecture, which were thoroughly researched by Disney imagineers.
Other interesting facts relate to its attractions: more than 150 different shades of paint were used during the construction of "it's a small world"; the attraction Space Mountain: From the Earth to the Moon (now Space Mountain: Mission 2) was the world's first roller coaster to integrate a sound system inside the train during the ride; in each train (Soundtracker) of the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, a different Aerosmith song plays during the trip.
Moreover, it is noteworthy that the limousine at the entrance of the Studio Tram Tour(R): Behind the Magic is the actual one used by Glenn Close in her role as Cruella de Vil in the movie 102 Dalmatians, that 400,000 flowers are changed annually, and that the costume department of Disneyland Paris is the largest in Europe, with 10 people responsible for designing costumes and 45 dedicated to making and maintaining the garments.
But if you want to know the 25 most interesting facts about Disneyland Paris, we tell you below:
- The area of Disneyland Paris is 22.30 km², more than 1/5 of the area of Paris.
- Disneyland Paris is the top tourist destination in Europe, with over 320 million visits since its opening on April 12, 1992.
- More than 15,000 Cast Members of 100 different nationalities work in 500 professions within the Parks. More than 20 languages are spoken.
- The façade of Main Street U.S.A. is illuminated by 225,000 light bulbs.
- Main Street, U.S.A. is made up of 580,000 bricks arranged similarly to New York at the beginning of the 20th century, and over 10,000 pieces of props from the early 20th century decorate shops, restaurants, and attractions.
- The 16 horses on the Le Carrousel de Lancelot carousel are painted with 23-carat gold paint.
- Disneyland Paris is the largest garden in Europe with 35,000 trees, 310,250 shrubs, 964,360 m² of grass, and 5,400 m² of flower beds.
- The highest number of Audio-Animatronics(R) figures in a Disneyland Park attraction is 281, found in "It's a small world."
- The Alice's Maze has a length of 2.5 km. It was created exclusively for Disneyland Paris.
- The remote-controlled car in Toy Story Playland, RC Racer, weighs almost 9 times more than a Formula 1 car.
- Approximately 12,500 parades have taken place at Disneyland Park since it opened in 1992. All these parades have covered a total of more than 8,100 km.
- Disneyland Paris houses several million pieces of costumes, with about 50,000 complete outfits used only in the shows.
- Each year, about 5,000 costume pieces are created, including hats and various accessories.
- Disneyland Paris has a unique irrigation system in Europe. This system is controlled by a computer automatically linked to two weather stations. All data is centralized, allowing for optimal irrigation and effective management of all facilities (6,000 kilometers of irrigation system and 40,000 sprinklers).
- Since its opening in 1992, more than 7 million caramel apples have been sold.
- And over 500 million meals have been served.
- The Autopia cars in Discovery Land cover 2,000 kilometers a day.
- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster is one of the fastest roller coasters in all Disney Parks. Its acceleration speed, going from 0 to 93 kilometers per hour in just 2.8 seconds, is comparable to that of a Formula 1 car.
- With 13 floors, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror(TM) is the tallest attraction at Disneyland Paris. It can be seen from kilometers away, even allowing drivers on the A4 highway to see the significant building.
- It would take 206 giant Toy Story Playland soldiers placed vertically to reach the top of the Eiffel Tower.
- There is a barbershop on Main Street U.S.A. (Disneyland Park). The barber's chair is the oldest item in the shop, dating back to 1845.
- Over 150 million automatic photos have been taken inside some attractions in these 25 years.
- Disney photographers have captured more than 50 million souvenir photos since the opening in 1992.
- Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show has been seen by more than 10 million people in over 15,000 performances since 1992.
- Disney's Newport Bay Club Hotel is one of the 10 largest hotels in Europe, with 1,098 rooms.