Guide Tour of Disney Village, Disneyland Paris, France

Disney Village is a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex in Disneyland Paris, located in the town of Marne-la-Vallée, France. Disney Village, formerly Festival Disney, is a shopping and entertainment area located in the heart of Disneyland Paris, in buildings originally designed by architect Frank Gehry. Originally named Festival Disney, it opened on April 12, 1992, covering an area of approximately 18,000 square metres (190,000 sq ft).

Discover fun around the clock-and even up in the air-in an entertainment district that’s like no other. Starting at the Disney Park gates and going until late, there’s something for the whole family with shopping, restaurants, dancing, shows, a cinema and more.

Disney Village hosts many shops, restaurants and some entertainment. This area is located between, on one side, the two theme parks, Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios, the TGV, RER and bus stations as well as the Disneyland Hotel; on the other, Lake Disney and five Disney hotels.

Based on Walt Disney World’s Disney Village Marketplace (now Disney Springs), Disney Village was designed by architect Frank Gehry with towers of oxidized silver and bronze-colored stainless steel under a canopy of lights. It is adjacent to the two theme parks of Disneyland Paris and the Lake Buena Vista hotel area.

History
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 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. 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.

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 in 1999 (replacing Key West). On January 25, 1999, a large McDonald’s fast food restaurant opened with a theme based on Italy’s Commedia dell’arte. Later in 2004, a 570-seat IMAX cinema opened as part of the Gaumont multiplex. Finally, on December 3, 2004, an Art Deco themed multi-story parking structure called VINCI Park (now Indigo) 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 100 metres (330 ft) 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 Parisian style. In 2009, the Buffalo Trading Company closed and the premises are now occupied by a Starbucks coffee house.

The site is also included in phase IV of the ZAC des Studios extension project, announced in 2011, with the aim of ultimately creating a convention center, new hotels, the extension of the Disney Village, the creation a bus station near the Vinci car park and an exit from the RER station as well as a reorganization of the sector with in particular a redesign of the avenue Paul Séramy.

March 21, 2022, Disneyland Paris announces the renovation and extension of the Disney Village. The works, which will transform and give a new visual identity to the commercial area, will begin at the end of 2022 and will continue over several years. In 2023, the current Café Mickey will be replaced by a French brasserie named Rosalie which will be managed by Groupe Bertrand.

Entertainment
The PanoraMagique balloon, which rises one hundred meters above the Disney Village, flies depending on the weather conditions.
The Marina is right next to the Ballon PanoraMagique. This place offers you to ride a pedal boat or even an electric boat on Lake Disney.
The Gaumont Disney Village offers sixteen movie theaters including an IMAX theater (26 m basic screen) open since April 2005 and a games room.
The cinema was built in May 1997 with eight rooms. It was expanded in 2002 from eight to fifteen rooms. The additional rooms were built above rooms 2 to 8, connected by escalators. The IMAX theater was added as an extension of the building and has its own entrance and lobby on the second floor of the building. It is connected by a corridor to the rest of the multiplex.
Following a study in 2010, here are the details of the rooms (for height × width screens): room no. 1 has 636 seats for a 25×11 m screen. Room 2 has 369 seats and has a 14×6 m screen. Room 9 has 346 seats and has a 14×6 m screen. IMAX theater no. 11 (100% digital IMAX with 12,000 watts of sound power – system modified in 2017/2018 – and new 4k laser projectors coming in 2017/2018 replacing the 2 old 2k xenon bulb projectors) has 575 seats with a 26 m screenbase by 15 m high. The other rooms have screens with a width varying between 9 and 12 meters at the base.
Billy Bob’s Country Western Saloon is a three-story Texas saloon with a theater-like stage downstairs.
The Sports Bar is a sports-themed bar and snack bar.
The Lucky Dance Party a free interactive dance show to learn to dance hosted by Lucky. Presented from 2001 to 2005 on the central open-air stage, it initially lasted 45 minutes every Friday at 8:30 p.m., then the show went on to last 1 hour 30 minutes for 3 editions per year. Since 2005 the show has been offered on the new outdoor stage every Halloween from October 9th to October 30th for several days in a 25 minute format. Since 2010 the Lucky Dance Party is offered every December 31st at 9 p.m. in its duration of 1h30 at the Walt Disney Studios for New Year’s Eve.

Restaurants
Café Mickey is an international cuisine restaurant and a place where Disney characters appear (this restaurant has replaced the Los Angeles Bar and Grill since 2001, specializing in Californian cuisine with pizzas and spaghetti).
Rainforest Cafe with its shop is on the theme of the virgin forest (this restaurant since 1997 replaced the Key West Seafood specialized in fish).
Planet Hollywood opened in the summer of 1996 in a specially added building with a blue sphere and a staircase.
La Grange – Billy Bob’s Country Western Saloon is a restaurant located on the floors of the saloon offering a buffet of Texas specialties.
Annette’s Diner is a fast-food type coffee shop evoking the 1950s primarily Happy Days. In 2002, construction of a floor (extension). Since 2004 a takeaway service has been available to the right of the entrance.
King Ludwig’s Castle is a German and mainly Bavarian specialty restaurant opened in 2003.
New York Style Sandwiches is a restaurant offering sandwiches and other burgers.
The Steakhouse is a Chicago -themed red meat specialty restaurant.
McDonald’s is a fast-food restaurant with an original decoration inspired by Italian theaters (it is located behind the Rainforest Cafe).
Starbucks Coffee opened on June 20, 2009 in place of the Buffalo Trading Company.
Earl of Sandwich is a restaurant specializing in making sandwiches, opening in June 2011.
Vapiano opened its doors in December 2016. It offers Mediterranean dishes with Italian accents prepared in front of customers with fresh products.
Five Guys opened on March 6, 2017, and offers hamburgers, hot dogs, and fries among other things.

Shops
Art Gallery is a variation of the Disney Gallery concept, offering Disney works of art, Collectibles, resin and wood figurines, Lenox figurines (fine porcelain gilded with fine gold), posters, or even tableware chic. Numbered boards are available for purchase; there are also collectibles, even rarities…
Disney Fashion is a former sporting goods store (Team Mickey before 2007) that has become a “trendy” urban clothing store for babies, children (girls and boys) as well as high-end women’s clothing.
Team Mickey (before 2007) was a sports-themed store, mostly clothing, with an athletics track on the ground.
Lego Store is a store selling Lego items, opened in 2014 replacing Hollywood Pictures Store.
World of Toys is a toy shop, it contains the whole universe of children ranging from toys for toddlers (0 to 3 years old) to toys for older children. You can find stuffed animals, costumes, stationery, confectionery as well as accessories that cannot be found elsewhere, such as baseball items.
Disney Store takes back Disney items offered in the park. The shop was enlarged in 1998 with the move of the post office to the TGV station.
Rainforest Cafe Store is the shop located at the entrance of the Rainforest Cafe.
Planet Hollywood Shop is the shop located on the ground floor, at the exit of Planet Hollywood.
World of Disney is a vast 2,620 m2 shop filled with various articles on the Disney universe, it has been open since July 12, 2012 (1,400 m 2 are devoted to sales; remaining area: reserve and administrative premises / staff; positioning at the entrance to the Disney Village, the Gaumont multiplex being in the background).