Disneyland Paris Rumour: New Show Coming to Walt Disney Studios This Christmas – What and Where?
This rather exciting prospect came from the ever helpful and insightful @DisneylandBerry late yesterday evening:
Two new shows are scheduled for the Walt Disney Studios Park: one for the Christmas Season, and the other one instead of Animagique in 2016
— DisneylandBerry (@DisneylandBerry) August 27, 2015
Christmas in Disneyland Paris
Before we get into the what and where, let me start by saying that whatever we have on the way, having Disney’s Magical Christmas spill over into Walt Disney Studios is a long time coming and something to celebrate. I’ve made no secret of the fact that Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year to visit Disneyland Paris, and have been lucky enough to go for the last 4 Christmas seasons, and several in years previous to that. It’s always great to be in Disneyland Paris, but at Christmas there’s an extra layer of magic that just don’t get at any other time of year. Be it walking down the beautifully decorated Main Street, U.S.A., watching Disney Magical Wishes or marvelling as the Christmas Parade goes by, there is no better place or time to be than in Disneyland Paris at Christmas.
However, for years Christmas has been almost exclusively concentrated to Disneyland Park, albeit a few decorations in Walt Disney Studios. To have a new show coming to Walt Disney Studios is a big thing, to have a Christmas show coming is massive, and will hopefully herald the start of more Christmas entertainment coming to the resort’s second park so that Disney’s Magical Christmas will one day soon, be a full scale dual park celebration.
The new Christmas Show in Walt Disney Studios – what and where?
This is the part where I am at somewhat of a loss, as I can’t for the life of me work out where this show will take place. The Place des Stars Stage is due to come down, something we learned just a few days ago, but is it possible that it will stay up past the Christmas season to be the home of this new show? It seems unlikely that the news would leak of it being taken down, only to announce a new show on it for this coming Christmas.
I do think it has to be outside though, because where inside in Walt Disney Studios is it suitable to put on a show? There have been several bands and scenes played out in Studio One before now, but a full show would fill it to breaking point and stop people being able to get into the Park, so that seems like a non starter. Maybe Restaurant des Stars or Disney Blockbuster Café will have an area set aside for the show, but then you have the problem of non diners taking up the space of would be paying diners, so that seems like a no too. It seems almost improbable that they’d plan an outdoor show for the cold and potentially wet Christmas season, but it has been done before, like the Beauty and the Beast show in Fantasyland from 12 years ago. If you look at the parade stops of the Christmas Parade, with dancers and characters, is that much different from an outside show? No, probably not, so outside it is.
Okay, so let’s say it is to be outside, as no suitable inside venue is available, where will it be? Assuming they have the Place des Stars Stage and surrounding area resurfaced in time, then that would be perfect. It’s certainly big enough, and as I was discussing last week, is a part of Walt Disney Studios that will be in much need of some life.
As far as theme, being in that part of the Studios, where there is a mix of brands and film properties, I think it will include a whole bunch of characters, with Christmas as the theme bringing the together. With no Stars ‘n’ Cars and Disney’s Cinema Parade long since gone, there is a massive gap in Walt Disney Studios for some character based entertainment of this ilk, and a new show could exactly what the Park needs to fill that void.
What characters should they use? Though Animagique is due to close next year, it is still open for now and so we already have the likes of Mickey and Minnie in a show not too far away, but does this matter? Over in Disneyland Park you have Mickey Mouse going past in the parade while he’s in Meet Mickey just around the corner, and nobody seems to mind. With that in mind I think that leaves the show open to use any characters, and could it possibly even see a mix of classic Disney, Pixar, and dare I say, even Marvel and Star Wars too? It would certainly be interesting to see them all together, but whether it would work or not is another question entirely. Spider-Man is already meeting people and representing Marvel in Walt Disney Studios, but they may want to leave the debut of Star Wars into this Park until the rumoured Star Wars re-theme of part of Studio Tram Tour happens.
If that area isn’t ready in time for Christmas then your guess is as good mine, and probably better! But whatever we have coming and where ever it ends up taking place, a Christmas show in Walt Disney Studios is fantastic news and is one more reason why visiting Disneyland Paris for Christmas 2015 is essential for everyone. Now it’s your turn though – what are your thoughts on this new show, what it will be and where it will be located – leave a comment below and let’s get the chat started!
Of course, there is always the option it’s not a Christmas show, but just a show debuting at Christmas, and carrying on thereafter. But that’s another discussion for another time.
