43 Interesting Facts About Disneyland Paris

The Best Disneyland Paris Facts

Disneyland Paris is probably not what you come for if you go to France, but trust me you should head there if you can. Not only is it very fun to visit, but it also has tons of fun and interesting facts that you will want to know about.

That is exactly why I made a list of the best Disneyland Paris facts: enjoy!

1. The dragon lurks in the shadows in Disneyland Paris

If you are visiting Disneyland Paris, you should stay careful… the dragon awaits you beneath the mythical castle. And trust me, the sleeping guards will not protect you from it!

The dragon is the biggest animatronic in the park, being 24 m / 79 feet long and weighing 2.5 tons / 5,511 lbs.

2. The beds in the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs shop are special

Next to the Disneyland Paris castle lies the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs shop. There, you can see every single bed, perfectly aligned just like in the movies.

However, in the theme park, they are filled with goodies, so you should definitely check it out!

3. Even the mirrors are magical in Disneyland Paris

If you follow Doc, Bashful, Sneezy, Happy, Dopey, Sleepy and Grumpy to the shop I just told you about, you will see a very special mirror.

You guessed it, Snow White sometimes appears in the mirror right in front of the Evil Queen!

4. You can get your beard trimmed in Disneyland Paris

This is probably not a good reason for you to go to Disneyland Paris, but technically you can visit barbers in any Disneyland in the world.

The equipment was bought from a Chicago barber going into retirement, and Walt Disney wanted to honor his father’s job.

5. Even the Statue of Liberty is in Disneyland Paris

Of course, not the actual Statue of Liberty has visited the theme park, but you can witness its inauguration in a very special place in Disneyland Paris.

If you are scared of mannequins, you should avoid it, but other than that it is a beautiful place, right next to the barber shop.

6. Frontierland represents the conquest of the Wild West by the Europeans

Frontierland is an outstanding area of Disneyland Paris, depicting the Wild West.

However, there are several hints referring to its conquest by Europe. When you head there, you will first walk through a Native American camp, then through the first European buildings before arriving at the city of Thunder Mesa.

7. Disneyland Paris castle is probably the most photogenic building in the world

Have you ever wondered how it is possible that the castle in Disneyland Paris always looks good in photos? That is because it was built in a precise way!

The castle is bright and pink, and it is more fairy-like. On top of that, it was oriented to avoid any backlighting.

8. The cemetery of Boot Hill is probably the creepiest place in Disneyland Paris

You probably know Phantom Manor, a spooky building in Disneyland Pari with all sorts of skeletons and scary stuff.

Right next to it lies the Boot Hill cemetery, which is probably even creepier. If you walk really close to the large tomb… you will hear a heart beating.

9. Phantom Manor is said to be haunted

I just told you about Phantom Manor, and there is more than its interior that is quite scary.

It is said that, from time to time, you will see Melanie Ravenswood on the balcony above the porch, looking at the visitors. Be careful about the ghost bride!

10. There is an authentic American tractor in Disneyland Paris

There are all sorts of wonderful things that you should see in Disneyland Paris, and while some are recent additions, you will also find an authentic tractor.

The theme park bought it from an old American couple. It is said that the man used the money to finally buy his partner a wedding ring he could never afford!

11. You can hear the conversations of the inhabitants of Main Street in Disneyland Paris

In the New Century Notions shop as well as in the Market House Deli restaurant, you will find telephones.

Pick one of them up, and you will hear the conversations between the inhabitants of Main Street.

12. The fastest theme park attraction in the world is in Disneyland Paris

Do you like sensations? Do you love speed? Do you want the quickest of all? Then go to Disneyland Paris!

Hyperspace Mountain is quite famous in the park, and it is in fact the fastest attraction in the world: from 0 to 75 km/h / 47 mph in 2 seconds!

13. Harrington’s Fine China & Porcelains has a unique dome

Harrington’s Fine China & Porcelains is one of the most beautiful shops in Disneyland Paris. There, you will find beautiful and fragile pieces of art, as well as a bright and splendid dome.

This dome also has a secret feature: if you and someone else are on opposite sides of it, you will hear the other person as if they were right next to you.

14. A baseball player determines the wind speed in Disneyland Paris

This sounds very weird, doesn’t it?

Let me explain: above the Casey’s Corner restaurant in Disneyland Paris, you will see a baseball player inside the C of Casey. In fact, it is an anemometer, used to determine the speed of the wind.

15. Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland Paris was inspired by Mont Saint-Michel

Mont Saint-Michel is an architectural masterpiece in Normandy, France. It is relatively far from Paris, and yet it influenced one of the most beautiful castles in Disneyland Paris: Sleeping Beauty Castle.

No wonder why it is so beautiful.

16. The miniatures in “Le Pays des Contes de Fées” in Disneyland Paris are very elaborate

Walt Disney was a huge fan of miniatures: he collected them himself, and had some created specifically for his theme parks.

In Disneyland Paris, “Le Pays des Contes de Fées” (the Land of Fairy Tales) gathers some of the most elaborate miniatures of any theme park.

17. You can see Cruella’s genuine limousine in Disneyland Paris

In the movie “102 Dalmatians”, the evil Cruella uses a limousine. In Disneyland Paris, you can see it at the entrance of the Studio Tram Tour.

It is amazing to me that you can see actual movie props like these!

18. Disneyland Paris gathers the largest number of audio-animatronics

While these sound scary to many people, audio-animatronics are definitely an important part of what makes Disneyland Paris so special.

As a matter of fact, there are 281 of them in the famous attraction “It’s a small World”, which is the largest number in the world!

19. There is an insane number of employees in Disneyland Paris

There are employees from all around the world that work in Disneyland Paris.

16,000 people, from around 100 different countries bring life to one of the best theme parks in the world. That is why it always looks so clean and joyful!

20. There are seven American-themed hotels in Disneyland Paris

If you are an American tourist visiting France, you might feel lost, but Disneyland Paris has everything you need.

In the theme park, you will find seven American-themed hotels: The Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Hotel New York, Disney’s Newport Bay Club, Disney’s Sequoia Lodge, Hotel Cheyenne, Disney’s Hotel Santa Fe and finally Disney’s Davy Crockett Ranch.

The Disneyland Hotel

21. Aerosmith re-recorded songs just for a Disneyland Paris attraction

If you like exclusive songs, on top of buying unique Aerosmith albums and discs, you could head to Disneyland Paris. There, the Rock’n’Roller Coaster has several Aerosmith songs that you can listen to.

Remember, you cannot hear these anywhere else! Also, the coaster is said to be one of the best in the whole park.

And that’s it, those were the 21 most interesting Paris Disneyland facts!

But don’t worry, if you want to learn more, feel free to keep reading, I still have tons of facts to tell you about, starting with the fun part. 👇

Fun Facts About Disneyland Paris

There are definitely lots of fun or unusual facts you will want to know about the wonderful and the amazing Disneyland Paris.

I have 12 Disneyland Paris fun facts for you, right here. 

22. Disneyland Paris was not even supposed to be… in Paris

While the park is now kind of an emblem of the French capital, Disneyland Paris was originally not supposed to be in Paris!

The idea was to have a climate that would be similar to the ones in California and Florida, but that would have been too far for tourists, so Paris won the auction.

23. There is a secret network of underground tunnels in Disneyland Paris

Have you ever thought about how Mickey and his friends seem to be everywhere at the same time?

There is unfortunately no magic in that, sorry to burst your bubble: there is in fact a secret network of underground tunnels for the characters to use.

24. In Main Street, you will find a shop dedicated to Walt Disney’s wife

If you walk in Main Street in Disneyland Paris, you will see “Lilly’s Boutique”, which is a store dedicated to Walt Disney’s wife.

Walt wanted Main Street to feel like home, so he named the shop after his wife Lillian. If you do not trust me, just go there, you will see pictures of them together!

25. Every Disneyland castle in the world is different

The first Disneyland parks were established in the United States. Because of that, you might think they would be the best, most elaborate ones, but in fact it is quite the opposite. Disneyland Paris’ castle is more fairytale-like, and probably simply more beautiful.

Magic Castle in Disney World, Orlando FL – USA

26. There are hundreds of hidden Mickeys in Disneyland Paris

When you go to Disneyland Paris, be careful, there are literally hundreds of hidden Mickeys, everywhere.

No one really knows how many of them there are, but if you look closely, you will see them all around the park. And it’s actually really fun to look for them, especially if you’re in Disney with toddlers or kids.

27. If you hate cats, you should not go to Disneyland Paris

That is right, there are lots of stray cats in Disneyland Paris, so if you are allergic, scared or simply hate cats, you should not go there.

The staff actually loves the cats, because they keep rodents away. In return, humans bring kittens to animal shelters and feed the cats.

28. Disneyland Paris will never be completed

That might make you sad, but Walt Disney said it himself, “Disneyland will never be completed”. He just wanted it to grow as long as there is imagination left in this world.

What a beautiful contribution to the world, thank you for your memorable work, Walt!

The Studio is an extension of Disneyland Paris opened in 2002

29. The oldest person who visited the park was 106 years old

People think Disneyland Paris is for kids… yet the oldest person to visit the park was no less than 106 years old!

I have to guess that they did not go for the most intense activities there, but what is important is to remember that no matter your age you can enjoy Walt Disney’s wonderful creations. By the way, if you visit the park, no doubt you’ll see lots of adults wearing Disney shirts or even wearing costumes wondering around!  

30. Elton John inaugurated Space Mountain in Disneyland Paris

Space Mountain is one of the most coveted places in Disneyland Paris, even to this day. It was created in 1995, and of all people, it is Elton John who sang at its opening.

He dropped by during his European tour and gave a unique performance to the 40,000 on that day.

31. The first name of Disneyland Paris was “Euro Disney”

That is right, not only was the park supposed to be somewhere else than Paris at first, but it could also have had a different name: Euro Disney.

However, because Europeans associated “Euro” with work and finance, they changed the name to what we know now.

Alright, that was all my fun facts about Disneyland Paris. There is still one last part though, so don’t go anywhere. 👇

Disneyland Paris Facts for Kids

The last part of this list of facts is dedicated to kids. While every fact is suited for everyone, I insist on having a special part for the younger ones and their special curiosity.

32. There were lots of famous visitors in Disneyland Paris

If you want to meet famous people, Disneyland Paris could be a good bet.

In July 1994, both the American president George W. Bush and the French one François Mitterrand had lunch in Cinderella’s Inn. Other than that, Buzz Aldrin, Claudia Schiffer and Michael Jackson have all been to Disneyland Paris.

33. Disneyland Paris was opened at a very, very precise time

You could not visit Disneyland Paris before its precise opening date and time: on April 12th, 1992 at exactly 9.01 AM.

For me, this reminds me that the park is not that old. Good thing it is constantly evolving and getting better every year!

34. Disneyland Paris has already welcomed way more than 250 million visitors

Back in November 2011, Disneyland Paris welcomed its 250 millionth visitor. If you do not realize how much that is, just remember it is a third of Europe’s population!

Now, this number has exploded and it is more popular than ever.

35. The local Disneyland Paris song, “It’s a Small World”, was supposed to be temporary

Before entering Disneyland Paris, and even throughout the whole theme park, you will hear “It’s a Small World” a lot.

While most people are annoyed by how repetitive and famous it is, it was only supposed to last for a year at best. It came from the 1964 New York World’s Fair, and because it was popular, it was replicated in every Disney Park.

36. The windows in Disneyland Paris’ Sleeping Beauty’s Castle were created by an expert

If you have ever seen how Sleeping Beauty’s Castle looks like, you are probably wondering how they made such beautiful windows.

As a matter of fact, they called Paul Chapman, a stained glass expert in his 80s (in 1992), to design the famous stained glass window. Chapman also worked on the restoration of Notre Dame.

37. Disneyland Paris was the second non-US resort to open

Disneyland theme parks all originate from the United States, and the first ones are all there.

However, when it comes to the rest of the world, Disneyland Tokyo was the first of them, and it opened on April 15th, 1983. Disneyland Paris followed almost a decade later and was the second of them.

38. Lots of the tenants on the Main Street windows are real people

When walking down Main Street, the biggest Disneyland Paris avenue, you will quickly notice tenants’ names on the windows.

These names are actually real people, who contributed to the concept and development of the theme park. What a cool way to remember them!

A shop on Main Street

39. Visitors have spent 59 million euros throughout the decades at Disneyland Paris

This is not very surprising, but Disneyland Paris is very, very profitable.

Because of the insane amount of visitors, on top of the arguably very expensive entrance tickets, the theme park has earned almost 60 million euros throughout the years!

40. Main Street in Disneyland Paris looks bigger than it actually is

Wait, how is this possible?

Because the architects of Disneyland Paris used a trick called “forced perspective”. They create the illusion of a larger space by widening the facades the further down the street you go. With this trick, the castle will look very far away, when it is actually really close by.

Parade on Main Street

41. The magic of Disneyland Paris is real: there are wild animals there!

You might run into a wild animal at Disneyland Paris, because there are actually wild animals running there from time to time. These are mostly squirrels or rabbits, do not worry.

This makes the theme park even more magical than it already is: truly out of this world!

42. Big Thunder Mountain in Disneyland Paris is a blast from the past

A while ago, the person in charge of building Big Thunder Mountain bought old mining tools as props to match the atmosphere of this wild west attraction.

However, when the Irish team came to install the props, they could not, because their tools were too recent, and did not match the machinery! They thus had to borrow old tools on purpose.

43. The soundscape of Disneyland Paris is very elaborate

Sound is probably what makes Disneyland Paris so magical, maybe even more than all the wonderful colors, mascots and castles.

Wherever you go in the theme park, you will hear a different sound, setting up the mood for the area. Piano lessons can be heard near an ice-cream shop, and miners’ pickaxes can be heard… in the mines.

So there you have them, these were all my 45 interesting facts about Disneyland in Paris. I hope you enjoyed them and that you learned something new today.

In case you want to learn more about the rest of the country, feel free to keep reading, as I still have lots of things to tell you about. 

More Facts!

Loved these Disney Paris facts? 

Well, If you want to learn more about France in general, I have other posts I’m sure you’ll love reading!

Here is the main guide of the best France facts 👉 The 60 Best Facts about France

Check out these France facts by city:

• Facts about Paris
• Facts about Lyon
• Facts about Marseille
• Facts about Strasbourg
• Facts about Nice
• Facts about Bordeaux
• Facts about Toulouse
• Facts about Cannes

Or these French facts by region:

• Facts about Brittany
• Facts about Normandy
• Facts about Corsica
• Facts about French Guiana
• Facts about Guadeloupe
• Facts about Martinique

You can also check these French facts by topic: 

• Facts about French food
• Facts about French people
• Facts about the Tour de France
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• Facts about the French language
• Facts about French schools
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• Facts about the French Alps

Or click here to see ALL the facts up on the blog! Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of them.

The Full List of 43 Disneyland Paris Facts

1. The dragon lurks in the shadows in Disneyland Paris
2. The beds in the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs shop are special
3. Even the mirrors are magical in Disneyland Paris
4. You can get your beard trimmed in Disneyland Paris
5. Even the Statue of Liberty is in Disneyland Paris
6. Frontierland represents the conquest of the Wild West by the Europeans
7. Disneyland Paris castle is probably the most photogenic building in the world
8. The cemetery of Boot Hill is probably the creepiest place in Disneyland Paris
9. Phantom Manor is said to be haunted
10. There is an authentic American tractor in Disneyland Paris
11. You can hear the conversations of the inhabitants of Main Street in Disneyland Paris
12. The fastest theme park attraction in the world is in Disneyland Paris
13. Harrington’s Fine China & Porcelains has a unique dome
14. A baseball player determines the wind speed in Disneyland Paris
15. Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland Paris was inspired by Mont Saint-Michel
16. The miniatures in “Le Pays des Contes de Fées” in Disneyland Paris are very elaborate
17. You can see Cruella’s genuine limousine in Disneyland Paris
18. Disneyland Paris gathers the largest number of audio-animatronics
19. There is an insane number of employees in Disneyland Paris
20. There are seven American-themed hotels in Disneyland Paris
21. Aerosmith re-recorded songs just for a Disneyland Paris attraction
22. Disneyland Paris was not even supposed to be… in Paris
23. There is a secret network of underground tunnels in Disneyland Paris
24. In Main Street, you will find a shop dedicated to Walt Disney’s wife
25. Every Disneyland castle in the world is different
26. There are hundreds of hidden Mickeys in Disneyland Paris
27. If you hate cats, you should not go to Disneyland Paris
28. Disneyland Paris will never be completed
29. The oldest person who visited the park was 106 years old
30. Elton John inaugurated Space Mountain in Disneyland Paris
31. The first name of Disneyland Paris was “Euro Disney”
32. There were lots of famous visitors in Disneyland Paris
33. Disneyland Paris was opened at a very, very precise time
34. Disneyland Paris has already welcomed way more than 250 million visitors
35. The local Disneyland Paris song, “It’s a Small World”, was supposed to be temporary
36. The windows in Disneyland Paris’ Sleeping Beauty’s Castle were created by an expert
37. Disneyland Paris was the second non-US resort to open
38. Lots of the tenants on the Main Street windows are real people
39. Visitors have spent 59 million euros throughout the decades at Disneyland Paris
40. Main Street in Disneyland Paris looks bigger than it actually is
41. The magic of Disneyland Paris is real: there are wild animals there!
42. Big Thunder Mountain in Disneyland Paris is a blast from the past
43. The soundscape of Disneyland Paris is very elaborate

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