The history of Disneyland Paris, once upon a time a magical kingdom at the gates of Paris.

Long before the Sleeping Beauty Castle, the parades, and Mickey ears, there were fields in Marne-la-Vallée and a bold plan: to bring a Disney kingdom to the doorstep of Paris. A look back at more than three decades of a story where the dreams of grown-up kids gradually came to life.

Today, just a short walk from the Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy railway station you can glimpse the Disneyland Hotel, followed by the first hints of Main Street, U.S.A. Yet, at the end of the 1980s, the landscape looked utterly different!

Disneyland Paris grew out of a colossal project that would transform part of the Seine-et-Marne (77) and bring the Disney concept to Europe for the first time. More than three decades after its opening, the resort now attracts over 445 million visitors and continues to evolve.

1987, before the magic, a signature

The first chapter doesn’t begin in front of a castle, but around a table. The Walt Disney Company and the French authorities sign the agreement that births the Euro Disneyland project in Paris, on March 24, 1987. Construction kicks off in 1988 at Marne-la-Vallée, and the project already far surpasses the idea of a mere theme park!

Disney envisions, in fact, a complete destination that brings together a theme park, hotels, restaurants, shops and transport infrastructure. A city of entertainment begins to take shape about thirty kilometres from Paris. Four years will pass before visitors can finally walk through the gates.

The Castle Opens Its Doors in 1992

The dream becomes reality with the opening of the Disneyland Park, still associated with the Euro Disney name, on April 12, 1992. A few days earlier, the Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy RER station had been inaugurated to connect the destination directly to Paris in about 35 minutes. Main Street, U.S.A., Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland and Discoveryland form the European Disney kingdom. In the center, you can’t miss the Sleeping Beauty Castle, which has since become the park’s emblem.

In no time, the kingdom begins to evolve. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril opened as early as 1993, while the opening of the Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy TGV station in 1994 strengthened links with France and Europe. Disney marked the milestone in a rather unconventional way: a 300-meter paper train rolled down Main Street, U.S.A.

Another cult milestone: the inauguration of Space Mountain: From the Earth to the Moon, on May 31, 1995. Inspired by Jules Verne’s universe, the attraction makes its massive Columbiad cannon a centerpiece of Discoveryland and quickly becomes one of the park’s most recognizable silhouettes. For the occasion, Disneyland Paris even pushes the fiction a step further by creating a special passport presented as the first passport to the Moon.

A second park makes its entrance

Disneyland Paris then scales up with the opening of the Walt Disney Studios Park on March 16, 2002. This second park then turns toward the behind-the-scenes world of cinema, animation and television. Its layout quickly evolves. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror joins the landscape, followed by Toy Story Playland opening in 2010.

Then, a few years later, Paris is curiously replicated... just a few kilometres from the real city! The zone devoted to Ratatouille opens in 2014 with its Place de Rémy, its restaurant, and most notably Ratatouille : L'Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy. Visitors symbolically shrink to rat size to discover Gusteau's kitchens at rat height.

Marvel, Pixar and the new faces of Disneyland Paris

This immersive logic takes on a whole new dimension in the 2020s. Disney's Hotel New York becomes Disney Hotel New York–The Art of Marvel in 2021, before the Super Heroes take over the second park with the opening of Marvel Avengers Campus in 2022.

Meanwhile, Disneyland Park is preserving its enduring classics while giving them a regular refresh. The Disneyland Hotel is also undergoing a complete overhaul ahead of its 2024 reopening. Disneyland Paris is no longer quite the place first revealed to visitors in 1992. And the most spectacular metamorphosis still lies ahead!

From Walt Disney Studios to Disney Adventure World

The park’s second phase definitively closes the book on its original identity by becoming Disney Adventure World on March 29, 2026. With Adventure Way, Adventure Bay and especially The World of Frozen, visitors can now step into a recreated kingdom of Arendelle on a grand scale. This transformation has refreshed more than 90% of the second park’s offering since its debut and nearly doubled its footprint.

And the story is far from over! A family-friendly attraction inspired by Up is set to round out Adventure Way, while a Lion King–themed land is taking shape. That area will, in particular, host a major ride dominated by Pride Rock, towering at 37 metres.

From the Euro Disney project signed in 1987 to Arendelle of 2026, Disneyland Paris chronicles almost four decades of transformation: some attractions have disappeared, others have changed their face, and new stories have joined the ones that were already welcoming visitors in 1992!

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