Walt Disney Studios Park
| Walt Disney Studios Park | |
|---|---|
| Location | Disneyland Paris, Marne-la-Vallée, France |
| Opened | March 16, 2002 |
| Area | 25 hectares (62 acres) at opening |
| Theme | Film, television and animation; later immersive story worlds |
| Owner | The Walt Disney Company |
| Operator | Disney Experiences |
| Status | Operating (as Disney Adventure World since March 29, 2026) |
Walt Disney Studios Park (French: Parc Walt Disney Studios) was the second theme park at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, France, opening on March 16, 2002, ten years after Disneyland Park. Themed originally to film, television and animation production, it was for most of its life the smallest Disney theme park in the world and, at opening, among the most criticised. On March 29, 2026, following a €2 billion transformation, it was renamed Disney Adventure World.[1][2]
History
Plans for a second Paris park, at one point envisaged as a Disney-MGM Studios for Europe, were shelved during the resort's financial crisis of the early 1990s and revived on a much smaller scale once the resort returned to profit. The park that opened in 2002 covered about 25 hectares of largely flat, paved ground divided into four studio-themed areas, with roughly ten attractions, most of them shows or walk-through experiences housed in plain soundstage buildings.[3]
The opening park was widely regarded as Disney's weakest. Reviewers and guests criticised its lack of theming, its shortage of rides and the sense that it could be seen in a few hours rather than a full day; it was also the company's smallest and least attended park.[4] Growth came in stages: the Toon Studio placemaking project and Crush's Coaster in 2007, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in 2008, Toy Story Playland in 2010, and Ratatouille: The Adventure with La Place de Rémy in 2014.
On February 27, 2018, Disney announced a €2 billion multi-year expansion that would roughly double the park, built around a new central lake with lands themed to Marvel and Frozen; a Star Wars land included in the original announcement did not proceed as the plan evolved. The first phase, Avengers Campus, opened in 2022. In April 2024 Disney announced the park would be renamed Disney Adventure World when World of Frozen opened, and on November 24, 2025 the opening date was confirmed as March 29, 2026. The renamed park opened on that date with World of Frozen, the Adventure Way promenade and Adventure Bay lake.[5]
Areas
The park opened with four areas. Front Lot was the entrance, built around the Earffel Tower water tower and the enclosed Studio 1 soundstage. Animation Courtyard covered Disney and Pixar animation, Production Courtyard held production-themed shows and the Tower of Terror, and Backlot was an industrial area of effects attractions and stunt shows.
Successive projects replaced most of that layout. Animation Courtyard became Toon Studio and later part of Worlds of Pixar, home to Crush's Coaster, Ratatouille: The Adventure and the Toy Story Playland rides. Backlot was demolished and rebuilt as Avengers Campus (2022). The 2026 transformation added World Premiere and World Premiere Plaza at the entrance, the garden promenade Adventure Way — with the Raiponce Tangled Spin ride — leading to Adventure Bay, and World of Frozen, a full-scale Arendelle overlooked by the North Mountain, whose main attraction is Frozen Ever After.
See also
- Disneyland Paris
- Disneyland Park (Paris)
- Crush's Coaster
- Ratatouille: The Adventure
- Phantom Manor
- Hong Kong Disneyland