A look at mementos from Disneyland Paris’ grand opening
Let’s dive back into the frenzy of the grand opening of Disneyland Paris on April 12, 1992, a very special weekend that neither the invited visitors nor the cast members present will soon forget! Memories of this experience live on through souvenir photos, commemorative merchandise, and more.
The lucky guests who attended were first sent an invitation in the form of a fold-out booklet. Inside, Sleeping Beauty Castle is revealed as a pop-up, and the weekend’s agenda is listed.
Once at the Resort, guests had to wear a strap around their necks, with a different color depending on the type of invitation they received (media, VIP, stakeholder, staff).
The cast members had a more detailed folio with a very precise agenda, as well as essential contact points and major media highlights.
On the big day, the Post Office from Chessy (one of Val d’Europe’s towns where Disneyland Paris is located) even created a dedicated stamp!
To commemorate this historic date, all cast members were presented with a commemorative medallion accompanied by a letter which read: “I hope it will serve a better purpose: to remind us all of the wonderful heritage we have in our Company, and the incredible legacy we’re carrying into the future.”
Along with the medal was a photo showing thousands of cast members posing together on Main Street, U.S.A.
Members of the “Opening Crew” worked hard to make the day a success, and a whole textile, pin, and stationery collection were developed for them – including this memo pad, which works as a countdown six months up to the grand opening!
Do you have any memories from the grand opening of a Disney park? Let us know in the comments!
Lovely article. My very first Disney holiday was in July 1992 to EuroDisney as it was known then. The park had only been open 3 months & I’d never been anywhere like this. It was so magical. My favourite attraction was a show at the stage to the right of the castle. The stage was an enormous pop up book. Songs were sung from 3 traditional classics. I think the first was Snow White sung in English, then Cinderella sung in French, followed by Sleeping Beauty sung in German. Between each set of songs the massive pages of the book would turn over into a new pop up background. It felt like a wonderful way to honour various countries from Europe.