Videopolis (Disneyland Paris)

Videopolis

Attraction poster
Disneyland Park (Paris)
Area Discoveryland
Status Operating
Opening date April 12, 1992
General statistics
Attraction type Restaurant / Stage Show
Designer Walt Disney Imagineering
Theme Air Exploration
Wheelchair accessible

Videopolis is an auditorium in the Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris, near Marne-la-Vallée. It was an opening day attraction, and is located within the Discoveryland section of the park, an alternate take on the Tomorrowland concept, which takes into consideration the science fiction pioneered by the likes of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells or Leonardo da Vinci.

Theme

The building is themed to dreams of the future from the turn of the twentieth century, especially air exploration. The airship hanging outside the building is from the 1974 film, The Island at the Top of the World. Videopolis also houses the Café Hyperion, the largest fast-food restaurant in the park. This building features inspiration from Discovery Bay, a former Disneyland concept by Imagineer Tony Baxter (a land themed to Victorian visions of the future), which also inspired Discoveryland.

Imagineers provided this former airship station with a whole back-story. The Hyperion once took explorers to 49 destinations, until one day when its captain mysteriously disappeared, leaving her ready for her last journey that never was. She is henceforth waiting for her master to return. The station was soon turned into a place where guests could rest and have meals.

History

The original premise for Videopolis was based somewhat on an earlier concept used at Disneyland in California, in that a theatre acts as a venue for a night-time disco in addition to its function as an auditorium for performance.

The original concept, however, changed due to public interests. The night-time discos were meant to appeal to teenagers and young adults as a mean of topping off their day. Yet, they were more interested in visiting other attractions up until the last minute. The regular discos therefore came to a halt, and Videopolis is only used as such a venue for special events such as New Year's Eve and Halloween.

In between the live shows, music videos were to be played. Yet after complaints from families incidentally dining in the Café Hyperion, these were replaced with classic cartoons.[1]

The original daytime show from 1992 was equally themed to the auditorium's original contemporary, pop-culture theme and to Discoveryland's visionary theme. Called Rock Shock, it featured a gang of teenagers journeying in the footsteps of Jules Verne to the beat of rock music. It was a relative success.

Yet, demand for more shows based on traditional Disney properties led to its replacement with a stage version of Beauty and the Beast.[1] After that came several shows based on Disney classics or characters, most prominently stage versions of Mulan or The Lion King.

The theater was previously showcasing a various choice of Disney cartoons, from the early animated ones (for example Steamboat Willie) to Pixar shorts, however is now The Jedi Training academy, and has been themed with scenes and characters from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens".

List of Videopolis shows

Trivia

Photo pages

Fan websites

References

  1. 1 2 http://www.dlp.info/Disneyland-Parc/Lands/Discoveryland/Attractions/Videopolis.asp
  2. ↑ http://www.eurosouvenirland.com/gallery/79/
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