Welcome to Extinct Attractions. This week, we’ll be taking a look back at another attraction from the Disneyland Paris resort since the resort just celebrated its 30th anniversary.
On Tuesday, Disneyland Paris celebrated its 30th anniversary, truly showing that even parks that have a rough beginning can turn it around and become one of the most attended parks in the world and generally known as one of the most beautiful theme parks in the world. I personally loved my time there when I visited a few years ago and can’t wait to get back there in a few years when Walt Disney Studios Park completes its multi-year overhaul, with step 1 (Avengers Campus) finally being completed this year.
Today’s attraction didn’t have any major significance in the grand scheme of the park, but it was a show about perhaps the most important feature-length film in the Walt Disney Company’s history, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Via Den of Geek
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is celebrating its eighty-fifth anniversary this year and it still stands out today as one of the greatest achievements in cinema history. Nobody had ever seen anything like it and even watching it today, it’s just like “Wow how did they do this so many years ago?” With that in mind, it’s no wonder a Snow White-themed attraction has appeared at every Disney resort around the world except Hong Kong Disneyland (though they do still have a Snow White’s Grotto).
Disneyland Paris already had a version of Snow White’s Scary Adventures for guests to enjoy whenever they wanted to get their fear senses going. But after seventeen years of that attraction representing the film, the powers that be at Disneyland Paris decided to add a new show to the Castle Theatre, formerly the home of Winnie the Pooh and Friends, Too.
Via YouTube
I love the location of the Castle Theatre, just nestled in next to the castle in a way that doesn’t detract from the beauty of the castle, especially with how pretty Sleeping Beauty Castle is in France. That in mind, a spot right next to her princess friend Aurora was perfect for a Snow White show, specifically one opening in 2009 called Snow White: Happily Ever After. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find exactly when the attraction opened, but the attraction did get a bit of a facelift in December, just in time for the holiday rush to come through. The show added in a scene with the Evil Witch in full “hag” garb to help tie together the show and add in a bit of story.
One important thing to note about this show is that it was designed specifically as a brief medley of key scenes from the movie. We had already seen a full-scaled Snow White show in Disneyland in the mid-2000s, so I do like this change in approach for the Disneyland Paris version (even if it was almost definitely done as a cost-saving move).
The show was a cute little show that utilized France’s favorite show technique with Fringlish. Generally, the dwarfs sang in English, while Snow White sang in French, and to be honest, there really wasn’t any dialogue in the show, with the whole focus relying on hearing those key songs from the movie. Pretty much every song was covered throughout, a pretty impressive feat in only eleven minutes of show time.
Other than that, there really isn’t too much else to say about the show. It was a cute little diversion for guests who wanted to get away from some of the more major crowds in the middle of a busy Christmas season. Fans of Snow White got all the key moments that they could want, and the Prince came along at the end to complete his heroic act of kissing Snow White. It seems the attraction was always just meant to utilize the costumes lying around because there were very few sets and the show was already gone by 2010, replaced by Mickey’s Treat in the Street.
All in all, Snow White: Happily Ever After was a cute little show that did exactly what it needed to, entertaining guests and keeping them away from more populated areas.
Via Pinterest
As always, don’t forget to check out my interactive maps of the Disney Parks throughout the years where you can watch or learn more about all the attractions from every Disney park around the world.
Thanks for reading and have a magical day!