Standing in front of the castle, with your back to Main Street, U.S.A./World Bazaar, the first Land you encounter clockwise in four of the five Magic Kingdoms is Adventureland. Internet rumors abound that in Shanghai, Adventureland will take up the Tomorrowland/Discoveryland position to the East of the Hub. However, for now, Disneyland Paris has the only “park one” where Adventureland is to be found elsewhere; it is located between Frontierland and Fantasyland.
Not including restaurants, shops or shows (seasonal or otherwise, past and present) there is very little to do in either the Walt Disney World (WDW) or the Disneyland Paris version of this Land. If we also exclude meet and greets, there are fewer attractions in Adventureland in Paris than in any other Land; in Florida only Liberty Square and Main Street, U.S.A. have fewer.
SWISS FAMILY TREEHOUSE
In both Florida and Paris, this is a walk-through attraction themed to Johann Wyss’s 1812 novel Der Schweizerische Robinson (commonly known in English as The Swiss Family Robinson) and Disney’s 1960 film version of the text.
In many ways, the two are similar, featuring examples of how the Robinsons lived on a day-to-day basis, with look-but-don’t-touch glimpses into their rooms, underscored by the lively, if repetitive, strains of Buddy Baker’s catchy Swisskapolka. Both have a set path to follow, featuring beautiful views, hand-painted leafs and more steps than you remember until it’s too late.
Although the waterwheel in Florida’s treehouse is more impressive than its French counterpart (in terms of its size and its ability to actually transport water), and the route has fewer theme-less yellow health-and-safety signs, I do still prefer the Paris version, as it is taller (89ft as opposed to 60ft) and features several details not included in the WDW version, such as the nearby wreck of the Robinson’s vessel, and a walk-through root cellar.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN
This classic attraction was an opening day attraction in Disneyland Paris, and has been in WDW since 1973. Both are set in a Spanish Fortress, although the one in France is supposedly a lot more run down with a darker queue area which only has one route.
The storyline for both versions of Pirates of the Caribbean (POTC) is pretty similar: a group of pirates attack a small village, set it on fire, and die with their skeletons found posed near their boats. The order this is experienced in varies considerably, with the French version being the more chronological of the two. Likewise, both have versions of the iconic moments (such as the auction scene, the pooped/gluttonous pirate, the talking Jolly Roger, the mayor being dunked in a well and so forth) but in a totally different order.
Paris does not yet have characters from the film franchise added (and whether they ever will, or should, appear has become a source of much debate) although a look-alike Jack Sparrow sometimes partakes in a meet-and-greet near the attraction’s entrance.
Details found on the Paris POTC which do not appear in any other version of the attraction worldwide include a protective octopus, sword-fighting pirates and a buccaneer who swings over the riders’ heads. Sadly its proposed Pirate-themed Shooting Gallery never made it off the drawing board. Nevertheless, due to these details (and the overall narrative of the attraction) I would suggest that I prefer the Paris version to the one found in Florida.
THE MAGIC CARPETS OF ALADDIN
This Dumbo-esque attraction was added to WDW’s Adventureland in 2001 and an equivalent was added to Disneyland Paris in 2002 as an opening day attraction in their Walt Disney Studios park. The French version, called Flying Carpets Over Agrabah, is not particularly different in terms of looks or control (with the Guests in the front controlling the height, and those in the back determining the angle). Both feature sixteen carpets, all of which seat a maximum of four riders, rotating around a central lamp and, in my opinion, neither suit the Land in which they are housed.
Thematically, the French version is more interesting as it gives the impression that the riders are extras in a new movie, directed by the Genie. His comments can get frustrating, especially if you have already heard most of them whilst waiting to board, but I still prefer this to the Florida counterpart due to the beautiful Agrabah backdrop, the use of FastPass, the lack of spitting camels and the better shade for those waiting.
OTHERS
Paris has no equivalent of Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room or Jungle Cruise. The latter has been put down to the language issue, as well as the climate not being right for either outdoor animatronics or thematically suitable plants. The Land does however feature a boat based on the eponymous one from The African Queen (which Jungle Cruise was partly inspired by) outside of a counter-service restaurant called Colonel Hathi’s Pizza Outpost.
The Explorer’s Club (the original table-service eatery, where Colonel Hathi’s now stands) once featured animatronic birds which would sing on occasion. The birds, located in a tree at the center of the building, still exist, but are now rarely-if-ever switched on. This design was reminiscent of Walt’s original idea for California’s Tiki Room; a restaurant where the birds performed whilst Guests ate. To a lesser extent, this also reflects one of the early notions for Disneyland’s Club 33, where an audio-animatronic vulture would have interacted with those dining.
Unique to the Adventureland in Disneyland Paris is Le Passage Enchanté d’Aladdin, a walkthrough attraction, where you pass nine miniature tableaux telling Disney’s version of the story, as per the 1992 film. This attraction is often overlooked by Guests, and doesn’t mean much to people who haven’t seen the movie, but it is incredibly detailed and makes good use of the Pepper’s Ghost effect. With the exception of the music and the dialogue painted by the opening/closing images (which are in French) the attraction is bi-lingual. It is the only attraction in the whole resort I have never seen a Cast Member at (and the switches and fire extinguishers are easy to find) so it is perhaps one of the easiest parts of the park to raise havoc in.
Also in Adventureland in Disneyland Paris is Adventure Isle (similar to Florida’s Tom Sawyer Island) and Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril, which was the world’s first Disney attraction to feature an inversion, and is still the Disney attraction with the greatest height requirement to ride unaccompanied (54 inches). This is a standard Intamin rollercoaster although for four years (2000-2004) the cars were turned to face the other direction, so the riders could not see which way they would be going next.