Seeing as the last few articles from yours truly compared the Fantasyland attractions in Disneyland Paris (DLP) to their equivalents in Anaheim, I swear it is nothing more than serendipity which causes this article to be the first of a two-part comparison between the Fantasyland in Paris and its WDW counterpart.
Primarily, for these articles, I prefer comparing attractions (rather than statistics, restaurants, shops, restrooms, history etc.) but there are so few which can be compared to each other.
For example, DLP’s Fantasyland has no equivalent of The Barnstormer, the Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station (though it has a Casey Jr. Circus Train), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Journey of the Little Mermaid or Mickey’s PhilharMagic (though arguably Animagique at the Walt Disney Studios Park is in some ways similar).
Likewise, WDW’s Fantasyland has no equivalent of Alice’s Curious Labyrinth, the Snow White ride (any more), Storybook Land Canal Boats or Les Voyages de Pinocchio.
Fantasyland attractions which are comparable are Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Peter Pan’s Flight, the teacups and the carousel; all of these attractions were operating on opening day in both Florida and Paris.
DUMBO THE FLYING ELEPHANT
In both WDW and DLP, this attraction seats two people per pachyderm with height controllable by the riders. Although I am not a fan of this attraction at all –I can go around in a circle whenever I want without queuing to do so- I would admit both are attractive to look at, with my preference being the one in Florida.
The shape of the two rides are similar with sixteen elephants coming out of a central hub, but the Florida attraction has more details on the hub, such as mother elephants and the story of Dumbo being told in pictorial form around the base. Both versions feature storks, although in Florida these are in three dimensions, but DLP is the only one to feature a central Timothy Q. Mouse.
WDW has two separate Dumbo hubs as well as an interactive queue area (neither of which appear in DLP) and, although both versions have water features, the Florida one is lit up in a more imaginative way at night-time.
PETER PAN’S FLIGHT
In both WDW and DLP, Peter Pan’s Flight uses the same overhanging mechanism to transport the rider above scenes from Peter Pan in chronological order. Differences include Nana being in the Nursery for the DLP version (and outside for the WDW one), the timing of the mermaid lagoon and WDW utilizing an omnimover-style load/unloading system.
Several details from the WDW version are missing in France. For example there is no shadow of our heroes reflected onto the moon, the miniature version of the Jolly Roger doesn’t shoot a cannonball when the guest flies overhead, there is no reference to The Lost Boys and there are fewer Indians.
France’s ride however does feature more of a sense of the rider actually flying, such as entering the Nursery from above, rather than from ground level. This makes exiting through the window (and over the city) more believable. The city itself also seems more London-esque.
Also, France’s ride has a nifty lighting effect (representing pixie dust being spread everywhere) when Peter Pan has taken over the Jolly Roger. This effect explains how the brig is now able to fly. In WDW, the same scene exists (without the lighting) thus the galleon’s aviation abilities are not demonstrated apart from in a mural at the end of the ride. This mural does not exist in DLP, nor does it need to.
THE TEACUPS
This attraction is officially known as Mad Tea Party in Florida and Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups in Paris.
Both last approximately ninety seconds, feature eighteen cups, start and end with a pre-recorded spiel and are accompanied by an instrumental version of The Unbirthday Song, as composed by Mack David, Jerry Livingston and Al Hoffman.
Both have Chinese Lanterns hanging overhead (which make the attractions especially pretty when lit at night) and both officially refer to the giant spinning platform as “the tea tray”. Extending this metaphor, each disc is referred to as a “plate”, and each cup is on its own “saucer”.
Both versions are covered (although the roof in DLP is much more ornate) and feature Dormouse popping his head out of a teapot. However, in WDW, this is in the centre of the ride itself whereas in DLP this is just standing nearby albeit visible from the ride. Incidentally, the operator’s booth for this attraction in DLP is supposed to be a sugar bowl, whereas the equivalent booth in WDW is unthemed.
THE CAROUSEL
In Florida, this is called Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, whereas the Paris equivalent is called Le Carrousel de Lancelot.
Both run at speeds of 4.4mph with flexible durations although the horses always end their rotation at the same location (and height) as they started. They also both feature a soundtrack consisting of looped Disney music and horses in a “leaping” position, as opposed to the more traditional funfair style without bent knees.
Differences between the carousels include the manufacturers (the Paris ride had been built specially by Disney whereas the WDW one had been built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1917), the story told on the panels (Cinderella in WDW; The Lady of the Lake in DLP), the number of horses operational at any one time (90 in WDW and 86 in DLP) and the colors; white in WDW and various in DLP.
OTHER
Both lands also feature a sword-in-the-stone (although neither any longer have the accompanying ceremony), a Cinderella Fountain and a stop for the Railroad.
Oh, yeah, and a massive castle.
In part two of this article, I will be comparing the castles and “it’s a small world” as well as looking at the numerous meet-and-greets which seem to take up most of the Fantasylands.