Due to the dwindling number of contributors to this site, and so its faithful followers have new articles to read on as near to a daily basis as possible, I have offered to submit a handful of additional pieces on top of the exclusive comparisons between Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris that I write for MouseScrappers every January, April, July and October.
These additional articles (the first of which shall be available here November 12th) are to be comparisons between the Fantasylands in Anaheim and in Paris. A new article will then come out every Monday until the end of the year. These will be cut-down re-edits of articles which I wrote in 2010/2011 for DLDhistory.com, but with new material included.
[Some of the below info about Toad first appeared in one such DLDhistory article]
Whilst I am writing, editing and submitting these, the MouseScrappers organisers are out looking for new columnists to start in the new year, or sooner if possible. If anyone wishes to volunteer, do please get in touch with the MouseScrappers Team. Articles can be regular or occasional; new material or recycled; funny or serious. Anything Disney related is of interest.
[I write comparisons between DLP and DL, and between DLP and WDW, but there is little need to go full circle by comparing WDW to DL because there is only one difference between the two that matters: DL has the real Mickey Mouse].
For the sake of brevity my articles comparing DL with DLP shall not be comparing the theatres or shops, although my by-now-probably-slightly-out-of-date musings on the latter subject can be found here: http://dldhistory.com/2k11article.asp?Page=5&Filter=Current&Ident=2371
I shall also not be looking at the stations (although the one in Anaheim is officially considered as part of Mickey’s Toontown), The Sword in The Stone Ceremony, parades, fireworks, meet and greets, restaurants, the characters or anything no longer in operation. Some of these things may get mentioned in passing though.
I also won’t be going to the level of the uber-nerd, by comparing costumes, trashcans, paint colors and the like.
However, I shall be looking at the following attractions over the coming weeks…
Nov 12th – The Castle
Nov 19th – Snow White’s Scary Adventures
Nov 26th – Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
Dec 3rd – Peter Pan’s Flight
Dec 10th – Fantasyland’s Rotating Rides (Dumbo, Tea cups and Carrousel)
Dec 17th – Alice in Wonderland
Dec 24th – Casey Jr. Circus Train and Storybook Land Canal Boats
Dec 31st – it’s a small world
Do please let me know if there is anything major I have missed…
Paris has no equivalent of the Matterhorn.
France also has no direct equivalent to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, although it does have Toad Hall Restaurant. The exteriors to both are remarkably similar, although the Ride has the Latin phrase “Toadi Acceleratio Semper Absurda” over the entrance (“Speeding with Toad is Always Absurd”), whereas the Restaurant in Paris goes for “No Consumus Froglegus” (“No Eating of Frogs Legs”).
Both the Ride and the Restaurant feature a Library scene, complete with comically titled books and a suit of armor. In Paris, though, the latter is more humorously designed, looking more like one Toad himself might wear.
The soundtrack in the Restaurant varies more and is less annoying, featuring lyric-less versions of songs related to England. Some of these are Disney related (think Winnie The Pooh or Mary Poppins) and others are from the world of Music Hall.
The Ride and the Restaurant also both feature chandeliered ceilings, faux stained glass windows (one of which being broken in my last visit to Paris) and famous paintings adapted to feature Toad’s face. In Paris, these images change in front of your very eyes, kind of like the portraits between the stretch rooms and the load area in California’s Haunted Mansion (or Phantom Manor in Paris, for that matter).
Toad Hall Restaurant also features non-moving portraits which feature other Toad characters, such as Ratty and MacBadger. Such things do not exist in Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, seeing as Toad is too vain to have images of anyone but himself, although it is understandable that these exist here, especially as the characters appear in the ride in other manifestations.
Going off-topic slightly. Although the food in the Restaurant is very basic short-order fare, the theming is beautiful and the layout is interesting, with two separate dining areas which aren’t physically connected in any way. There is also an impressively wide array of seasoning, rare for any Disney eatery, and it tends to be quite quiet there, so –whilst I am not a big fan of reviewing restaurants- I would recommend giving it a look if you are ever in the park.
