Discovery Arcade (Disneyland Paris)
Encyclopedia
Discovery Arcade is a sheltered walkthrough area in Main Street, U.S.A.
at Disneyland Paris
. This is an exhibition about inventors of the 19th Century, which opened with the park in 1992. It is there to provide shelter during cold or rain.
, the decision was made to build two covered walkways parallel to Main Street instead.
In the very early days of Disneyland in Anaheim, Walt Disney
had imagined two streets adjacent to Main Street, respectively named Liberty Street (themed to American values and history) and Edison Square (themed to this inventor's achievements). Although they were never made reality, these ideas became inspiration for both Arcades in Paris. As such, Imagineers came up with Liberty Arcade
, themed to the lasting friendship between France and the United States and embodied by Lady Liberty
, and Discovery Arcade, themed to inventions of the 19th Century.
The Arcade also presents a series of posters representing American cities of the late 20th Century, as they were envisionned a century ago.
Main Street, U.S.A.
Main Street, U.S.A. is the first "themed land" inside the main entrance of the many 'Magic Kingdom'-style parks run by The Walt Disney Company around the world....
at Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Park (Paris)
Disneyland Park is a theme park at Disneyland Paris, a resort complex just outside of Paris, in the new town of Marne-la-Vallée, France. The first of two parks built at the resort, it opened as Euro Disneyland on 12 April, 1992...
. This is an exhibition about inventors of the 19th Century, which opened with the park in 1992. It is there to provide shelter during cold or rain.
Original Concept and Design
When Imagineers were working on the creation of the European Disney resort, they had to envision a Main Street that would cope with the changing climate of the region of Paris. Although a huge Victorian-style glass roof covering the street could be built as in Tokyo DisneylandTokyo Disneyland
is a 115 acre theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to be built outside of the United States and opened on April 15, 1983...
, the decision was made to build two covered walkways parallel to Main Street instead.
In the very early days of Disneyland in Anaheim, Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
had imagined two streets adjacent to Main Street, respectively named Liberty Street (themed to American values and history) and Edison Square (themed to this inventor's achievements). Although they were never made reality, these ideas became inspiration for both Arcades in Paris. As such, Imagineers came up with Liberty Arcade
Liberty Arcade (Disneyland Paris)
Liberty Arcade is a covered walkthrough area in Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland Paris. This is an exhibition about the Statue of Liberty, and a walkway parallel to the main entrance. It opened with the park in 1992...
, themed to the lasting friendship between France and the United States and embodied by Lady Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
, and Discovery Arcade, themed to inventions of the 19th Century.
Discovery Arcade
The Arcade is a long walkway, from Town Square to Edison Avenue, which also gets behind Main Street shops and restaurants. It features many showcase windows, each one displaying models and sketches from the U.S. Patent Office. These models were originally made in the 19th century.The Arcade also presents a series of posters representing American cities of the late 20th Century, as they were envisionned a century ago.
Trivia
- One of the showcase windows was originally sponsored by RenaultRenaultRenault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
and presented this company's early inventions. In 2002, OpelOpelAdam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...
replaced Renault, so the window underwent changes. Then Opel also dropped sponsorship around 2009, which is why this window now showcases a comparison between the Eiffel TowerEiffel TowerThe Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
and the Ferris WheelFerris WheelThe original Ferris Wheel, sometimes also referred to as the Chicago Wheel, was the centerpiece of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois....
. - Early concepts intended to create a central room in the Arcade, symetrical to the inauguration of Lady Liberty in Liberty Arcade. This never-built room would have featured automats from the 19th century.
- Another concept was to build an elevated railway on an upper floor overlooking the Arcade. Trains would then be able to take guests from Town Square up to Central Plaza. This idea was soon scrapped.