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De nouvelles attractions à Disneyland Paris, c’est en soi un véritable événement tant le phénomène est rarissime. La dernière en date, Ratatouille L’Attraction Totalement Toquée de Rémy remonte à 2014, il y a huit ans. Par conséquent j’ai été un peu pris par surprise quand Disneyland Paris a inauguré l’été dernier l’Avengers Campus, ce qui justifie totalement l’écart de six mois entre l’ouverture du nouveau land Marvel et du contenu qui en parle sur Le Parcorama.
A while ago I posted a list of my favorite Underrated Disney Park Music, featuring all the greatest lesser known soundtracks of your favorite parks. This time, as the holiday season is starting in Disney parks—I mean those that are not closed due to COVID—I’m in the mood for sharing my favorite Christmas background music from the Disney parks. These are the cheerful atmospheric audio loops you can hear in various areas, attractions, queues and boutiques during the holiday season. They will bring a little bit of Disney Magic=&0=& to your living room for the holidays.
There is a ton of Christmas background music loops in the eleven Disney parks around the world so remember this is not a comprehensive collection but a selection of our favorite tunes. Those we like to play when we’re just chilling at home.
If you like this selection, I’ve also created a YouTube playlist out of it for your convenience. Enjoy!
Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe
This boutique located in the Magic Kingdom offers a selection of holiday decoration and ornaments. The background music is reminiscent of musicals from the 50’s and 60’s. It’s equally delightful and kitsch. It’s also our most played Christmas music loop at home.
Main Street Christmas Music – Disneyland, Magic Kingdom
This classic music loop has the same vintage qualities and brings typical 60’s / 70’s orchestrations of US Christmas classics. Definitely the most quintessential holiday music from the Disney parks.
Jingle Cruise Queue
Since a few years the famous Jungle Cruise ride is getting a yearly holiday overlay : Jingle Cruise. The audio loop from the queue is in fact the “Global Broadcasting Service : The Voice of Civilisation” radio. It features swing and boogie woogie versions of Christmas classic songs including the Andrew Sisters and in typical Jungle Cruise fashion, some pretty quirky songs too. If The Twilight Zone – Tower of Terror had a holiday overlay, it would probably sound like this.
Buena Vista Street Christmas Music
From the same 30’s/40’s era, the holiday music from Buena Vista Street is just as exquisite, but with a big band twist.
EPCOT entrance holiday music
And now something completely different. These are basically symphonic orchestrations of Christmas songs. Epcot’s entrance area holiday music is so classic it’s almost generic. In fact it’s so generic they use the same audio loop here and there in the Walt Disney Studios “theme park”. But it will definitely get you in a festive mood nevertheless. Or at least, your mom.
Main Street U.S.A. Christmas music – Disneyland Paris
Unlike its american counterparts, the christmas loop of Main Street USA really puts the Euro in Disney. From the songs to the instruments and orchestration it really feels like Europe’s old tradition of Christmas markets. You can smell the muled wine just listening to it.
Echo Lake Christmas Music – Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Another big favorite here. It features 50’s legendary jazz and easy listening artists from Ella Fitzgerald to Dean Martin, to Nat King Cole. It just feels like Christmas in the lobby of a mid-century modern grand hotel.
World of Disney Christmas Season music – Disneyland =&1=&
The large boutique located at the front of Disney Village in Paris is packed with symphonic versions of the Christmas classics you need.
American Waterfront Christmas music – Tokyo DisneySea
If you never had the chance to experience Christmas in New York in the early 20th century, Tokyo DisneySea’s American Waterfront holiday background music gives you some joyful ragtime orchestrations of Christmas standards.
Wilderness Lodge Christmas Loop
Don’t panic though, you just landed on the only page on the Internet that features everything you want – all you have to do is forward this blog post to your mom and tell her you need everything on it. She’ll dispatch every item to every person who owes you Christmas presents! Oh and if you happen to be that mom, welcome to our geeky community – I love your festive sweater Karen! Is it mohair or cashmere?
Anyway, make room to your shelves, here is my 2016 selection of the finest Disney theme park related merchandise. Also, make sure to visit the link at the end of this list to have a look at the same wishlist I did in the past. Merry consumerism
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✴ ‘Maps of the Disney Parks‘ book by Vanessa hunt, Kevin and Susan Neary ✴
This book is so new it’s still fresh from the printer. It’s a unique journey trough one of Disney’s most underrated art pieces: theme park maps. From gorgeous art from the fifties in Anaheim, to the newest Shanghai Disneyland drawings, you’re in for a one of a kind tour of all the Disney Parks around the world. Shop on Amazon.
✴ Grim Grinning Ghosts Tiki Mug ✴
Two Disneyland favorites just made the coolest thing you don’t need, but absolutely want. Iconic Haunted Mansion characters Grim Grinning Ghosts and Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar just met in the form of this awesome mug. It’s probably sold out already at Trader Sam’s, so make sure to have a look and Ebay.
✴ A trip to Shanghai Disneyland ✴
You may think it’s too far away, too expensive to go, too huge, too much IP’s, too Chinese (whatever this means)… But admit it, your heart wants to experience the delusion of grandeur of Shanghai Disneyland. You want to ride Tron’s iconic Lightcycles in the glowing world of the Grid and above all, you would kill to sail underwater on Disney’s most innovative and jaw dropping ride in years: Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure. Well good news: Christmas is an excellent crowd-funding opportunity to budget such a trip, just saying.
Alternatively, you can also read my extensive review and watch my video tour of this controversial but definitely brilliant theme park.
✴ Dave Perillo Disney Attraction Art ✴
If the walls of your living room need more Disney love than they already have, make sure to have a look at designer Dave Perillo’s attraction posters made especially for the US Disney parks. Shop at DisneyStore.com
✴ 2017 Disney Attraction Poster Calendar ✴
This fantastic calendar is your ultimate must have, because once the year is finished, you can cut the monthly calendar part from every page and frame these beautiful posters. This year’s attraction poster lineup features icons like Splash Mountain, Phantom Manor, Carousel of Progress, but also rarities like Tahitian Terrace, Disneyland Hotel, Crystal Palace and even the so-ugly-it’s-awesome Magic Journeys poster. Shop on Disneystore.com
✴ Disney Parks Vintage Christmas Collection ✴
What’s wrong with getting Christmas home decoration for Christmas? For a couple of years, the US Disney parks started selling this lovely range of faux-vintage holiday items. Your inner Martha Stewart needs all of it, and you don’t want her to be mad at you. Shop at
Disneystore.com
Of course we can argue that it’s only a matter of personal taste. I completely agree. But in the meantime, too often I returned home with great memories of a fun day spent in wonderful theme parks, oh-so-ready to spend big bucks to bring something home from the countless gift shops but nothing in these oceans of merchandise items made me want to buy something. It’s not just frustrating for me: it’s also a missed opportunity for theme parks.
In recent years, the US Disney parks have greatly improved, offering a wider variety of merchandise, from original attraction posters to vintage-like tee shirts. In the meantime, with the rise of internet services like Etsy or Society6, talented designers from around the world have started creating and selling their own theme park inspired merchandise. Which means: new creative directions and more possibility to fall in love with attraction-inspired merchandise!
Minimalist rollercoaster posters, new takes on the iconic Mickey Mouse ears, stylish attraction pins… It’s like Main Street’s Emporium boutique just went virtually expanded with something for everyone and for every taste. After all, showing your love for theme parks does not require to have an ‘official merchandise’ tag on it, right?
There are countless fan-made merchandise designers and online shops, but here I’m going to show you my favorite ones.
GRASON STUDIO
Florida designer Adam Grason’s art greatly mixes contemporary graphic design and retro illustration touch from the 60’s. You can feel the influence of It’s A Small World Imagineer Mary Blair, and that’s a great thing! On his Etsy store you’ll mainly find print art and a-ma-zing pins. Shop at Studio Grason’s online shop
MADE TO THRILL
There is more than Disney theme parks. Extreme rollercoasters from SixFlags or Cedar Fair never disappoint except for… merchandise. But this was before Made To Thrill created a super neat collection of minimalist posters, shirts, pins and stickers inspired by America’s most intense thrill rides. And beloved Disney and Universal classic attractions! Make sure to follow them on social networks as they sometimes drop swag bags in theme parks, first come, first served! Shop at Made To Thrill’s website
ROB YEO
London based graphic designer Rob Yeo’s signature is to start from Disney park detail, character or logo and create something new with it. Like new Disney attraction posters. Or attraction-inspired liquor bottle stickers. And because his store is hosted on Society6, you can pick the art you prefer and order it as a poster or smartphone case or tee shirt or cushion or bed sheets or shower curtain or… Shop at Rob Yeo’s online shop
THE MERMAID HARP
If your looking for a classic Mickey Mouse ear hat with a fresh and fashionable twist, Orlando based Mermaid Harp creates gorgeous floral arrangements on top of Mickey Mouse ear headbands. The style of flowers and bows used are seasonal: after summer’s pastel colors, darker color headbands have arrived to celebrate fall. Perfect to match the upcoming Halloween season in theme parks! All of these are carefully hand made, so stocks are limited. Make sure to follow her on Instagram to stay tuned. Shop at The Mermaid Harp on Instagram
ANTHOLOGY CANDLES
In a very different style, this may be the nerdiest fan-made product of this list. Remember the feeling you have when you walk down Main Street USA and smell the sweet scent of the Main Street Bakery? Now you can get this feeling at home too, all you have to do is light an Anthology Candle: they’ve been crafted to smell like Disney parks most cherished scents, from churros to Soarin’s orange groves, to Spaceship Earth ‘Rome is Buring’ scene, to the very Barbara Bush Grand Floridian hotel lobby! Shop at AnthologyCandles.com
IMAGINEERING DISNEY
One of my all time favorite theme park bloggers also happen to be an incredibly talented designer. And sometimes, he’s dropping a limited batch of retro Disney park inspired merchandise: buttons, tee shirts and felt pennants. Make sure to keep an eye on his blog because you don’t want to miss these. Visit ImagineeringDisney.com
So what do you think of fan-made merchandise items? Do you like it? Is it more important for you that your merchandise is official products? If you know more fan-made theme park merchandise designers and online shops, make sure to let us know in the comment section below!
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Cette semaine, le PDG de Disney Bob Iger a présenté le traditionnel meeting annuel des actionnaires de la Walt Disney Company. Entre diverses annonces, il a notamment révélé un impressionnant concept art de Shanghai Disneyland : un land entier consacré aux pirates. Si l’execution est fidèle à l’illustration, la thématisation de Shanghai Disneyland devrait effectivement être aussi extravagante et minutieusement détaillée qu’à Tokyo DisneySea.
Cette zone pirates Cove sera aussi la première des parcs Disney a être inspirée des films Pirates of the Caribbean. Un aspect qui devrait caractériser l’ensemble du parc de Shanghai, où les licences maison seront exploitées abondamment, plus que dans aucun parc Disney auparavant. Personnellement, je trouve assez logique de construire des attractions basées sur les films : après tout on vient chez Disney pour voir du Disney. Tant qu’elles peuvent cohabiter avec des attractions non inspirées de licences (comme les maisons hantées, Big Thunder Mountain, Expedition Everest…), je trouve cela tout à fait légitime. Là où je me pose plus de questions, c’est sur cette tendance récente à thématiser des lands entiers sur une seule et unique licence cinématographique, comme CarsLand, Wizarding World of Harry Potter à Universal et donc bientôt Pirates of the Caribbean à Shanghai Disneyland.
Que deviendront ces investissement gargantuesques dans 20, 30, 40, 50 ans? Toutes les licences hollywoodiennes, n’ont pas l’intemporalité ou la fanbase de Star Wars par exemple. Pas même les plus rentables. Alors que les parcs Disney s’apprêtent à célébrer les 50 ans d’ “It’s a small world!” et que Disneyland (Californie) vient de rénover profondément Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, toujours aussi populaire après 34 ans, je me demande si ces zones gigantesques ne deviendront pas un gros problème une fois que ces franchises auront été remplacées par de nouvelles productions dans le coeur et l’imaginaire collectif du public.
En tout cas, la stratégie menée par Bob Iger semble cohérente : aucune histoire n’est close définitivement. Le meilleur exemple : les suites de films Pixar qui arrivent près de 10 ans après le premier volet n’ont d’autre objectif que de faire vivre la franchise. Pas seulement pour gagner de l’argent en salles de cinéma et DVD mais aussi pour faire perdurer une licence dans le temps. Afin d’éviter que les énormes investissements dans les parcs ne deviennent obsolètes trop tôt – entre autres activités lucratives. Mais cette stratégie suffira-t-elle a éviter que ces grands lands entièrement dédiés à une seule et unique licence restent pertinents pour les 50 prochaines années? On débrieffe ça dans 50 ans.
Sur le même sujet, je vous invite à relire ces anciens posts sur la guerre des franchises dans les parcs à thèmes:
Transformers The Ride looks ugly (and other thoughts on franchise frenzy)
Shanghai Disneyland breaks the ground. And the rules.
Avatar movie franchise arrives to Disney Parks
This week, Disney CEO Bob Iger hosted the annual shareholders meeting of The Walt Disney Company. Among various announcements, he revealed an impressive Shanghai Disneyland concept art showing an entire pirates based land. If the execution is like this rendering, the theming and scenery of Shanghai Disneyland promises to be as extravagant and detailed as Tokyo DisneySea.
This Pirate area will also be the first one to be based on the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. This will be a major characteristic of the Shanghai park, where licences should be extensively used, more than in any Disney park before. If you ask me, I think it’s quite logical to build movie based attractions : after all you come to Disney to see Disney stuff. As long as they can live together with non franchise based attractions (like the many iterations of the haunted houses, Big Thunder Mountain, Expedition Everest…) I think it’s all legit. But I’m not sure what to think about this recent trend of entire, large scale lands based on a single movie licence, like CarsLand, Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal and now Pirates of the Caribbean in Shanghai Disneyland.
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Si vous n’avez pas l’habitude de regarder Saturday Night Live, vous avez probablement raté cet hilarante parodie du show Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular au parc Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Walt Disney World. Drake, l’invité de l’émission, interprète un employé Disney éprouvant quelques difficultés à interagir avec un visiteur étranger qui ne semble pas comprendre un mot d’anglais!
If you don’t usually watch Saturday Night Live, you’ve probably missed this hilarious spoof of the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Walt Disney World. Host and musical guest Drake plays a Disney cast member struggling to interact with a foreigner guest who doesn’t seem to understand one word of English!
