The rumours about a Star Wars overlay for Space Mountain return to the fore, and we get drift of some small updates about the potential refurbishments of Studio Tram Tour and Phantom Manor. There’s also the possibility that Disney Dreams! could see an update for the 25th Anniversary celebrations in summer 2017.
‘Hyperspace Mountain’ Star Wars overlay for Space Mountain: Mission 2
Long has this been rumoured! We have already known that as part of the Experience Enhancement Programme (EEP) Space Mountain would undergo a second period of refurbishment in early 2017, which was believed to have simply involved bringing new trains to the attraction. The original announcement of this showed a small/vague sketch of what the new trains might look, and included a notorious number ‘3’ within the design. This inevitably led to suggestions that from April 2017 – in time for the resort’s 25th Anniversary – Space Mountain: Mission 2 would become Space Mountain: Mission 3. Space Mountain’s first refurbishment as part of the EEP took place during 2015 and it has been suggested that improved show equipment was put in place which could facilitate a change in storyline, more recently it was suggested that during a week of routine maintenance at the attraction, Imagineers tested Star Wars projections within the ride.
Rumours are now suggesting that Space Mountain could become Hyperspace Mountain from April 2017 to coincide with the resort’s 25th Anniversary, of course a date falling just after the ‘Season of the Force’. In a shareholder conference, Disneyland Paris also confirmed that Space Mountain would receive a new look inside for the 25th Anniversary, but stopped short of any further information. This could easily mean that a change to Hyperspace Mountain is coming, as Star Wars is a popular franchise which would likely bring crowds, or indeed it could mean that Mission 3 is on its way. Remember that Space Mountain: De la Terre a la Lune to Mission 2 would only have been considered a ‘new look inside’ too…
A new Disney Dreams!
Rumours are surfacing that Disney Dreams! will only be performed until late March 2017, presumably to make way for a new version of the show in time for the 25th Anniversary celebrations in summer 2017. The biggest suggestions are that an updated version of Disney Dreams! will follow, perhaps with projections along Mainstreet, as has been seen in California.
Michelin star restaurant for the Disneyland Hotel
Disneyland Paris have announced that a new restaurant will open in the Disneyland Hotel’s Castle Club level called the ‘Founder’s Restaurant’. The chef will be 3 Michelin star chef, A Lallement. This fits nicely with Disneyland Paris trying to position itself as a high-end resort.
Refurbishment of Studio Tram Tour still on hold
Also at the shareholders meeting, Disneyland Paris stated that the planned refurbishment of Studio Tram Tour was still on hold. The refurbishment was meant to take place from early 2016 to early 2017 and include three new scenes – replacements for the existing ones.
Phantom Manor to be refurbished after 25th Anniversary
Phantom Manor was not listed as an attraction to be refurbished as part of the EEP in the run up to the 25th Anniversary, however the attraction is seen as in need of some TLC. Disneyland Paris stated in the shareholder meeting that Phantom Manor will be refurbished inside and out after the 25th Anniversary. No more details were given.
Marvel not coming to Walt Disney Studios Park in any big way
Also in the shareholders meeting, Disneyland Paris suggested that there were no big plans to bring Marvel franchises to the Walt Disney Studios Park at the moment. There may still be room for an added meet’n’greet, but no new Marvel attractions.
A handful of small and rather vague rumours here… a lot remains to be seen! What do you think of these rumours? Let us know in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter @MagicalDLP.
Have you been on Hyperspace Mountain yet? What were your thoughts? Personally I haven’t but I have experienced the Hyperspace Mountain at Disneyland, and I have to say that I felt quite underwhelmed. I know that most fans seem to like it, but I didn’t really think that the new projections worked out that well. And this comes from someone who used to be a huge Star Wars fan – and I still love the original trilogy. I just didn’t get re same feeling of ”wow” afterwards as I normally do after risig a version of Space Mountain, but to be true I guess that might be because Disneyland’s version of Space Mountain in itself was never as good as the ones in MK and Disneyland Paris. I have no way of knowing, sinc I’ve never experienced the Disneyland version prior to the Star Wars overlay.
Even so, I’m kinda okay with Disneyland using these kinds of overlays on Space Mountain – they’ve also turned it into Ghost Galaxy on occation – mainly because Tomorrowland at Disneyland and in MK is such a mess at the moment. There’s no background story or cohesive theme at the moment. Discoveryland at Disneyland Paris, however, has always been more unique and with a more interesting and unifying theme and feel. And the story behind and the design of Space Mountain fits so well into that theme.
During the last decade or so, I’ve notice that Discoveryland has moved away more and more from this original conception of a more steampunk, Jules Verne-ish type of science fiction feel, and I think that’s quite sad. Judging from how popular steampunk currently is, I think that Disney could have moved even further into that venue and make appropriate updates of existing attractions, as well as creating new ones. Instead, they seem to be Gillinge this land with Star Wars and Marvel – and while I get why, I think it’s a bit sad. And turning Space Mountain into Hyperspace Mountain, especially, feels like a very weird decision from story point of view, since both the exterior and the interior is so heavily designed around the original story and the over all theming of the land. So it would really be interesting to hear from someone who has experienced this latest update what they think about it and if it works out, storywise and thematically. Also, do you think that it will stay Hyperspace Mountain after the Star Wars land has been built over at WDS, or will they go back to the roots and remake the entire Discoveryland into something more reminiscent of it’s initial design?
DLP’s version of Space Mountain has always been my favorite version of the ride – both because of the design and because of the ride itself – but it’s also felt more magical and more Disney than most other versions, so I’m a bit sad to see it move away from it’s original conception. Walt Disney himself was a huge fan of Jules Verne, and I’m sure he would have loved a land and an attraction based on his stories and ideas.