Here is the press release from Disneyland Paris about this opening ceremony:
Fleur Pellerin inaugurates the new French attraction at Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris, the driving force behind France’s popularity as a tourist destination.
“The 60th attraction at Disneyland Paris, Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy, once again demonstrates the contribution of Disneyland Paris to the development of France’s tourist industry”, explains Philippe Gas, CEO of Euro Disney S.A.S.
- Disneyland Paris is Europe’s number one tourist destination, with more than 275 million visits since its opening. Within a tourist sector elevated to the ranks of “national priority”, according to François Hollande during the Tourism Forum in June 2014, Disneyland Paris takes pride of place.
- Disneyland Paris contributes on average 6.2% of the French tourism industry’s foreign currency revenues and contributes €50 billion in added value for the French economy.
- Disneyland Paris has generated more than 55,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs since its opening. In 2014, the group signed 8000 employment contracts, of which 1000 are permanent. Almost 15,000 people are currently employed at Disneyland Paris.
- The new world inspired by Ratatouille alone, which includes an attraction, a restaurant, and shortly a boutique, has allowed for the creation of 200 new and permanent jobs.
Since the very first agreement signed with the State in 1987, the destination has also proved its capacity for investment and renewal. With Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy, Disneyland Paris offers guests a brand-new and unique experience, thanks to the use of innovative technology.
- Over the past five years, investments centred on maintaining and developing Disneyland Paris have amounted to €510 million.
- The most innovative technologies have been used in this new world to create a totally unique experience for guests. The vehicles, known as ratmobiles, are remote-controlled using trackless ride technology — a first for the destination.
A world inspired by Ratatouille, a French delicacy
Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy and its area were built on French craftsmanship and savoir-faire.
- The project required the skills of more than 4000 craftspeople, 80% of which were French. A total of 44 French companies helped to create the attraction, including 34 from Île-de-France and 11 from Seine-et-Marne.
- One such enterprise is Paradis Expansion, which created the decor at the entrance to Bistrot Chez Rémy.
- The company Fisa, based in Essonne, created a special ultrasonic cleaning system for the attraction, which allows 22,000 pairs of 3D glasses to be cleaned in five hours. Press release
- French wines and cuisine are on the menu at Bistrot Chez Rémy. With 370 seats, this is the largest table-service restaurant at Disneyland Paris. 80% of the produce used is of French origin, and the meat is sourced from within Europe (Scotland or France).
The 60th attraction at Disneyland Paris is a tribute to the storybook Paris of Disney•Pixar
- The Disney Imagineers (a contraction of “imagination” and “engineer”) drew their inspiration for the eye-catching Parisian architecture from the fountains at Place des Vosges with their circular basinsand lions’ heads spouting water, and from the Place Dauphine and Boulevard Haussmann.
- This unique relationship between Disney and France is of long standing. Walt Disney’s ancestors originally came from the village of Isigny-sur-Mer in Normandy. Even the name Disney is derived from “d’Isigny” (French for “from Isigny”). In the 1950s, the tales of Perrault inspired the animated films Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Since then, a host of French artists and designers have worked with Disneyland Paris to produce unique creations, from chefs Christophe Michalak, Thierry Marx and Paul Bocuse, to fashion designer Chantal Thomass.
During the inauguration, Fleur Pellerin welcomed “this new investment in our territory that included 44 French companies, of which 34 from the Ile-de-France region and 11 from Seine-et-Marne, and to create 200 new permanent jobs, not to mention the nearly 4000 French artisans who worked on the project. The attraction which, like the movie, places Paris, its cuisine and its know-how on the frontline, is an asset for our tourism appeal.”
About Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris is Europe’s leading tourist destination, with more than 275 million visits since its opening in 1992, and around 15,000 Cast Members working onsite. There are over 500 different job classifications, and the employees collectively represent more than 100 nationalities and speak 20 languages. Disneyland Paris is the number one private employer of its home region (Seine-et- Marne) and the number one single-site employer in the whole of France. In addition to its direct jobs, Disneyland Paris has a significant economic impact with its activity generating 56,000 direct and indirect jobs in France.
(First posted on another blog on July 11 2014)
