The Disneyland Paris that never was - Part Five : Adventureland and Fantasyland

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The Disneyland Paris that never was - Part Five : Adventureland and Fantasyland



In this new part of the "Disneyland Paris that never was" series we will have a look at Adventureland and Fantasyland projects.

Adventureland’s Indiana Jones temple du péril was built in 1994, shortly after the opening, and although it’s a very popular ride with perfect theming, the renderings below as well as the one above will show you that Imagineers had envisioned great scenes for the ride. These sketches are the original artwork for the attraction before it became a wild mouse ride with theming. Although some of these scenes would have been welcome in the final version, Chris Tietz and the Imagineers at WDI Glendale really did a great job but, in those early days, the budgets were a bit limited and could not allow to build the scenes below. For being a ride of this type, i think WDI Imagineers did a super job to squeeze a lot of magic into a normal fun park ride. For Disney, this was also the very first ride with looping which was a real risk as they had never done this type of "thrill" ride before. I think the success of this attraction made it possible for the future coasters such as Space Mountain and Rock & Roller coaster to be seriously considered.

The two first pictures below and the one above will show you some never done additional decors, with the train entering a giant Asian statue head. This would have been great, i miss this one...





These scenes with a loop around a giant gorilla statue or going through this stone eagle would have been great, too...







Remember Lao-Che Airlines in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom? So this idea of theming should mean something for you. For years a real plane - a Dakota - was backstage and stayed there for at least ten years under rains and winds. The plane was originally bought when entertainment was thinking about doing a Indy Stunt Show but that never happened. After opening, Imagineers wanted to put the plane in the open space on the left side of the railroad track before the train enters the tunnel of Pirates in the Caribbean. There is a jeep and tent there but they wanted to expand it. I've been told that Entertainment division had other plans for the Dakota plane so unfortunately that idea died. One day i noticed that the plane has disappeared from backstage, i asked what happened to it and if i remember it well i think i was told that because he stayed outside all these years it was in such bad condition that it had been throw away!!



Another great theming idea never realised with this Audio-Animatronic tiger - coming right from the “Jungle Cruise” ? It would have been great and they still can add it one day if they wish.



...As well as those Audio-Animatronics baby tigers in the queue decor. The tigers in the queue line were a suggested overlay of the existing scenes found in the walkway because there were discussions with Esso as a possible sponsor. In the end, the tigers were too expensive so they ended up putting some oil cans and barrels around plus a few more things with the Esso logo.



If you're a DLP fan you may know that TWO temples for Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril were originally envisioned. The picture below of a 3D model is a rare shot showing both of the temples...

Jump to the full article to discover more of the Adventureland - and Fantasyland - that never was!

http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2010/04/disneyland-paris-that-never-was-part_22.html