The rebirth of Disney Village

[soundtracker]

Good news, everyone; the major refurbishment of Disney Village is now underway! The scanky old video arcade behind the Scène Centrale has now been gutted, and the Scène itself is already partly dismantled.
The space left by the arcade will aparently be converted into a small stage which will play host to a numner of childrens shows. The toilets adjeacent will also be refurbished and expanded.
Meanwhile, work on a brand new video arcade is underway in the new IMAX building - the new arcade promises to be lightyears ahead of its predecessor. Built on three stories, it will feature a miniature bowling alley, a bar area, and nothing but the latest in video games. The Imagineers have designed the building's interior, which will feature different themed sections. (No word as to what these themes might be yet though.) The whole thing should be open by Christmas!

In addition to all this, the giant metal pylons that run down the centre of Disney Village should be disappearing over the next few months, along with the "starry sky" effect. (Perhaps the only bit of the current Village decoration that I'll miss.)

I haven't found any photos of this yet - could someone oblige?

[Olivier]

Yes I've heard of that. It's a very good news IMHO !!!
According to DLRPMagazine, works to remove the central pylons and starry sky will start this month!

[PeaJay18]

Too bad - I kind of liked the starry sky effect.
But glad to hear the old arcade is gone - that area dragged down the whole village.

[Zarniwoop]

At last! I didn't like the current Disney Village much.. Best word to describe the spirit there in the morning: hangover.

Not the best way to start your day. I hope that's history after alteration.

[TDLFAN]

Just by taking down that white tent theater next door to McDonald's would improve Disney Village by leaps and bounds..

[soundtracker]

Originally Posted by TDLFAN

Just by taking down that white tent theater next door to McDonald's would improve Disney Village by leaps and bounds..

I couldn't agree more. The Disney Dome, as it's known, has certainly outlived its usefulness. There are plans to have it removed, but I think it'll be as part of Phase 2, which includes the development of the old Village car park.
There's some good news for us "Starry Sky" fans too - even though the current lights are due to be removed, there are plans to replace them with a similar feature, much closer to ground level. From what I understand, this should be strings of coloured lanterns in various styles, zigzagging across the main walkway.

Oh, and one more bit of good news, thanks to dlrpmagazine.com... the kids games and "attractions" such as the bungee bounce and go-karts are due to be removed as well! At long last!

[PeaJay18]

Originally Posted by soundtracker

The Disney Dome, as it's known, has certainly outlived its usefulness. There are plans to have it removed, but I think it'll be as part of Phase 2, which includes the development of the old Village car park.

I thought the "Grease" stage show was performing in the Dome later this year - I think it's a good idea provided there's always something going on inside it. It stood empty (or at least closed to the general public) so long that it became more of a "what's the point of such a big structure" than an actual eyesore. Weren't there rumors of Cirque du Soleil taking residence?

Originally Posted by soundtracker

Oh, and one more bit of good news, thanks to dlrpmagazine.com... the kids games and "attractions" such as the bungee bounce and go-karts are due to be removed as well! At long last!

Yes! The fair-ground stuff never really fitted in, and cheapened the whole area. The new arcade/bowling alley etc sounds like a great addition and I notice that the article at dlrpmagazine.com mentions plans to make the Village a better place for park guests and those staying at the resort hotels (at least that's what my Babel fish translation says), so hopefully standards should go up all round! Hurrah!

[soundtracker]

Originally Posted by PeaJay18

Weren't there rumors of Cirque du Soleil taking residence?

There's a rumour that each Disney resort will have its own permanent Cirque du Soleil show, now that Tokyo's getting one. Having seen La Nouba at WDW, I'm all for it! I don't think we'll be seeing one in Paris for a good few years however, and it certainly won't be held in the Disney Dome if it ever arrives - the current venue is simply too small.
I get the impression that the current revamp of Disney Village is tied in to the work currently taking place to install new security points on the Centre Court area. At the moment, you have to go through bag/security checks when entering each of the parks AND the Village. Each of them is treated like a separate entity in that respect. The new security point will stretch across the front of the SNCF/TGV station and the walkway from Guest Parking. Once through it, guests will be free to wander between the parks and the Village WITHOUT having to go through additional checks. This is designed to encourage park hopping, as well as making it easier for hotel guests to get to and from the parks, via the Village. Of course, single day guests will also be able to hop over into the Village at the end of the day, without having to queue for another bag check all over again.
It's a simple change, but a very sensible one, IMO. I'm sure it will help make everyone's life that much easier, and will do away with those untidy desks and barriers stuck in front of the entrances to the parks.

[tloolgb]

Wow so they are ditching Frank Gehry's poles and strings? They are wasting no time in clearing out Eisner's favorites then huh?
That's actually suprising.
So is the parking lot going to become another themed parking garage?

[BugsBunny]

I thought the starry sky was a nice effect, but the pattern didn't seem random enough. I certainly would like it to stay.

[drnilescrane]

Originally Posted by tloolgb

Wow so they are ditching Frank Gehry's poles and strings? They are wasting no time in clearing out Eisner's favorites then huh?
That's actually suprising.
So is the parking lot going to become another themed parking garage?

Just dont take Frank to france anytime soon.

I think they should ditch all of the Micheal Graves buildings as well, Team Disney Burbank and the WDW Swan\Dolphin serve as shrines to Eisner's rule.

[tloolgb]

Nah see I find those to be good. I mean sure Eisner could have focused on other things but at the same time every company needs a headquarters, they might as well have a flashy one.

[soundtracker]

A quick visual update for you, courtesy of the good people at www.dlrp.fr
As you can see, the Scène Centrale is almost gone already! The space behind it already looks much better:

[soundtracker]

More good news: The new video arcadee int he IMAX building is now open and fully operational! Here are a few sneak peeks...









It looks like things are really moving along!

[Olivier]

I'm happy they care about Disney village too !!!
I really love the new Gaumont IMAX theater, but I'm not very much into game arcades...