The 12 secrets that Disneyland Paris is hiding from you

News JVTech The 12 secrets that Disneyland Paris is hiding from you

1. The 100 Mickeys hidden everywhere in Disneyland Paris

This secret is probably the best known of all: Mickey heads are hidden in the 4 corners of Disneyland Paris. Big fans call these winks by their American name: the hidden mickey (you can use the term to show off). Some people say there are 100, others think there are even more.

It would take too long to list all the hidden Mickeys. On your next visit to the park, pay attention to the smallest details. Fountains, queues, floats, scenery in an attraction… there are literally everywhere.

2. You can get your hair cut and beard shaved right in Disney

Disneyland parks are not just home to toy stores. On Main StreetBetween Emporium and the painting of the inauguration of the Statue of Liberty, there is… a hairdresser-barber. Dapper Dan’s Haircut is an emblematic place, almost a time capsule.

On the spot, everything is typical of the beginning of the XXᵉ century and men can have their hair and beards trimmed the old-fashioned way. The cup costs 30€. This living room, a little secret in itself, is home to many hidden details. For example, if you pick up the old telephone handset from the living room, you will hear… a private conversation.

Ah, and you may have heard of an urban legend. Some people claim that if the Disneyland parks all contain a hairdresser-barber, it would be because Elias Disney, Walt’s father, would have exercised this profession. It’s wrong.

3. The secrets of the architecture of Disneyland Paris: no detail is left to chance!

Do you know the Imagineers ? For about 70 years, this clever mix of artists and engineers has been sweating blood and water to design every corner of the Disneyland parks. The Imagineers leave nothing to chance.

Take the iconic Sleeping Beauty castle for example. Everything is millimeter there.

• His south orientation allows it to look good in photos every hour of the day.
• In the same spirit, the Imagineers called on the photography brand Kodak to choose the floor color around the castle and on Main Street. Again, the goal was to choose the perfect shade so that the photos always looked good, no matter the light.
• architecture inspired by Mont Saint-Michel was thought for give an impression of grandeur to a fairly small castle.
• Every detail like the columns or the balconies hide small references. Take towers for example. On the golden roofs, there are not simple little balls but little snails climbing… to escape the French cooks!

4. Keep an eye out: you’ll see Norman medieval coats of arms… those of the Disney family!

We just talked about the details and references hidden within Sleeping Beauty’s castle. Let’s stay in the area. Just to the left of this castle, there is an arch which provides access to Fantasyland, one of the large areas of the park. On this arch there a medieval coat of arms.

The next time you play a Disney movie and see the castle firing off fireworks, watch out for the flag hoisted atop the keep: it proudly displays that same crest.

So, what is special about this coat of arms? Well, imagine that it’s a Norman coat of arms that belongs… to the Walt Disney family. Eh yes ! The name “Disney” is an English deformation of the French “d’Isigny”. It may seem surprising, but the Disney family is from the town of Isigny-sur-Mer.

5. Cars: A License Plate Only the Biggest Pixar Fans Can Understand

In attraction Cars Road Trip in the Walt Disney Studios park, Pixar fans will have a smile on their face when they observe the license plate of good old Martin, the best friend of the hero Lightning McQueen. Highlighting, the old A-113 plate is dangling.

A-113? For most people, this succession of letters and numbers means nothing at all. However, it is a recurring sequel in a lot of Pixar productions. The reference is particularly technical: this is the name of a room at the CalArts school of design and animation. As you can imagine, a lot of big names in animation who have worked for Pixar have sat in this Californian school room.

Fun fact: before the Cars attraction, there was at the same location the attraction Studio Tram Tour. At the entrance to Studio Tram Tour, there was already an emblematic car: that of cruella. People have walked past it without realizing it for years.

6. 7. 8. and References to your favorite animated films all over Disneyland Paris

If the reference above is almost impossible to have, the park is full of more obvious nods. For fun, let’s mention 3 of them:

• If you ask yourself at March Hare Refreshmentsclose to Alice’s Maze, you will see a giant teapot. Sometimes, a small dormouse emerges from it to wish you a happy un-birthday!
• Hidden in an overloaded setting at the entrance to the Temple of Perilthere is a hat and a whip… yes yes, these are those of Indiana Jones in person.
• Near Pirates of the Caribbean, there is the big market of Agrabah, imaginary world of Aladdin and Jasmine. Placed prominently in front of a stall, an oil lamp that you know well. Come closer, listen. A familiar voice seems to come from the depths of the lamp.

9. 10 and 11: Extremely creepy secrets at the heart of Disney magic

At the heart of the most touristic place in France, the magic sometimes mixes with the gloomy. Disneyland Paris contains several rather murky secrets. Here again, it is difficult to be exhaustive, but we can cite a few:

• In attraction Pirates of the Caribbean, there are a lot of fake skeletons. But, in the middle of all these fake bones, there would be a real human skull. It is located on the head of the Captain’s Quarters bed. You will easily find it: the bones are much darker, much older and simply much more… realistic. Warning: it could be that only the first Disney park, towards Los Angeles, is concerned by this secret.

• The haunted house, named Phantom Manor, is a must for anyone visiting Disneyland Paris. Right next to it you will find the cemetery of Boot Hill. In this cemetery, a grave makes funny noises. You would think someone was using their last strength to knock on their closed coffin… or that a heart was still beating.

• In the queue for Tower of Terror of the Walt Disney Studio park, more precisely in the engine room on the 1st floor, a circle is drawn with chalk. If you concentrate well, you will see a little girl shadow in the circle. Do you hear a voice in the corner? It is this little girl, stuck in the 4ᵉ Dimension, who calls you for help.

Photo by Anna Fox

12. The discreet Coca-Cola sponsor in the middle of the Pirates of the Caribbean

The Coca-Cola brand has been in official partnership with the park since its opening in 1992. Discreetly, tons of small references the most famous of sodas are hidden everywhere in Mickey’s Kingdom, especially in its restaurants.

Take for example the Captain Jack’s, a Creole restaurant on the theme of Pirates of the Caribbean. If you keep your eyes peeled, you’ll see that the Disney pirates seem more fond of Coke than rum. The shape of Coca-Cola’s signature glass bottle is found for example on the lock of a treasure chest instead of the handle of the sabers placed under the skull of the Jolly Roger of the Black Pearl.