Mickey said “Oui” in 1987 to a proposed plan to bring the unique outdoor entertainment a Disney Theme Park and destination resort to Europe, the international press went wild. The newspapers were full of stories describing Euro Disneyland, the 5,000-acre Walt Disney Company project slated to open in 1992 at Mame-la-Vallee, 20 miles east of Paris. The French newspaper, Liberation, sprouting mouse ears on its front page, said the Disney project was “ ... the most important American operation in France since D-Day. . .”
That rather jubilant response reflects the harvest of benefits the French expect to reap from development of the farmland in the Ile de France region where the Park is taking shape. This land was designated for development of a new town twenty years earlier to ease crowding in metropolitan Paris.
The area has been undergoing a slow urbanization process which is about to accelerate. Through a governmental agency, EPA, owners have been paid fair market value for their farmland, which was then made available for development by Euro Disneyland S.C.A., a French company in which The Walt Disney Company holds 49% of the shares.
The complete destination resort master-plan will offer guests a resort with accommodations and activities similar to those at Walt Disney World. Themed hotels, a Fort Wilderness campground, and recreational facilities including golf, tennis, and swimming are just some of the amenities scheduled to be ready for opening day in 1992. The project will also have an entertainment center, with themed shopping and dining, and a corporate park.
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