Disneyland Paris opened on April 12, 1992, as Euro Disneyland in Marne-la-Vallee, outside of Paris. Euro Disney was the fourth location for a Disney theme park, following Disneyland in Anaheim, California, in 1955; Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, in 1971; and Tokyo Disneyland in Japan in 1983.
While both the Anaheim and Orlando locations are owned by the Disney corporation, the Tokyo park is owned by the Oriental Land Company, with licensing fees paid to Disney for the use of its name and development talent. The enormous success of the Tokyo park reaffirmed Disney's desire to expand its footprint in the world while retaining ownership (and profits) at the same time.
The plans for Disneyland Paris were formalized on March 24, 1987, between The Walt Disney Company, the government of France and several regional governmental agencies. The location of Marne-la-Vallee was considered ideal because of its proximity to Paris, with access to highways, rail connections and air transportation throughout Europe. Groundbreaking took place in August 1988 amid no small amount of controversy, since many in France saw it as yet another sign of American cultural imperialism.
High-profile personnel disputes arose when Disney attempted to import its squeaky-clean, all-American image and require local employees to adhere to certain grooming standards. Famously, Disney forbade facial hair on its employees at the time. The policy was met with a loud uproar by the French public not accustomed to such restrictions on personal grooming standards. Additionally, Disney imposed strict limitations on how many articles of jewelry could be worn by employees while on duty as well as standards for the use of makeup for female cast members.
Initial reaction to the new theme park was lukewarm and created a degree of financial difficulty for Disney. Debt was restructured in 1994 and the theme park was rebranded in October 1994 as Disneyland Paris. The high-profile opening of Space Mountain-From Earth to Moon in May 1995 generated sufficient buzz to help the ailing theme park generate its first profitable year of operations.
In 1996, direct Eurostar service became available from London to the front gates of Disneyland Paris. Continued expansion of the overall Disneyland Paris complex included the additions of a cinema complex and shopping center. The end of the 1990s saw the development of plans for a second theme park within the complex. Walt Disney Studios Park opened on March 16, 1992, and was patterned after other movie studio-themed parks like Disney-MGM Studios park in Orlando. Subsequent additions to the complex include the openings of several new hotels and attractions. In 2008, the park welcomed its 200 millionth guest.
