Wrote by Tristane on Tuesday, April 17th 2007 at 11:30 am

The second Disney Park, opened on 16 March 2002, holds a treasure trove of secrets that were totally unknown to me until my recent investigation.
For example, I had never noticed (and you’ll understand why!) that, seen from the sky, the Walt Disney Studios form the shape of Mickey Mouse’s head! The same Mickey Mouse that you see in his Fantasia costume all around the fountain facing the entrance of this Park.

With a few exceptions, the Walt Disney Studios look like any major film studios… And “studio” is not an exaggeration. In fact, if Studio 1 were continuously in use, it would be the 2nd leading studio in the world.
As things stand, the studio is only used for certain film scenes. When necessary, Studio 1 is ready for cameras, lights and action!

Just like a real cinema complex, there’s a water tower in the background. The kind that you’ve probably seen a hundred times. But do you know the background of this water tower (which, in this case, has sprouted ears)? I did my research and found out that there is always a water tower on shooting sites in case of fire (being kind of blonde, this didn’t occur to me immediately!). It’s true that one stunt that goes wrong can turn to catastrophe!

Now let’s go inside Studio 1. This street is the reproduction of a typical Hollywood street, at an ideal angle to shoot a film scene here.
Let’s head for the back of Studio 1. Now turn around… The viewpoint is totally different! Two settings in one: that’s the magic of cinema.
Everything is done to give you a behind-the-scenes glimpse in this street. If you pay attention, you’ll see a monitor on your right, near the restaurants. This monitor allows you to control the lighting of the setting across the way.

But let’s take a closer look at these façades facing you. The numbers over the stalls weren’t chosen by chance. As soon as you enter the studio, the shop on the left bears the number 1205, as if by magic. This stands for December 5, the birthday of Walt Disney! A little further down, the next door bears the number 1128, the birthday of Walt’s favourite mouse: Mickey. Most of the names of these shops and restaurants recall famous places in the United States. Some are even legendary, such as Schwab’s Pharmacy and The Brown Derby.

In The Brown Derby, the gallery of caricatures strewn on the walls across from the entry is also a faithful reconstitution of all of the caricatures that really existed in the restaurant. According to legend, the artist gave them to the restaurant in exchange for meals.
Next to the restaurant, the Les Légendes d’Hollywood shop is the second biggest store in the park. It also has a unique decoration. Cinema, cinema and nothing but cinema! This design is exactly like the décor often used in the rooms of the big screens back in the day. At that time, when a film was projected, the room was decorated in the style of the film. Of course, films stayed in cinemas for a longer period of time back then. And the shop boasts another special feature: take a good look around… Up and down… On the ground and in the air: an entire stock of materials surrounds you. The same that you would find in a real film studio! What’s more, legend has it that there are authentic models that have really been used on film sets hidden amongst the reproductions.

As for me, I can’t make up my mind if Herbie the Love Bug - the most famous Beetle in automotive history - is the real thing or a reproduction!