With the Disney brand celebrating 100 years in 2023 and the Disneyland Paris theme park marking its 30th birthday (celebrations conclude in September), you could be forgiven for thinking that there’s quite enough going on for anything new to launch.
From superfast rides such as the Avengers Assemble: Flight Force in the recently unveiled Marvel Avengers Campus, to family-friendly stage productions such as the long-running The Lion King: Rhythm of the Pride Land, you name it; Disneyland Paris has done it – and always in its signature bright, fun and slick style.
But this summer the park has unveiled an interactive stage show, Together: a Pixar Musical Adventure, that manages to break new ground.
From full-sized mobile decorations that stand at 6.2 metres high and 30 metres wide, to 453 square metre LED screens stretching from floor to ceiling, Together blurs the lines between fantasy and reality as it seamlessly moves between on-stage actors, a live orchestra, animated footage and mind-blowing sensory effects. And this being a Disney-Pixar production, there’s a big, emotional musical conclusion.
The musical journey
The production brings to life the story of Charlie, a young conductor practising for a forthcoming show when disaster strikes and his sheet music blows out of an open window. The creative team has stitched together a bilingual narrative in which well-known faces from Toy Story, Up, Coco, Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo work “together” to save the day.
Performed in the Studio Theatre at Disneyland Paris’s Walt Disney Studios Park, Together opened earlier this month, combining a cinema screening with a live orchestra. The show’s producer, Astrid Gomez, said: “We wanted to continue using traditional theatre techniques while adding a touch of innovation by enhancing the immersive experience delivered to out guests by way of special effects.”
Directors, Arnaud Feredj and Matthieu Robin, describe the production as “a multi-layered sensory experience, stimulating guests’ senses through live music, visual technologies, water effects, scents and more” – and while that might sound a little chewy to digest, they are right.
The show brings to life a soundtrack recorded by 54 musicians in Nashville with an eight-person live musical ensemble. Visual technologies include real objects (no spoilers) that pass seamlessly from the stage into the virtual world in front of your eyes, while water effects channel Nemo’s underwater world with a bubble drop and a few good splashes. The team has made use of scents, sounds, special effects, lighting, props, puppets and streamers to stunning effect.
Mr Feredj added: “We asked ourselves how we could tell the story we’d created in an innovative and poetic way, doing something that hadn’t yet been done at Disneyland Paris or in a theme park. We’ve included world-renowned choreographers as well as the in-house technical departments for lighting, video and special effects. It’s the combination of all these trades that has enabled us to create this show.”
Together: a Pixar Musical Adventure combines the best of all Disney creations. The show – especially the euphoric anthem “Together We Are One” composed by Austin Zudeck, Justin Thunstrom, Tony Ferrari and Noemie Legrand – leaves you with the same warm, fuzzy-feeling you get from watching Toy Story by way of an emotional rollercoaster akin to the plot of Up. But it also mesmerises and surprises you in the same way that a spin on one of the parks’ high-adrenaline rides does. If you’re heading to Disneyland Paris this summer, this is one adventure you won’t want to miss out on.
Together: a Pixar Musical Adventure is performed daily at the French resort. A two-night stay at Disneyland Paris starts from £403pp for a family of four, including accommodation at Disney’s Hotel Santa Fe with access to the Disney Parks for three days and travel to Paris, disneylandparis.com/en-gb
More family fun to see in France this summer
If you are visiting France this summer, Disneyland Paris is not the only destination with new features – here are seven other family-friendly attractions that have opened this year.
Toutatis, Parc Asterix
The tallest and fastest rollercoaster in France, Toutatis, opened at Parc Asterix in the Hauts-de-France region in May. Standing 51 metres high and reaching speeds of 110 km per hour, the ride is part of a new zone at the comic-book inspired theme park called Festival Toutatis that also features a spinning gondola and a children’s playground.
Grand Large, Nausicaa
Nausicaa, in Boulogne-sur-Mer, is the biggest aquarium in Europe housing over 60,000 creatures made up of 16,000 different species including grey reef sharks, manta rays, sea lions, penguins and giant tortoises. Grand Large is a new immersive virtual reality experience which takes families on an underwater adventure with the help of some smart glasses and sensory effects.
Siblu holiday parks, nationwide
Family-friendly holiday park chain Siblu has opened eight new resorts in France in 2023. Among them is Marisol – the group’s first site in the Pyrénées Orientales on the south coast. Marisol is a five-star site 250 metres from the beach with a large pool complex, lazy river and waterslide.
Other new sites include Les Embruns on the Cap Ferret peninsula, Le Bois de Bayadène in Loire Atlantique, plus Le Pipiou, La Pointe, Les Oyats and Mimizan Plage in Landes.
Les Misérables sound and light show
Every summer, visitors to Pas de Calais’ medieval town of Montreuil-sur-Mer, whose narrow cobbled streets were the inspiration for several locations in Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables, are treated to a themed outdoor performance inspired by the story.
This year, the show – the cast of which are volunteers – is being relaunched in a new format with special light and sound effects. Performances on selected dates throughout August.
All-season sledge, Les Perrières
Just opened this month in Les Gets, Portes du Soleil, the four-season sledge is a rollercoaster-type sledge ride along a metal track. Strap in tight! Suitable for ages three and above, accompanied by an adult.
Chateau Troplong Mondot, Bordeaux
This St-Emilion wine estate is diversifying its appeal, inviting families to explore with a new child-friendly tour. Estate guides will explain the intricacies of vineyard life and the importance of preserving the natural environment.
Little ones can even do their own exploring from behind the wheel of a mini electric Land Rover, stopping to meet on-site animals and to sample local dishes.
Immersive walking tours, Toulouse
Run by Epok’Tours and led by a knowledgeable guide wearing period costume, this immersive walking adventure offers a fun glimpse into Toulouse’s day-to-day life throughout history, complete with fascinating tales from the pink city, which is one of the host cities of this autumn’s Rugby World Cup.
