The Early Failure of Disneyland Paris: A Look Back

With the success of Tokyo Disney, what could go wrong with Disneyland Paris?! Everything. Find out more about the international House of Mouse.

When it first opened, Disneyland Paris was a massive failure for the Walt Disney Company and the French government. Originally known as Euro Disney, the theme park was built without input from the French people, and it didn’t take long for locals to make up their minds.

After fighting Disney’s well-known appearance rules, people protested. An overall dislike for Disney developed, spreading from Paris to the rest of France. Only a fraction of the expected attendees showed up on opening day. The day was considered a complete disaster. And after opening day, it only seemed to get worse.

The economy hurt ticket sales, a roller-coaster issue injured some guests, and employees kept quitting. The entire French-American effort seemed to be crumbling. Eventually, years later, the park began to turn a profit. It finally seemed as if Disney might have another success on their hands. In a brilliant move, the park officially changed its name from Euro Disney Resort to Disneyland Paris, likely to distance itself from its early failures.

Watch a breakdown in The Failure of Euro Disneyland: