disneyland paris tram tour

Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic takes final bow at Walt Disney Studios Park

On Jan. 5, guests visiting Walt Disney Studios Park were able to take one last ride on the Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic.

Located in the Production Courtyard, the tram tour took guest on an escorted behind-the-scenes tour of Walt Disney Studios Park. The 18-minute tour included close-up looks at actual movie sets, props, vehicles, and an exciting special effects display. Two international celebrities, Irene Jacob (French host) and Jeremy Irons (English host) narrated the tour through a video. When the ride first opened, it even took guests through the park’s Costuming workshop.

The attraction is based on its predecessor, which was at the then-named Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios), which opened in 1989. The version of the attraction at Disneyland Paris featured the addition of video monitors on each tram car that allowed for video presentations and film clips to be shown at key points along the tour.

Highlights of the tram tour included seeing parts of productions like “Dinotopia,” “Pearl Harbor,” and “Reign of Fire.” Guests also learned what “hot set” means, thanks to the explosive Catastrophe Canyon. This highly-specialized outdoor set showed just how large-scale special effects are staged for film, including fire, an earthquake, and a flash flood.

The attraction was divided up into six distinct scenes, where cast members would provide riders with information on how a studio works and how films are made:

• The Woods – An outdoor filming location that features many sets used in actual production. Before the ride closed, it featured a plane used in “Pearl Harbor” and a large-scale model from “Armageddon.”
• Prop Storage – Oversized film props were stored in this outdoor area. The props would change, depending on the most recent productions. On the ride’s opening day, the area featured props from “Dinotopia,” “102 Dalmatians,” and CineCatta Studios in Italy.
• “Dinotopia” Set – The art of “compositing” (mixing built sets with digital effects) was showcased in this area. Guests would visit part of the Waterfall City set, the main setting of the production. When it was built at Pinewood Studios in London, it was the largest set ever built in Europe. Videos on the tram illustrated how this set was combined with computer-generated imagery to create a mythical city populated by dinosaurs.
• Catastrophe Canyon – Here, a combination of special effects was unleashed to show how natural disasters are staged for the cameras. The canyon’s flood was created by releasing 265,000 liters (about 70,000 gallons) of water from three large tanks located at the top of the set, though some of the water was also shot out of air cannons. The hydraulic shaking tables used to simulate the earthquake were so powerful that a tram car could tip over the safety rail and tumble into the canyon if they were used at their maximum power.
• Star Cars – A collection of famous vehicles were parked in the “Star Car” garage. The vehicles there changed over the years depending on current productions, but this area typically displayed cars from “Runaway Bride,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Reign of Fire,” and more.
• Reign of Fire – Surrounded by sets from the film “Reign of Fire,” guests would get a surprise visit from a fire-breathing dragon. Guests would see the sets as they were before the dragon attack, and then witness the destruction left in its wake.

This summer, a new experience will replace Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic. Guests of all ages will buckle up for an exciting journey on Route 66 with characters from Disney/Pixar’s “Cars” as they discover the natural and mechanical wonders of the Mother Road.

Stay tuned for more updates on Cars Route 66 Road Trip and its opening as they are released. To learn more about other offerings at Disneyland Paris, visit DisneylandParis.com .

Check out our video of Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic below:

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• Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic

• DURATION 12 min 46 sec
• FILMED 4th April 2009

Go behind the magic — quite literally — on the altered Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic route. Filmed during the construction of Toy Story Playland , this ride on the backstage tour shows the new route branching out around the extended Toon Studio, construction works in full view.

No longer included are the Costuming building and Pearl Harbor sets, and the tour now follows the same route for its entire length between the two loop-backs at Catastrophe Canyon and Reign of Fire . The items from the former Props Boneyard have mostly disappeared, with some of the space along the new route filled by the vehicles and planes from the old Pearl Harbor scene.

The tour now has even longer lulls between scenes and is frequently criticised by fans and guests alike.

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Studio Tram Tour Behind the Magic – Disneyland Attraction

At Disneyland Paris, thrill-seeking attractions are the order of the day. Although I’m a big fan of thrill-seeking activities, the Studio Tram Tour Behind the Magic really piqued my curiosity. The desire to discover the world of cinema and all that lies behind these majestic film sets convinced me to climb aboard the streetcar for a surprising visit.

The journey begins when a studio Cast Member closes the clapperboard on which the scene to be shot is written. The exploration begins with a visit to the accessory storage area. I’ve noticed that a lot of props are used in the making of a film. Then, the sight of the multitude of reptiles and the many statues really impressed me. Among other things, I was able to recognize objects used in the film 101 Dalmatians, as well as sets from the Hollywood Legends boutique. A little further on, much to my surprise, the three gargoyles, friends of the bell-ringer Quasimodo from the film The Hunchback of Notre Dame, appear to accompany us. There are also a number of European players who have joined us on our journey to show us what goes on behind the scenes. But don’t get distracted on this Studio Tram Tour. A detour to Catastrophe Canyon can set the spotlight ablaze. Just hearing that name doesn’t bode well. It takes visitors on a real thrill ride. Still, it was an exciting ride. It allowed me to discover all the secrets of the shoot. I was able to experience some precious moments. If you too, dear cinephiles, would like to learn something, I recommend Studio Tram Tour Behind the Magic.

Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic

• View history

As part of the park's major expansion, much of the Tram Tour is to be removed for the new lands. Catastrophe Canyon is to be retained and incorporated into a new abridged Cars -based attraction, Cars: Road Trip . [1]

• 5 References

Summary [ ]

Guests entered the attraction via the Hollywood Boulevard section of the park, under a false facade of the Hollywood sign. The tram ride portion of the attraction featured highlights such as the Catastrophe Canyon scene and a look into the set of London in ruins from the film Reign of Fire . In the Catastrophe Canyon scene, the tram stopped when rain started pouring down, followed by an earthquake and then fire occurring across the scene. Afterwards, a flood came down and extinguished the fire, allowing the tram to continue the tour. In the Reign of Fire scene, the tram stops once again to discover what it is like there where the fire effects are used just before the tram comes to a complete stop.

Until 2009, the Tram Tour used to pass through the costume workshop, but this part was removed due to the upcoming expansions to Walt Disney Studios. Imagineers wanted to create a studio tour at the Walt Disney Studios Park based on the existing tour  at  Disney's Hollywood Studios , where the tour was once the park's signature attraction.

The voiceovers were done mainly by Jeremy Irons and Irène Jacob via bilingual video who explain to guests of how movies are made using sets, costumes, props, etc. and how special effects are used in movies. Until 2005, 2 other versions were used hosted by Isabella Rossellini (Italian) and Famke Janssen (Dutch), and Nastassja Kinski (German) and Inés Sastre (Spanish). At the end of the attraction, Irène Jacob and Jeremy Irons bid guests a farewell during the conclusion of the tour, along with the other host celebrities bidding farewells in their native languages.

• Vehicles from Epcot 's Horizons .
• A stripped Iguanodon animatronic from Animal Kingdom 's Discovery River Boats .
• Props and animatronic figures from ABC's Dinotopia miniseries.
• When the tram passes through the Reign of Fire scene, an advertisement for The Lion King musical can be seen on a double-decker bus.
• The route had to be shortened in 2009 to make way for the expansions of Toon Studio and Toy Story Playland .

Gallery [ ]

See also [ ]

• Studio Backlot Tour

References [ ]

• ↑ https://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/2019/10/14/walt-disney-studios-parks-studio-tram-tour-to-become-cars-route-66-in-summer-2020/
• 1 Lyn Rakish
• 2 Johnny Worthington III
• 3 Randall Boggs

Extinct Attractions – Disneyland Paris’ Studio Tram Tour

Welcome to Extinct Attractions. Today, we’ll be finishing up our look at studio tours in the Disney and Universal parks by taking a trip across the Atlantic Ocean to Paris.

On Sunday, Patrick Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs to their first Super Bowl victory in 50 years and upon winning the Super Bowl MVP award got to utter the famous line, “I’m going to Disney World!” This year, Disney really upped the ante by inviting over 15 Make-A-Wish children to also be a part of the celebration. Combining the foundation with the nation’s most popular sport must have made for an amazing experience for these kids.

Additionally, Mahomes, and hopefully the kids, got a chance to ride Rise of the Resistance, Hollywood Studios’ newest headliner attraction.

Speaking of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you are probably aware of how much of an influence it had on Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris, especially when the Parisian park opened on March 16, 2002. As I detailed last week, when Hollywood Studios opened, they advertised the Studio Backlot Tour  as a can’t miss, headliner attraction, so when its Parisian sister park opened, they tried the same tactic with Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic.

Unlike Florida’s version that was designed as a two-hour experience to teach guests about every aspect of filmmaking, the Paris version was created as a more traditional 20-minute attraction that included some education on the filmmaking process but at its core was made to entertain not teach.

Even with the changes to the experience to make it less grand, they still billed it as the primary experience of the park, as seen by its placement in the middle of the park. I understand what they were going for, but it still seems like an odd move since tram tours take up a lot of space, so building roads through easy places to expand doesn’t make a ton of sense. In fact, that even came back to bite them when they had to reroute the roads multiple times over the years.

One cool aspect of the attraction was that it utilized two different celebrities to narrate the attraction, with Irène Jacob providing the French parts and Jeremy Irons, the English. It was interesting hearing the two interact while speaking two different languages, something the French parks do quite often.

Via The DLP Geek

The attraction started with a pretty lengthy journey through a forested area before coming across some of the sets from Dinotopia , a Disney-produced miniseries. Honestly, I was very confused during this part of the attraction because neither part actually felt like a studio tour. What studio is surrounded by a myriad of trees with props placed in an exhibit-like fashion throughout?

Via YouTube

Next, guests rolled on up to Catastrophe Canyon, which functioned almost identically to its counterpart across the ocean. While Catastrophe Canyon is a fun experience, it is not like anything that you would ever actually experience in a studio. They would never build a huge theme park-type attraction to capture a shot for a movie. They tried to explain it as a special effects showcase, but realistically it was just further proving the point that this was a studio tour in name only.

After Catastrophe Canyon, the tram drove back through the exact same Dinotopia props that you went through earlier. So thus far, you had done one giant circle and seen pretty much zero things that you would actually see on a studio lot. No soundstages, no editing bays, no backlot. Even the attempt with the props fell short because they truly felt so out of place in the middle of this forest. But then, we had one the saving grace in the whole experience, the streets of London.

Via Pinterest

The attraction felt like it was about to end because the tram passed the loading area, but then it kept trucking on to recreated London sets from Reign of Fire . These streets felt like a true studio backlot London area and even though they added some effects to add to the experience, it was finally something close to visiting a film studio. Even though it only lasted a couple of minutes, it was easily my favorite part of the attraction and the one part that I wish I could have seen with my own eyes.

If it wasn’t obvious by now, I was not a fan of this attraction. Referring to it as a studio tour is one of the most misleading attraction names that I’ve heard of in a Disney Park. Honestly, if it had dropped the “studio tram tour” and just called itself “Behind the Magic,” I would’ve been much more on board. It had the chance to be something so much greater than it was.

Eventually, the powers that be at Disneyland Paris finally decided that it was time to move on in the area and the attraction closed on January 5, 2020. Walt Disney Studios Park is evolving like Hollywood Studios’ in that it is focusing more on helping guests live the movies as opposed to teaching guests about them. Much of the attraction is going to be scrapped for the upcoming Marvel, Star Wars and Frozen lands coming to the park, but Catastrophe Canyon will be sticking around as a part of the new Cars Route 66 Road Trip coming Summer 2020. I love the idea of restructuring that part of a new attraction, and I wish Catastrophe Canyon the best of luck in its new life.

Well, that brings us to a close today, but here’s what’s coming next week.

• This Universal attraction went through two iterations.
• The second iteration had to do with a tournament between four competitors from a popular IP.
• This attraction had its original inspiration from Animal Kingdom.

Via BookBub

Thanks for reading and have a magical day!

Disney Park Nerds

Farewell to the Studio Tram Tour (We NOT Miss You)

Behind the Magic at Disneyland Paris was an attraction that took guests behind the scenes of movie-making. Since its opening in 2002, it showcased various sets and special effects, including the popular Catastrophe Canyon. However, over time, it became outdated and was criticized for its lack of engaging content.

Since opening in 2002, the Walt Disney Studios Park at the Disneyland Paris Resort has struggled (even after refurbishments).

( The Ultimate Guide to Disneyland Paris )

Introduction to the Studio Tram Tour

The park was open in the latter part of the Eisner era where Disney brass believed they could churn out anything with the Disney name and its base of rabid fans would make it a success.

The strategy was to start small – open something good enough to get the public’s attention and then expand it over the years to keep them coming back for more.

In addition to the Walt Disney Studios Park, this happened at Disney’s Animal Kingdom (it opened without the ever-popular Asia section) in 1998, Disney California Adventure in 2001, and Hong Kong Disneyland in 2005 (the smallest castle park could hardly keep guests busy for a day).

Thankfully, the Iger era saw a reversal with the successful launch of Shanghai Disneyland in 2016, but we Nerds digress.

Walt Disney Studios Park remains the least visited of Disney’s 12 theme parks around the world; though this will change as a Cars area and Avengers area are added in the coming years.

When it opened, the centerpiece of the park was the Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic.

The attraction was modeled after the Tram Tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, though it was a much simpler version (again, an Eisner era mainstay…

take a successful attraction and scale it back to save money when expanding it to another park) and tried unsuccessfully to tie in European-based movies.

The Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic attraction did contain the popular Catastrophe Canyon – a special effects-laden “set” where tram-goers experience a flash flood, gas leak and subsequent fire, exploding big rig, and more.

Only to watch the set put itself back together for the next tram.

The Final Take of the Studio Tram Tour

As you know, we are Disney Park Nerds and part of our DNA includes seeing older attractions as they prepare to ride off into the sunset.

In the case of the Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic, this Disneyland Paris attraction overstayed its welcome by at least a decade and probably longer.

So, in typical Nerd fashion, we rode it three times on our final visit.

I’d like to say it was one of those “so bad, it’s good” experiences, but it wasn’t. If I’m being honest, I was mostly just being a punk and trying to annoy my wife with the last two “tours”.

The Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic was wildly outdated by the time it wrapped. It was bad enough that the video narration was poorly conceived and the two “stars” – Jeremy Irons (the voice of Scar in Disney’s The Lion King) and Irene Jacob (a French-Swiss actress with roles in The Secret Garden and U.S. Marshalls ) – lacked any real chemistry.

The Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic did not improve from there. Instead, guests were treated to props from live-action Disney movies and some Disney-produced television, but remember, the Disney live-action library by 2002 was very slim.

There is an over-focus on the live-action 101 Dalmatians movie complete with cars used in the movie, a huge swath of space dedicated to the made-for-TV movie/limited series Dinotopia (what? You don’t remember that one? Exactly.) and the biggest disappointment of them all…a set of London from Reign of Fire (again…not ringing a lot of bells here).

As the tram rolls onto the Reign of Fire set, the music and the wreckage put you in the mood for something spectacular.

You’ve been made aware that a dragon is nearby and you can see undeniable evidence of its destruction.

There is a big hole in the ground with smoke billowing from it.

What special effect does Disney have in store?

What will folks aboard the Studio Tram Tour see next?

Will we see the dragon?

Face walls of fire?

See more destruction?

The music intensifies, hearts pound and as the tram starts to pull forward, it just keeps going to the next area.

It’s bizarre.

And this sums up the “so bad, it’s not good” Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic.

It was time to bid adieu 15 years ago, and we’re glad we got to say goodbye.

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Cars Road Trip Review: Disneyland Paris’s New Ride

Cars Road Trip is the newest attraction at Disneyland Paris, having opened on June 17 th  2021. The attraction is located in the Walt Disney Studios Park and can be accessed by walking through the Toy Story section of the park. 

The attraction itself is a recreation of the Studio Tram Tour making it, in our opinion, the oddest overlay Disney has ever done on an attraction. The attraction still utilises the same tram tour vehicles and the main part of the experience is still the old “Catastrophe Canyon” which has been rethemed to fit the new Cars theme. Outside of this section, Disney have added several new set pieces including both a Lightning McQueen and Mater animatronic. 

The Studio Tram Tour at Paris was certainly in need of refurbishment and we definitely feel that the Cars Road Trip is an upgrade on the old attraction. However, the attraction itself falls way short of what you expect from a Disney attraction. The level of theming throughout the route is very much lacking and that which exists looks cheap and falls way below the level a company like Disney should be aiming at. 

The attraction’s brand new and relocated station, designed to look like a tourist booth and inspired by mid-century modern architecture, is probably the largest improvement to have been made. As huge fans of Cars Land located at Disney’s California Adventure we did enjoy standing in the queue and hearing some of our favourite songs that play in the incredible area of the Anaheim based park. 

Another positive regarding this attraction is its high capacity in a park littered with rides with a very low hourly guest put through rides, such as Crush’s Coaster and RC Racer. 

Overall, we did enjoy the attraction for what it is but we hope, and expect, that the future planned additions to the Studios Park are of a much higher quality than that of Cars Road Trip. 

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Of course the theming comes from Disney Pixar’s much loved CARS franchise featuring Lightning McQueen & friends!

Those of you who visited the park prior to 2021 will know & love the premise of this attraction which was formerly used as the Studio Tram Tours attraction.

Who Loves Road Trips?

We all do! Buckle up & get ready for the road trip of your dreams as Sally Carrera & Cruz Ramirez guide you along the famous Route 66 highway. Make sure to have your camera ready as there will be a lot of great sightseeing along the way. Boasting an impressive 168 passengers per ride vehicle, this is an attraction which will see thousands upon thousands of guests per day.

The ride is split into 3 unique areas :

First stop: A nutty roadside attraction – Snap a pic and don’t forget to wave to Lightning (Flash) McQueen, Luigi, and Guido at the World’s Largest Lugnut. Second stop: Power shower!  There’s nothing like a natural carwash in a flash flood for some extra shower power. See how a huge water tanker likes to shake up his cleaning routine in Cars-tastrophe Canyon. Final Stop: An Artistic Mater-piece!  Mater is well known for his impressive junkyard creations. Today he’s debuting his latest Mater-piece– can you guess what it is? Honk if you love this motor monument!

There are so many photo opportunities & sights to see that this leisurely road trip is one you will want to do time & time again. Get ready to witness “The Ghost Garage”, “Copper Canyon Traffic Maze”, “Lonestone Magnet Mine”, “The Eiffuel Tower”, “The Great Whitewall of China” & ” The Statue of Lizziety” !

Cars Road Trip Tips The best view of each scene is from the very centre of the tram but you may need to ask a cast member if you specifically want to be seated here. This attraction can have fairly high wait times throughout the day but if there is a parade on or the seated shows around Disney Studios are about to start you can get on much quicker. Very young children who will not appreciate large bursts of fire or heavy waterfall effects  should be seated away from the edge of the tram.

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How long does a roundtrip take? Is it considerably shorter than the Studio Tram Tour?

It is shorter than the original tram tours. I would say around half as long with tram tours taking around 12 mins & the new road trip only around 6 minutes. There is of course only one scene now (calamity canyon) & we have lost the London scene & some road, scenery etc.

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