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When EuroDisneyland opened there was a fun map being sold that contained several attractions that never came to be, some of these we’ve actually discussed like Discovery Mountain and the Indiana Jones mini-land. Another attraction that was somewhat present was the Beauty and the Beast show, that was to be built right here.
Unfortunately we don’t have a lot of information but that doesn’t mean we don’t know anything about it… One thing that the Magic Kingdom has that Disneyland Paris doesn’t is musical (or not) animatronic shows, this addition would’ve ended that, as it would tell the story of the hit film in a brand new way.
This show would be divided in two, a preshow and the main show. While we don’t have any concept art for the preshow it is known that it would have involved a stained glass retelling of the story of the Prince and the castle, before Belle. An idea is never lost in Imagineering and something very similar came to fruiting just a few years ago at Tokyo Disneyland. Here you have a full on trackless dark ride which is considered by many to be one of the best Disney has ever made, the preshow for that ride is basically the same as what would be found in this corner of Fantasyland.
After the preshow, guests would move on into the main part of the attraction. The show would be made in a theater in the round style, very reminiscent of the Enchanted Tiki Room. The action would be mainly in the center of the room but also all around the guests. You would have three main animatronic characters: Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts. Belle would appear as a live character and would interact with the audience at specific points as well as an impressive animatronic version of the Beast. The show would finally conclude with an audience assisted version of the final transformation of the Beast and a live appearance by the prince to join Belle.
While it’s not as grand or impressive as other Fantasyland rides, I would personally love to see this come to fruition. The space that would’ve housed this attraction is still empty, waiting for some new development, this would be a nice way to incorporate an underutilized IP while not costing too much to develop, so it could be done one day! Would you like to see this come to the park?
Credits/ Sources:
The Main Street News 
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