From Snow White to Elemental, Disney films are full of love stories, each more romantic than the last. And while the same “force of attraction” unites all these couples, each protagonist has his or her own way of experiencing this relationship.
Whether fiery, shy or fused, Disneyland Paris celebrates love in all its forms, from Fantasyland to the Marvel Avengers Campus, via the Disneyland Hotel, in its brand-new royal transformation.
LOVE IS AN OPEN DOOR
Some love stories begin timidly, but that’s precisely why they touch us. In Lady and the Tramp (1955), for example, Lady is clearly reserved in her relationship with the Tramp, especially in Tony’s immortal scene over a plate of spaghetti, celebrated at Pizzeria Bella Notte. But the subtlety of the animation by the legendary Frank Thomas reveals this budding love with exquisite modesty, as she exchanges that now legendary kiss with the Tramp.
In the Ice Palace scene from Frozen: A Musical Invitation to Walt Disney Studios Park, it’s clear that Kristoff doesn’t dare confess his feelings to Anna. But when she offers to kiss him, his heart races. In the end, the two lovebirds exchange just one kiss in the wind, but it speaks volumes about the future of their relationship…
Likewise, it takes a little time for EVE, obsessed by her mission, to realize the intensity of Wall-E‘s feelings as a devoted lover, and to share them in turn. But all’s well that ends well in the 2008 Disney. Pixar film, and the statue of the two robots holding hands on the side of Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain beautifully immortalizes the bond that will unite them for light-years to come.
Another relationship that will take time to establish itself is that between Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne, a.k.a. Ant-Man and The Wasp, who can be found, between missions, at the Marvel Avengers Campus Hero Portal. It has to be said that their meeting in Ant-Man (2015) didn’t look too auspicious: Hope didn’t have much faith in this little burglar, however talented he was, who had managed to steal the Ant-Man suit designed by his father. But love soon takes over, much to Hank Pym’s dismay. Except it’s not until the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) that their relationship finally takes off…
“A WHOLE NEW WORLD”
Other love stories inspire us too, because they disregard appearances in order to see beyond them to the authentic personality of the loved one.
Thus, Jasmine, after her flying carpet journey – which we can admire in Le Passage Enchanté d’Aladdin – sees through Prince Ali’s game and recognizes behind his disguise the humble yet seductive young man she met a short time before at the Agrabah market…
For his part, Eric – who appears outside his castle in Le Pays des Contes de Fées – needs no words to feel the love of Ariel, deprived of speech by Ursula, and fall in love with her in both her human and mermaid forms.
As for Belle, she is quick to spot the man behind The Beast and embarks on a romantic dance with him, in an iconic scene repeated in the Mickey and the Magician show at Walt Disney Studios Park. This scene also inspired the theme of La Table de Lumière, the Disneyland Hotel’s sit-down restaurant, with the elegant sculpture of the princely couple enthroned in the center of the main dining room, and the décor, which, like the cartoon, features elements from the Galerie des Glaces at the Château de Versailles. The ideal place to experience “eternal history”…
Love also laughs at social barriers. In Sleeping Beauty, when Prince Philippe falls under Aurore’s spell, it is in the guise of a peasant girl. This budding romance culminates in an anthological kiss, immortalized in one of the stained-glass windows of La Galerie du Château, in the heart of Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Similarly, Prince Charming discovers Snow White dressed in rags and falls in love with her at the very start of the 1937 Classic. After saving her from the Witch’s death sleep, he eventually takes her with him to his castle on his white steed, as seen in the final scene of the Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains attraction in Fantasyland.
SO THIS IS LOVE…?
Nothing to do with the stormy relationship between the King and the hot-tempered Queen of Hearts in Alice’s Curious Labyrinth, or the more troubling relationship between Melanie Ravenswood, the disquieting heiress of Phantom Manor, and her suitors. In both cases, these gentlemen’s feelings are likely to make them lose their heads – literally!
This Valentine’s Day, it’s best to turn to a more harmonious love, the one that has always united Mickey and Minnie, who can often be found together at Disneyland Paris, and who are not sparing of tender, knowing glances. This ideal relationship is not unlike that of Walt and Lillian Disney, whose moving memories can be discovered in Lilly’s Boutique, through the many photos of the couple.
So this is love…. “so this is what makes life divine”…