March 16, 2002. That is the date Walt Disney Studios Park opened its gates for the first time at Disneyland Paris. Twenty-four years ago today, the resort's second theme park welcomed its first guests with a Hollywood studio concept, a behind-the-scenes aesthetic, and an opening lineup anchored by Rock ‘n' Roller Coaster and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
Today is that park's 24th birthday. It is also, almost certainly, the last birthday it will ever have.
In thirteen days, on March 29, 2026, Walt Disney Studios Park closes forever under that name and reopens as Disney Adventure World. The physical evidence of that transition is already on the ground. Jeff Gordon, known online as Gordongrubs, shared a photo on X of the new Disney Adventure World signage already installed at the park entrance, captioning it: “Studios park what studios park.” Disney commentator Adam added his own observation: “It's March which means Disney Adventure World is officially opening this month.”
The signs are up. The name is already changing. Twenty-four years ends in thirteen days.
A Park That Earned More Than It Was Given Credit For
Walt Disney Studios Park had a complicated history and most people who followed Disneyland Paris closely would acknowledge that openly. It opened as the second gate with a concept — behind-the-scenes Hollywood filmmaking — that never resonated with European audiences the way Disney expected. Its early years drew consistent criticism for an attraction lineup that felt thin, particularly measured against the depth of the original Disneyland Park sitting beside it.
What changed was investment and patience. Over two decades, the park added experiences that became genuine draws in their own right. Ratatouille: The Adventure is a Disneyland Paris exclusive that exists nowhere else in the Disney system in quite the same form, and it remains one of the most beloved dark rides the company has produced. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at this park runs three separate storylines, a format found at no other Disney destination worldwide. Avengers Campus arrived in 2022 and added scale and energy that pushed the park meaningfully forward.
By the time the decision was made to fully reimagine the park under a new name, Walt Disney Studios Park was already a considerably stronger destination than the one that opened in 2002. Disney chose to go further anyway, committing €2 billion to a transformation that affects more than 90 percent of the original park's footprint. That level of investment is not a renovation. It is a reinvention.
The First Preview Days and What Went Wrong
Annual Passholders got their first look at World of Frozen and the incoming Disney Adventure World this week, with preview days beginning ahead of the March 29 public opening. The first day of previews produced a series of operational problems that were documented publicly by guests and park reporters in real time.
Denis at Mousesteps was on the ground and shared his experience on X: “I have been in line to get in for World of Frozen for almost a half hour, behind like 10 people at AP preview. The line has not moved and has gotten very big. I just wanted to buy a few more postcards. Nobody has given information, but a guest in front of me asked about it…”
The entry queue situation was only part of it. Park reporter ED92 shared a photo showing what waited for guests after they cleared that first line: “Once you enter there is another queue to get to World of Frozen.”
Stalled entry queues with no communication from staff, a double-queue system once inside the land, and then the day's defining moment: Frozen Ever After, the flagship attraction of the entire World of Frozen expansion, broke down and required a full guest evacuation. The three problems together produced a first preview day that landed well below the expectations of Passholders who had been waiting years for this moment.
Preview periods are designed to surface exactly these kinds of issues before the general public arrives, and Cast Members had already run nearly three weeks of internal Test and Learn sessions before any outside guests came through. The gap between controlled rehearsals and actual guest conditions is real, and this week's previews made that gap visible. Remaining preview dates for all Passholders are March 18, 23, 24, and 25.
What Opens on March 29
World of Frozen is the centerpiece of everything arriving with Disney Adventure World. The land brings Arendelle to life on a scale that has no direct equivalent at any other Disney park. Frozen Ever After takes guests through scenes with Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Sven, and Kristoff using Audio-Animatronics and immersive projection systems. The Snowflower Festival gives the land its own narrative identity, created specifically for Disneyland Paris rather than adapted from another park's version of Frozen.
Character meets with Anna and Elsa are available inside Arendelle Castle. A 15-minute daytime show on Viking longships features new music written exclusively for this park by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. A next-generation robotic Olaf, developed by Walt Disney Imagineering in collaboration with Disney Live Entertainment and Walt Disney Animation Studios, represents a genuine technological advancement in how Disney brings characters to life outside traditional Audio-Animatronics.
Adventure Way, the new park promenade, opens with 14 dining and beverage locations, Raiponce Tangled Spin, and “Disney Cascade of Lights,” a nighttime spectacular over the 7.5-acre Adventure Bay lake using 379 aerial drones, aquatic drones, water screens, fountains, and a 90-piece orchestral score.
The existing park attractions — Crush's Coaster, Cars ROAD TRIP, Avengers Assemble: Flight Force, and the multi-storyline Twilight Zone Tower of Terror — remain part of the lineup. A Lion King land is already under construction for a future opening.
What This Means for a Disneyland Paris Trip
The anniversary that falls today is a real one, even if it is the last one this park will observe under its current name. Twenty-four years is a significant run for any theme park, and Walt Disney Studios Park leaves behind a legacy that improved considerably over the course of its life. The park it became by 2026 was not the park it was in 2002, and that evolution matters.
For guests considering a Disneyland Paris trip, 2026 is as compelling a year as the resort has offered in a long time. World of Frozen is brand new. Fourteen dining locations open simultaneously on Adventure Way. A nighttime spectacular launches on March 29 that exists nowhere else. The Disneyland Hotel has reopened as a five-star flagship. Disney Hotel New York: The Art of Marvel remains the only Marvel-themed hotel in the Disney portfolio worldwide.
If the preview day reports give you reason for caution, that caution is fair. Plan multiple attempts at Frozen Ever After across your visit rather than relying on a single park morning. Early operational weeks at new Disney lands involve adjustment, and the reports from this week suggest Disney Adventure World is still in that process. Giving it a week or two after the March 29 public opening before visiting will result in a smoother experience for most guests.
Walt Disney Studios Park is 24 years old today. It will not see 25. What opens in its place on March 29 is something worth traveling for — go check availability now before the opening period fills up.
