Jules Verne is one of the most recognizable authors of all time known for his extensive
detailing of the scientific concepts that he included in his novels. One of his most popular works was
1865's "De La Terre a La Lune" or, "From the Earth to the Moon.
The story focused on the Baltimore Gun Club;  a group of American weapons
manufacturers attempting to create a gun powerful enough to launch a space capsule to the moon
The novel was not only successful
But it was also massively influential. In 1902, French filmmaker George Melies created one of the first science fiction films, "A Trip to the Moon",
inspired by Verne's novel. Decades later in 1969 when the astronauts of Apollo 11
Returned from their own trip to the moon, Neil Armstrong drew comparisons between Verne's story and his team's mission
So when it came time to build discovery land at Euro Disney Land, an area drawing inspiration from the work of Verne
It was quite obvious how to fit a Space Mountain into it
the issue
was the budget. The original concepts for Discoveryland Space Mountain was much more than just an enclosed two roller coaster the Imagineers drew up a
ginormous pavilion over twice the size of Space Mountain at Walt Disney World.
Named "Discovery Mountain",  guests would enter the pavilion into an interior themed after
"Mysterious Island",  the home port of Captain Nemo and the Nautilus. They would immediately be greeted by the famous submarine peeking out of the water
This ginormous model would house a walkthrough attraction
Allowing guests to experience the interior of the Nautilus
similar to the original
Disneyland exhibit near this area would have also been an underwater restaurant themed to the interior of the sub
So that guests could dine aboard the Nautilus and stare out at the ocean life
This was another attempt to utilize a concept from the never built discovery Bay
The pavilion would also our guests have direct access to star tours in Captain EO. At one point
It was rumored that the popular Epcot
darkride "Horizons" would be cloned and placed within the pavilion and concept art showed the Jules Verne show scene from the ride
replicated and placed above guests
There was also a steampunk theme train station that the Euro Disneyland railroad could stop at, a drop tower based on another Jules firm property
journey to the center of the earth and
finally a Space Mountain themed after "From the Earth to the Moon".  This space mountain would not only take guests from the earth to the
stars
But it also allowed them to navigate the lunar surface
Guests would be shot out of a large cannon, a kindof earned space gun and be sent to the moon.  They would then wind through
Guests would be shot out of a large cannon, a kindof earned space gun and be sent to the moon.  They would then wind through
Before returning back to earth. Non riders within the pavilion
Before returning back to earth. Non riders within the pavilion
Could even watch the coaster speed through the stars from areas referred to as telescope points.  "Discovery Mountain"
And its attractions would be another ambitious
And it is quite obvious
why. While the idea itself seems great,  the show building pavilion and all of the attractions would have come with an enormous price tag
why. While the idea itself seems great,  the show building pavilion and all of the attractions would have come with an enormous price tag
this was one of the reasons that Disney decided to wait a few years after Euro Disney's opening to greenlight the project. Their thinking was
this was one of the reasons that Disney decided to wait a few years after Euro Disney's opening to greenlight the project. Their thinking was
They would have the funds necessary to build Discovery Mountain. On top of this
They would have the funds necessary to build Discovery Mountain. On top of this
Push designed not only to bring new guests into the resort but encouraged past visitors to return. Of course
Push designed not only to bring new guests into the resort but encouraged past visitors to return. Of course
everything changed. Attendance was less than half of what was expected and the hotels were so empty
everything changed. Attendance was less than half of what was expected and the hotels were so empty
That one was temporarily closed to save money. In
1993 alone the company reported a loss of around 1 billion dollars. Efforts were made to
Renegotiate contracts and payments between Disney, the Euro Disney subsidiary and the creditor banks in an attempt to avoid the resort from declaring bankruptcy
1994 Eisner began warning the public the Euro Disney Resort might close
He even began considering withdrawing from the resort entirely
abandoning the
Subsidiary Euro Disney SCA to deal with the banks and debt on its own when asked why he was making such threats to the company
That Disney was so heavily invested in, Eisner replied; "The word threatened doesn't seem fair to me"
That Disney was so heavily invested in, Eisner replied; "The word threatened doesn't seem fair to me"
Or in other words less than three months
Eisner explained that if a fair Accord is found from now until then between the Walt Disney Company and all the banks and investors then
Eisner explained that if a fair Accord is found from now until then between the Walt Disney Company and all the banks and investors then
Euro Disney continues. That would be a happy end in the tradition of the Disney Universe
While March 31st was how long Disney support was promised, the involved parties really only had until March 15th to sort out
shareholders meeting Euro Disney SCA would need to be able to report some sort of update on the restructuring plan and
assurance of Disney support to avoid the bankruptcy. Somehow on March 14th the day before the shareholders meeting a
assurance of Disney support to avoid the bankruptcy. Somehow on March 14th the day before the shareholders meeting a
Restructuring was announced in which Disney, the creditor banks and a wealthy Saudi prince
avoid bankruptcy, all of the measures of the
avoid bankruptcy, all of the measures of the
Practices that could not be continued for long. It was clear that the restructuring was not a solution for Disney
They were stalling while the executives and investors were dealing with the financial issues
The Imagineers were hard at work due the lack of funds
Tim Delaney and his team knew that they would not be able to create the Discovery Mountain Pavilion in its entirety
But this did not stop them from implementing a few of the ideas
The first step to the expansion was to build a lagoon in Discovery land where a large model the Nautilus would be placed
Guests could end of the submarine for a walk through an exhibit called the mysteries of the Nautilus while it appears
The guests are under the lagoon, the entrance to the attraction
The guests are under the lagoon, the entrance to the attraction
Debuted on July 4th
1994 by then a
Ginormous structure with a familiar shape already loomed behind it while the Imagineers did not have the budget for it in its original form
Ginormous structure with a familiar shape already loomed behind it while the Imagineers did not have the budget for it in its original form
This conical structure would feature just one the enclosed coaster themed after Jules Verne's from the earth to the moon
Your destination outer space
Your speed astronomical
Your closest encounter asteroids
Between the earth and the moon
lies The Adventure
Space Mountain
the greatest ride in the universe
at Disneyland Paris
The new ride was named discovery Mountain throughout production and construction
However around a month before the ride opened, management was convinced that Space Mountain would be more effective in marketing
However around a month before the ride opened, management was convinced that Space Mountain would be more effective in marketing
Development when this decision was made
Numerous signs had already been created with the initials DM and may remain in the attraction. Despite the name change
After pouring all the money Euro Disney could find into construction and marketing, 'Space Mountain: From the Earth to the Moon' opened on June 1st
After pouring all the money Euro Disney could find into construction and marketing, 'Space Mountain: From the Earth to the Moon' opened on June 1st
"Aladdin told us that this ride goes really really fast". "Aha really looks great". "Oh yeah! Sounds fun!"
"Aladdin told us that this ride goes really really fast". "Aha really looks great". "Oh yeah! Sounds fun!"
As guests approached the new Space Mountain it was immediately clear that this was much different than anyone that had come before it. For one
also
The massive bronze cannon attached to the side of the mountain provided an incredible
Exterior show every few minutes the cannon would fire and out of the barrel will come a bullet containing screaming guests
perfectly placed oak effects gave the appearance that the guest had been shot into the sky going so fast that they had disappeared out of
the other side of the cannon. As guests entered the queue, they were surprised to find themselves on a
the other side of the cannon. As guests entered the queue, they were surprised to find themselves on a
Platform in the middle of the ride, with trains and special effects surrounding them giving a preview of what was to come
eventually wind their way into the home of the Baltimore Gun Club in which drawings of the planned space gun could be seen it has
Also set up here that a member of the club has started a space mining company and drawings of his machines were also on display
Also set up here that a member of the club has started a space mining company and drawings of his machines were also on display
Guess exit onto the side of the mountain
The loading station is outside as guests need to enter the space gun in order to be shot into space. After
The loading station is outside as guests need to enter the space gun in order to be shot into space. After
Boarding their vehicles, guests are put directly into the barrel of the cannon. At this point the ride reveals one of its most impressive
'synchronized
onboard audio track' - this allows for music and sound effects to be played directly to guests with the track being timed perfectly to emphasize different
Experiences throughout the attraction. "From the Earth to the Moon's score, written by composer
Steve Bramson, is a beautiful heroic and epic melody and is one of the highlights of the ride
Sitting on an incline, the guests wait as the gun is prepared.  The sides open and the train is lifted into position
traveling upward 40 miles per hour through smoke
Then a drop down reveals that they had made it to space. A bank left swoopes guests through the stars and by asteroids
the turn levels out into a drop
Sending guests into another surprise; a full loop making this the first and so far only Space Mountain to feature any type of inversion
After finishing the loop the train speeds ahead
Weaving its way through a large space mining tool
guests are then taken up a curved incline and make their way through the smoky interior of the hollowed meteor. the train then performs a
Long corkscrew before slowing down a bit and coming on to a lift hill. Guests are then given a view of the smiling moon
Similar in style to the George Melius film after finally reaching their destination
guests plummet back down to earth
Making their way through more meteors and another inversion before a series of light signaled that the train is about to stop. guests then swoop
down and enter the 'electrode de velociter' a device designed to land the bullet sent to the moon
Guests are given their last burst of smoke before the music
Transitions to a victorious march, the train then exits the mountain and returns to the loading station
to say that Space Mountain: From the Earth to the Moon was an impressive ride would not do it justice the
Technology the music and the theming were amazing
But perhaps the most brilliant part of the ride was its ability to tell a story
Despite its fast-paced design. The nearly 90 million dollar ride was a huge gamble for Euro Disney
The company was relying on the attraction to reinvigorate interest in the park. In Euro
Disney's annual report sent out to shareholders in the years leading up to its release, the company
mentioned the ride in the way in which it would turn the resort around. This put a lot of unfair pressure on the ride to
Draw audiences in but somehow it surpassed all expectations
Space mountain from the earth to the moon was a smashing success
The ride seemed to even please some of the French public so critical of Euro Disney in its beginning. The rides heavy marketing and rave
reviews caused resort attendance to
skyrocket and a year after space mountains opening the newly named Disneyland Paris was happy to announce its first quarterly profits
35 million dollars - a small number but a huge victory
Talks of the park closing ceased and Michael Eisner even personally thanked designer Tim Delaney for saving Euro Disney. The coaster had done
Everything that it had set out to do and more
however
Space Mountain from the earth to the moon would only get to entertain guests for one decade
Because wow that had saved the resort a new round of misfortune would soon be on its way
"Opening of the Walt Disney Studios, take one! Lights, camera ...
(in French) Moteur, (?), action!
Thrilled to see Disneyland Paris finally turning a profit,
Eisner decided to go ahead with one of the original plans for the resort; a second gate
The decision was made after the turnaround in
1996 to finally build Disney-MGM Studios Europe in part to fulfill a promise made to investors early on in euro disney's
Development. The issue was that Disneyland Paris was doing better
But it wasn't steady just yet. On top of this Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando was having a difficult time
Adjusting to the reduced number of productions being shot at the studios
The park was in sort of a theming limbo caught between the original Universal Studios Hollywood production tram tour and the new Universal Studios
Florida ride, 'The movie style'
It would remain in this limbo for nearly twenty years before eventually going all-in on the latter regardless
This made creating Disney-MGM Studios Europe all the more difficult as its source material was not confident in its own theming
However, Eisner and the executives pushed on and created the second gate
Anyways opening his Walt Disney Studios Park on March 16th, 2002 the construction budget for the resort was a mere
550 million dollars even california adventure cost at least
600 million the result was a park which mainly consisted of shows and demonstrations on opening day the theme park only featured three rides
Rockin Rollercoaster,  the Studio tram tour and
Magic carpets of Aladdin. On top of the park's lack of poll among guests the terrorist attacks of September 11th hurt the tourism industry
Worldwide. Disney also cited the war with Iraq, the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Asia
harsh weather in Europe and a series of transportation strikes. All of these things sent the resorts spiraling and
Eurodisney SCA called for help
once again Disney and the investors had to restructure the resort's
finances for a second time and the Disneyland Paris resort needed another
attendance boost after the process to get back on track in order to do so
they would turn to the
Attraction that was once their savior to coincide with the 10th year anniversary of the ride and more importantly create a desperately needed
Attendance boost Space Mountain from the earth to the moon was retooled to 'Space Mountain
Mission 2'. "Mickey was waiting outside for me with a supercomputer.
Bingo! 'Camera detected on outer edges of the galaxy in Space Mountain mission 2!"
"Afterwards, the camera was nowhere to be seen"
the new version of the ride saw the removal of the vast majority of the jewels Burton theming and the new mission took guests all
Across the universe this saw a lot of the story accents replaced by generic space themed objects, for instance
the smiling moon was changed to an animation of a supernova
Most large structures and scenes remained and various lighting effects were added throughout the ride.
Perhaps too many, as parts of the track and show building were exposed.
The cannon launch was altered so that the Train started from a point lower down on the incline,
The cars were repainted to silver instead of bronze,
and most disappointing of all, the original score to the ride was replaced for a new one written by Michael Giacchino
The famous composer that had worked on the updated Space Mountain scores for Disneyland in Anaheim and Hong Kong
The result was a Space Mountain similar in design to its predecessor, but without the story and theming that had made the original experience
so unique. Mission 2 was still the most exhilarating Space Mountain on earth
But now it was no different than any of the others in terms of story. Worse,
The change came for the purpose of a lazy marketing scheme in that Disneyland Paris can now market Space Mountain as a brand new ride
Despite it just being a watered-down version of the original
Space Mountain Mission 2 would operate for over a decade closing in January of 2017 to undergo a renovation
Rumors had circulated for years that mission 2 would eventually be reverted back to its former glory
But of course, this wasn't the case.
Quite the opposite really; when Paris' Space Mountain would reopen in May of 2017
it received the "Star Wars - Hyperspace Mountain" treatment. This overlay first appeared in Disneyland in Anaheim in 2015
Then again in Hong Kong in 2016
All of the hyperspace mountain overlays rely on the use of projection mapping to add recognizable ships and planets from the Star Wars universe
These work a lot better with the classic Space Mountain style
Because Paris's version just feels empty and sad. This version of the ride is only supposed to last until mid to late 2018
after this Space Mountain mission 2 will return but many fans are still hoping that From the Earth to the Moon will eventually make its
Way back to Discovery land
It was everything you could want out of an attraction; a well told story
perfect theming, innovative technology and monetarily successful
It was the best Space Mountain and it saved Euro Disney
Even if it was just for a while. As for the Disneyland Paris resort
It has always bragged about being the number one tourist destination in Europe. While this might be the case
This is in no way an indication of success
It has limped along, showing some glimmers of hope before being devastated by financial issues
once again, and the Walt Disney Company has recently taken it over. In early 2018
CEO Bob Iger promised a large investment in the resort. This will hopefully be the end of the struggles of Disneyland Paris
But the damage has already been done - its initial failures created a domino effect within the Walt Disney Company
Affecting all areas of the parks division, during what was one of the most successful times for Disney Studios, Euro Disney held the company behind
The financial issues would force the closure of many fan favorite rides and see the cancellation of many
ambitious projects.  If any good was to come out of the resort's failure
it would be an important lesson - when one goes in with the mindset that failure is impossible
or when one's only worries that they will be too successful
They will be completely caught off guard by even slightly missing the mark
Perhaps the most ironic part is that Jules Verne himself believed that the entrepreneurs of the United States
Possess the exact opposite trait as he wrote in the final line of From the Earth to the Moon;
"It is part of the American temperament to foresee everything in business
even failure".
 
 
