Disneyland Paris: Europe's Magic Kingdom Loses Its Magic

www.spiegel.de/international/europe/disneyland-paris-faces-criticism-after-suicide-attempt-in-park-a-936440.html



Disneyland Paris is currently besieged by unflattering headlines and faltering finances. Now an attempted suicide by a park employee is drawing attention to its labor practices. French unions are furious and an outspoken Belgian visitor is campaigning for big changes.

Disneyland Paris: Europe's Magic Kingdom Loses Its Magic
By Claus Hecking
December 04, 2013 – 05:51 PM

Guillaume Gallant is a passionate Walt Disney fan, and he's convinced Disneyland Paris is falling apart. When the Belgian national recently visited Europe's largest theme park, two rides were closed, four performances had been cancelled and, worst of all, he believed the food in one of the Magic Kingdom's exquisite restaurants had been reheated. Gallant claims to have been "shocked." So shocked he immediately wrote an angry petition to the Walt Disney Corporation, the main shareholder of the park's operating company, Euro Disney, which he posted online in six different languages.

Over 7,000 people have signed the Brussels-based copywriter's petition, which read: "The many years of budget cuts in maintenance, entertainment and food and beverage, have left the resort in an unacceptable neglected state … Many themed elements are decaying and crumbling, while others are literally falling apart." These fans, clearly, are afraid their "magical kingdom" is losing its magic.

The feeling is understandable, given that Europe's Disneyland is currently generating one negative headline after another. Disney's US parks are cash machines, but Disneyland Paris, which is located in Marne La Vallée, outside of the French capital, is losing millions of dollars despite an impressive number of visitors. A strict cost-reduction program implemented by Chairman Philippe Gas has sown discontent amongst guests and employees. In late October, a child fell out of a water ride and was severely injured. And now, revelations of a suicide attempt have thrown a sinister shadow over Mickey Mouse's cheerful kingdom.

Shortly after being called in to meet with his superiors recently, a Euro Disney garden-worker doused himself in gasoline and took out a lighter. A colleague was only able to prevent him from setting himself on fire at the last minute. It's not the first such incident: In 2010, two Disneyland Paris employees committed suicide; one of them wrote in a suicide note, "I don't want to return to Mickey."