Disneyland Paris

The Magic Kingdom, with somewhat of a French accent

After provoking some of the most enthusiastic and controversial reactions in recent French history, the multimillion-dollar Disneyland Paris opened in 1992 about 20 miles east of Paris. It's one of the world's most lavish theme parks, conceived on a scale rivaling that of Versailles. European journalists initially accused it of everything from cultural imperialism to the death knell of French culture.

But after goodly amounts of public relations and financial juggling, Disneyland Paris has become France's number-one tourist attraction—even surpassing the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre—with 50 million visitors annually, accounting for 4% of the French travel industry's foreign currency sales.

Disneyland Paris looks, tastes, and feels like the ones in California and Florida—except for the trés expensive cheeseburgers "avec pommes frites." Indeed, the 5,000-acre park commingles the most successful elements of its Disney predecessors with European flair. In 2002, it added Walt Disney Studios, which focuses on the role of movies in popular culture.

© 2009, Wiley Publishing, Inc.