Disneyland Paris – Discoveryland — Part 4 — Star Tours, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, and Autopia

Star Tours

Star Tours is the one attraction in Discoveryland that deviates from the overall theme of the area. Instead of looking like the future as seen through the eyes of early visionaries, this ride’s exterior features architecture more in line with a 20th century view of the future. Or maybe in the case of Star Tours, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away”¦” But for some reason, this departure in architectural design seems to blend seamlessly with its surroundings.

The exterior of the attraction is marked by an X-Wing fighter. This is a cool picture spot.

Also outside of the attraction is a shop called Star Traders. Imagine that.

There isn’t a lot I can tell you about this ride that you probably don’t already know. It’s the same movie and experience as in Florida, California, and Tokyo. Even the queue is remarkably similar to all the rest.

You exit the attraction through a video arcade called L’Astroport Services Interstellaires.

Since I don’t have much to share with you about this attraction, I’ll give you a little bit of trivia.

When Disney replaces an older ride with a new attraction, they try to leave some sort of legacy behind. In other words, gone, but not forgotten. For example, in the Winnie the Pooh attraction at Walt Disney World, there is a picture of Mr. Toad handing over the deed to the property to Owl. And at Mission: Space in Epcot, the old Horizon logo can be seen on the rotating space station in the queue area.

Star Tours was first built at Disneyland, California. It replaced Adventures Thru Inner Space. To pay homage to the earlier attraction, the Mighty Microscope (below) from Adventures Thru Inner Space was used in the Star Tours movie.

Here’s what to look for:

As you begin your Star Tours adventure, you unexpectedly take a wrong turn. Then your vehicle drops off the edge of a platform and plunges downward. As Captain Rex regains control of the craft, he pulls you out of your freefall. At that moment, if you look to the right-hand side of the screen, you can see the Mighty Microscope. You must look quickly, but once you know what you’re looking for, there is no mistaking it.

Honey, I Shrunk the Audience – Cherie, J’ai Retreci le Public

Like Star Tours, this attraction is located behind Space Mountain. Out front is a large sign. On one side it says “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience” in large letters and “Cherie, J’ai Retreci le Public” underneath in smaller letters. On the opposite side of the sign, the English and French titles are reversed.

Also outside of the attraction is a topiary in the shape of the “Inventor of the Year“ award.

The actual entrance to the “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience” theater is located underneath the Disneyland Railroad tracks.

Like Star Tours, there isn’t a lot I can tell you about this attraction that you don’t already know. It’s the exact same show as seen in the other Disney parks.

The awards ceremony is presented in either English or French depending on the time of day. Check the schedule for more information. If you do show up when French is the language du jour, there are headphones available that offer a number of different languages, including English.

When Disneyland Paris opened, Captain EO played in this theater. It closed in August 1997.

Autopia

The architecture of the Autopia attraction is a cross between Jules Verne and retro 1950’s.

The attraction is similar to its California and Hong Kong cousins in that you drive on a “futuristic” highway and enjoy the sights along the way. Florida and Tokyo both offer a race-car theme with little to see along the journey.

You drive in sporty little gas-powered vehicles. The cars hold two passengers and the trip takes about four minutes to complete.

Here’s a picture of me taking a Sunday drive.

The next picture shows the two loading areas. The left side is closed but if you look closely, you can see people standing in line on the right side. A number of good pictures can be taken while in the queue.

What distinguishes the Paris, Hong Kong, and California versions of this ride from Florida and Tokyo are the sights along the road. In Paris, you pass by a futuristic city and a number of retro-billboards.

The following billboard actually advertises a real place. The Rocket Café is located near Honey, I Shrunk the Audience and serves salads, snacks, and drinks.

Well, that’s it for Discoveryland and Disneyland Paris. Next stop, the Walt Disney Studios.

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