"WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR..."
Wednesday 01 June 2011
When You Wish Upon a Star…..
What child and adult does not have magical dreams and memories, a desire to live in the fantasy world of the Disneyland Castle where dreams come true, where frogs turn into Princes, where Cinderella arrives to the ball wearing glass slippers, where Snow White is awoken by her Prince with a kiss, where eternal Peter Pans can dream on forever, and where budding Jack Sparrows can buckle and swash to their heart’s content. I can still get soppy over Lady & The Tramp, Bambi and Thumper, and sometimes still that vision of the Disneyland Castle and “when you wish upon a star” jingle can bring you right back with tears in your eyes…..there is a child in each of us.
The big guns of the Disney Stores Corporation including Jim Fielding, President of Disney Stores Worldwide, were all in town to launch the store ten days ago, and walked into a controversy. Teresa Tideman Joint Managing Director of Disney Stores Europe, told me they are thrilled and delighted to be opening their first store in the Republic particularly as they have been waiting some considerable time to find the right premises, which they wanted on Grafton Street, being a premier shopping location in Dublin to drive the right commercial return they need to create. “We do believe that with the love there is for Disney, with the love the Irish have for children and families and with the way our characters and stories resonate, it will be very welcome here in Ireland. The new concept is about “trying to create the best 30 minutes of a child’s day” which begged the question from me as to whether you got moved on after thirty minutes – you don’t – but it is something for which many parents might be grateful because with the walls lined from floor to ceiling with all your Disney favourite characters, dolls, costumes, games, mugs, baby clothes, and memorabilia, little “Kathleen and Daithi” will have no problem helping you empty your wallet into the Disney coffers so be prepared to follow the sprinkle dust path….and use the 30 minute excuse and promised return visit if you need to. On top of that there has been controversy over the fact that their prices for some items in Dublin are higher than in Belfast or the U.K. Disney say “the pricing in the Dublin Store is the same for 99% of products as all Eurozone countries” and blame exchange rates and the Sterling – but we are all sick of hearing that! Here we go again! That will only add to long traffic queues to Belfast at Christmas.
Located at 60 Grafton Street, formerly occupied by the Laura Ashley Store, the 4750 square feet store covers two floors and brings to life Disney’s most beloved characters and stories. The Dublin store features the new award winning concept Disney Store design, which took over two years of planning and involved over 500 people from around the world. It took 16 weeks to build here and whilst there are 104 Disney Stores in Europe, there are only 20 of this type worldwide, 9 in Europe, the first of which was launched in Madrid last year.
There is a unique ‘Opening Ceremony’ every single morning in the store and one lucky child will be chosen each day to take part in this ‘Opening Ceremony’ to officially ‘Unlock Imagination” with a giant key into a big ‘Imagination Lock’ which stands inside the entrance. Tinker Bell will make a special appearance, spreading her magical pixie dust on a giant clock which counts down to the opening moment by revealing 12 Disney characters before bringing the Store to life as the child turns the key in the “Imagination Lock” to officially open the Store. The lights come on, the music starts and away you go. Every child who opens the Store receives a gift of a scaled replica of the ‘Imagination Key.
The sparkling Pixie Dust path on the ground floor, where you start your little tour, is lined with eight white high tech trees, featuring unique Disney animation which changes throughout the day, and for the seasons. Disney characters make magic fleeting appearances in the trees – maybe Pirate themed or maybe Mickey Mouse but will captivate the eyes of a child. Likewise, which Jonathan Storey, Marketing and Guest Experiences Director of Disney Stores, drew my attention to, high up around the freise section of the walls, there is a “Disney Skyline” which gives the illusion that you are in the centre of a bigger more magical world as it features landmarks from around the globe such as London’s Big Ben, which featured in Peter Pan, and Notre Dame, which of course is the scene of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and it also has Dumbo as well as Peter Pan flying past during the day.
The new Dublin store features the first ever ‘Disney Princess Room’which is bound to be popular with all the little Irish Princesses. Within the ‘Princess Room’ there are six Disney Princesses, which when you wave a ‘magic wand’ make an appearance in the Magic Mirror – Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Tiana. Each of the Princesses have their own short stories that they tell when they are brought to life by little Princesses in the Store choosing the wand for their favourite character. This reminded me somewhat bizarrely of the current exhibition at Kensington Palace, which I visited recently, based around seven Princesses who lived there and their stories including Queen Victoria, Princesses Margaret and Diana…..the experience illuminated with whispering voices and memorabilia of their lives.
The store is sectioned into ‘characters’ and there is also a section for small children with a brilliant well nigh indestructible house through which toddlers can tumble and be amazed by the sounds and sights. Upstairs there is a mini ‘theatre’ area with a big screen where children can sit around a table and watch some of their favourite clips from Disney movies. It is a bit like an old fashioned juke box. The child can choose from over 50 clips on the ‘Imagination Station’ which then joins the playlist – brilliant idea. On-going free events will take place on most days in the store and will be billed on a screen in the window to draw you in. These events include animation classes, story telling experiences, trivia quizzes and ‘showtime’ – an event in which children can learn to sing and dance like their favourite characters, the Hot Dog Song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse being a firm favourite I am told. There is also an Imagination Parade allowing kids to re-enact a Disney parade through the Store.
Within the Disney Store Theatre, special occasions will also be celebrated. children’s birthdays, new babies, passing exams, and so on can be recognised. The child’s name will appear on the giant screen with store-wide celebrations including special music and firework animation in the trees. The child also gets a keepsake of a free badge or certificate to mark the special day.
Walt Disney started bringing joy and imagination into the lives of children and adults almost eighty years ago. Isn’t this just the perfect time to bring some joy, fun and escapism into our lives – thought some might say we have all been living in Dreamland for the last dozen years! Whatever about the differential in prices and we must press them to do something about this – it is great, and neighbouring traders are thrilled, to have Disney on Grafton Street as there will be a huge spinoff all round – and it won’t be just another empty shop premises.
THIS ARTICLE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY MAY 29, 2011.