Disneyland Paris fetes 20th after rocky childhood

The resort 35 kilometers (about 22 miles) east of Paris has a lot to celebrate. After overcoming a rocky childhood, the "Magic Kingdom" now makes up a chunk of the French economy and of Disney's own revenues.

Mexican actress Salma Hayek and retired French soccer great Zinedine Zidane led celebrations at the park featuring a high-energy projection of Disney cartoon characters onto Sleeping Beauty's castle crowning Main Street, U.S.A. Also starring in the event, marked with fireworks and water displays, were Peter Pan and other Disney characters.

"Marvelous!" Frenchman Xavier Fin, 40, said Sunday, a day after the show. "I'm here with my son and it's so great for him to see all the creativity. It's really overwhelming."

Beyond the glitz, however, there is a real story for Disneyland Paris to crow about after some volatile years and a rumored brush with bankruptcy.

The resort — 40 percent owned by the Walt Disney Co. — has come a long way under the marketing mantra "slowly but surely."

Five years ago, the resort finally started to make operating profits. Building on its fortune, Disneyland Paris became the most visited tourist destination in Europe in 2008. It broke its record for ticket sales last year, marking its 250 millionth visitor since its creation.

Over the years, the French have also learned to love Mickey. The resort was decried by some in France as a threat to the French culture — a "cultural Chernobyl" for some, a "construction of hardened chewing gum" for others. An initial ban on wine — done away with — inside the park was seen as a snub of the French heritage.

Now, two decades on, the Gallic grouching has been transformed into enthusiasm — at least for the hordes of French who visit the park, a 2,230-hectar (5,510-acre) expanse. The French now make up about half of the visitors, according to the French Tourism Ministry.

The resort began its life in the verdant Paris region, blossoming out of farmland, with the name EuroDisney but was re-branded in the mid-1990s as Disneyland Paris to link itself more closely with the French capital. It now accounts for a considerable portion of the tourist revenues of France — the world's most visited country — and employs some 15,000 people.