No, the croissants have not yet been exchanged for sausage rolls at the offices of Disneyland Paris. Yet the completely transformed Disney Adventure World – the second Disney park near the French capital – is a lot more Brabant than you would imagine.
That Brabant touch has everything to do with the presence of creative director Michel den Dulk and creative producer Bowie Faas. They both played a major role in the reforms of the park, which was known as the Park since its opening in 2002. Walt Disney Studios Park.
Not only was the name changed last weekend, the park has also almost doubled in size, including a new one Frozenarea, a gigantic lake and an attraction themed around Rapunzel.
That the two have such a decisive role in the amusement parkresortis a remarkable coincidence. After all, they grew up within less than six miles of each other. Den Dulk in Vlijmen, Faas in Heusden. “Extremely unlikely. If you come to the office in Paris, you will still be working with someone from Brabant,” the latter laughs.
“The Bossche bol? You don’t have that in Paris.”
Don’t expect the soft G to blare continuously through the hallways. Anyone who speaks to the two will immediately notice that Den Dulk’s Brabant accent has now made way for a mix of accents.
Not crazy. After positions at Efteling and Europapark, he left for America in 2010 to work for Disney. “Although I honestly don’t know if I ever had that soft g at all. My parents are originally from The Hague, so maybe it never crept in for me.”
But even though Den Dulk nowadays mainly commutes between Paris and his hometown of Los Angeles, he can still be found regularly in our province. “Fortunately, I have to visit companies we work with every now and then. And of course I visit family. Just go to the terrace in Den Bosch. Enjoy Bossche bol… You don’t have that here, unfortunately.”
The fact that he has not forgotten his origins is also evident from the subtle nods that he has hidden as a designer in the new area of the park. If you look up in one of the souvenir shops, you will discover a small windmill. “Of course a reference to the Netherlands,” smiles Den Dulk. “In fact, actually to Heusden. There you will find exactly that type of mill.”
About a meter and a half to the right is a wooden doll that looks suspiciously like Pardijn, one of the mascots of his previous employer in Kaatsheuvel. Although the unwritten rule within Disney is that he will never officially confirm that link. When Den Dulk is asked about it, he answers almost seriously: “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
Back to Faas then. For example, he has recently been involved in the construction of The RegalViewa large restaurant on the water’s edge. There too, the Brabant influences cannot be counted on one hand.
“I fear that I am guilty of those Brabant influences.”
“The ornaments on the outside of the building were designed by a Brabant designer, inside there are two large vases that were completely hand-sculpted in Brabant and the tile work behind the bar was also made there,” Faas quickly lists some examples. Does he actually make those connections with his home province? Grinning: “I’m afraid I’m guilty of that.”
For the general public World of Frozen have only just opened, the two people from Brabant are already busy with the next mega project: a theme area completely dedicated to The Lion King. And even though it will take a number of years until that part of the park opens its gates, Faas can already confirm one thing: “Yes, the first lines with Brabant have already been established there too.”
Finally, a word about the absence of those sausage rolls in the culinary Paris: “Man, I wish I could eat them every day. Every time I’m in the Netherlands, I make sure I stock up enough to get ahead.”
