Disneyland® Paris has been a fixture on the Disney® scene for as long as we can remember – in fact, it opened before some of our team members were even born! A lot has changed since the first European Disney® Park opened. Back then, it was a world without endless screen time and social media. Grunge music was in its prime, and TV was all about the sitcoms, with Absolutely Fabulous and Men Behaving Badly topping the viewing figure charts.
Read on to find out more about Disneyland® Paris’ place in history and what else was happening in the world when it opened.
When did Disneyland® Paris first open?
Disneyland® Paris’ launch day was 12th April 1992. The resort opened as Euro Disney, and on its first day over 25,000 people visited. At that time, there was just one theme park, Disneyland® Park, along with seven hotels plus a shopping area named Festival Disney (which is now Disney Village®).
Disneyland® Paris has a rich and interesting history spanning over 30 years. During this time, many new attractions have opened, including a whole new theme park – Disney Adventure World.
What happened the same year as Disneyland® Paris opening?
Let’s relive the nostalgia of the early 90s for those who were there! And for those who weren’t, welcome to a time when the only TikTok around was the sound a clock makes, and Minecraft referred to a warship sweeping for ordnance out at sea. We think you’re going to like it here.
Here are some things that are as old as Disneyland® Paris.
Summary – 12 things that are as old as Disneyland® Paris
- John Major wins the general election
- The Premier League kicks off
- Later…with Jools Holland airs for the first time
- Sam Smith was born
- Aladdin is released
- Bill Clinton becomes President of the USA
- Shakespears Sister’s Stay spends the longest time at number one
- Miley Cyrus was born
- Prince Charles and Diana announce their separation
- First episode of Absolutely Fabulous airs
- The Muppet Christmas Carol is released
- Grunge has a moment
1.John Major wins the general election
On 9th April, just three days before Disneyland® Paris opened for the first time, the UK held a general election, in which the Conservatives won for a fourth consecutive term. John Major was already the Prime Minister, winning the leadership election in 1990.
He was the Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party until 1997 when Labour won the general election, and Tony Blair took over the role.
2.The Premier League kicks off
The first Premier League season kicked off on 15th August 1992 with 22 teams. The league was formed after many English First Division football clubs decided that a radical restructuring of the game was needed. The league has commercial independence from the Football League and the FA (Football Association), so it can have its own sponsorships and broadcasting agreements (source: Premier League).
The first Premier League title was won by Manchester United, managed by Sir Alex Ferguson. Sky Sports also launched in the same year to televise many of the matches.
3.Later…with Jools Holland airs for the first time
Later…with Jools Holland is a show featuring live music performances hosted by musician Jools Holland. The show champions up-and-coming artists, as well as featuring legendary performers. It’s known for its varied mix of musical genres.
The first show aired on Friday, 9th October 1992, at midnight on BBC2 and featured performances from The Neville Brothers, Nu Colours, The Christians, and D-Influence (source: BBC).
Since then, the show has welcomed some of the biggest artists in the world, including recent performances from Skepta, Royal Blood, and Hozier.
4.Sam Smith was born
British singer and performer Sam Smith is the same age as Disneyland® Paris as they were born on 19th May 1992 in London. Sam’s career has been a glittering one right from the very beginning, with their first single, Latch with dance act Disclosure, spending 55 weeks in the UK Official Singles Chart.
Since then, they have had eight number-one singles, and three number-one albums (source: Official Charts). They’ve also won five Grammy awards and written the Bond theme for Spectre, Writing’s on the Wall.
As well as being one of the most talented singer/songwriters of his generation, Sam has also launched an LGBTQIA+ charitable foundation, The Pink House, as a resource for queer people after coming out as non-binary in 2019.
5.Aladdin is released
It wasn’t just the launch of Disneyland® Paris that made 1992 a significant year for Disney®. The animated film Aladdin was released in 1992. The film tells the story of Aladdin, a street urchin, who finds a magical lamp containing a genie.
With the genie’s help, he pretends to be a wealthy prince to impress the Sultan of Agrabah and woo his daughter, Princess Jasmine. The Sultan’s evil advisor, Jafar, plots to steal the lamp and Jasmine’s hand in marriage.
Disneyland® Paris now features Aladdin-inspired attractions, including Le Passage Enchanté d’Aladdin (Aladdin’s Enchanted Passage), a walk-through attraction showcasing scenes from the movie shown in windows along the way. There’s also Les Tapis Volants – Flying Carpets over Agrabah®, where you can go soaring, tumbling, freewheeling on a magic carpet ride.
You can also meet the Disney Characters from Aladdin in a couple of places:
- The Magic Lamp near Agrabah Café Restaurant in Adventureland, Disneyland® Park
- Princess Jasmine at Adventureland in Disneyland® Park
6.Bill Clinton becomes President of the USA
Heading Stateside for this next one, it wasn’t just the UK that held an election in 1992. Bill Clinton became the 42nd President of the United States, representing the Democratic Party in the 1992 election and defeating Republican President George H. W. Bush.
Clinton went on to serve two presidential terms, but his tenure was marred by controversy, including an affair with a White House intern (source: The American Presidency Project).
7.Shakespears Sister Stay spent the longest time at number one
Shakespears Sister was a duo made up of one former member of Bananarama, Siobhan Fahey, and a US singer-songwriter, Marcella Detroit. They created their own brand of goth-pop and released the iconic Stay in 1992. It climbed its way to number one on the singles chart, knocking Wet Wet Wet’s Goodnight Girl off the top stop.
It stayed at the top of the charts for eight weeks, a new record for a UK girl band, and the longest time at number one for a single of that year. It was also the fourth biggest-selling single of 1992 (source: Official Charts).
8.Miley Cyrus was born
American singer-songwriter and actress Miley Cyrus was born on 23rd November 1992 to country star Billy Ray Cyrus of Achy Breaky Heart fame and his wife, Tish. A child star in films such as Big Fish, Miley became a household name when she starred in the television series Hannah Montana.
Keen to transition from teen star to pop singer, she released her debut album, Breakout, in 2008. In 2023, she won a Grammy for the single Flowers, and she released her ninth studio album, Something Beautiful, in 2025.
9.Prince Charles and Diana announce their separation
In December 1992, British Prime Minister John Major announced the separation of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in the House of Commons. The royal couple married in 1981 after what seemed like a fairy-tale romance (worthy of a Disney Princess no less!), and Diana, Princess of Wales, became the nation’s sweetheart.
They continued to carry out their royal duties together for a couple of years after their separation before eventually divorcing in August 1996 after taking advice from Queen Elizabeth II.
Tragically, Princess Diana died in August 1997 in a car accident in Paris.
10.First episode of Absolutely Fabulous airs
The first episode of a new sitcom from Jennifer Saunders aired on 12th November 1992. Jennifer Saunders played Edina Monsoon, a self-absorbed PR professional who was joined in her escapades by best friend Patsy Stone, played by Joanna Lumley.
The TV show quickly became known by the shorter nickname, Ab Fab, and featured a predominantly female cast. It went on to have five series and a film in 2016, which saw Eddy and Patsy on the run in the South of France after Eddy’s PR firm runs out of money. The very last episode of Absolutely Fabulous aired in July 2012.
11.The Muppet Christmas Carol is released
The Muppet Christmas Carol, a re-telling of the classic Charles Dickens Christmas story, A Christmas Carol, starring Michael Caine and an assortment of muppets, was released in December 1992, just in time for Christmas.
The film grossed over $31 million at the box office worldwide (source: The Numbers) and it won several awards. The movie was voted the best Christmas film of all time in a 2023 Radio Times readers’ poll.
The movie is still just as popular today – a must-watch over the festive period in any household and a standard fixture on the TV listings.
12.Grunge has a moment
The early nineties was a pivotal time in music. It came after the boundary-breaking chart-toppers of the eighties and just before indie bands like Oasis and Blur battled it out for the number one spot each week.
During this time, American grunge bands were having a huge moment. The iconic Nirvana released albums Bleach and Incesticide in 1992, as well as headlining the main stage at Reading Festival in August. They played to over 40,000 fans in what would be their last-ever UK performance (source: Mojo).
Frontman Kurt Cobain was wheeled onto the stage in a wheelchair, wearing a surgical gown and a blonde wig, which has since been hailed as one of the punkest moments of the 90s. Tragically, Kurt took his own life in April 1994 at the age of just 27, with the band calling it quits afterwards.
Other grunge bands which were big in 1992 include Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney.
Now that you’ve swatted up on everything that happened in 1992, it’s time to put your Disney® knowledge to the test. Take our Disneyland® Paris quiz to see how many you can get right. You can officially call yourself a Disney® expert if you get top marks!
