Disney's new theme park given a European casting call

A new theme park – Walt Disney Studios – will open to the public today next door to Disneyland Paris, east of the French capital.

Do not mention cultural imperialism. Do not say this is another trampling of sacred French, and European, cultural differences by the Burbank fun factory (the people who gave you The Hunchback of Notre Dame with American jokes and a happy ending).

Disney executives, remembering the mistakes made with the original Euro Disney, insisted yesterday the new theme park was a celebration of all film making, European and American (as up to a point it is).

Michael Eisner, the head of The Walt Disney Company, flew from California to point out that, contrary to popular belief, Disney is not an American organisation at all.

Wearing a mormon-grey suit and an elegant tie made up of red and blue Mickey Mouses, Mr Eisner told a press conference: "We are now part of the cultural landscape in France. People once thought that we were too American. I think that, after a decade, people recognise that we are not American. We are Disney."

And Disney being Disney, this was not really a press conference at all, but a chat show, with film clips, in which Mr Eisner and other executives were interviewed by a tame French television journalist. Other reporters were not allowed to ask questions.

The theme park is closely modelled on Universal Studios in Florida. It is designed to look like a Hollywood front and back lot of the 1930s, with Californian, adobe-type buildings and a scattering of "actors", and extras and sets and props. There are four or five big, movie-theme rides, or attractions. They include a "special effects" ride: you stand inside a Russian space station – complete with spoof Russian accent on the commentary – and you are attacked by meteorites (not bad).

There is also a tram ride through the back lot, in which you experience a movie earth-quake in which a dam breaks and an oil tanker lorry topples over and catches fire (excellent). The ride (which is rather short) also takes you through a mock-up of London, complete with an authentically scruffy Tube station and a number 13 bus. London then comes under attack from fire-breathing dragons (pathetic).

The pièce de résistance is a movie stunt show, set in a mocked-up Riviera village, with cars and motorbikes and jet-skis doing James Bond kind of things. This show (also excellent) has been created for Disney by the doyen of French stunt men, Remy Julienne. He pointed out that his main problem was that he was not allowed to break anything. All the equipment has to be put back together again for four shows a day.

In an attempt to appeal to movie fans as well as thrill-seekers, the new park has an artistic and educational side. There is a vast cinema showing a compilation of classic movies, including many European favourites as well as American ones. There is also an animation studio, where you can see how cartoons are – and were – made. When Disneyland Paris – née Euro Disney – opened 10 years ago this week, its slow start was attributed partly to its arrogantly American culture (no wine with meals). The theme park has recovered to become the biggest tourist attraction in Europe, with 12 million visitors a year.

The company hopes that the new park, which has a separate entrance charge, will encourage visitors to stay an extra day and put up the total numbers to 17 million a year. The more "European" culture of the second park consists, at least in part, of a strange blend of American boosterism and French rudeness.

A young (French) woman with a megaphone was haranguing the preview-day guests as they arrived. "You're going to be in our film," she said cheerily. "You're going to be in our film. Are you ready?"

And then when no one much responded, she added, grumpily: "Have a nice day, madame. Smile madame, smile!"