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But, behind the swirling snow and sparkling costumes, the glittering lights and colourful treats, who’s the one organising this festive Disney season, the largest of all the Disney resorts?

Step up director Christophe Leclercq, whom our Media Magic host Jérémie Noyer met with to unwrap all the news and events of this year’s season…

Among all the events and shows you’re directing this Christmas, which is the one you’d like to begin this interview with, the one you care about the most?

I think the big event of this Christmas season would be the new Christmas setting of Woody’s Roundup Village, becoming Santa Claus’ Village.

Last year’s setting was a test and that experiment convinced us that it was there that Santa Claus had to be, that it was on this place that we had to focus. For many Christmas seasons, The Chaparral Theater, just across the way, has been decorated in a mountain and snowy fashion to match the ambiance of Mickey’s Winter Wonderland, so, it was natural to echo this atmosphere in our setting.

Now, you’ll rediscover elements you enjoyed last year, like the interior of Santa’s cabin, with the fireplace, the chair and the telephone, along with the Elves’ workshop in the second cabin. Yet, this year, I wanted us to change the layout of the visit. This year, guest will enter via what used to be the exit. On their right, they’ll see Pete, the old prospector and take a picture with him. Then they’ll be able to approach Bullseye, Woody’s horse in Toy Story 2, before meeting either Woody or Jessie at the wooden gazebo, just in the middle of the village. That’s when they’ll be able to step into Santa’s cabin for a unique encounter and a picture, before they exit and cross into the Elves’ workshop.

In addition to that, the whole village will be decorated much more thoroughly. The hills all around will be covered with snow, whilst the roofs will get sparkling blocks of ice and icicles will shine in the trees all around! Everything has been done to make the encounter completely unforgettable. And Santa Claus will be there all the day long (except during Disney’s Once Upon a Dream Parade), so that everyone can meet him anytime!

You also redecorated the Woodcarver’s Workshop.

It’s a long time since that cabin was actually used. So, we refurbished it to make it into Santa’s Post Office. Children will be kindly taken care of by cast members who will take their letter and put it into a big envelope with Santa’s address written on it.

What’s funny about that, is that, at the bottom of the cabin, we built like a true sorting office with the flags of every European country. Each and every child who posts his or her letter at Santa’s Post Office will receive a response. And if some children prefer to give their letter directly to Santa, no problem! He will always take care of it. The only difference is that, now, he’ll have his own Post Office located here at Disneyland Resort Paris!

You are used to directing Disney Characters, but how do you direct Santa?

I have a meeting with him to tell him about what he’ll be able to do at Disneyland Park. But, generally speaking, I don’t have to tell him much. Everything is very natural to him! He’s used to organising these kinds of things!

How did you conceive this place where Woody & Jessy meet Santa?

Woody & Jessie are toys. So, with Santa coming to Woody’s Roundup Village, we keep in tune with the same universe. It’s natural that toys come to life for the occasion!

What will the Enchanted Candleabration be like this season?

I tried to simplify it a little. I originally built the Enchanted Candleabration on a mixture of the Enchanted Fairytale Ceremony and Candleabration with the spirit of the Christmas season added. Three messages in one show!

So, now, I decided to pick out the essentials of that ceremony, first in taking off all the accessories of the first act (Christmas Tree and electric lights brought by Goofy). That said, it’s still about a Christmas song medley sung by Minnie and friends, with Mickey lighting up the 15 candles of the Castle.

Then, Mickey and Minnie greet the Princes and Princesses for a ballet that is presented this year in its entirety (whereas I had to shorten it last year). After that, Mickey greets Tinkerbell before the illumination of the fireflies (starflashes), of the Christmas Tree, of the lamposts in Main Street and, finally, of Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, becoming for Christmas a Crystal Castle.

This year, I re-programmed myself the lighting up of the Castle as I felt it in my heart. All the more since we’ve just added three new crystal roofs. Year after year, we’ve covered the roofs of the Castle with “crystal” and now, it’s the final touch! Now, all the roofs are covered with crystal.

That’s the reason why I personally wanted to re-configure the build-up of the Crystal Castle on computer with the help of a programmer. More precisely, it was about pre-encoding all the towers lighting up. After that, it’s always possible to make some changes on-site, since, when you face the product –LEDs-, you have to take into account practical conditions. You can’t just push a button to light up everything. Lights need to be warmed up. So, because of that, you can play on the intensity of the lights. In some places, I was able to vary the way the lights come up. You can light them up immediately or do it progressively, as the music goes up, according to the accents of the score.

I hear new characters are invited to join Disney’s Once Upon A Dream Parade this year?

Yes. You’ll spot again the Nutcraker on his drum, all the Toy Soldiers and Santa’s sleigh, but all that in a completely new choreography and, most of all, with 18 Elves joining in!

They’ll accompany Santa’s sleigh and will all wear different costumes, green and red, very rich and funny ones, with bells, pompoms and all sorts of accessories, top hats, candy canes, Christmas crowns. And that will help create much more interactivity during the show stops. Just like a musical pantomime!

Speaking of musicals, will Minnie’s Jolly Holidays Show feature any jolly new surprises?

The concept is the same as the one last year, but I wanted this year to focus on rag dolls rather than on puppeteers. Just like for Santa Claus’ Village, I wanted to work on the world of toys. So, you’ll again see Pinocchio, but now accompanied by rag dolls with porcelain faces. I wanted to play on their contortions.

We designed new costumes for the 4 dolls who are going to dance during the Pinocchio number, costumes created here at Disneyland Resort Paris in Sue Lecash’s workshop.

We used lovely material, like drapery, old rose and blue. I also wanted to play on glances and smiles (since our dolls are face-characters). Something very natural.

A great Disneyland Park tradition is the snow falling on Main Street. How have you worked on that?

Last year, there was the wind blowing and then little bells announcing the falling of the snow on Main Street.

This year, I decided to resume the “lamppost” sequence of the Enchanted Candleabration. I guess that not everyone happens to attend the ceremony at night and that it would be interesting to take advantage of those superb lampposts and of the darker winter weather that allows nice lighting effects during the day.

Now, as the snow is falling, you’ll hear the Carollers’ song, Ring The Bells, written by Vasile Sirli, and see the lamppost lighting sequence. They’ll dance and sparkle along with the snowflakes.

I think that’s a nice addition to Main Street, USA. A true Christmas flavour, as we had before, but a little enhanced. Now, it’s a true show.

You’re giving us an appetite for this Christmas Season and… for Mickey’s Magical Christmas Dinner!

Yes, it will be held at the Pavillion at Disneyland Park on December 6th, 13th and 20th! It’s a Christmas Dinner, a huge buffet feast for kids and grown-ups.

There will be several photo locations decorated in different themes where you’ll be able to meet Disney Characters. Privileged guests will get the opportunity to spend some time with them and, at the end of the dinner, to meet Santa Claus in person. There will be a band that will perform several times during the feast, and then a dance party during which children will learn dance steps with their favorite Disney Characters. It’ll be something really special!

This is a new kind of special event, mostly aimed at children, that replaces the beloved Magical World of Tinkerbell.

That really was a fabulous show! 32 artists on stage, a huge dinner service. But it had been held at the Convention Center of Disney’s Newport Bay Club for seven seasons in a row. It was time for a change. So, we came back to something more simple. It’s still a dinner-show, yet more interactive. Not a stage show, but different events that occur during the dinner.

We experimented with this new approach last year. While Disney’s Newport Bay Club held Mickey’s Holiday Cruise Gala Dinner, that also returns this Christmas, directed by Katy Harris, Disney’s Hotel New York presented the same kind of show at its Times Square venue. As it was very successful, they decided to create a new show and locate it right within the Magic Kingdom. This way, Mickey’s Magical Christmas Dinner, directed by Emmanuel Lenormand, will be opened up to far more guests thanks to the capacity of the Pavillion venue.

Speaking of festivities, what’s happening for New Year’s Eve 2009?

Like last year, there will be a DJ Party in the Disneyland Park, yet in a much more family spirit. It will be followed by the traditional 31st December midnight fireworks for which I was inspired by the music “Believe in Holiday Magic”. But the greatest event is that Walt Disney Studios Park will also be opened for the occasion!

New Year’s Eve at Disneyland Park is more and more successful each year, so, we decided to offer the opportunity to teens and young adults to spent this very special night at the Walt Disney Studios, with another DJ Party, specifically adapted to that audience along with… another fireworks show!

The idea is to use the same score as the one at Disneyland Park and to launch both fireworks in sync. I didn’t want one firework to be different or better than the other, so that everyone can enjoy the same experience. That’s the reason why there will be almost identical shells. The only difference is that they will be launched a little higher at Walt Disney Studios Park in order to be seen above the Tower of Terror. Which means that you’ll be able to see more or less both fireworks at the same time.

I think you’ll see them from Lake Disney and the Disney Village, too. All the more since my first idea was to have three firework shows in sync, with one at Lake Disney. But that was a little too complicated!

Finally, it’s a Christmas tradition now for Media Magic to let the artists conclude the interview with their own wishes…

I conceived this Christmas season with all my heart, as in everything I do, and with a family spirit. To me, Christmas is family, and that’s also the message we want to convey at Disneyland Resort Paris. That’s the reason why Santa is going to spend almost two months with us. It’s a very special time of the year where everybody can reunite and come together. I wish everyone a Happy Christmas.

And if you come visit us, I hope you’ll feel that family spirit and that enchantment… until next year’s Christmas, with many surprises I’m already working on! It should be very different!

– With thanks to Christophe Leclercq.

Disney’s Fairytale Christmas begins today, 8th November 2008, and continues every day right through to 6th January 2009.

Look out for a complete guide to Disney’s Fairytale Christmas 2008/09 on the all-new redesigned and relaunched DLRP Magic!.com, from next weekend!