The Regal View Restaurant & Lounge: an exceptional collaboration between the artisans of Royal Delft and the teams at Walt Disney Imagineering Paris.

In the heart of Adventure Bay, The Regal View Restaurant & Lounge invites guests to dine with Disney Princess Characters in their favourite summer residence and enjoy a royal Disney experience like nothing before. The teams at Walt Disney Imagineering Paris made sure that every detail was meticulously considered to achieve the refined and elegant atmosphere of the venue.

And that is from the very beginning of the experience. As guests walk into the lobby of the restaurant, they will be able to see a set of ornamental plates welcoming them behind the check-in counter. Each of those plates – nine in total – reflects a symbol of a character (Moana, Merida, Jasmine, Cinderella, Snow White, Raya, Belle, Aurora, Ariel) and have been exquisitely crafted by Royal Delft, the renowned Dutch earthenware manufacturer.

Founded in 1653 in the city of Delft (Netherlands) and proudly carrying the Royal title, Royal Delft is a high‑quality supplier whose centuries‑old savoir‑faire complements the level of attention to detail at Disney Adventure World. Bowie Faas, Principal Creative Producer at Walt Disney Imagineering Paris and native to the Netherlands explains: “One element I’m very proud of, since it was created in my home country, are the ornamental plates you see in the lobby, featuring exclusive designs reflecting the world of Disney Princesses, created by Royal Delft, the renowned Dutch porcelain manufacturer and official supplier to the Dutch royal family”. That includes the 300-piece dinnerware set used for official state banquets.

At The Regal View Restaurant & Lounge, the plates are part of the venue’s storytelling vocabulary evoking the stories of the different Disney Princesses Characters through symbols, places and patterns: Raya’s Kumandra flower, the Sultan’s Palace that serves as the home of Princess Jasmine, or the Enchanted Rose from Beauty and the Beast, among others.

Behind these unique pieces of art, artisans at Royal Delft paint each motif by hand following a centuries old process that makes their tone of blue colour truly unique all around the world. First, artisans paint by hand using a mixture of cobalt oxide and water on the raw, unglazed ceramic surface. When the ceramic is fired, the cobalt undergoes a reaction that transforms it into the famous Delft Blue colour.

“I am very proud of the collaboration with Disneyland Paris,” says Hessel Hoekstra, CEO. “Both our companies create magic in a certain way and invite people to experience it. It is a true honor to see our beautifully hand‑painted Delft Blue plates displayed in such a distinctive setting within Disney Adventure World in Disneyland Paris.”

Royal Delft’s work has crossed paths with Disney before. Walt Disney and his wife Lillian, loved to bring souvenirs home from their voyages around the world, and Lily was particularly amazed by the ornaments and figures created by the Dutch artisans. Therefore, in 1951, Walt Disney and Lillian Disney visited the factory in Rodeldel during an inspirational tour of the Netherlands. The name of Walt Disney is even registered in the book of official visits to the factory.

As a product of this love and in the memory of Lillian Disney, architect Frank Gehry and sculptor Tomas Osinski created a memorial fountain for her highly based on the art of Royal Delft. In the early 2000s, they placed an order with Royal Delft for several vases and tiles, which were then broken into shards and fashioned into this fountain that can be admired in the Blue Ribbon Garden of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, in downtown Los Angeles.

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