The jungle restaurant goes dark at the end of 2026, joining the Disneyland original that closed in 2018. It sits inside a Disney Village that Frank Gehry designed, and that village is being steadily rebuilt.
Disneyland Paris is losing its Rainforest Cafe.
The park confirmed the restaurant at Disney Village will close permanently at the end of 2026. No exact date has been given, and no replacement has been announced for the space.
It follows the Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney in California, which closed in 2018. If you grew up with the animatronic elephants and the thunderstorm that goes off every twenty minutes, there are fewer places left to find them.
What else is changing at Disney Village?
Quite a lot, and most of it has dates attached.
A new shop called Disney Wonders opens Sept. 22, carrying artwork inspired by Star Wars, Peter Pan and Toy Story, with themed checkout areas.
Casa Giulia arrives at the end of 2026, a two-level Italian restaurant, alongside a to-go counter called Giulia Express selling pizza by the slice, focaccia, pastries and gelato.
Vapiano begins a full refurbishment at the end of 2026, finishing in early 2027. Disneyland Paris describes the new look as brighter and more contemporary, with more natural light, an updated terrace and a children’s play area.
Annette’s Diner reopens in 2027 after extensive work, keeping its 1950s theme with colorful booths inspired by vintage cars, restored jukeboxes and new decor.
The Disney Village cinema becomes a Pathé Cinema, with recliner seating, upgraded projection, a Pathé Café, a redesigned Häagen-Dazs with a terrace and a Pathé Games area. That work is phased and starts in 2027.
Why does Disney Village look the way it does?
Because Frank Gehry designed it, and that is the part of this story nobody is telling.
When Euro Disney opened in 1992, its entertainment district was called Festival Disney, and Gehry designed it. The steel towers, the grid of lights, the deliberately industrial framework running overhead. It was one of the most distinctive things about the resort and unlike anything at any other Disney park.
Gehry died on Dec. 5, 2025, at 96. He is best known for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and his connection to Disney ran deep.
Disney Village has been renovated in phases for years, and each round has moved it further from what he built. This next phase moves it further still.
That does not make the work wrong. Restaurants close, buildings get tired, and a 34-year-old entertainment district needs attention. It does mean something specific is disappearing, and it is worth knowing that before the next set of construction walls goes up.
What is replacing Rainforest Cafe?
Nothing announced.
Disneyland Paris has not said what goes into the space or when. Given that Casa Giulia, the Vapiano refurbishment and the Annette’s Diner work are all landing between late 2026 and 2027, an announcement seems likely rather than immediate.
Planning a Disneyland Paris trip around this
If Rainforest Cafe is on your list, you have until the end of the year.
The restaurant is still operating normally for now. Disneyland Paris has not published a final service date, so anyone with a trip booked in November or December should check availability rather than assume.
Disney Village sits between the two parks and the resort hotels, and it is free to enter, which makes it the part of the resort most people pass through whether they plan to or not.
Disneyland Paris is also heading into its own busy season. The resort’s Halloween and Christmas programming runs through the end of the year, and the park celebrated its 35th anniversary this year.
Construction on this scale tends to run long. Plan for a village that looks different every time you visit for the next two years.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Laughing Place, confirmation that Rainforest Cafe at Disney Village closes permanently at the end of 2026, and the 2018 closure of the Disneyland location
Disneyland Paris, the Disney Village slate including Disney Wonders, Casa Giulia, Giulia Express, the Vapiano and Annette’s Diner refurbishments and the Pathé Cinema conversion, with dates
Disney Food Blog, aggregation of the Disneyland Paris announcement details
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