Disneyland Paris Confirms Permanent Closure at Disney Village, Effective End of 2026
Rainforest Cafe is not a Disney restaurant. Never has been.
Try telling that to anyone who grew up going to Disney parks.
The chain has been part of the Disney experience for decades through proximity and persistence. One at Disney Springs. Another one at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, where it doubles as the park’s entrance marquee. And one at Disneyland until 2018. And one at Disney Village at Disneyland Paris.
For plenty of families, the animatronic elephants and the thunderstorm every twenty minutes are genuinely part of the Disney memory, whoever actually owns the company.
Which is why this one hits harder than a normal chain closure.
Disneyland Paris has confirmed Rainforest Cafe at Disney Village will close permanently by the end of 2026.
The Confirmation
It came in a press release about ongoing and upcoming Disney Village changes.
“While details of this new phase, including the concepts themselves, have yet to be revealed, it is worth noting that, as part of this transformation, Rainforest Café will close permanently by the end of 2026,” the release stated. “More information about the changes to come will be shared in the months ahead.”
No exact closing date given.
The restaurant is operated by Bertrand Hospitality, which will soon open Casa Giulia at Disney Village in the former Planet Hollywood space.
This One Was Actually Unique
Here is what separates Paris from the Disneyland closure.
Every Rainforest Cafe looks broadly identical. Jungle theming, waterfalls, animatronic wildlife, gift shop at the door. The formula is the point.
Disney Village was different because Frank Gehry designed the building.
Only part of it resembles a ruined temple in the rainforest. The rest is white, with red-striped towers and a cone-shaped section belonging to no rainforest on earth.
It is the only Rainforest Cafe in France and one of just two in Europe. The other is in Malta.
The building also housed the Hurricanes Discotheque nightclub, which closed in 2010.
The Gehry Angle
This is the part worth slowing down for.
Frank Gehry designed the original Disney Village when it opened as Festival Disney. He was already one of the most significant architects alive, and his work gave the district a visual identity unlike anything at any other Disney resort.
Those elements have been steadily removed as the reimagining proceeds.
Gehry died last year at 96.
So his work is being stripped from Disneyland Paris in the year after his death, and Rainforest Cafe sits in one of the buildings carrying his fingerprints.
Disney has not explicitly confirmed demolition. Concept art in the release could depict the restaurant’s location, but the company never said so, and that distinction matters until they do.
Demolition rumors have circulated since April.
The Village Transformation
None of this is isolated.
Disney Village is in a multi-year reimagining that Disney describes plainly.
“Disney Village is currently being reimagined into a destination that’s even more dazzling than before,” the company states. “You can still enjoy Disney Village during this multi-year transformation, but some restaurants, shops and experiences will be closed.”
Work runs in phases across several years. The district stays open, though some areas see temporary visual disruption.
Recent changes include new shops and restaurants, refurbishments and renames, and an upcoming cinema refurbishment.
The last Disney Store in France, at Disney Village, closed permanently in January.
Why People Care
Rainforest Cafe occupies a strange emotional spot for Disney fans.
Nobody calls it fine dining. Standard American chain food. Long waits. A gift shop positioned so kids walk through it twice.
People love it anyway.
Because for a lot of kids, it was the first themed restaurant they ever ate in. The first time a meal was also an attraction. Thunder, rain effects, animatronic gorillas, and a giant aquarium.
For families who visited Disneyland Paris across three decades of trips, that restaurant is part of the memory of the place.
Where It Still Exists
The brand is not leaving Disney parks entirely.
Disney Springs at Walt Disney World remains open, near the Marketplace.
Animal Kingdom remains, too, where it doubles as one of the most recognizable structures at the park entrance.
Disneyland closed in 2018. Paris will join it by the end of this year.
What Comes Next
Disney says more on the new concepts will come in the months ahead.
Guests with Disneyland Paris trips before the end of 2026 have a window, though with no announced closing date, waiting is a gamble.
And whatever replaces it goes into a district steadily shedding the architectural identity a legendary designer gave it, in the first full year after his death.
That is the bigger story here.
Sources: Disneyland Paris press release and official Disney Village renovation information.
