Walt's world

We have picked the right time for our trip to Disneyland Paris and arrive shortly before a light snowfall. Santa Claus has taken a few hours off from his workshop to add his sleigh to the pre-Christmas parade, along with toy soldiers and dancing snow-women. Later he will light the giant Christmas Tree.

"Santa speaks French," observes Nadia (5), happy the great man has winked at her and said "Bonjour". "But he must know lots of languages," she adds.

As Disney theme tunes compete with Christmas music for our ears, we board the Disneyland Railway. First stop is Frontierland. Passing through the Grand Canyon, the landscape opens out to where mountain lions, skunk, moose and deer roam free. We think we see a couple of injuns lurking by some cactus. Stark and dramatic, baked by the sun, the west then concedes to the lusher scenes of the US south, and the Mark Twain, a Mississippi river boat, appears on the bend of the river.

Up on a height stands an old haunted house, scary enough for the Addams family should they ever decide to relocate. It's empty at the moment - the ghosts seem to be on strike - but a couple of disgruntled workmen hiss "ferme" - so even haunted houses have maintenance problems.

Racing skywards on this determined train, at what seems a 90-degree angle, it is possible to part company with your stomach. I did, several times. In and out of dark labyrinths where many a greedy gold prospector breathed his last, flashing lights reveal an assortment of scary objects. Detail is all at Disneyland.

When you crawl from the train, pleased to have survived, it is a bit of a shock to discover your terror has been immortalised. A row of photographs have been put up for all to see - ah, so that's what those flashing lights were - once you see your photograph, it's pointless trying to brag about not being frightened. From there it is on to Adventureland, where the vegetation deftly switches emphasis, favouring bamboo and rhododendron. If a pirate battle is not to your liking, it is possible to visit what must be the definitive tree house, an astonishing sequence of open-air rooms as inhabited by none other than the Swiss Family Robinson.

However, the greatest concentration of appeal in the entire Magic Kingdom is Fantasyland - the most traditional and enduring of the four lands.

Over the palace drawbridge and straight to the carousel. Snow White will have to wait. Having had several rides on the haughty, coloured ponies, it is a race to the head of the queue for Dumbo the Flying Elephant. Strapped into our elephant and high in the air, I can confirm that it is much the same as it was when I was child regular at the original Disneyland in California.

There is also a Wonderland maze of deceptive simplicity which should be taken seriously, judging by the number of adults fooled by it. Somewhere behind a hedge the Queen of Hearts keeps shouting "off with her head" - in French. Pinocchio's story has lost none of its drama, and the journey through his life is one of the best reasons for visiting Disneyland.

The best of the seasonal additions is "It's a Small World" - a gorgeous display of mechanised toys devised around the theme of the universe's children at Christmas. You sail through it as if on an underground river.

We also venture into Discoveryland and experience the space rockets, courtesy of Jules Verne, also not for the faint-hearted.

Nothing in life is perfect, and this fantasy world is not either. The French are not Disney naturals. Too many of the staff wear the expression of despairing anthropologists. Also, unfortunately, the emphasis is on shopping. Main Street, with its period charm, is in fact a shopping mall at the entrance to the Disneyland Park. There are far too many shops; the biggest sellers are Mickey Mouse, his loyal consort Minnie, 101 Dalmatians - who are huge - Pluto and the Lion King. Mulan is also being heavily promoted at the moment, as the video has just been released, and the Mulan dress is drawing small girls like a magnet.

You can't forget you are in Disneyland either when the chocolate ice-cream features Mickey's famous smiling face - and those ears. Speaking of which, we have an audience with the venerable rodent, a gracious character who enjoys an excellent relationship with Santa Claus. For all the cast of cute Disney characters, there is no doubt that the Mouse is king.