Alas, the south of Spain wasn't willing to give Disney any of the perks that France did. Had they ponied up a few more concessions, EuroDisney well might well have been in Spain.
A few clarifications ...
Fireworks are not banned at
Disneyland Paris. Fireworks of a certain type and style are banned at Disneyland Paris just as fireworks of a certain type and style are banned at Disneyland in California, and will be banned in Hong Kong. Apparently because of complaints by neighboring farmers on behalf of their easily spooked livestock, exploding shells in the skies over DLP have been banned. So the Euro fireworks are all of the flare and silent-exploding type. I must say that, with what they have to work with, they do an excellent job.
The "Peter Pan Sword" incident is not all that recent, it happened last July. It is the only instance of it happening, which hardly proves that "France hates Disney." Frankly, the swords could have been of any type or style, bought at DLP, Parc Asterix, or anywhere in between. The folks at DeGaulle Airport would have confiscated them wherever they came from.
Signs to the parks are not "regularly" defaced. They are defaced just as much as any other American sign in Paris. McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken signs suffer far more, with some restaurants not even posting signs outside any more due to the high vandalism rate.
And, finally, while a Pluto character did, indeed, "boot a kid up the back end," it was not simply for hugging him. It was for pulling his tail and his fur repeatedly, while the family looked on, laughing and taking photos. (It was, by the way, a French family and child.) It is, of course, inappropriate for any Disney character to retaliate for any instance of "character teasing or cruelty," but it happens in Paris, California, Florida, and even occasionally Tokyo. DLP is certainly not the only Disney location where characters have been known to "snap," although it's rare in all locations, including Paris.
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