A Second Renaissance for California Adventure

Do you want to know what's next for Disney California Adventure? With the D23 convention coming up in August, and Disneyland's 70th anniversary on the horizon, it will take more than relative quiet about the DisneyForward project to keep us fans speculating on the future of Walt's park and its now legal age sibling.   

Concept art or otherwise, it's been awhile since I've written anything about Disney California Adventure. The constant Marvel character infusion into Avengers Campus is of little interest to me nor is the newest attraction, Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure. Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout is old news, and I don't see anything on the immediate horizon of interest. However...

Way back in 2008, I rote a very, very long post about the park and its quite unfortunate Bargain Basement Imagineering. Readers loved it as it showed in visual form the stories behind the park and pieces of art for each attraction. But I'd never seen the piece above. From the beautiful Grizzly Peak and Soarin' Over California - the park's two success stories- to the dismal Bountiful Valley Farm (Tractors as an attraction?) and the shopping mall entry, it's all there to see. Certainly, it was an insult to us fans sitting next to Disneyland. Yet, months later, Japan would get Tokyo Disneysea. That was an even bigger insult.

Thankfully, new CEO Robert Iger admitted Michael Eisner made a huge mistake  by greenlighting the park as designed and announced a sure to be fabulous makeover of Anaheim's laughing stock theme park. Soon after another article came out by me: Imagineering A New Dream, a collection of new art and new stories. 

After a great beginning with Cars Land and Buena Vista Street, the park began to slide into its opening years plan as many additions to it were actual subtractions.  Pixar Pier is the worst of the offenders.

Will there ever be a third collection highlighting a fresh infusion of creativity, focus, and cash for the park that sits next door to Walt's Kingdom? Or will DisneyForward kill that dream?

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company)

Third Park at Disneyland Resort?

No, it is not WESTCOT, but some people think Disney is planning a third theme park for the Anaheim property. It would be quite the coup if it could be pulled off, but I'm thinking this could be a hoax or at least a ploy to gain new concessions. California Adventure needs so much help as it is. Disneyland is, however, running out of space once Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railroad is built. (Will Tomorrowland ever be brought into the future?) 

The article by the Orange County Register does give it credibility. The plans are real. The project is part a DisneyForward, a new plan for mixed use development over the next few decades. But the city was the victim of bait and switch years back when the elegant Westcot was swapped for a cut-rate Six Flags meets Universal Studios (of olden days) park ie California Adventure. Fool me once...

The Imagineers can dream can't they? But will the suits can stop it in a flash. We shall see. No dates are given, but the additions include loved properties like Frozen and attractions from all over the world that Disney park fans have been longing for.

Check out more about WESTCOT here and here.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)