Design Detail: Between Cars Land and Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure

Let's be honest: Disney California Adventure 1.0 and even some parts of 2.0 was not / are not known for excellence when it comes to design detail. Yet, things may be on a turnaround as Imagineering regains respect and more freedom under new CEO Josh D'Amaro. Case in point may be the walkway between Cars Land and Avengers Campus. 

I believe this photo was be taken by "mickEblu" on the WDWMagic discussion boards. It shows some simple design elements that turn a water fountain and bottle filling station into an object that perfectly fits where it is placed. The weathered blues and the gasoline tank looking dispensers fit right in, especially next to the metal sign for Stanley's Oasis. Could this be the start of a new era of excellence after so many "almost but not quite right:" projects? Here's hoping!

California Adventure's Return to Excellence and It's "Bargain Basement Imagineering" at Opening

While some Disney fans like me think California Adventure has become a misguided mess (Pixar Pier and the like), others who were around at opening of the park in 2001- me included- know its not nearly the disaster now as it was then. When the announcement of a full re-envisioning was announced, anxiously awaited Imagineering to bring a bit of class to the park with Cars Land and Buena Vista Street. Yet, after a great rebirth, it seemed the park had mostly lost its way. In fact, I haven't even seen Avengers Campus or San Fransokyo because I just don't care. And count me in as one who loves Big Hero 6!

Those of us that still appreciate old school high quality projects are awaiting a sparkling new Coco boat ride, perhaps a greatly themed Pandora, and maybe even new additions to Avengers Campus. Will these balance out the cheap makeovers the park has been given since its amazing rebirth in 2012? Here's hoping! 

Let's look back on what was actually built come opening day. Why? First, it will help us appreciate the transformation and put it all in perspective- even if more recent decisions have made some of us question what the suits were thinking.  

As you'll see by looking at the concepts for the park version 1.0, the painters brush can be unintentionally (or intentionally) deceiving! Secondly, due to the cost-cutting measures of the leadership of the time, it reminds us what poor foundations the Imagineers are stuck working with while they continue trying to expand this greatly improved park. So, join me now as we go back in time to the opening of California Adventure through the artist's lens...



As we look at concept art from the first incarnation of California Adventure, let's compare what we saw in the preview center versus what the park really looked like to an opening day guest. Many visitors, myself included, expressed displeasure at what was found at this new park. So did the media and for a good reason.


Let's begin with the park entrance. The tile murals flanking the sides are really well done. The CALIFORNIA letters are a unique touch and both together clearly communicate this is not Disneyland. It's not a bad design, there's just no follow through. When the Disney advertising experts have to create a fictionalized version of the entrance for promotional purposes, this should be the first clue that the park has some serious problems and design flaws.

It is what we encounter once walking past the turnstiles that shouts "bargain basement" design. Looking right through the gates brings a very ordinary looking area, nothing to entice a visitor who is considering a day at this park.

The Sunshine Plaza reigns as the ugliest and least original park entrance area in Disney's history. Yes, this includes the even less imaginative Walt Disney Studios in Paris! Framed by an out of place replica of the Golden Gate Bridge, the environment matches a low budget outlet mall, appropriately setting the stage for what is found in most of the park.

The Sun fountain is an interesting structure, but it really belongs in an open garden at a hotel, in the midst of a walkway from the parking area or just someplace else. Not large enough in scale to impress, not a fitting centerpiece for the park. In some ways, it is appropriate. This is big and flashy with a contemporary edge- but it lacks substance.

Moving on, let's head to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. At first glance, it is a pretty Disneyesque area, a more playful version of the main drag at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The centerpiece, and clearly the highlight at opening, is Disney Animation.

Frankly, this is one impressive showcase! Beyond the park's signature flight simulator attraction, this gem is filled with the kind of care in execution that should have been found all over the park. The Animation Courtyard has an impressive layout that dazzles, and The Sorcerer's Workshop, including Beast's Library, feels like a walk-thru dark ride, drawing guests in further and further inside. It's easy to spend an hour here just watching the transformation in the library. Well done, Imagineers! In a nod to the Studios old working animation area, The Animation Academy truly provides a fun and informative demonstration of the art of the wonderful and ageless 2-D process. (Below is altogether different concept for Disney Animation.)

Beyond this great little attraction is where the troubles begin. Wandering around the rest of this land, guests discover raw steel and bland walls lie behind the great looking storefronts. Even the seemingly impressive Hyperion Theater is really just one great optical illusion. Just a big box but one with state-of-the-art facilities inside. However, it is a facility with no lobby and no restrooms!

Nearby, the past its prime MuppetVision 3D show is found. Not too thrilling an idea or presentation. It's a quick retread from Florida to save some cash- and an attempt by Disney to relaunch a very tired but admittedly once charming franchise.

The worst of the (Back) lot, however, is the only dark ride found here in 2001. In one of the oddest moves ever for a Disney park, the Imagineers designed and built the strange Superstar Limo attraction. The building housing the ride is at once quirky and likable to some degree, but the experience inside is just plain bizarre. Hosted by an on-screen agent who seems like someone you'd never let your children be alone with, the limo ride takes you through a tongue in cheek and trendy Hollywood filled with animatronics of "B" list celebrities from the Disney Studio. It quickly became the laughing stock of the theme park industry and a symbol of everything wrong with California Adventure. Less than a year from its premier, this ride quickly disappeared forever.

In a bit of poor planning, the Backlot's main street becomes a dead end, so let's cross back over to Condor Flats, a recreation of a California desert airfield.

Condor Flats effectively marks the entrance to The Golden State district, the portion of the park that truly strengthens the California theme. The airstrip is a small area to be sure, but it houses the park's signature attraction, Soarin' Over California. All the quibbles of the queue and its minimal theming aside, this film experience is the emotional heart of the park. Californians are rightfully proud of their state and its stunning diversity of landscapes. The photography is exhilarating, the musical score heightens the mood, and the ride mechanism impresses to thrilling results. It is the single standout attraction in the park. This crowd pleaser should not have been duplicated at any other resort. Period.

The true icon of this park, and one that for the first time is positioned to please hotel guests instead of park visitors, is Grizzly Peak. No expense was spared in creating an authentic and beautiful mountain environment. The rockwork created by the Imagineers ranks with the best of their efforts, including Big Thunder Mountain and the younger Expedition Everest. The landscaping is superb. The network of waterfalls, winding paths and viewing areas makes this part of the Grizzly Peak Recreation Area the most beautiful location of the entire Disneyland Resort. 
(Below is an amazing piece of artwork. Like the others, makes sure you click for a larger image.)

The setting for the Grizzly River Run is spectacular and "E" ticket worthy. However obvious short cuts have been taken with this attraction, starting with the design of the watercraft. The promotional poster below shows a whitewater excursion with an authentically styled raft. Somewhere between concept and execution, the attraction ended up with standard theme park fare circular rafts. Certainly the same company that could imagine and engineer leading edge ride systems for other attractions could find a way to build an authentic raft that was safe while providing the desired thrills!

Further cost-cutting took place by the exclusion of animatronic animals. Every other nature-based attraction designed by Disney uses them to good effect. From slow moving rides like The Jungle River Cruise to the high speed adventures of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, there is simply no excuse for their absence except budgetary restraints. It's still a very fun attraction with terrific views of the park (and the less than beautiful city of Anaheim), but it could be so much more than it is.

Guests quickly noticed a trend in this new era Disney park: there may have been discounting on the attraction detail, but no expenses were lost when it came to the shops! California Adventure has some Disneyland quality shopping areas, and the Rushin' River Outfitters (below) is no exception.

Continuing a trend that began with Disneyland itself, the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail is a new take on the original park's Tom Sawyer's Island. Both provide plenty of fun as well as an area where younger visitors can run free. It is a nicely themed playground but not much more.

The limited number of attractions and cutbacks aside, this region of California Adventure provides the immersive environment that Disney guests are accustomed to finding at the parks. If only the rest of the small park had this much charm and care taken with it! The glaring shortcomings are only heightened when we enter into the San Francisco area, one far removed from the Golden Gate Bridge we found at the park entrance.

This tiny little sliver of San Francisco houses only restrooms, leaving guests who expected an elegant area such as New Orleans Square in a state of shock. In place of a fully realized cityscape, we find Golden Dreams, the film tribute to the history of the state. Originally envisioned as Circle of Hands, it was intended to be a heartwarming multimedia presentation of the brave men and women who settled and worked the land. Budget cuts again derailed the project. We are now left with a small scale but warm and politically correct vision of history. Unintentionally, this show is also one of the best arguments for Disney to stop using its a film stars as part of their attractions.


As we move around the bend, the beautiful Golden Vine Winery comes into view. Of course, so does the Pacific Wharf food court, Bountiful Valley Farm, and the surprising Paradise Pier.

The winery area charms guests with a sophistication not found elsewhere. Of course, like Napa Valley itself, we find a couple of pricy restaurants among the park's vineyard. Attractions? Oh yes, Seasons of the Vine is here- yet another film, this one highlighting the process of the art of winemaking from field to table. It is a slice of Epcot Center, an undiscovered gem. The music and photography perfectly capturing the area.

Across the way on this side of the bay is the Pacific Wharf. What could have been a wonderful setting for some California themed Disney attractions is reduced to mostly a food court with a couple of bakery tours using short films to tell the manufacturing story. The educational aspects of the park are important, however, they needed to be balanced out with traditional Disney attractions to justify the full ticket price.

Butting up to the Wharf is Bountiful Valley Farm, showcasing the agricultural impact of the state. Aside from yet another film, this one a clone of an additional 3D attraction from Florida, guests to the area are left without much to do except viewing tractors and watching a quite unimaginative fountain. In the age of "bargain basement" Imagineering, it's Disney storytelling at it's sorry best.

Controversial. Cheap and tacky. Off the shelf. Not what Walt would have wanted. Paradise Pier is all these things and more. And less. Much, much less.

Once guests had experienced the limited number of attractions in the other areas and the truly good live entertainment to be found, many headed toward Paradise Pier hoping to round out their day at Disney's recreation of a seaside amusement area.

The California Screamin' coaster stands tall over the area, and it is a roller coaster ride very worthy of a Disney park. Unfortunately, it is just a coaster- no great theming to be found here. No journey to outer space, no wildest ride in the wilderness, just an exposed track reaching for the sky. It is fun, day or night, but there are no Disney touches to be found except the giant glaring Mickey head. In this new fangled park, big, loud and obvious has mostly replaced the charming nuances of designers from earlier generations.

The rest of Paradise Pier is fleshed out with carnival games, kiddie attractions, swing rides, and an impressive Ferris Wheel. There's truly nothing magical or Disney here, yet the advertising department thought this was one of the best areas to show to promote the new park. What were they thinking? The public was not fooled, and the executives at Disney were left with an embarrassment on their hands.

Which brings us back full circle to the Blue Sky Cellar, housed in the old Seasons of the Vine building. Yes, it seems Disney is seriously trying to redeem itself by re-Imagineering the park. Starting with the areas that guests complained about the most, the makeover has started. The entrance to the park will be reworked. The Hollywood Backlot will get more improvements. The Pier will be a challenge but will still be a carnival. Plans even exist for a wonderful new land and a couple of great attractions worthy of the Disney of old. Will we see them? Will the proposed changes turn California Adventure from dud to star?

What can we learn from the "Bargain Basement Imagineering"? Concept art can be deceiving, and budgets can be reduced.  Disney has learned some important lessons from trying to fool us as they did in 2001. Now, after some serious recent disasters, they are going back to the basics of good design and Imagineering quality we saw in 2012... and I, for one, can't wait to see what lies ahead in the future! It may even make me return to the park once again. 

(All art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Dubai Disneyland - A Decade in the Making

It was ten years ago that I first stumbled upon the concept art for Dubai Disneyland. It was such a large discovery that I even surprised fellow blogger and friend Alain Littaye of the Disney and More blog. (May he rest in peace.) He leaked my find on his site and received a much wider response. Websites around the globe began posting these - and many other- pieces of concept art I had found for the proposed park. It's been a decade, and it is time to consider the future of the project. 

Let's recap further-

I published these pieces immediately, perhaps seven or eight total, much to the delight of Disney Park fans. I continue to receive inquiries and questions, with some even doubting I had the art. I do, and the most popular piece- to prove so- is above. A couple of weeks after I first posted it, I was contacted by the firm and asked to remove it all, as the client was upset they had even made it relatively public. I did so. But now, I feel at liberty to repost one image to prove it all. One image that, by now, can be found on too many websites and blogs to track...so I have no qualms posting it now.

Immediately below is what I posted in November 2014, and I repeat it here for your understanding:

"Yes, once more,  this post by The Disney Times is 100% correct. As are others who reported something similar. I did post a series of pieces of concept art on the proposed Dubai Disneyland, and yes, I was contacted by Favilli Studio. A very nice request was made by the Director of Operations, Linus Sora, a very kind man, to have me take down the pieces- which I did as a courtesy. 

Why did they ask me to take them down? Easy, the proposed project is very real and very sensitive. The clients were upset the pieces made their way to the public  Imagine a Disneyland in the Middle East and everything that could mean and everything that could lead to. The area is already a world power, and we all know Disney is solely in the market to make money. Win / Win. 

Favilli also took their pieces down off the web, but you can still find a concept for Glacier Bay, a land once proposed for Tokyo Disney Sea."

With the first stage of Dubai Parks and Resorts opening October 31, can a version of Disneyland Dubai be far behind? The concept art for it is all over the web (and I should know as I first shared it in 2014). 

My guess to the question is "No". Why? First, with Legoland there and the inevitable Six Flags and Universal Studios, I can't imagine Disney will offer their product in a place that puts them at the same level as their competitors in the minds of travelers. Which is exactly what would happen if they do go there. 

Secondly, Shanghai Disneyland has just premiered, and my bet is the suits and the public are finding there is much more work behind the scenes in making this really work in addition to what's needed to keep it going. Including necessary expansion straight away.

Lastly, with Star Wars Land and Pandora World of Avatar- not to mention upcoming projects based on Marvel and Frozen, Disney is finally taking an active role in the competition for the buck. Their parks will soon once again offer compelling reasons to "do Disney". And just in the nick of time."

Below were most all the pieces of concept art I found. I'm saving them for future posts.

The larger park view may be the best. It includes a different version of Cars Land as well as a Star Wars based version of Tomorrowland. There's even a much earlier proposed version of Main Street U.S.A. which is more like a Fantasyland styled avenue. Not quite Mickey Avenue in Shanghai, but a European styled village with dark ride attractions, shops and restaurants. Just imagine!

As of this date, world events and tensions in the region seem to have placed this project on hold. Maybe indefinitely. No, we won't get an announcement for this at D23, as things will have to cool. But you never know what the suits will pull out of the sleeves. Money talks, and be it China, Dubai, India or anywhere else, Disney always succumbs to the lure of the buck over anything else.

 

California Adventure Had a Birthday?

I guess February 8 was the 23 year anniversary of the opening of Disney's California Adventure. A theme park disaster only "bested" by the Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris. The same year, Tokyo Disney Resort got the magnificent Tokyo Disneysea. That says a lot about the company's priorities, doesn't it? 

The public outcry for building a cheap and cheap looking park next to Walt Disney's personal masterpiece next door was heard- and mostly ignored for years. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Bugs Land made minimal impact. Finally, CEO Robert Iger admitted it was a "Brand withdrawl", and new plans were put into place to give it Disney quality.

When the new DCA opened, things looked promising. A sparkling new Buena Vista Street and an incredible Cars Land made things look as it the Imagineers were given the go ahead to dream big. The results brought in the crowds.

Then, things turned around, and the park became a dumping ground of mismatched changes. 

Nowadays, does anyone notice or care that Robert Iger no longer talks about "Brand withdrawal"? He should. It's happening every day at the company we all love.

----

The history of DCA is fascinating! Explore it all through the concept art created for the park. Start here at Bargain Basement Imagineering. Then go onto Imagineering a New Dream- this is when things get a lot better! It's all part of a multi-part exploration of the park through the years. 

Rainbow Caverns Return to Disney California Adventure? The Unbuilt Park Railroad

For a brief few years in the early to mid-2010's, the future of Anaheim's Disney California Adventure looked pretty bright. Buena Vista Street and Cars Land were excellently designed and built additions, full of the Imagineering design details we fans have come to expect from their most beautiful work.  Disneyland fans who once shied away from the park and were very vocal about its shortcomings began to heap praise upon the work that was accomplished to make it more in line with what a Disney park should be.

Of course, there were plans for a proposed Phase Two. This included strengthening the theme of Hollywood Land and adding a train ride to Grizzly Peak. The former airstrip area Condor Flats was incorporated into the forested area, bring a fresh look to the once mini California desert. A very successful conversion!And one of the few Phase Two plans to come to fruition.

For years there were many rumors that Grizzly Peak would soon add its own railroad. Almost a tribute to the old Frontierland classic Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland attraction, the concept art (shown above) was created but the ride never materialized. It's too bad really! It seemed to be an addition that would bring a bit of old school charm to the area and much more energy and movement. A freshly recreated Rainbow Caverns would have been the highlight of the journey.

In 2017, the park began to transform once again. All the careful thought and theming added to the park by the Imagineers in 2012 was tossed by the wayside. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror transitioned to Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout.  The once improving second park began to move backwards instead of forwards. Bargain Basement Imagineering reigned once more with the most recent offenders being the cheap but expensive to retheme Pixar Pier and the cheap and cheap to build San Fransokyo, replacing Paradise Pier 2.0 and Pacific Wharf, respectively.  In between Bug's Land was devoured by Marvel's Avengers Campus, with mixed success both creatively and based on guest receptivity. (The full history of Bargain Basement Imagineering of Disneyland's younger sibling begins with Part One of this extensive series.)

Had the suits continued with their commitment to in theme expansion and addition, the Grizzly Peak Railroad would have become a fan favorite for any generation, strengthening the park and bringing a bit of design detail to a park that needs as much as possible. Perhaps one day, it will happen. But it seems the company's current mantra is "in your face" and "more is more". The art of Imagineering is being continued overseas, but the American parks be damned. Long term, it's everyone's loss.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

California Adventure One Day Itinerary 2023

Disney California Adventure is no longer the laughing stock of the theme park industry. After 20 years, it is slowly becoming a full day park that is easily on par with Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida. Just do a park by park comparison, and you'll find the red-headed stepchild of the US parks now can hold its own!

It's got a distinct feel unique among all Disney worlds, and just like the third Disney park in Florida, the strengths are as obvious as the weaknesses. The biggest detriment is that this theme park is footsteps away from the most attraction filled Disney park on the planet: Walt Disney's original, Disneyland.

If you choose this park for your Southern California day, a little planning will help you see as much as possible. So, save time and see it all by following the suggested plan of attack.

1.     Get there at the gate about half an hour before opening time. 
Explore the beautiful Buena Vista Street, but keep an eye on the time.

You don't want to miss the rope drop, so veer toward the left.

2.    Walk straight down past Carthay Circle Theater and past Avengers Campus to Cars Land entrance. Walk straight down street to the very end and a slight turn to Radiator Springs Racers. Ride this first. If you’re using Genie+, get a reservation first and then walk in the regular standby line. You’ll really want to ride this twice. Longest line in the park all day long. Riding once during the day and once at night is optimal.

Your best breakfast bet for your entire crew.

3. Have breakfast at Flo’s V-8 Cafe in Cars Land. (When you exit the ride, turn left at the first street and it’s on the right past the gas station.) Sit on the patio, and you'll have a hearty breakfast with great views of Radiator Springs Racers and the Cadillac Mountain range. (If you walk past it until the end of Cars Land, walk just outside it under the tunnel and turn around. It’s a super impressive view of Cars Land. Really amazing.) 

MOST IMPORTANT CARS LAND TIP: Come back at night right before sunset and watch then town's neon turn on. Explore the land once again. Trust me, this is as good as it gets!  This is atmospheric California Adventure at its best. If you must choose one over the other, this walking tour experience is an equally beautiful choice with the World of Color nighttime show. You can't go wrong with either one.

4. After breakfast, go out and turn left back on the side street. Stay on it past Luigi’s Rollicking Roadsters on the right and keep walking until you reach Avengers Campus. (Ride Luigi’s and Maters Junkyard Jamboree when you’ve done everything else. They are fun, but they are carnival type rides.) Every shop in Cars Land has exclusive and cool merchandise you can't get outside the park. Avengers Campus does as well. 

Top photo by me; Avengers Campus by Disney.

5. Try to get on WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure or book a reservation for it. If you can’t get on that, go to Guardians of the Galaxy- Mission: Breakout (the old Twilight Zone Tower of Terror). If you've ridden Tower of Terror in the past, you'll be surprised how much this feels like an entirely new ride with a whole new vibe. Then, go back and do the ride you missed.

You’ve now done the three longest wait times and most popular rides in the park. Not that there won't be lines for the others, but you've conquered the most sought after attractions.

6. Look at the showtimes for the Spider Man robotic ("Stuntronic" in Disney speak.) 

7. Watch for Super Hero character meet and greets. Usually Spider- Man, Captain America, Black Panther etc. and a lot of Disney+ "stars" that come out for limited engagements to promote their new series.

There’s also old California Adventure favorites:  Soaring Over California, Grizzly River Rapids (Kali River Rapids in Animal Kingdom only wishes it were this good), and Redwood Creek Challenge Trail (Grizzly Peak area), the Incredicoaster, Toy Story Mania and the carnival rides (all in Pixar Pier), and the Little Mermaid ride is nearby; also check out the Monsters Inc ride, Mickey’s Philharmagic, and the Animation exhibits (Hollywood Land). 

Hungry? From opening day in 2001, one of California Adventure's trademarks has been its great abundance of excellent places to dine. Here's some fun options for you to try:

Have lunch at Pym’s Test Kitchen in Avengers Campus. (The food is shrunk or enlarged, depending on what is the normal look of an item.) If you want to splurge, you can, but even the most casual spots have generally terrific and tasty things to consume.

If you're at the park at the right time of year, the numerous booths at the California Food and Wine Festival are an option. There's not as many as at the Epcot festivals, but that is an advantage. It's a much easier decision.

The food booths on the Wharf are some of my favorite spots to eat as well as get some great entertainment by groups such as the Grammy Award winning Mariachi Divas. (By this Summer, it will be the Port of SanFransokyo including a character meet and greet with Baymax.)

Starbucks is inside Fiddler Fifer and Practical Café at the end of Buena Vista Street right by the entrance to Grizzly Peak.

There’s also a Ghiradelli’s ice cream soda fountain in the Wharf area.

There you have it. A time-saving and fun-filled day where you get the best of Anaheim's second Disney park. Is it an equal to Disney Hollywood Studios? Which park would you choose?

(Most photos copyright Mark Taft.)

One of the Best Views at the Disneyland Resort

Disney's incredibly gifted Imagineers have created some amazing views at that continue to inspire camera wielding guests. Perhaps one of the best, surprisingly, is not found at Disneyland but rather at Anaheim's once has been second park, Disney California Adventure. Yes, by now you probably guessed I am referring to the mountain range which frames Radiator Springs Racers. Even without the cars zipping by on their road race, the view is just wonderful. It's one of the last additions to this park that is truly excellent. Nothing since has come close to that quality. It's been a decade since Cars Land opened. I think it's time for something equally noteworthy, don't you?

When Reality is Better Than Imagineering Art: California Adventure's Radiator Springs Racers

Contrary to an opinion I often hold, it's not always better at Tokyo Disneysea! With this newest article in the series, I'll show its possible to beat that amazing park in Japan at their own game. Yet that poor little secondary, red-headed child of theme parks in Anaheim, California Adventure still makes it tough to call it a consistently high quality Disney worthy park. Unfortunately, there's still remnants of the embarassing DCA 1.0 among the excellent. Buena Vista Street is beautiful, Grizzly Peak provides a small taste of more rustic areas, but it is only in Cars Land where you can see the Imagineers were given full design freedom to create something extraordinary.

Once the relaunch of the park was complete, I couldn't wait to visit! I'd seen the tons of concept art and watched construction walls go up. I'd been into the preview center (the old Seasons of the Vine theater) numerous times and poured over the models.

 

The project rolled out to mixed results in the early stages. Toy Story Midway Mania was fun but not a must-see attraction to build a park visit on, let alone a stand alone vacation. I had to admit Paradise Pier looked so much better with its Hotel Del Coronado inspired treatment and the removal of the ill-conceived Maliboomer. (I sure wish they'd go back to that.)

 

I was hopeful for Ariel's Undersea Adventure as I love a great dark ride on an Omnimover.  The initial descent Under the Sea and the centerpiece room made me hopeful the Little Mermaid ride had all the markings of a major hit... until the last few scenes where it all fell apart. You could tell budgets had been cut. It was not to be the big E Ticket attraction the park needed. That left Cars Land and Radiator Springs Racers. Did Disney suits and Imagineers blow it once again?

No.

 

This was everything I wanted- and more.

 

This is the single case in California Adventure when the reality is better than Imagineering art. So much better, in fact! Recently retired Imagineer Kevin Rafferty created a modern masterpiece that holds its own with the classics from Walt's day- and make no mistake, this land with its stunning landscapes and the headlining fun-filled, thrilling attraction saved the park. In every corner, the piece parts work together to create an unforgettable experience. And you don't have to like the Cars movies to appreciate that land.

 

Guests rewarded Disney genius and creativity with turnstile clicks by the millions and millions of hard earned dollars in the bank. Would lightning strike twice with future projects? Not even close. Pixar Pier and Avengers Campus reversed course by leaps and bounds, failing in different ways. 

 

What comes next- excellence or mediocrity? 

My bet is...

 

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company. Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

20 Years of California Adventure- The Good, The Bad, and The Very Ugly!

With much anticipation, California Adventure opened twenty years ago- to an instant negative response for good reason. It was the park we Disney fans loved to hate. Having visited two days in a row during the opening year, it wasn't until the second day that I understood the truth: Disney was trying to go head to head with Six Flags Magic Mountain and was not interested in offering a classic Disney theme park experience.

To all who believe in the power of dreams... welcome. Disney's California Adventure opens its golden gates to you. Here we pay tribute to the dreamers of the past... The native people, explorers, immigrants, aviators, entrepreneurs and entertainers who built the Golden State. And we salute a new generation of dreamers who are creating the wonders of tomorrow ... From the silver screen to the computer screen ... From the fertile farmlands to the far reaches of space. Disney's California Adventure celebrates the richness and the diversity of California ... Its land, its people, its spirit and, above all, the dreams that it continues to inspire.

Disney California Adventure Dedication Speech 

-- February 8, 2001 , Michael Eisner

The well crafted words above cannot hide the truth. That's not to say there weren't glimpses of beautiful work to be found on opening day. Unfortunately, only the very small Grizzly Peak and Condor Flats areas of the park had charm and potential. The rest, including a warehouse looking entry area named Sunshine Plaza, screamed cheap, fast, and uninspired- an insult to Disney fans. 

Paradise Pier was an ugly carnival saved by one great roller coaster, and the Hollywood Pictures Backlot was so bad that the ironically epic Superstar Limo (below) became the poster child for theme park failure.

Ultimately, the second California park couldn't decide exactly what it was. When an ugly carnival made up the largest piece of real estate in the park, the studios hypes backlot resembles a junkyard with all the exposed steel, and most of the attractions are carnival rides, films, or retreads from Florida, there's a problem. Wait! There's a tractor display. Wow.

The blame lay with the suits, not the Imagineers. Michael Eisner, fighting an economic battle to constantly be earning more than every before and increasing stock value, seemed to have lost faith in the very artists that made the Disney name synonymous with quality. The truth is the ultimate betrayal would be known months after opening the park when the jaw dropping and much acclaimed Tokyo Disneysea opened in Japan. It became the instant gold standard of which all theme park are measured against. But then again, Oriental Land Company funded the project, not Disney.

It took trying to improve the park by adding quick fixes like the kid friendly Bug's Land and a cheaper version of Twilight Zone Tower of Terror for the suits to finally realize they had mandated a park that few would visit. Under Robert Iger's leadership, they announced a redesign in 2007, letting the Imagineers finally Get to work on something high quality. Admittedly to mixed results, but overall a great improvement.

With the transformation ongoing for almost five years, the newly rebuilt park hit its peak in 2012 with the opening of Buena Vista Street and Cars Land, featuring the must-do attraction Radiator Springs Racers. The crowds came in and seemed to stay. In the next five years, the park almost doubled attendance compared to the opening year numbers. 

Unfortunately, that same peak year would lead to a drastic downturn in quality Imagineering in the park once the crowds came in. The once steadily improving carnival area was given an even cheaper and unnecessary overlay into Pixar Pier, capping off a series of changes to the park that lessened the great experience that looked promising just a few years before. Where I once happily spent a full day there, my last visit in 2019 lasted just a couple of hours, and I had enough. Off to Walt's park next door for the high quality I'd come to expect.

The original California Adventure souvenir map.

Inside the park guide map.
Revealing a small park with a mix of some nicely designed elements
among a slate of off the shelf attractions and re-run films.

Will the very ugly continue? Will the park continue its downhill slide or will smarter minds prevail and begin adding high quality, epic Disney attractions to its roster? Hard to say. Current leader Bob Chapek seems hellbent in destroying what makes Disney parks great. While Universal parks are becoming more like Disney's greatest work, Disney California Adventure now aims to be more like Universal of old. A definite step backwards.

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There are a number of articles on this site that chronicle the transformation of the park through a look at Disney concept art. Take a peek at Bargain Basement Imagineering beginning here.

Part Two is here. 

Part Three (with the beginning of the park transformation can be found here.

(Photographs copyright Mark Taft. Maps copyright The Walt Disney Company.)