Before There Was California Adventure...Westcot!

Don't get me wrong. I love all the wonderful changes that have been completed and those that are still coming to Disney California Adventure. All $1B worth for Phase One, and whatever else they decide to actually build for Phase Two- if its well done. I'm all for almost anything to make this park a respectable and worthy companion to Walt's Disneyland. But I will say unabashedly, I am a Westcot fan. (Just take a look at this stunning concept art for the abandoned second park, and you'll see why. Click on it to see it full sized.)

At the grand opening of California Adventure, the Walt Disney Company and its leaders Michael Eisner and Roy Disney promised us wonderful and charming attractions honoring the spirit, locales, and people of the Golden State. It was only half-heartedly delivered. It looked much more like outtakes from the abandonded Disney's America project. (Even then, some of the most true to concept pieces of the California themed park were discarded- the beautiful Eureka parade- with its awful "hip" soundtrack; the all too politically correct and cheapened from the original Circle of Hands Audio-Animatronics show, Golden Dreams; lastly the simply delicate and wonderfully delightful Seasons of the Vine show. And oh yeah, Superstar Limo... awful but in theme.) Gotta give Robert Iger credit for trying to right the wrongs now- even though he was part of the group that approved the original plans. The Paradise Pier makeover is a good start to a reboot of the park. Buena Vista Street looks great and Carsland terrific. However...

Imagine being delivered the world instead of just a Pixared California. Not just the world of the future, but the four corners of the globe. Imagine having the elegant World Showcase from Epcot reimagined for the West Coast. Beautiful nighttime vistas of global landmarks, wonderful and varied dining options, gorgeously lush landscapes, thrilling and educational attractions. Nice, huh- and very near the quality of Tokyo Disney Sea.

Instead of the world, we get Mickey's Fun Wheel, and we have to live with it. Let's just say the Imagineers and the suits have their work cut out for them to transform California Adventure into something worthy of the magnitude of Westcot. Can they do it? We'll see in 2012, but I still pine for what could have been. Some may say "Get over it!" but there's still that third slice of land holding court as a parking lot just in case the Westcot concept would rise from the ashes.

For the record, SamLand's Disney Adventures has the absolutely best series on the creation and history of this never completed Disney park. You'll find part one right here. For a transcript of the entire Westcot presentation as told by Imagineer Extraordinaire Tony Baxter, go here. The transcript is full of juicy details of the attractions proposed for the park- and how it was to be an improvement over World Showcase in particular. Go to these posts and drool. You will. Trust me.

For now, let us rejoice in the little theme park that is getting a second chance. The suits could have left it half-baked. Instead, it will become something worthy of a full and fun-filled day. But never forget what is found in Tokyo or what could have been. Hold the company we love to their previous high standards. Universal's done it with Harry Potter. We deserve it- and they can deliver more.
(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Steps in Time: California Adventure's Grand Opening 2001

Disney's California Adventure theme park opened 9 years ago today. The newest playground in Anaheim, and the long planned younger sister to world-renowned Disneyland, debuted to great expectations for fan and company alike. I was among those hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. The park's preview center did not excite me, as I was savvy enough to look past the artwork and models to discover what I heard was true: this park was clearly built to satisfy the need for a second park, but the Walt Disney Company was delivering a sub par product designed solely for profit and not for the love of the art of Imagineering.

The preview guide to the park tells a story all its own. Yes, there were gems to be found here, but by and large the development was filled with hand me downs from Florida and reproductions of rides found at numerous county fairs all over America.

The Eureka parade was one of the park highlights. Silly theme song aside, (Disney should never go for "trendy" in music or park execution), this parade was full of energy and a bit of class. The performers gave 100% and the floats excellently delivered tribute to the state and the people who call it home.

The full blown fold out map (click on the image for a very large view) promised new and special places to explore, but ultimately the park offered only a couple of world class draws. As with the attractions themselves, even the "districts" within varied greatly in quality.

Beyond the gorgeous tile murals and giant C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A letters at the front of the park, a poorly designed and cheaply executed "Entry Plaza" signaled this was a new era in Disney entertainment. Instead of immersive and thoughtful, this was a pedestrian area merely "good enough"; one to be found in any shopping mall nationwide. Garish and uncreative, this was a bad beginning to an overall mediocre experience.

Thankfully, as guests turned right off the plaza, Condor Flats came into view. As part of the central Golden State district, this all too small area was filled to the brim with a nod to California's roots in aviation. The park's premier draw, Soarin' Over California was the perfect blend of thrill and mild travelogue. Through the use of newly developed ride technology, this filmed journey through the state drew raves and rightly so.

The neighboring Grizzly Peak Recreation area offered a fairly common raft adventure amidst spectacular landscapes. Waterfalls, rock work, and grottoes enhanced this white water attraction, raising it far beyond the earlier completed Kali River Rapids from Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park in Florida. An imaginative playground rounded out the area.

A series of films flesh out the Golden State, each with varying degrees of success. The Whoopi Goldberg based excursion Golden Dreams showcased state history in a heart warming and politically correct manner. Now removed, the film was not a disaster but neither was it one that warranted repeat visits. Pacific Wharf, an area inspired by Monterey Bay's Cannery Row, the two small films on bread and tortilla making are only note worthy due to the free samples given out during the latter's factory tour.

It's Tough to Be a Bug, also right from the Animal Kingdom, is a bit of fun for those loving to be scared, poked and spit at. It's a stretch thematically, but it is a crowd pleaser.

The most successful of the area's films was to be found at the Golden Vine Winery. Housed in a small theater, the short presentation known as Seasons of the Vine brought a bit of Epcot's elegance and class to a mundane park. The soundtrack was as delightful as the film!

From this point, Disney's California Adventure begins to fall apart. The Paradise Pier area is one of the poorest excuses for a themed area that Disney has ever built. As seen in this opening day map (above), the area is filled with roadside carnival rides, cheap midway games and one magnificent- if unthemed- roller coaster! California Screamin' ranks among the company's best thrill attractions. Not for its great story and landscapes but for the adrenaline rush it provides. Day or night, it is one terrific experience.

Leaving behind the pier, the Hollywood Pictures Backlot concludes the offerings at the park. From the awful Superstar Limo- the park's only dark ride- to the beautiful Disney Animation exhibits, the area is completed by the Muppets 3D film and a great theater offering the Steps in Time musical.

To the observant, a few things were instantly clear:
1- The park is filled with film based attractions, county fair rides, repeats from Florida, and very few original attractions.
2- Budgets were slashed midstream during the park's construction. The end result is a park that feels incomplete and less than atmospheric.
3- Shops and restaurants are the true stars of the park, with lavish budgets given to create a strong pull for guests to be constantly opening their purses and wallets.
Guests were not fooled by this lackluster park. Long lines formed at Guest Services for complaints, refunds, and complimentary passes to Disneyland. Visitor numbers dwindled as the press reported what they saw. Even The Simpsons television show parodied and lampooned the place. The park was a creative failure and a financial flop. Disney had a public relations nightmare on its hands.

Stunned, Michael Eisner and the suits in Burbank rushed to revive their dying newborn. Plans were quickly put into place to add new excitement and shows. The next chapter of California Adventure was about to begin- and much sooner than the company expected.

(Images copyright The Walt Disney Company.)
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One of the most popular series on the Insights and Sounds blog is focused on California Adventure's concept art. It's a multipart look at the initial designs, what was done to revive the park after opening, and plans for the park's total transformation as announced by Robert Iger. The "Bargain Basement Imagineering" and "Imagineering a New Dream" series begins here.

Happy 9th Birthday California Adventure!

On Monday, the Insights and Sounds blog will take a look at Disney's California Adventure at its opening nine years ago. Don't miss it!