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)

My Favorite Disney Park Photos: A Moody California Adventure

It's hard to believe that California Adventure will have its 20th Anniversary in February! I'll have a HUGE post to commemorate that coming your way. But in the meantime, here's a photo from a decade ago. It was a moody, overcast, grey afternoon- making it a prime photo opportunity! 

A morning view from the opposite direction.

The stationary California Zephyr may have disappointed guests who thought it would take them on a grand circle tour of the park, similar to Disneyland's Santa Fe Railroad, but it did offer a pretty good bakery, a solid ice cream spot, and a pretty unique little toy shop. 

The best part about it all, was the sense of California it gave the under Imagineered Six Flags-like second gate. There was so little true theming to be found that even the slightest hint of a nod to the culture and history of California stood out. 

The newly Imagineered park brought the charm of Buena Vista Street and the awesome and inspired Cars Land, but the Zephyr was a victim of the grand transformation. It's too bad. 

The entire park was Bargain Basement Imagineering at its worst. Yet, it does make for a fascinating history. If you want more, take a look at this series on articles on the blog. You'll be amazed and strikingly disappointed in what Disney executives of the time thought would be a compelling sister park to Walt's original Magic Kingdom!

In fact, there are over 400 articles on this blog about the little park that once was the laughing stock of the theme park world. 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. There are also a large number of articles on this site that chronicle the transformation of the park through a look at Disney concept art, Imagineering a New Dream. Enjoy!

(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)

California Adventure at 19: What's Behind and What's Ahead

According to those insiders on the great WDWMagic boards, a Coco attraction is in the works- a sure fire addition to the Disneyland Resort's second park, California Adventure. In a park with cultural festivals that can, at times, make it feel like a poor man's World Showcase from Epcot, it's a pretty good fit! The Mexican cultural had made a huge impact on California with everything from music, to food, to politics being affected. 

Yes, today marks 19 years ago that California Adventure opened to a collective thud once the public discovered all the shortcuts Disney took when building Anaheim's second Disney park. Over the years, they may have learned their lesson, although you wouldn't know it if looking at some of the most recent ill-conceived ideas that made it past wiser folks. 

What could be coming in addition to Avengers Campus, the Marvel focused mini-land debuting this summer? Where's the next big addition? Well, we can forecast where it won't be! The lovely Buena Vista Street just doesn't have the room, except perhaps for a small theater, and we know California Adventure does not need any additional films in its lineup. 

It won't be Cars Land, as that franchise is as dead as can be. The area is some of Imagineering's best work of late- on par with Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and Pandora- but land is at a premium, so any expansion would not be a good use of space. Hollywoodland is a hot mess which needs a full overhaul, something the suits won't currently invest in. Grizzly Peak's beautiful but constricted by space as well, leaving the incredibly disjoined and ill-conceived Pixar Pier, where at least Coco somewhat fits. A beautiful Mexican style area would be a nice addition, but this is Bob Chapek's DCA, so that's out.  I'd venture that something like Emotional Whirlwind is on its way.

What about what came before? While the future of the park looks rather muddled, the past was also a mess of a bad decision after another until Robert Iger admitted it was a "brand withdrawal", paving the way for Buena Vista Street, Cars Land, and other enhancements. 

With over 400 articles on this blog about California Adventure, there's a lot more to read. But how did the park end up the mess it is now? Let's start by looking at the beginning...

Looking at the concepts for the park version 1.0, the painters brush was 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 were stuck working with.



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 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. 

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 worst.

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.
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In the next segment of the story (link below), we discover Disney got serious about fixing the park.  Starting with the areas that guests complained about the most, the makeover worked. The entrance to the park was reworked into the lovely Buena Vista Street. The Pier changed but was still more or less a carnival. Cars Land drew the crowds, but Hollywoodland remained full of DCA 1.0 design.

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. What would they do next?

What to read more as they changed direction? Go to Imagineering a New Dream, my article that begins here. More history, more stories, more concept art.

(All art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Ten Years of DCA: Back to the Drawing Boards

Continuing on with our week long look at California Adventure at Ten Years (which starts here)...

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To put it politely, California Adventure was the not astounding success the Walt Disney Company wanted for the Disneyland Resort in California. Most fans detested the park, staying away in record numbers, and when they did enter the park at full price, many were to be found complaining loudly at Guest Services.

The media, the press both traditional and on line, did not help matters. Word of mouth was consistently bad with the sole winner being seen as the great Soarin' Over California. But one attraction does not a crowd favorite make.

Visitors to the resort saw Paradise Pier from afar, rightly thinking "carnival", and this poor impression only kept them away as well. Sponsors began to drop out. Quick fixes like the extreme sports presentations and "sure fire" attractions pulled from the planned "Phase Two"like The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror didn't do much for attendance. Even the wonderful Tower was reduced to a second hand version of Disney's Hollywood Studios sole masterpiece. This misstep only reinforced the perception that Disney was not in fact serious about turning this into a high quality park. Behind the scenes, once it was clear that this new and expensive addition didn't pull in the crowds, it was back to the drawing boards to reinvent the park.

Word was leaking out that California Adventure was due for a major overhaul. Al Lutz over at MiceAge, with perhaps the best connections within Disney halls regarding California, spilled the secrets early. The park would in fact be redone to correct past mistakes, giving it a brand new focus on Walt Disney's arrival in California.

Eventually, CEO Robert Iger wisely (or reluctantly)admitted the park hadn't met expectations, and along with a proposed one billion dollar plan to fix it, earned much respect from fans. Imagineering a New Dream began, and California Adventure 2.0 was soon on its way. It started small. Let's take a look at some art for the expansion while I interject my insights along the way.

Pixar Play Parade

This fun little parade /interactive experience was pleasing to the crowds, but it was another clear move away from the California theme. Pixar was the name of the game as its movies continued to go from massive success to massive success, something the Walt Disney Company could not pull off with their animation division.
Toy Story Midway Mania





The first major addition to the park since Tower was not a project originally announced with the billion dollar makeover. Instead, it was announced prior to it. On line "insiders" claimed it would change the entire look and feel of the pathetic Paradise Pier. In some ways, Disney delivered what was promised.

Toy Story Midway Mania is a fun little cruise through the Pixar world. I find, however, three main problems with this addition. One- its brings even more film based attractions to a park already filled with them. Two- The attraction was again duplicated in Florida, depriving bi-coastal fans from yet another reason to visit the Disneyland Resort. Three- the Imagineers were again repeating themselves as they moved away from the California theme. Much too similiar to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin/AstroBlasters just across the way.

Blue Sky Cellar


In a move with more savvy than used in creating the park, Disney management deemed it absolutely necessary to house a preview of coming attractions for the park- especially if they intended to keep the crowds coming while the place was torn to shreds. A makeover of a Disney park had never been done like this before- more than 50% of the park would be undergoing a major remodel- and it was important to create enthusiasm for the billion dollar investment over the years it would take to change the mistakes from the first attempt.

Replacing the beautiful Seasons of the Vine film, The Blue Sky Cellar became a popular attraction in its own right, only proving once again that us Disney park fans would clamor to see what was new and upcoming! Love the concept art!

New Paradise Pier

The remodeling of Paradise Pier was a necessity if the company would in fact convince tourists to give the park another try. This created a long list of improvements, some successful, others short changed. All needed since the company took the cheap way out the first time around.

Games of the Boardwalk

Stuck with an infrastructure that made a changing of theme entirely impossible (sans dismantling California Screamin') Disney started off by characterizing the miserable little carnival games Walt detested and avoided at Disneyland. The end result was certainly more attractive with its buildings revamped to a more genteel era.

Mickey's Fun Wheel

The iconic Sun Wheel was a poor choice to begin with, but turning it into Mickey's Fun Wheel didn't make it any better. The only improvement was the lighting package and some new signs. The ugly concrete walls of the queue and lack of the boardwalk hinted at by the model in the Blue Sky Cellar brought to mind the debacle of the Tower of Terror addition: It promised much and delivered little.

Grand Californian Expansion and Disney Vacation Club Units

Never one to miss a beat when it comes to cash from lodging versus investing in a park, the Disney Company expanded the vacation club offerings at the Grand Californian Resort. Certainly the land could have been used more creatively to expand a park cramped for space. Yet, if the addition generated income produces more cash for park expansion, I will see it as a necessary evil. Problem is, the company has not convinced me of that goal when I look at what as happened in Walt Disney World in Florida!

Silly Symphony Swings

Aside from the incredibly offensive Maliboomer, the ugly Orange Stinger revealed how little the business side of the Walt Disney Company understood of what made a great park. Hip and edgy never seemed so unattractive.

In its remodeled version into the Silly Symphony Swings, it is still the same ride but better. It is much more fun to glide out in the open over the bay. If this were the only swing based ride, I could accept it, but with the Golden Zephyr right next door, it is an unnecessary thing. the building housing the ride does create some great little nooks for sitting and photography however.

World of Color

Finally, a real hit when it opened. When the original Imagineering team was told to forget a nighttime show in the great Disney tradition, it was a sad sign for the future of the park. Evening draws of great magnitude bring in the dinner crowds, increase spending, and keep guests in the park. The shortsightedness of the executives in this area was consistent with their overall view and execution of the park.

World of Color changed this immediately. Disneyland's Fantasmic! would pale in comparison to this incredible show. The Imagineers, under the leadership of the talented Steve Davison, created a masterpiece on par with Epcot's stunning Illuminations. This beautiful show is now the must see event at the Disneyland Resort, making the years of construction ugliness worth it. The gardens/viewing area is not as beautiful as originally conceived, but that is a small complaint.

Goofy's Sky School

Here's a place where I have to agree with some yet-to-be Imagineers. This attraction needs to be torn down or enclosed and given a complete and compelling makeover. The park's opening day Mulholland Madness only strengthened the cheap aspect of California Adventure, and the Goofy's Sky School makeover is on par with what has happened to the Sun Wheel and Orange Stinger.

Far better ideas are out there, including this one which was imagineered years ago. Sure, the structure already looks better with its proposed changes, but the lipstick on a pig analogy fits here.

The Little Mermaid /Ariel's Undersea Adventure

In response to the all-too-accurate cry of "There's no great Audio-Animatronic attractions like at Disneyland", the Imagineers resurrected an old idea for bringing the beloved animated movie of 1989 to the park in a full length extravaganza. Wise move! Mermaid is beloved for many reasons, and its timeless story reasonates with the generations.

Unfortunately, the creation of the attraction comes at a price. California Adventure is again robbed of a unique draw as Ariel's Undersea Adventure is the centerpiece of the revamped Fantasyland in Florida's Magic Kingdom. (Does anyone sense a disturbing pattern here?)

No matter, on the heels of World of Color and a 85% revamping of Paradise Pier, a Little Mermaid attraction will make a fine addition to a park that needs all the help it can get to recoup the large investment needed to fix it!

New Entrance to the Park and Buena Vista Street

Logically, the whole entrance area both inside and outside the gates to California Adventure marked the first major blunder in design. Do not misunderstand, I really liked the tile murals and the giant letters- but then the park delivered a mall quality entrance area which reversed and sense of intrigue the park might have built. First impressions are only created once, and this was not the one needed. Along with the removal of the Maliboomer, the remodeling of these areas will be one of the best advertisements that Disney means business this go around.

Not thrilled with the reuse of the gates from the Disney Hollywood Studios, but I can live with that because the area inside the gates make for a pretty terrific change. Like the entrance gates, there will be more than a nod in similarity to the park formerly known as Disney-MGM. Thankfully, we get a full blown recreation of the Carthay Circle Theater at the end of the street instead of the giant Sorcerer Mickey's hat! Now, what they put into it will be interesting. Private club, shopping, or a new version of the Blue Sky Cellar. With the Red Car Trolleys making its route nearby, a nice park fountain, and plenty of places to rest and dine, this should put guests minds at rest. This is a Disney park.
Carsland

Should Carsland remain exclusive to the West Coast, it will put California Adventure on the radar of theme park lovers. That is a big if, as development and production costs keep soaring with some claiming Radiator Springs Racers to be the most expensive Disney attraction ever built- including Epcot's Mission:Space.

This loving tribute to Pixar, I mean Route 66, will be the place to go day or night. The atmosphere will be rich, the shops unique, and the attractions a mix of updates on old favorites. In spite of the obvious character references, I cannot wait to see this land come to life.

Hollywood Pictures Backlot

The Red Cars from Buena Vista Street will end up here as well, but major revisions to Hollywood Pictures backlot- including a name change- are on the horizon. That will be part of the next article to come on the California Adventure saga.

As we learned last time earlier in this series, the end result speaks louder than concept art, so let's just hope the Walt Disney Company does the right thing and follows through with what they have planned. This will be their last chance to prove a second day at the Disneyland Resort is worth the wait!

As we continue with this series, come back tomorrow for something new...

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)