Imagineering Plans for the Villains Makeover of California Adventure's Paradise Pier

Yes, it was a real project. Yes, I've seen the artwork, and so can you! The re-Imagineering of California Adventure's Paradise Pier into a Villains themed area was not just rumor, it was truly planned with tons of concept art and practical elements to show just how this makeover would be achieved. The Disney Imagineers worked hard to pull this off and it shows. But with that said, it was a project doomed from the start, replaced with the cheap (but very expensive) makeover into Pixar Pier instead. The piece of concept art above is real. I won't spill all the beans, but thanks to Cabel.com, you can see it for yourself. 

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Sunny Slice of Paradise Pier

Poor Imagineer Tim Delaney! When you do some research and see his stunning work come to life at Disneyland Paris in this breathtaking Jules Verne inspired Discoveryland, you almost immediately understand how difficult it must have been for him to work on the bare bones, truly awful, carnival known as Paradise Pier. 

Be that as it may, the man did the best he could under the dire circumstances mandated by Michael Eisner and Paul Pressler. (This piece doesn't look like Tim's work. It was a slice of art shown on The Imagineering Story.) 

It was easy to see California Adventure wasn't really designed to complement Disneyland. It was meant to compete with Six Flags' Magic Mountain.  Even at that lower level standard, the park bombed. Robert Iger was right. It was "Brand withdrawal". After years of planning and construction, the park was born again with a gorgeous new Buena Vista Street and Cars Land. Hope bubbled up that the park could be high quality after all. And then it faded away.

California Screamin' is a great coaster, no doubt- even if it's now been given that Incredibles overlay in a revised land named Pixar Pier. An area filled with giant items from the trashcan meant to pass as theming. 

More brand withdrawal and a huge step backwards. 

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Unrealized Concept Art for Shanghai Disneyland

How's this for a Thursday post? More often than not, those Disney Imagineers create multiple pieces of concept art for takes on attractions and even whole parks that never come to fruition. Such is the case for Shanghai Disneyland, the second Disney park to debut in China. (I'd still love to be able to say "first" Chinese park and have seen Hong Kong remain independent, but I have no say in that.)

Tim Delaney, the very gifted Imagineer, created this alternative entrance to the park. Quite a different approach than a very expected, traditional Main Street U.S.A. or even in this case, Mickey Avenue. Sometimes, change is good- very good- as exemplified by placing the gorgeous Disneyland Hotel and the surrounding gardens at the entrance of the equally stunning Disneyland Paris. Many times, change isn't good- as the history of EPCOT Center will reveal. 

Even in a year with many disappointments at the Disney Parks, one thing is certain. Change will come, and those gifted Imagineers will continue to look at their product in fresh ways!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

The New and Old Bargain Basement Imagineering at California Adventure

Sometimes you just have to feel for the folks at Imagineering who are given a project that is just doomed for failure. Pixar Pier comes to mind most recently. Often these cheaper less glamorous assignments go to less experienced people. But not always.

Tim Delaney, one of the best of Imagineering's stars, had the unfortunate task of creating Paradise Pier at the highly discounted California Adventure park. With the added burden of having to make it "hip and edgy", Tim set about his work. Ultimately, he was responsible for one of the new park's only successes: California Screamin'. 

So, here you've got a guy responsible for Disneyland Paris' incredible Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune, designing a whole land of minimally themed attractions to flesh out a park that was mandated to be "just good enough". No win situation. But back to the concept art. This piece looks as good as can be under these dire directives. Originally named "Surf City", giant versions of California icons will the skyline, with even the Maliboomer taking on the look of giant palm trees.

After the park was received by the press and Disney fans as a resounding failure, plans were finally put into place to make it a bit more classic, a bit more engaging, and a lot more worthy of bearing the name Disney. The process began with the addition of Toy Story Midway Mania which was housed in a beautiful new San Diego inspired building at the Pier. Work on the new design aesthetic culminated in the 2012 opening of Buena Vista Street and Cars Land.

Tim's art made the best of bad directions from top brass.

It was all promptly thrown away at the new demand of bringing Pixar and Marvel into the park at any (but a minimal) expense.

Some considerable investment went into transforming Twilight Zone Tower of Terror into Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, but not for the new Pixar Pier. It's just another version of Bargain Basement Imagineering, something that got California Adventure slammed in the first place. Sounds like the new Marvel area won't be much better.

Apparently, the suits have learned little as they dismantle what little charm they had once built into Disneyland's younger sister. 

Want to see all the concept art that chronicles the history of California Adventure? Look at my Bargain Basement Imagineering series which begins here.

From Pixar Pier Back to Bargain Basement Imagineering

With the opening of Pixar Pier on its way this weekend, I thought it might be fun to take a look at two pieces of concept art which show the original plan for Paradise Pier. 

Imagineer Tim Delaney was the artist behind this poorly conceived California Adventure project. Tim's a gifted man, but when the suits order "fast, cheap, and similar to Six Flags", if you want a job, you do what's told. 

It's just a piece of the Bargain Basement Imagineering that made Disney's second Anaheim park clearly second class. That popular blog series by that name can be found here- and then the rebirth came.

Finally under Robert Iger's forced hand, the artists were told to go for it and bring Disney class and attention to detail to the park. Imagineering a New Dream tells that story. Go here- and enjoy.

(Yes, Part Two of our Disney World After a Decade comes later in the week...)

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Even Ugly Disney Parks Can Have Great Concept Art

Here's proof that even the ugliest of Disney theme parks can have terrific looking concept art. This time, it's not the Walt Disney Studios Paris - still winner of the title- but Disney's California Adventure 1.0 and the much aligned Paradise Pier. 

Given a continually slashed budget and a less than great idea for a theme, Imagineer Tim Delaney did the best he could to portray the Bargain Basement Imagineered park in a positive light. Using dashes of color and plenty of swirling shapes, Tim created a very attractive painting. It's too bad the area of Paradise Pier was more realistically a sign of trying to fool Disney fans into thinking this park was cutting edge work. 

After a solid but not thorough reworking in 2012, this seaside diversion did have much more charm than the original incarnation. Will the transition to Pixar Pier kill that? We'll have to see.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Goodbye California Screamin'- Hello Incredicoaster!

Here's your first look at the new-ish Pixar Pier- the really awful but ultimately unavoidable transformation of the better than it was but still not great Paradise Pier. Just when the park was getting more cohesive, somebody from headquarters forces Imagineering to come up with this. Glad they left the Mickey head.

Screamin' goes goodbye in January, and the Incredicoaster launches in Summer of 2018- just in time for chapter two of the Incredibles story. One of my favorite Pixar movies, but the transformation is unnecessary. At least the coaster will finally be painted.

Hopefully the attractions from A Bug's Land will make it over before the area is destroyed to make room for Marvel. 

Lastly, I'm glad this is happening in place of the Disneyland Resort "gaining" its own Toy Story Land. That would be much worse.

More transformation information on the Disney Parks blog.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Disney Theme Park Disasters: Paradise Pier

Don't be fooled by this absolutely stunning piece of concept art for Disney California Adventure's Paradise Pier! It is a beauty- but like many wonderful pieces of art, it disguises what the end result becomes, and it has currently become a mixed bag of artistry and left over pieces from California Adventure 1.0- the one Disney suits tried to put over on us as the cutting edge of Disney Imagineering as of 2001. (Look at my multi-part Bargain Basement Imagineering posts for all the concept art for the park version 1.0)

On this blog, this is one of the largest pieces of Imagineering art you'll find. If you enlarge it, it really is beautiful, but when you compare it to the real thing, the brick and mortar world of Paradise Pier falls apart in comparison. The following photos were not taken by me, but they were taken by others and show some of the "wonders" of Paradise Pier- especially in its first incarnation.

Photo from Duchess of Disneyland.

California Screamin' remains a very fun, very thrilling centerpiece to the land. In person, the truth is, the queue is cheap, the awnings just as lackluster, and the track itself could use a good paint job. 

Everything looks better at night!

Photo by WDWMagic.

Toy Story Midway Mania contains the most detailed, Disney worthy building in the area. Unfortunately, it is surrounded by a light retheming of what was there at opening. Yes, it's still a step above the Orange County Fair but really not by too much. Just check out the trim on the buildings from one part of the area to the next. It's a place to start in telling where corners have been cut. Paradise Pier is no Main Street U.S.A.

Photo by Werner Weiss at Yesterland.

Iron rides abound, and that's ok. It's just unfortunate that they are not done with a bit more charm and creativity. Still, it's not 2001 when a giant orange and road signs passed for great theming on a spinner and a cheap roller coaster. 

Photo by StartedByAMouse.com.

Here's the bottom line: Paradise Pier could be so much more than it is! And for that matter, so could Ariel's Undersea Adventure, the new Audio-Animatronic attraction that should have been the Pirates of the Caribbean or Haunted Mansion of the park. It was not to be. Perhaps 2016's refurbishment will yield some of the additional needed improvements hinted at by blogmastgers over the last couple of years. 

If only they'd bring in a new version of Hong Kong Disneyland's Mystic Manor. That attraction themed to California's Winchester Mystery House would be an excellent beginning of moving this area from a half baked creation to a first class representation of what Disney can do when it wants. Just take a look next door at Cars Land for inspiration!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Another Disney Blunder- NPH Hosts World of Color for the 60th

Just another sign of how arrogant and out of touch Disney management is with the core of their guests. Neil Patrick Harris, the host of the 2015 Oscars- whose ratings dropped to a six year low- has been chosen to be the host for the brand new World of Color Show at California Adventure during Disneyland's 60th Anniversary.

Was he funny as all get out on the extremely well written and popular "How I Met Your Mother". Absolutely. Is he pushing the limits of good taste by his Oscar antics? Yes. Seems lately he is all about the shock value side of entertainment. 

Is NPH a big fan of Disney parks? Sure. But he's the wrong choice for the Disney brand of entertainment. Especially for this banner year. 

Where is Dick Van Dyke when you need him? At least he would bring a bunch of fun and a lot of charm to the proceedings.

Mystic Manor at California Adventure

In the realm of new and coming attractions, I am most interested in Hong Kong Disneyland's new Mystic Manor. (The attraction has "soft opened".) This new take on the Haunted Mansion seems to have all the makings of a classic: intriguing storyline, interesting characters, and the necessary tie-in to merchandise to please the Disney accountants. 

With just a bit of tweaking, I really think this could be a perfect fit for California Adventure. The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California could be just the right inspiration and tie right into the California theme without being a stretch.  Not a clone, an enhancement.

Imagine a queue that lets you "explore" the house while you wait to board the attraction vehicle. Isn't that something every fan of the Haunted Mansion or Phantom Manor would love to do? Who wouldn't want to wander the halls, discover some of the rooms on our own? With these few additions, the Imagineers could thereby extending the length and drawing power of the actual ride. Or even create two different experiences within one location.

It all could be just the right attraction for those who crave something unique without having to board The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. I imagine its placement just off to the side of Paradise Pier, drawing guests to an underused area of the park. An instant landmark making use of available space that also blocks out some ugly sight lines that still remain.

With the official opening of the attraction just weeks away, but a great video here, we'll soon get to see for ourselves if the Imagineers have created a masterpiece or if fans receive it as just another attraction that's "good enough".

New Thought:
Per the comments below, what about a new take on the idea? Perhaps a magician and we tour his home a la the old Magic Island and Magic Castle dinner / entertainment / attractions that used to be in Southern California?

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

R.I.P. Disney's California Adventure

Here is a very large scale photo I took one early morning in 2009 as I was patiently waiting to enter Disneyland. (Make sure you click on it to see it full size.) Having my ticket in hand from purchasing it the night before and arriving at the resort at about 7am, it seemed like the Esplanade was deserted. That is, until about 15 minutes later when both day guests, hotel guests and cast members filled the area. But until that time, Southern California's early morning fog seemed thick for the middle of Anaheim.

Looking back two years later and the removal of the small replica of the Golden Gate Bridge and the giant C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A letters, and the replacement with the new Pan Pacific themed entrance, this photo now has a slightly nostalgic feel. Goodbye, Disney's California Adventure and your empty pathways, mostly mediocre attractions, distracting layout, and tongue in cheek tributes to the trendy world of Los Angeles. Hello, Disney California Adventure, where even more Pixar characters mingle with even more classic Disney characters, and Walt Disney's history collides with John Lasseter's world. Mater meet Ariel.
(Photo copyright Mark Taft.)

Design Detail: Midway Mercantile

Lots of attention has been paid to the Paradise Pier makeover at Disney California Adventure, particularly its beautiful gardens and dining area. It's a stunning example of what happens when Imagineering is given the mandate to come up with something fantastic- and they do!

As the above photograph reveals, this extreme park makeover has brought great detail to a park previously known for its lack of it. The Midway Mercantile building's gorgeous woodwork was one of the first examples of this new commitment to quality. Isn't it beautiful! And I cannot wait to see Buena Vista Street!

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

Time For A Beer

Summertime and the living is easy...

At Disney California Adventure, a break for a quick drink of an adult nature can be found at the Karl Strauss beverage truck over at the Pacific Wharf. For now.

When the new Bayside Brews opens up today at Paradise Pier, the truck may be a thing of the past. If so, the new and very beautiful refreshment area will be the perfect place to stop, relax, eat and drink among the beautiful gardens filled with shade and color. The rethinking of this area includes stunning architecture as well, making the barenness of Paradise Pier 1.0 a thing of the past. I'll drink to that!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Call to the Islands of Adventure

The weather outside is wonderful, signaling it is time for some thrilling theme park adventures! For any park lover, it is the time of year to celebrate a season of fun. Where to go? Where to go?

As much as I would love a quick trip to California to see the revamped Paradise Pier and Ariel's Undersea Adventure, the reality is it won't happen until the Fall at the earliest. There's not too much going on at Walt Disney World. Maybe for the 40th starting October 1, but until then, it is business as usual.

What about Universal Orlando? In some ways, it might just be my first choice this year. Harry Potter and his Forbidden Journey still seems like the E ticket to end all E tickets, and I have never been to the Studios. Could be a blast, but maybe it is just not enough to take my money in 2011. 

Perhaps I need to wait until the following year of two when Disney opens up some things worth seeing.


That said, if Figment made a big splash of a return with Dreamfinder, I'd just have to find the cash pronto!

This Mermaid Has Legs

With soft openings the last few days, we've finally had to chance to see the debut of The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure in Paradise Pier at Disney California Adventure. OK, ok. Not in person but via several videos posted by the not so poor unfortunate souls who have had a chance to be there in person.

The consensus? It's a nice little "D" ticket ride full of Audio-Animatronics, special effects, and showstopping music by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. The building is stunning- "E Ticket" worthy, the queue fairly elaborate, but by all accounts, the attraction is a bit too short with a truncated story. Picture, if you will, an attraction more on par with Epcot's Living Seas with Nemo but with better animatronics, somewhat longer, and with award winning music. What's not to like?

Apparently, plenty. Objective critics and die-hard fans alike seem to point out flaws big and small. From the style of Ariel's hair, the clunky transitions between show sets, and the abundance of simpler animated characters in the Under the Sea scene, there are aspects of the attraction that look like they could have been better. Yet, without giving the Imagineers a pass, this is California Adventure's first real old school Disneyesque attraction and given the limited budget and space, looks like they did one heck of a job.

This style of attraction is light years beyond the awful Golden Dreams with its politically correct presentation of California's history, with Whoopi Goldberg and her face projected creepily onto statues in a cut-rate theater. Ariel's Undersea Adventure is much more in line with the beautiful renaissance of Paradise Pier and ultimately more satisfying. With so much to see at every turn, families will line up more than once for this show- probably making Mermaid a must-do with every return to the park. That is a good thing.

Admittedly, I have yet to see it myself. But I'll take it over another film or carnival iron ride any day. This is the style of attraction California Adventure has been missing since its hip and edgy opening days, and I'm glad Ariel is finally here. Bring on more.

(With thanks to MintCrocodile for the image.)

Will the Golden Gate Bridge Be Next?

Never before in the history of Disneyland, or any other Disney built theme park for that matter, has there been a massive remodeling of one of the parks like what is going on now at Disney California Adventure. It is unprecedented.

This beautiful piece of art by Imagineering's sadly departed Tim Delaney shows a Disney's California Adventure that will soon be part of the past. Very quickly, actually! The C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A letters are gone and replaced by a Pan Pacific themed entrance gate; the awful Sun Icon and the mall-like area surrounding it will give way to Buena Vista Street; the mistake known as Paradise Pier may up ending being the nicest area in the park when completed. (Just add Ariel's Undersea Adventure and lots of water via World of Color. Mix well!); and the new Pixar inspired Cars Land will create an instant draw for everyone who will want to ride Radiator Springs Racers.

Clearly, a new day is coming- and the loss of the Golden Gate Bridge is soon the next icon of the "old and cheap" to give way!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Paradise Pier Becoming What It Claims to Be

Could it be? Is it possible that the re-Imagineering of California Adventure's Paradise Pier will result in the area being the prettiest in the park?

This photo from the latest report from Magic Eye shows much progress as the Imagineers finish the exterior building of Ariel's Undersea Adventure. It seems as though it is just the crowning jewel of the remake! The rest of the area is being fully built out to reveal a gorgeous beer garden, beautiful restaurants, and heavily shaded pavilions to enjoy the views. Bursts of flowers are sure to be added as well. All it needs is some period appropriate entertainment and a great salt water taffy shop to complete the environment. What a difference Paradise Pier will be from the barren wasteland found there on opening day, when a walk around the bay revealed one big disappointment after the next and barely a drop of shade.

Don't get me wrong: I wish the seaside carnival theme had never hit a Disney park. Haven't waivered on that- yet. Perhaps my next visit to the park will make me a believer. I'm trying to be open to that idea. With World of Color and California Screamin', already there, adding the Audio-Animatronic adventure with Ariel ups the ante for this guest. (How can you not love the animatronic of Ursula in all her evil glory? I'd say its up there with the Auctioneer in Pirates of the Caribbean or the Wicked Witch of the West in The Great Movie Ride and perhaps even with Mr. Lincoln on Main Street.)

When the suits get smart, and adding both new attractions and permanent extended closing times to the park so we can see it at its best in the late evening, Paradise Pier may truly live up to its name. From disgrace to charming, seems Disney is finally on the right path here.

(Photo copyright Mint Crocodile and Magic Eye.)

Concept Art for the Old Midway Games

Paradise Pier and its assortment of Midway games has long been a sore spot for many a Disney park fan. And for good reason! The initial execution screamed cheap, second rate, and undercooked. Many folks believe an area like this and its carny games have no place in any Disney theme park- even California Adventure. However, with the reopening of so much of Paradise Pier coming so quickly, the past is almost gone for good. And it looks to be a great big beautiful tomorrow.

All said, here is a piece of rarely seen Imagineering concept art for the games closest to the now defunct Pizza Oom Mow Mow. Although the Paradise Pier transformation is almost complete minus a few shops and other theme strengthening elements, we can now enjoy that the past is soon behind us. Just viewing the building for the Little Mermaid attraction shows a new direction. In a few months, we will be personally experiencing the place and not just savoring the photos we see of a finally real Disney park!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Westcoaster Update

The gang at Westcoaster has done it again. A wonderful update of all the most recent happenings at California Adventure. Go here to see the beautiful photos!
(Photo copyright Westcoaster.)

Here Comes the Sun?

Quite a bit of talk these last few days of how Disney Imagineering is going to transform Walt Disney World's Pleasure Island into the Hyperion Wharf. Sure, all that great concept art you see looks great, but something seems suspiciously shallow. It's the content, the substance, the heart. This redo of the island sounds much like a contemporary version of California Adventure's Paradise Pier and Walt Disney World's Boardwalk. With all the demo going on in California, should we expect the recently removed Sun Icon or even the soon to be removed replica of the Golden Gate bridge to relocate to Florida? Hopefully not.

Before we are quick to criticize the Walt Disney Company for rehashing elements from the past, let me point out it is exactly the same sort of things we can do in our own lives. We can view people we haven't met through the lens of previous positive or negative relationships we have with others who seem similar. We can dress up and change our outside without ever really doing the hard work to change inside. Even worse, we can just let some things in us never change, causing us to deteriorate until we fall apart. (Want your Disney analogy? Think River Country here.)

Just as any Disney project needs a person with a vision and a great architect to pull it off, we need one, too. The Great Visionary who created us has a plan for us that is always better and healthier and more amazing than what we could ever expect compared to what we will get when we design our own lives. All it really takes to start fresh is agreeing to put your life in His hands, admitting we've made a mess of our life and possibilities. One step of faith, one choice of really giving your life over to Jesus is all it takes to watch new plans unfold. Then the son comes in, and the hope begins.
(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)