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.)

When Reality is Better Than Imagineering Art: Disneyland's Revamped Rivers of America

As all the excitement continues around Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and its only opening day attraction, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, I thought it was time to take a look at the transformation of the Rivers of America. 

Disneyland fans were highly concerned when it was announced that  the Rivers of America was going under the knife in order to make room for Star Wars. The project was already hotly debated due to its location in "Walt's park" versus the catch all that has become Disney California Adventure. Concerns were valid. The end result was, quite fortunately, one of the most lovingly executed projects of Disneyland's recent years.

My photography skills do not do the transformation justice! As I rode both the Mark Twain Steamboat and then the Disneyland Railroad, I was impressed with what I found. It was even impressive from Tom Sawyer Island and even from the walking path that meanders around the river from Frontierland to New Orleans Square to Critter Country. From every angle, this project is a winner.

Boarding the Mark Twain Riverboat brings some of the best views possible. What used to be a long stretch of nothing much to see just around the river bend has become an area of interest. Newly discovered waterfalls crash just behind the elevated railroad track, and the long present Indian village seems to have come alive. You know that Galaxy's Edge is just beyond the additions, and yet it all flows together so seamlessly making that fact easy to forget. 

Naturally, with about 1/3 of the river shortened than it was at park opening in 1955, I expected the water journey to feel shortchanged. It was not a lesser experience in any way. The craft certainly moved not quite as fast as before, and the overall journey felt just right.

What has yet to be seen is how the voyage feels in the evening when the Galaxy outpost is lit up. How will a ride on the rails feel as it passes by the otherworldly glow? Should the Mark Twain ever make evening cruises again, will this ruin the mood?

I'm not a fan of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge going into Disneyland. That and Marvel should have been the basis of a 3rd park in Anaheim. But it's done. At least the transformation of the Rivers of America was lovingly accomplished- in my mind adding and not subtracting from a beautiful part of the Land.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company. Photographs by Mark Taft.)

When Reality is Better Than Imagineering Art: Disneyland Paris' Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant

Imagineer Nina Rae Vaughn not only did some beautiful artwork for Tokyo DisneySea, she also produced some fine pieces for the equally incredible Disneyland Paris. 

Just take a look at this art in a large view. The delicate charm and beauty of the castle, Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, is highlighted by the graceful arches, geometric shrubbery (reflecting the art of the Sleeping Beauty film), and the fireworks cascading from the sky. Yet, the art doesn't compare to the reality.

My attempt to capture the castle in its Christmas finery.

Click here for the video.

Take a tour of the castle with this detailed look found in the above video. Make sure to turn on your sound. It gives the listener an ever greater sense of being in the Paris park, the most beautiful Magic Kingdom of all.

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

When Reality is Better Than Imagineering Art: Disneyland Paris' Frontierland

Walt Disney Imagineering art always promises grand vistas, gorgeous colors, and a scale and scope that makes even the smallest addition look like it is the next "E" Ticket attraction. I love it! From The beautiful Tower of Terror art for Japan, to just about everything created for EPCOT Center, each piece seems worth digging out that magnifying glass to look for details.

The concept piece for Disneyland Paris (above) is absolutely stunning. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad commands the eye as the centerpiece of the land and the propellant of the story behind the town, Thunder Mesa. Dramatic with its piercing sunset, the concept calls for further investigation. In the shadows, viewers will find the foreboding Phantom Manor in the distance, perched high up on a cliff. 

Every once in awhile- before the suits get to cutting the budget- the end result of what's actually built turns out better than what the artist could paint. Such is the case with the park's Frontierland.

The photo above is taken by me from Fort Comstock, up in the arcades. (Click on it for a large view.) It's a darker, overcast sky in the afternoon of winter. I wish I would have taken this exact same shot during my first two visits to the park instead of my last. The first trip came in Fall of 1998, and the second in the Summer of 2007. The most recent trip was January 2013, unfortunately when the photograph wouldn't look as close as possible to the artwork. On the other hand, seeing Paris and Disneyland Paris at Christmas is worth the trip.

As with each land in Paris, Frontierland is expansive, impressive in scope and scale. Designed for each land to be visually hidden from the others, it's easy to suspend belief and soak in the time and place created as being real. 

Being very familiar with both Stateside versions, it was a bit disorienting to find familiar attractions in different locations. Yet that is what makes this park so fun to explore. And once inside the doors of a familiar attraction, the Imagineers have made sure everything else is fresh and different from what you can find back home. Team Leader Tony Baxter did a terrific job bringing in the best of the crew for design. Kudos go to Imagineer Pat Burke for creating the most perfect Frontierland ever. 

Each attraction here is part of a larger story. I'll leave it for you to discover, but let's just say gold, greed, and murder make for a pretty intriguing piece of theme park. Not necessarily child friendly, although it is easy for kids to not see the connection and still have a great time here. We spent several hours touring the Wild West that never was. After three visits, and hopefully more in the future, Frontierland remains my favorite destination in the park. 

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