Disney's California Adventure Overhaul

[BJCool]

Westcoaster has a great new photo update with looks at all the new developments at DCA.

 

[MIAboy]

"A drive down the main street of Radiator Springs in Cars Land at the Disney Caliifornia theme park" from Inside the Magic.

[video=youtube;ezVECChJlgk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezVECChJlgk[/video]

OMG


I have never seen this drawing before.

 

[BJCool]

Here's a video from Disney with an Imagineer talking about the Carthay Circle Fountain and Buena Vista Street:

[video=youtube;L4qN-qf9D9I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4qN-qf9D9I[/video]


The Disneyland Resort being green with the remnants of the DCA overhaul:

Disneyland Resort Donates Iconic ‘CALIFORNIA’ Letters​

The “CALIFORNIA” letters previously located in the esplanade of the Disney California Adventure park entrance have found a new home! The Disneyland Resort will donate the set of letters, which were removed to make way for the Disney California Adventure park expansion project, to the Friends of the California State Fair, a nonprofit organization that benefits California Exposition & State Fair (Cal Expo) in Sacramento. Cal Expo is the site of the California State Fair and hundreds of other events annually.

Plans are underway to make the letters an integral part of a new Cal Expo entrance. The “CALIFORNIA” letters will make their way to their new home sometime in late September and will be placed high enough at the entrance to be seen from Exposition Boulevard. They’ll continue to create memories at a fitting location as Disney California Adventure park welcomes Cars Land and Buena Vista Street!

The donation is the latest among several other Disney California Adventure park artifacts over the last five years, including:

• The cab of the California Zephyr train that was formerly the home of Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream and Bakers Field Bakery was donated to the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, Calif.
• The sun icon that welcomed visitors to Sunshine Plaza was donated to the City of Anaheim for future use.
• The giant toy train from EnginEARS Toys will be donated to Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC Children’s) for future use.
• Postcards and displays from the Greetings From California store at the main entrance of Disney California Adventure park were donated to many Southern California nonprofit organizations and educational facilities, including the Boys & Girls Club of Tustin, the Anaheim Family YMCA, the Child Abuse Services Team office in Orange, the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach, and Betsy Ross and Orange Grove elementary schools in Anaheim.
• Signs and character displays from Greetings From California were donated to Pretend City in Irvine.
• The Reboundo Beach surfboard basketball game was donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Garden Grove.
• Benches from throughout Disney California Adventure park were donated to the City of Anaheim for use in public spaces.

And an early fan preview of Cars Land:

Sixty-Six Readers Take a Spin at the Disney Parks Blog Cars Land Meet-Up​

Yesterday, 66 Disney Parks Blog readers got to go “behind the wall” at our Cars Land Meet-Up! Before starting their cruise down Route 66, they paused with Imagineers Kathy Mangum and Kevin Rafferty, Sr., for a group photo. The photo is available for download right now on the Disney Parks Blog Facebook page!

From the overlook at Radiator Springs Racers, the group started their engines for tours hosted by Kathy and Kevin. The tours took them to Luigi’s Flying Tires, Ramone’s House of Body Art, Sarge’s Surplus Hut, Fillmore’s Taste-In and more.

The group had the chance to go inside Flo’s V8 Cafe to check out this new dining location. They were treated to all the details from Kathy and Kevin, learning more about Flo’s delectable diner and the Motorama Girl herself.

Finally, the tour ended with a special treat – a “dance” on Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree! With Mater calling the moves, fans spun and twisted to the music.

If you didn’t get to join us at the Disney Parks Blog Cars Land Meet-Up, check out Cars Land for yourself when it opens June 15 at Disney California Adventure park! And keep an eye on the Disney Parks Blog for more meet-ups to come.

Ka-Chow!

 

[BJCool]

Here's a look at the new Mad T Party:

[video=youtube;A-WVlVGKczs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-WVlVGKczs[/video]


Some more Disney Parks Blog stuff.....

First Look: Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop at Disney California Adventure Park​

Last week, we told you about the unveiling of Carthay Circle Theatre and the fountain in Carthay Circle. And today, just around the corner, the new Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop has emerged in the Pacific Wharf area at Disney California Adventure park. In the photos above by Paul Hiffmeyer, you can see the new location – but you’ll have to wait until the shop opens on June 7 to taste the delicious chocolates and sundaes that will be served here!

New Photos: Cars Land in Disney California Adventure Park, Day and Night​

Usually only the birds get this great view of Cars Land, but recently, I had a chance to get above it all in Radiator Springs.

The result is these photos taken just a few hours apart.

Whether in all its daytime glory, or glowing against the backdrop of a twilight sky, Cars Land is definitely ready for its close-up!

 

[MIAboy]

 

[UNIrd]

Two weeks until this opens. I seriously can't wait to hear RSR ride reactions.

 

[jtsalien]

I'd love to take a trip like this if I had enough money to waste like Disney.

[video=youtube;5j4Cgv13VfU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j4Cgv13VfU&feature=context-gfa[/video]

 

[JungleSkip]

Well, I'm going to have to make room in my top 10 dark rides for Radiator Springs Racers. Pictures of some of the scenes:

http://www.disneylandnewstoday.com/?p=8544

Ammazing. Well done, WDI. You've gotten me excited about a Cars product.

 

[Jymmymack]

Dang.

 

[JungleSkip]

Yup. Really terrific looking insides. Nice to see full AA use in an attraction. We really haven't seen that in the US in a long time.

Nice that Disneyland gets a brand spanking new awesome attraction to compete with Transformers (and vice versa), and will most likely get 2 new E-tickets to compete with the boy who lived in a few years...while WDW competes with meet and greets and play-places.

 

[Jymmymack]

Let's pray they spend some of the attention and money that they dropped on RSR with the Marvel properties...

 

[JungleSkip]

I'm sure they will. disneyland gets all the love.

 

[Jymmymack]

It sure frickin' needed it! lol. Disneyland's charm can carry it through anything... but DCA had no such thing going for it!

 

[JungleSkip]

While I don't think DCA was a great park by any means, I think it was bashed a bit too much during it's initial run before they fixed it up. Not saying the project wasn't necessary, but I think it got more of an unfair shake.

Seriously, it was 10000000000000x better than Disney Studios Paris.

 

[jtsalien]

While I don't think DCA was a great park by any means, I think it was bashed a bit too much during it's initial run before they fixed it up. Not saying the project wasn't necessary, but I think it got more of an unfair shake.

Seriously, it was 10000000000000x better than Disney Studios Paris.

It definitely had its merits. And really, anything that opened across from Disneyland was never going to get a fair shake.

 

[JungleSkip]

It definitely had its merits. And really, anything that opened across from Disneyland was never going to get a fair shake.

I think if the WestCOT plans had been built, it would have been fine.

But even then, DCA had some really good experiences when it opened. It just had too many facepalms to go along with it.

 

[Jymmymack]

Guys... you have to understand that the headline attraction in Hollywood Studios back then was Superstar Limo.


I rest my case.

 

[jtsalien]

Guys... you have to understand that the headline attraction in Hollywood Studios back then was Superstar Limo.


I rest my case.

But really, you can take Superstar Limo as a metaphor for the state of Hollywood. Fake, and soulless like the majority of Hollywood, it reminded you of how dark and demented the world of Hollywood can be. The terrible celebrity cameos made you wonder why you worshiped such false prophets in the first place.


Nah, on second thought it just was a pile of crap.

 

[Jymmymack]

LOL!!!! The worst part was that it moved SO SLOW and the interior was SO LONG... and you couldn't get out!

 

[JungleSkip]

Guys... you have to understand that the headline attraction in Hollywood Studios back then was Superstar Limo.


I rest my case.

I'm not saying there wasn't mistakes, but the park also had Grizzly River Run, Soarin', and California Screamin'. The problem with the park, really, was the theming, more than the actual idea/attractions.