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DCA

Cars Land – The Magic Is In The Details

Ornament Valley, the setting for Radiator Springs Racers

Walt Disney Imagineering is always pushing the corporate fiscal team to give enough budget to add that last layer of details that completes the theme park experience. The original DCA is the perfect example of what happens when the budget isn’t there. Ever since the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Universal Orlando and wowed everyone with the detail in the land, those controlling the purse strings have been more willing to let Imagineers do what they do best.

the town of Radiator Springs at night

Out east we’ve been focused on New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom as the first project to get the full treatment, but in the west, Cars Land is in soft openings and the verdict is that Imagineering has re-staked their claim on the top of the hill.

LUIGI'S FLYING TIRES

The magic, as they say, is in the details. Disney has just released a series of beautiful photos showing those details and a list of figures that show how in-depth the detail in the land actually is. It’s a big update, there are 20 photos, each of them is available to view larger if you click on it:

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Saccharine Delight Comes to Disney California Adventure – Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop Now Open



From left, Mary Niven, vice president, Disney California Adventure Park, Ernst Tanner, CEO, Lindt & SprŸngli AG, and George A. Kalogridis, president, Disneyland Resort celebrate the opening of a new Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop at Disney California Adventure Park June 7, 2012.

A wonder world of saccharine delights is now open at the Disneyland Resort. A new Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop is spreading its sugary sweetness inside Disney California Adventure park. The new location – the first to open inside a theme park – features Ghirardelli’s world-famous hot fudge sundaes and decadent chocolate products, and represents another milestone in the expansion of Disney California Adventure.

Good news, there will be free samples too!

“As we celebrate the culmination of our resort expansion, we are thrilled to welcome Ghirardelli, and to make this unique chocolate experience available to our park guests,” said George A. Kalogridis, president of Disneyland Resort. “Ghirardelli is a perfect fit for our newly reimagined Disney California Adventure, as we both share a rich California heritage.”

“We are excited to partner with the Disneyland Resort to open our Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop in Disney California Adventure,” said Martin Thompson, President and CEO of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. “Consumers associate our premium brand with high quality, delicious chocolate and now they will have the opportunity to enjoy both our intense, slow melting chocolate and our decadent ice cream treats inside the park. Our rich heritage began in California 160 years ago this year and opening this store in Disney California Adventure is a perfect way to celebrate.”

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DCA History Lesson: Tortillas, Wine, and Heavy Machinery

We are almost a week away from the piece de resistance for a Disney Parks fan, the unveiling of “DCA 2.0” after its major 5-year overhaul. As you know, I have been writing these history lessons leading up to June 15th, reminding you what would have happened if DCA stayed the same from day one. Today we are looking at a mish-mash of topics: Mission Tortilla Factory, Golden Vine Winery, and the Bountiful Valley Farm, with which we will start with.

Bountiful Valley Farm was one of the opening day attractions featured in the “Golden State” portion of the park. This area was a walk-through/garden/construction site that showed you how agriculture is such a large part of California’s culture (Thanks to Caterpillar farming equipment the area’s sponsor). This mini-land featured multiple crops that are prominent in California in addition to statues and signs describing California agriculture. The area also featured a new take on a kid’s water play area, using stationary yellow poles spurting water in different directions. A neat, inventive component was the unique store called “Santa Rosa Seed and Supply” that featured the usually t-shirts and toys (Caterpillars, no less), but also having gardening essentials. An odd choice for a theme park, but a cool ideas none the less. The highlight of the area? The ability to sit in tractor seats…duh! The area was one of the first to be gutted for the redo, closing on Sept. 7th, 2010. This area has now been covered with Carsland (BREAKING NEWS…it opens June 15th).

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Numbers Reveal Scale of Change at Disney California Adventure

We’re just a few short days away from the grand unveiling of the (mostly) remade Disney California Adventure. On June 15 two highly anticipated themed lands, Cars Land and Buena Vista Street, will open completing a five-year expansion of the Disneyland Resort. Add new attractions, merchandise locations, entertainment and food offerings, plus opportunities for families to have fun together, and guests will find an immersive experience full of memory-making opportunities for the whole family.

Here’s a closer look at Disney California Adventure, by the numbers.

280,000 – Square feet of rockwork in Cars Land, making Ornament Valley mountain range the largest rockwork created in a domestic Disney theme park; built to an unusual level of complexity with very few 90-degree angles

125 – Height in feet at the tallest peak of Ornament Valley range in Cars Land

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Preview New Tow Mater Animated Short Featuring Cars Land from DCA

The world created by Pixar for the Cars movies is the creative inspiration for the 12 acre expansion at DCA known as Cars Land, which is chiefly composed of Radiator Springs, the town from the Cars movies. To help promote Cars Land Pixar has animated… Read More »Preview New Tow Mater Animated Short Featuring Cars Land from DCA

Larry The Cable Guy at Cars Land and the Cozy Cone Motel

This was a picture that was bound to happen, Larry the Cable Guy (aka actor Dan Whitney) and the animated personality he voices Tow Mater, together in the new Disney California Adventure Cars Land. I love these guys, but my eyes are drawn to the… Read More »Larry The Cable Guy at Cars Land and the Cozy Cone Motel

Will Cars Land Elevate DCA Enough

The LA Times wonders if the changes to the entrance to the park and the addition of Cars Land to Disney California Adventure will be enough to elevate the park to a full day experience. There’s a lot of room for improvement: In 2010, California… Read More »Will Cars Land Elevate DCA Enough

Carthay Circle Fountain Details Explained By Imagineer

The Carthay Circle theater may be the center piece for Buena Vista Street, the new main street of Disney California Adventure, but the beautiful art deco fountain is the hub. In the following video Imagineer Lisa Girolami shares some insight into the inspiration for the… Read More »Carthay Circle Fountain Details Explained By Imagineer