Like a scene out of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the Red Car Trolley’s roll through the new Buena Vista Street area of Disney California Adventure. The Red Cars are crucial to the feel of the area that takes you back in time to Los Angeles… Read More »Behind the Scenes of the Red Car Trolleys at DCA
A new show that takes place on Buena Vista Street in the newly relaunched Disney California Adventure brings guests back to the Walt Disney creation story via his creation Mickey Mouse. When Walt moved to Hollywood in 1923 he had $40 in his pockets and… Read More »“A Suitcase and a Dream” echoes Walt Disney’s Story at DCA
The new entrance to Disney California Adventure is meant to evoke that period of Los Angeles history as it might have been experienced by Roy & Walt Disney as they arrived and lived in Hollywood during the 1920s and 30s. The Red Car Trolley is… Read More »Red Cars bring Life, History to Buena Vista Street at DCA
Yes, that’s a ride. Photo credit: Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort
I was standing right in front for the Cars Land Grand Opening event (just behind John Ratzenberger and Randy Newman, seriously), but my video isn’t nearly as good as this official release from Disney (below), so let’s use theirs! Read More »Cars Land Grand Opening Event – Video
As readers of this blog surely know, when Disney California Adventure Park opened almost 12 years ago as a second gate to Disneyland it wasn’t the hit that Disney or its fans hoped it would be. In fact, it was written off by many as a ridiculous concept done on the cheap. For the record, I’ve always enjoyed the park, but I understand what people were saying, it needed more everything: rides, shows, food, theming, and above all else, it needed more magic. It needed more Disney.
Hello, and welcome to DCA 2.0. Read More »Disney California Adventure Park’s Grand Reopening – Videos!
Let me just say that Cars Land at Disney California Adventure is exactly what you want it to be, except you would probably want more. That’s not to say it’s a small land (after all?). I attended the grand opening of DCA’s newest area, and it was much bigger than I had anticipated. However, it is so fun that it leaves you wanting more, which, if I’ve learned anything from television, is a good thing.Read More »A Cars Land Teaser
Can you believe it! This is the last DCA History Lesson! More importantly, the week we have been waiting for since it was announced in 2007, DCA’s 1.1 billion dollar expansion will finally be completed. Time has flown. To celebrate, I thought the only way to cap off an incredible expansion of this size, would be to go to the most iconic part of DCA…Paradise Pier. Strap in screamers, we have 4 topics to cover. Sit back, face forward, and hang on!
The focal point of Paradise Pier was (and still is) the Ferris wheel. Being 160 ft. in diameter, it is hard to miss. WDI decided that the essence of California could be represented by the sun (hence the Sunshine Sculpture at the front of the park), so they stuck it on the side of the wheel. Based on Mexican folk-art, one of the main “defining features” of the park also featured a very fun, and sometimes thrilling, ride. With 16 swinging gondolas, it brought Ferris wheels to a whole new level. Once the expansion was announced and the direction Paradise Pier was taking was different than what the sun represented, they announced that the Sun Wheel would now becomes Mickey’s Fun Wheel. The attraction closed in Oct. of 2008 and reopened in May 2009 with the Mickey head.
Marketing for Pixar’s Cars Land really is picking up. This new video attempts to go viral with a really cute idea – Dozens of kids in their Lightning McQueen Toy Cars driving through Disneyland and into Disney California Adventure with the eventual destination of Cars Land. Watch to the end for a cameo by Pixar’s John Lasseter (sporting a Cars Hawaiian shirt, of course).
To me this evokes some of Disneyland’s earliest promotions with Autopia Cars driving down Main Street USA. I mean, come on, who hasn’t wanted to do that.
Update: Disney has released an alternate “high-octane” version of the video. It’s also very cute.