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DCA History Tour: Paradise Pier…The Finale!

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.

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Cute Kids Converge on Cars Land in Viral Video

Mater & Lightning McQueen photo shoot Cars Land

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.

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Aligning Cars to Cars Land

(I just know that title is going to generate some weird ads)

A couple short videos today that show how much of an emphasis Imagineering placed on faithfully recreating the world of Pixar’s Cars for Disney California Audiences audiences to encounter. It looks to me like WDI did a terrific job of aligning the world of ‘Cars’ with the requirements of Cars Land.

Below the cut is one of those terrific time-lapse construction videos where you get to watch months pass by in 30 seconds.

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Time-Lapse Disneyland Video Fun

Photographer Daniel Navarrete used over 30,000 still photos taken over the course of a year to create this fantastic video of Disneyland and California Adventure. Using the magic of Time-Lapse Navarrete gives the parks a new perspective. Almost makes It’s A Small World look like… Read More »Time-Lapse Disneyland Video Fun

DCA History Lesson: A California Christmas

AP and D23 previews of Carsland and Buena Vista Street are in full swing, and they are looking fantastic! The rides, shops, and restaurants are all themed incredibly by the WDI team. I have heard that they will be having some outstanding holiday decorations this… Read More »DCA History Lesson: A California Christmas

Radiator Springs Racers – On Ride Video and Photos

DOC HUDSON IN RADIATOR SPRINGS RACER

Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders were among the first to be allowed behind the wall and into the world of Pixar’s Cars and the town of Radiator Springs. The E-Ticket attraction of this new Cars Land is Radiator Springs Racers and, as you might expect, a few passholders rushed home and put some excellent on ride video up on youtube.

Obviously, there are spoilers from here on out. So proceed at your own risk if you want to remain unspoiled.

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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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