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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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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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TV Spot for Disney California Adventure Cars Land

Mater & Lightning McQueen photo shoot Cars Land

The world of Pixar’s Cars will open at Disney California Adventure on June 15th and Disney is ready to flood the airwaves with enticements to stop by. A new TV spot follows the characters from the movie as they explore the land. Sally and Lighting McQueen race through Ornament Valley and Radiator Springs. Luigi, Guido and Fillmore float on air on Luigi’s Flying Tires. Mater teaches little tractors to whip, whirl and dance on Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree.

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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

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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Mickey Mouse Does Yoga With Two Small Guests

I’ve seen a lot of great interactions between Mickey Mouse and the guests who come to get their picture taken with him. This is the first time I’ve ever seen Mickey sit down on the floor and do Yoga poses with two children. It’s a very cute magical moment

I wonder if that moment would have been possible with the articulated talking Mickey Mouse they’ve been experimenting with.

Not to be outdone, Goofy has his own Magic Moment with a very adorable baby whose prone to laughter at Goofy’s antics.

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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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