This is another Disney Blog by a Disney fan who wants to talk about whatever he wants. Disney related, of course.

Friday, August 31, 2007

Reimagineering Disney's California Adventure: Part Deux

Recently, as more and more information becomes available I have decided that there are some good and some bad rumors circulating the web. I still look forward to improvements that are coming to Disney's California Adventure, but I am not sure that all of these will make it off the drawing board.


Al Lutz at MiceAge.com posted an article yesterday outlining some of the rumors he is hearing. Most of his report details some very exciting changes that could be coming to the park. One of these seems almost silly. The Route 66 section of Paradise Pier will be ripped out. Mulholland Madness will be making an exit from the park along with the McDonalds, and Pizza Oom Mow Mow. Replacing the food in the area would be a Victorian Beer Garden. This would be a very nice change. Replacing Mulholland Madness will be a Ratatouille themed roller coaster. Everything I have seen about Crush's Coaster from the Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Resort Paris makes me think that they can do a very good Pixar themed coaster I just don't know if Ratatouille is the right movie. Are you going to board little rat cars and race through the sewers of France? How does that fit in California? Is there a large French population in Bakersfield that I am unaware of? As with all other projects that could potentially be included in the DCA overhaul I will reserve final judgment until it is announced and WDI shares some details of the attraction.


Another rumored attraction that I am having a small problem with is the Little Mermaid Omnimover. Don't get me wrong, I am all for a Little Mermaid attraction. A major presence in the park is at least 15 years overdue for Ariel. I just don't know how this will fit into the San Francisco section of the California park. If the exit will be the the Dome from Golden Dreams how does that fit with the Little Mermaid? On second thought I should probably forget everything I just said about the Little Mermaid and be happy that they are going to include Ariel, Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle in the parks. I am also excited for another omnimover. The Haunted Mansion and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster are both great uses of this ride system. Hopefully the Little Mermaid will be too.

Early 90's model of Discovery Bay

There are a couple items mentioned in the article that have me very excited. A preview center would be built in the San Francisco row houses that currently house nothing or almost nothing as there are some bathrooms on one side. This would be a showcase for all the additions and changes coming to the Disneyland Resort. How great will it be to see models and concept art of the next great E-ticket coming to the parks? I remember seeing models for Discovery Bay and WestCOT when I was younger and these models never came to be. How excited are we all be when they are displaying models for projects that we know will be coming in the near future?


Another change for the better is the enclosure of the Hyperion Theater waiting area. I haven't been to see the Aladdin musical in a couple years because I hate waiting out in the heat. With a refresh of the exterior of this theater it will become a more special venue than it already is. When I heard about the enclosed waiting area it gave me an idea for a new location for the Disney Gallery. The Hyperion Theater is a very tall building. The waiting area would not even come half way up the building when it is enclosed. You could put a second story on the waiting area to become the new Disney Gallery. I don't know if this would actually work or not but I think that having the great art above the great theater would add something to this section of the park.


Once the rehab is complete on the Hollywood Pictures Backlot it will look like 1930's Hollywood. I don't remember Monsters Inc. in 1930's Hollywood. Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck were around in the 1930's. Mickey's Philharmagic is another rumored addition to the park and I will be waiting in line for it. It is one of my very favorite attractions in all of Walt Disney World. I think it is an excellent 3D show. The only problem is that it would replace another great 3D experience, Muppetvision. It would go down the drain and disappear from the west coast. If only Muppetvision didn't have Waldo it would be absolutely classic. Now I will only be partially sad to see it go and look forward to Philharmagic.


There are still so many rumors floating about Disney's California Adventure that this post could continue indefinitely. For now we will stop right here and pick up again soon. The next few years are going to be very exciting for DCA and the Disneyland Resort.

If you would like to read Al's article in its entirety please click here.

4 comments:

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James said...

I'm thrilled about these changes. I've always liked DCA, although I agree that the new changes I've read about sound like it will be even better when they finish in five years.

Anonymous said...

I would pass out if they put Philhar Magic at DCA! I totally love it. But I am going to miss the Mulholland Madness, Pizza Oom Mow Mow and that stuff at DCA. I personally feel that a Victorian Beer Garden is a complete waste of space and a poor choice. Disney should keep the family theme alive instead of putting fancy drinking places in the park. There already is a Wine Garden anyway. The Ratatoullie and the Lttle Mermaid thing sounds great! By the way, have you heard about the new Cars Land opening in 2012? I hear it's going to be big...no...HUGE!!!

Anonymous said...

Just an FYI ... that concept for Discovery Bay is not from the early 90s. It was originally planned for Disneyland as early as 1976. The model stood in a exhibit space in Main Street's "Disneyland Showcase" building, at the Town Square portion. It sat there during the early to mid 80s. But when officials opted to not go through with the proposed area for Frontierland, the model was put away. Until years later, and shown as a past idea, that never came to be.