Disney California Adventure Overhaul Retrospective: From Burger Invasion to Buena Vista Street

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Sunshine Plaza:

Disney, I suppose, had lofty intentions for Sunshine Plaza when it opened Disney California Adventure (I realize it technically opened as “Disney’s California Adventure,” but for simplicity’s sake, I’ll refer to the park by its current name throughout this post). The intended ‘look’ of the park entrance began outside of the main turnstiles, with the CALIFORNIA letters and continued through the main entrance into Sunshine Plaza, past the Golden Gate bridge and flashy neon signs all the way to the Sun Icon. The goal of this area was to make the guest feel as if they were jumping into a graphic-style postcard. In fairness, when viewed with this in mind, you can sort of see it. However, the execution was atrocious, and guests frequently complained that Sunshine Plaza was little more than an eclectic mess of colors and concrete.

Before you start with the photo tour, I recommend watching this 11 minute video of Disney California Adventure as it was in April 2001, which will set the ‘tone’ of our tour:

Notice the complete lack of crowds, among other things?!

Golden Gate Bridge Area:

By itself, the Golden Gate Bridge looked pretty cool. In fact, I actually think it’s prettier than the new bridge on Buena Vista Street. However, it probably wouldn’t have worked in an area themed to “1920s Los Angeles,” so it had to go. It also would have drawn the emphasis away from the “wienie” that is Carthay Circle Theatre at the end of Buena Vista Street, so I can doubly understand the decision to remove it. As you can see in one of the photos below, when viewed from other areas of the park, it was the most visible aspect of Sunshine Plaza.

Beyond the Bridge itself, also in this area were a few shops covered with neon signs. These shops were some of the largest at Disneyland Resort. As a photographer, I’m normally a huge fan of neon, but I was never really all that drawn to this area. It was too wide open, the signs were on unthemed buildings–in short, it just didn’t work.

Sun Icon:

In what became an infamous (you might notice the word “infamous” used in this post a lot…) entrance that typified the ‘cheapness’ of the original Disney California  Adventure, the Sun Icon was the centerpiece, and perhaps the lightning-rod for the most criticism. Ironically-enough, unlike a lightning rod, it didn’t actually attract light on its own, since it faced north. Disney wanted it to reflect light, so little reflectors were installed throughout the area to bounce light back to the Sun Icon.

Most Disney icons have iconic names. Sleeping Beauty Castle. Cinderella Castle. Spaceship Earth. On the other end of the spectrum, it seems that Disney doesn’t give names to the more notorious icons, knowing that fans will give them their own names (see the “Big Ass Hat” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios). Such was the case with the Sun Icon (I don’t even know why I’m capitalizing it, since I don’t think it’s a proper name…), which became the “Hubcap” to Disneyland locals. I don’t think I have to explain why it got that name.

Below the Hubcap was a pretty unique fountain that had, for lack of a better term, a wave machine. This was actually a pretty cool feature, and did enhance the low kinetic energy of the original Disney California Adventure entrance. But this little feature was not enough to save the entrance from extinction.

The Hubcap received seasonal and event-specific makeovers throughout the years. It received enhancements for Halloween, Christmas, Glowfest, World of Color, and perhaps other events throughout the years.

Here’s a video of the wave machine below the Sun Icon:

In late 2010, walls appeared around the Sun Icon and it was quickly removed. The Carthay Circle Theatre, Disney California Adventure’s new icon, went up in its place. In late May 2012, the walls came down around Carthay Circle Theatre, revealing the beautiful new park icon. This substantial positive change alone is very indicative of the sweeping changes occurring throughout Disney California Adventure to turn it into a much more detailed and well-themed experience.

California Zephyr:

The California Zephyr was by far the best done aspect of the original Sunshine Plaza. Unlike the train found at the entrance to Disneyland across the Esplanade, The California Zephyr was merely a clever building façade that served as the entrance to three shops: Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream, Baker’s Field Bakery, and Engine-Ears Toys. In an entrance area that was described as an unthemed ‘box’ stores and masses of concrete by many, the California Zephyr was a true bright spot.

Even though it was abundantly clear that the train couldn’t actually go anywhere since there was no track in front of or behind it, it looked cool, and was a good execution of the California theming. Had the rest of the entrance been this well-themed, perhaps Buena Vista Street would not have come to fruition.

Unfortunately, despite its great theming, the California Zephyr did not fit the Imagineers’ plans for Buena Vista Street, nor did it fit the 1920s-era theme for the street. It will be replaced by equally well-themed shops on Buena Vista Street, and this general area is also where the “Storytellers” Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse statue will be located. All in all, we can’t be too disappointed about the loss of the California Zephyr, given what will soon replace it!

The transition from Sunshine Plaza to Buena Vista Street will be the last area of Disney California Adventure to be complete, and we can’t wait to share photos from the finished Buena Vista Street with you.

Explore the rest of Disney California Adventure on the next page! You can navigate to specific lands and changes via the links below, or take the full tour by simply clicking the numbers below!

Park Entrance
Sunshine Plaza
Paradise Pier – Part 1
Paradise Pier – Part 2
Golden State
Hollywood Pictures Backlot
Parades & Events
Cars Land Construction

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16 Responses to “Disney California Adventure Overhaul Retrospective: From Burger Invasion to Buena Vista Street”

1. Jasmine says:

   June 4, 2012 at 5:46 pm

   As someone who hails from Los Angeles, California and who was there from the beginning of the evolution of DCA, I must say you did a great job with this project. You don’t sound like someone who’s been visiting the parks for only two years.

   You know something was wrong with DCA when KIDS didn’t even want to visit. That was the case with my family. As kids, whenever we would visit DLR, we would always go to DCA first and “get it over with.” As a kid, I didn’t like the park. My sister and cousin felt the same way. Something was definitely missing. We had felt like we were in some random park that happened to be across the way from Disneyland, which made it worse whenever we visited. We really didn’t like it. We would go and ride Soarin’ Over California, Mullholland Madness (now Goofy’s Sky School), and maybe Jumping Jellyfish. That’s pretty much it. After those three rides we would haul a** to Disneyland! It was like we were left with foster parents for months and we were finally being reunited with our real parents. That’s what it was like, whenever we left DCA and went to Disneyland.

   When it was announced the park would be getting a huge makeover, I couldn’t have been more happy. I kind of felt bad that I didn’t like Disneyand’s sister park. I wanted to like it but I just didn’t. It didn’t help that the legend of all theme parks sat right across from it. I’m glad it took only six years for TDA, WDC, the Imagineers, etc. to realize something needed to be done with this park. I’m beyond happy with the choices they made to reinvent California Adventure!

   I’ve got some memorabilia from the early days. I’ve got an opening day coin from 2001 and I still have an old, Big Mac Burger Invasion box. The design on the box is really cool and I’ve held onto it. I also have an old, McDonald’s french fry box from the time Disneyland used to sell McDonald’s fries in Frontierland (anyone remember that?!). The box looks pretty much exactly the same as a regular McDonald’s fry box but its got some images of classic Disneyland rides. Really cool.

   Sorry for the long post! I’m just so excited for the grand reopening, I, along with everyone else, have waited five years for this and I’m ready for it to open! Those five years flew by so quick and I know I’m going to be even more proud of my second home, the Disneyland Resort come June 15th. Great article, you did an amazing job, Tom! Hope your flight is a safe one when you come here to California and I hope you and Sarah enjoy yourselves at the new resort.

   Reply
2. Rachel says:

   June 4, 2012 at 9:19 pm

   Wow, I didn’t realize just how horrible this park was when it first opened. What were they thinking???

   Reply
3. Justin M says:

   June 5, 2012 at 3:01 pm

   Excellent article Tom! I enjoyed the last 45mins at work reading this and looking through the great pictures. I will have to reserve my final judgment on the expansion until I vist in June. I still think Epcot will remain my third favorite U.S. Disney Park though behind MK and DL. It will be hard for DCA to overtake Epcot in attendance as well.

   Reply
4. weepstah says:

   June 6, 2012 at 8:42 am

   Fantastic post, thanks for putting this together. It’s really neat to see how things have changed at DCA since it’s inception.

   Reply
5. Amy says:

   June 6, 2012 at 9:47 pm

   I loved most of the things that were originally at DCA! I think I am the only one who is sad to see some changes…

   Reply
   • Gerald says:

     June 24, 2012 at 3:13 pm

     I’m with you Amy!!!

     Reply
     • Joyce says:

       October 22, 2012 at 12:00 am

       Well, I found the early California Adventure plaza enchanting. I really did feel like I stepped back in time having been raised in Chula Vista, California in the 50′s and 60′s, then being transplanted to Eastern Oregon in the 1970′s.

       The sun icon was amazing and the sound of the water from the wave machine mixed with crystal clear Beach Boys songs blaring though out was like being in a time machine. I remember how immaculate the walkways were, and the short amount of time I had to linger there that lovely November afternoon in 2001–I will not forget. It made a huge impression.

       While the rest of the Disney parks were fun for the 3 generations of us that week, my favorite was the plaza at the California Adventure.

       Once a “California girl”…
6. Phil says:

   June 12, 2012 at 12:00 pm

   There is a version of Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree in the studios in Paris (called Cars Race Rally). When you are watching it looks for all the world like it is only suitable for children up to the age of about 4, but it is in reality very good fun and very silly. Don’t pass on it without giving it a try!

   Reply
7. Gerald says:

   June 24, 2012 at 3:00 pm

   Amy you are not the only one trust me! I was there in February of 2001 and am as sad as you to see all the changes. The original will always be special to me. Walking through the park hearing Beach Boys and other California based music while enjoying the history of California was great. God forbid that our kids might actually learn something while at a theme park. And personally I loved the fact that it was different from Disneyland. I always said it was more of an adult version of Disneyland that even served alcohol. Did it need updating including the expansion of Carsland? Of course! But it didn’t need the overly expensive revamp of the entire park or the change in theme. The new entrance and the new buildings in the formerly Sunshine Plaza actually seem boring to me. I’m willing to bet that a lot of what was removed like the California letters and Golden Gate Bridge are things the majority enjoyed the most. A big part of Disney vacations are picture taking spots and they took away three major picture spots in the revamping of the entrance alone. The revamp was clearly overkill. One of the biggest reasons given for the overhaul was the Park Hopper tickets. Most weren’t willing to pay the full price for CA as they were for Disneyland. Well when CA is only 67 acres of mostly unused space, and DL is 85 acres of packed rides and attractions, is it any wonder why?

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   • Tom Bricker says:

     June 25, 2012 at 9:33 am

     I understand and respect your attachment to Sunshine Plaza, but I far prefer BVS.

     At one point (before it opened), I might have agreed about the spending on Cars Land. However, after seeing attendance and reading mainstream media reviews, I disagree. Cars Land is already developing a reputation of its own. Like Wizarding World of Harry Potter, people will plan vacations around Cars Land, and tell friends they’re visiting “Disneyland and Cars Land,” without even knowing that Cars Land isn’t its own theme park. It’s already that popular, and word of mouth should be great on it.

     Reply
     • Gerald says:

       June 26, 2012 at 11:14 am

       I never said I had a problem with Cars Land at all. The park absolutely needed updating and expansion. There was also a lot of unused space that is now being used just like Disneyland’s history. But no one ever re-themed or completely made over the entire park of Disneyland. Like you say Cars Land alone is bringing people in so why the need for the total revamp? Nobody going for Cars Land is going to care about BVS. It has cost 3 – 4 times more to revamp than it did to build in the first place. Why take out rides like the Maliboomer and then do nothing with the space? I go quite often but I have friends and family who don’t and when they do go that was one ride they asked about when wondering why it was removed. If anything Cars Land would have fit perfectly into the 50′-60′s California feel and history theme the park had originally. I just personally think they went too far when Michael Eisner left. The powers that be hated the man even though he pretty much saved the company after Walt died. They couldn’t wait to change what was Eisner’s park. They just went too far in my opinion.
     • Gerald says:

       June 26, 2012 at 11:21 am

       They even scrapped the Walt Disney Story in the Carthay Theatre which was the cornerstone of the revamp of Sunshine Plaza.
8. Jennifer says:

   December 28, 2012 at 6:29 pm

   I LOVED reading this article. I had never been to DCA until September 2012, so I had no idea what it had changed from. While I agree to a limited extent that some of the original stuff could have been left and spruced up, overall I am SHOCKED at what the park used to be. No wonder no one ever went. Now it is amazing and my kids keep asking to go back to DLR instead of WDW!

   Reply
   • Tom Bricker says:

     December 29, 2012 at 8:20 am

     The original stuff is mostly cool from a nostalgic perspective. They definitely made the right decisions with the overhaul!

     Reply
9. Pete says:

   January 12, 2013 at 12:33 am

   Kind of sad to see the re-theme, in a way…I understood the concept of relating everything to quintessential California (while bringing in all of the cookie-cutter types of rides that other parks had that Disney was lacking) but, I think the CA theme was lost on a large percentage of visitors to the park…from the prospective of staying true to an overall theme, the original park was spot on.

   Not really following how some of the re-theming ties together…Re-doing the Entrance to look more generic (like the Disney movie park in FL) is a big disappointment…Putting classic Disney on everything being re-themed doesn’t seem to tie anything together in the new park either…

   It seemed like DCA had been bringing on new attactions to draw visitors but, the Park’s theme wasn’t conducive to adding in Pixar themed attractions (which is what is reflective of Disney’s current sustained movie success)…I would like to see re-themes completely based around Pixar attractions (rather than trying to tie classic Disney into the new park)…

   Disneyland should be ‘classic’ Disney and DCA seems like it could be ‘current’ Disney themed (ie- Pixar)…this is already the direction they’re going (Bug’s Land, Car’s Land, Toy Story/Monster’s Inc. rides), I don’t understand why they’re not keeping this trend in mind in their re-theming, too.

   The DCA Park seems as confused (theme-wise) as ever…it doesn’t know what it wants to be. Staying true to the California theme didn’t pan out so if you’re going to spend money to get rid of the theme of the park, you should have an overall vision to unify things and be shooting towards matching attractions to that new theme…changing the Boardwalk theme (that made sense for a CA themed park) to generic classic Disney character themed rides, doesn’t seem to jive with the Pixar themed lands.

   I don’t know what the answer is. It seems like there is too much invested in CA themed attractions to sucessfully re-theme to something else. The Wharf area and Condor Flats/Grizzly areas are still tied to a CA theme and are separated by a re-themed boardwalk…the lands are all choppy theme-wise, now. Just seems like a mess…

   Reply
   • Tom Bricker says:

     January 13, 2013 at 10:10 am

     I don’t think the theme is necessarily more cohesive (if anything, it’s probably less), but overall, I think the park works much, much better. It’s a far higher quality environment.

     Reply