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

• Tweet
• 

• Tweet
• 

Golden State:

Golden State might have been the strongest opening day land at Disney California Adventure. It was to be the land that represented the rich cultural and natural history of California. To accomplish this, Golden State was further divided into six sublands, known as Condor Flats, Pacific Wharf, The Bay Area, Grizzly Peak Recreation Area, Golden Vine Winery, and Bountiful Valley Farm.

Despite being the land of Disney California Adventure that was initially the strongest, The Golden State will become extinct when Disney California Adventure has its grand reopening. This is more for organizational purposes than because of substantial substantive changes that have occurred in Golden State. In its place, Disney California Adventure will add Pacific Wharf, Condor Flats, and Grizzly Peak. Bountiful Valley Farm was absorbed by ‘a bug’s land’ when that opened, The Bay Area was more or less absorbed by Paradise Pier when The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure opened in 2011, and Golden Vine Winery will be absorbed by Pacific Wharf when the park has its Grand Reopening.

Most of the changes to the Golden State have been of the “placemaking” variety (largely through an effort that has been dubbed “Project Sparkle”), as you can see below in the Condor Flats and Grizzly Peak sections.

Condor Flats:

Condor Flats has always been one of Disney California Adventure’s thematically strong lands, and changes to Condor Flats have been mostly incremental improvements to give the park a more ‘classic’ look.

The original backstory of Condor Flats was that it was a mecca for pilots and aeronautical innovators during the Age of Aviation. It was a center for testing during the 1940s until the 1960s, and was subsequently abandoned. In the 2000s, a group of young aviation enthusiasts re-discovered the area, and retrofitted the area to showcase their love for aviation.

This backstory explained why you had new graphics all over buildings that had been intentionally weathered and aged. It was a pretty clever backstory, but one that was lost on most guests. Most of the changes to Condor Flats have been to remove the layer of 2000s newness and restore the appearance of the weathered facilities from the 1940s.

The radar denoting the entrance to the land is now gone, as is the plane atop Taste Pilot’s Grill (I’m not convinced that this is permanent). The old gas pumps have been replaced with new-vintage ones.

I think these changes have been for the better, even if the immediate response is that ‘they’re taking away’ from Disney California Adventure with only removal here. I think Condor Flats will see long-term enhancements that strengthen its theme, and I prefer the idea of a pristine 1950s-era setting as opposed to the more elaborate backstory detailed above.

Grizzly Peak:

Grizzly Peak has a somewhat similar backstory to Condor Flats. Originally developed as a mine in the 1800s after a chance discovery of gold, the mine was later abandoned and the land sold to the government in the 1950s. As white-water rafting increased in popularity in the 1980s, a group of young entrepreneurs purchased the land to establish the Grizzly River Rafting Company, which would be an “X-Treme” sports facility for rafting.

If you read the history of Condor Flats above and sensed a trend, you can probably already guess what Disney is doing here: removing the layer of extreme sports theming. This is being done in favor of a theme that makes Grizzly Peak look more like one of California’s beautiful National Parks.

What has been done thus far to remove the distinctly 1990s (or early 2000s, I suppose) extreme sports theming has been excellent. Instead of being weathered with a layer of already-dated 1990s on top of it, this area of Disney California Adventure now has a classic 1950s look to it. This is another area where I expect continued improvements to be made to strengthen the look.

The Bay Area:

The Bay Area basically became extinct in 2008 when Golden Dreams closed to make way for The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, a new Disney dark ride and the next ‘big’ element of the Disney California Adventure expansion/overhaul following World of Color.

Golden Dreams was a film celebrating the diversity of California and the people who have been influential to the state’s history. The film was hosted by the mythical Queen Califia, and Califia statues at each side of the main show’s screen came to life with the likeness of Whoopi Goldberg.

In 2011, The Little Mermaid dark ride (click for photos) opened in the location once home to Golden Dreams. The only thing that remained of Golden Dreams was the Palace of Fine Arts-inspired entrance.

Having never experienced Golden Dreams, it’s difficult for me to speculate whether The Little Mermaid dark ride is an improvement upon it. Certainly it cost more and brought a needed dark ride to the park. Personally, I love film-based attractions, and Golden Dreams received high marks for its show quality, but I can recognize that it didn’t resonate with park guests. Perhaps it would have succeeded as a small-scale attraction in a small out-of-the-way theatre, much as Impressions de France works well in its location at Epcot.

Bountiful Valley Farm:

Bountiful Valley Farm was home to a walk-through exhibit presented by Caterpillar that showcased California farming, the 3D film “It’s Tough To Be A Bug,” plus a few food stands and retail locations. Its Caterpillar sponsorship meant that part of the exhibit would feature displays of actual farming equipment. This was an…interesting…touch.

In 2002, ‘a bug’s land’ was added to Disney California Adventure, and Bountiful Valley Farm was absorbed into that land. While the rest of ‘a bug’s land’ still exists, the Bountiful Valley Farm attraction plus some shopping and dining locations were swallowed by Cars Land construction in late 2010.

Although Cars Land has yet to open, it is highly touted, and preliminary reports and photos suggest it will be the best land in Disney California Adventure. At the very least, it has to be better than this.

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

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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?

   Reply
   • 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