History of Disney California Adventure
Mulholland Madness:
On the other side of Paradise Bay, Mulholland Madness rounded out the slate of Paradise Pier attractions in Disney California Adventure. Like Maliboomer, it was another off the shelf attraction–a simple wild mouse kiddie coaster.
Unlike Maliboomer, Disney did theme it, but with a very tacky, very minimal, and very obnoxious theme to things you might see along the freeway in Los Angeles. Mulholland Madness went extinct in 2010.
The attraction reopened in 2011, rethemed as Goofy’s Sky School. While it’s still an off-the-shelf wild mouse coaster, and the theming still isn’t that great, it’s about as good of a fix as can be expected until Disney removes the coaster completely.
Rumors abound that this is another site of future expansion, and I certainly hope that’s the case.
Pizza Oom Mow Mow & Burger Invasion:
Pizza Oom Mow Mow and Burger Invasion were restaurants in Paradise Pier at Disney California Adventure that went extinct in 2010. Burger Invasion is interesting because it was the first McDonald’s in a Disney theme park when it opened in 2001. Disney and McDonald’s had a strong relationship at this time (I’m pretty sure there was also a nationwide McDonald’s ad campaign in 2001 promoting the opening of Disney’s California Adventure and the Big ‘N’ Tasty; I can find no evidence of this online, but I seem to remember it…anyone else?)
Burger Invasion was a giant burger shaped Spaceship-restaurant. I suppose it was themed to the California Crazy movement, but I’m not certain of that (it doesn’t have the typical look of California Crazy, but it is a giant burger…). Burger Invasion unofficially closed in 2008 when Disney’s partnership with McDonald’s ended, but the restaurant stuck around, in a perpetually closed state, until 2010. Although it never re-opened (to my knowledge) after 2008, over the years, vestiges of McDonald’s were removed from the restaurant and rethemed.
I only had the chance to eat at Pizza Oom Mow Mow once, but I have to admit that I loved it, and actually preferred it to the restaurants in Paradise Gardens. Its theming was rich, it was incredibly detailed, and was just plain fun. It was also very eclectic and tacky. By itself, it might have received a pass, but Disney California Adventure was filled with loud, tacky, and eclectic experiences. I think the right decision was made to close and retheme it to a restaurant that would work better in Paradise Pier.
Paradise Garden Grill and Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta replacement Burger Invasion and Pizza Oom Mow Mow in 2011. Instead of the tacky and loud theming of their predecessors, the two new restaurants have a restrained elegance and fit the theming of a bayside pier perfectly. While the new restaurants are not as detail-rich as Pizza Oom Mow Mow, they just work in the new Disney California Adventure much better.
Shops and Stuff:
Unlike the giant burger at Burger Invasion that might have been (but probably wasn’t) California Crazy, the giant pink (and later green) dinosaur at Dinosaur Jack’s Sunglass Shack was definitely California Crazy. Unsurprisingly, this was a sunglass store. Over the years, Dinosaur Jack developed some neck weakness issues (you can see a brace in the first photo below), and was eventually repainted green when his neck was fixed.
Dinosaur Jack went extinct in 2009.
Souvenir 66 was another shop in this area of Paradise Pier. It sold hats and random generic trinkets. It closed permanently in 2009 with Dinosaur Jack, but unlike Jack, which was removed, it reopened as Seaside Souvenirs in 2011.
The S.S. Rustworthy was a McDonald’s-sponsored play area in Disney California Adventure. According to backstory, the S.S. Trustworthy was a fireboat for Paradise Pier Bay that crashed and broke into two, and the letter “T” fell off the boat. Because of this, it was renamed the S.S. Rustworthy.
When McDonald’s and Disney ended their relationship in 2008, the Rustworthy lost its sponsor. In 2010 it went extinct, to be replaced by Bayside Brews.
The overall changes to the Route 66-themed shops and restaurants in this area of Paradise Pier (did I miss something connecting Route 66 to Paradise Pier?!) to something more “Pier-ish” have been huge improvements for Disney California Adventure. This whole area previously looked incredibly tacky and kitschy, and now, with few exceptions, it looks great!
World of Color:
Following Toy Story Midway Mania, World of Color was the next big project undertaken as part of the Disney California Adventure transformation/overhaul/expansion. Technically, it was preceded by another water show on Paradise Bay, LuminAria, which ran for one holiday season in 2001. There is very little online about LuminAria (I have the music from it, which is gorgeous), but you can read more about it at Yesterland.
Construction for World of Color began with the draining of Paradise Bay in November 2008. Thereafter, a platform for the water jets was constructed in January 2009, and Paradise Bay was refilled in November 2009. Programming and testing for World of Color began in late 2009. Leaked videos of the testing show a version of World of Color with more classic Walt Disney-era animated films, and it has been suggested that Disney CEO Bob Iger mandated that changes be made to make the show more contemporary. World of Color premiered in June 2010 as part of Disneyland Resort’s Summer Nightastic promotion.
When it first premiered, World of Color was promoted throughout Disney California Adventure with paint displays (pictured above) and flower beds. It also featured a pre-show with light up Disney characters.
Since premiering, many segments have cycled through an open slot in World of Color. Pirates of the Caribbean was originally in this slot, followed by Tron: Legacy, and now Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. In addition to this, a holiday-themed Prep & Landing pre-show debuted for Christmas 2011, and a patriotic July 4, 2011 version also ran. Anticipated changes include interactive audience elements.
World of Color was another substantial addition that has received an overwhelmingly positive response from guests. It gives Disney California Adventure a bona fide nighttime spectacular.
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
Opening To Arthur Christmas 2012 DVD
1.Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Logo
2.Sony Entertainment Network Promo
3.Hotel Transylvania Preview
4.The Pirates! Band Of Misfits Preview
5.The Smurfs Preview
6.12 Dogs Of Christmas:Great Puppy Rescue Preview
7.DVD Menu
8.MPAA Rating PG Blue Screen
9.National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center Screen
10.FBI Anti-Piracy Warning Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Screen
11.Warning/Attention Screen
12.The Views Expressed Screen
13.Columbia Pictures Logo
14.Sony Pictures Animation Logo
15.Aardman Logo
Here is one change to DCA in recent years that I DON’T like — when they changed the Tower of Terror into the Guardians of the Galaxy. I miss the creepy old hotel experience and the idea that you are on an elevator that goes awry; and the Twilight Zone music. Needless to say, I’m not a fan of the Guardians of Galaxy movie. It is still a very exciting attraction of course, but I like the old theme better.
I rode Maliboomer on it’s last day before it closed. It was so jerky that it threw out my back (I normally don’t have back problems) and pretty much ruined that day for me. I think it was just how the ride was constructed that made it so rough. I have ridden many freefall rides like Maliboomer and never had problems, including Tower of Terror.
Incredible article! Really took me back to when I first visited Anaheim when I was 6. This was in 2004, when California adventure was mostly unchanged from 2001. The original DCA will always hold a special place in my heart solely based off of nostalgia. But it was a pretty terrible park honestly. For a 6 year old who wouldn’t go on the bigger rides for another 3 years, there was very little to do there. Mullholand Drive was one of the only rides I really remember enjoying. A distinct memory of the park I do have is the songs they would play, which were filled with nostalgia, but also got annoying after a period of time. During that trip and a follow up trip in 2007, we would only spend 2 of our 5 hopper days at DCA and we’d usually end up going to Disneyland at night. Now fastforward to 2015 when I visited the park again. The change was unreal. Such a better park, and I know some argue this but I believe it to be an all day park for once. I’m very interested to see if Disney eventually tries to retheme areas like the old maliboomer. Also, looking back at superstar Limo it really is hard to believe that ride came to fruition. The imagineers are great and the one in charge of this project had to have been fired, right?
Interesting insight. Regarding Superstar Limo, I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s the person in charge of that project who was at fault. The Imagineers who built DCA are the same ones who built Tokyo DisneySea which was being constructed at the same time. DisneySea is a far more superior park because it was given a much larger budget by the Oriental Land Company. DCA, on the other hand, was funded completely by Disney under executives at the time who wanted to build on the cheap. Imagineers had to make do with their tiny budget which I’m sure was frustrating. There are many things I can criticize the Imagineers on, but for DCA, I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s their fault for building an underwhelming theme park.
Eligible professionals who succeed under Medicaid can get the incentive of
up to $63,000. The sport helps reduce LDL cholesterol, which clogs arteries.
Several dentists and health professionals still don.
I do accept as true with all of the concepts you’ve offered for your post.
They’re really convincing and will certainlyy work.
Nonetheless, the posts are very brief for beginners.
Couod you please extend them a little from subsequent time?
Thank you forr the post.
The keurig Mini Brewer is a good choice for a person who is worried about time, but
does not wish to forfeit quality. So, how to lower down the calorie intake while
ordering pizza. The tools you will need depend on the type of oven you will be constructing.