Disney California Adventure:A peek into the future

Disney California Adventure: A peek into what the future may hold


Concept art for the Cars Land drive-in theater restaurant at Disney California Adventure. (Disney)

As Disney California Adventure reaches the midway point of a $1.1-billion expansion, I'd like to take a speculative look at what Walt Disney Imagineering might have in mind for Phase 2 of the massive renovation project.

DCA's extreme makeover was necessitated by the on-the-cheap, off-the-shelf nature of the nearly decade-old theme park that even Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger now calls "mediocre."

Phase 1, which began in 2008, fixes about a third of the flawed park. What I'm interested in looking at here are the possibilities for the other two-thirds.

Most of the proposed plans that have come to light remain firmly in the "what if" stage. In some cases, Disney announced and then postponed attractions. In other instances, the ideas have filtered out into the online community. In all circumstances, Disney remains officially mum, guarding future projects as closely held secrets.

Quite naturally, any sequel to the wholesale reimagineering of DCA remains contingent on the success of Phase 1, which wraps up in 2012. So far, the crowds have responded positively to the uptick in quality (Toy Story Midway Mania dark ride), spectacle ("World of Color" water show) and attention to detail (Silly Symphony Swings wave swing).

And the best is yet to come. Crews have broken ground on Phase 1 projects that demonstrate Disney's commitment (the $100-million Voyage of the Little Mermaid dark ride), ambition (the 12-acre Cars Land) and heritage (Buena Vista Street entry plaza).

Mouse watchers believe if Phase 1 continues to pay dividends, Iger will pony up more money for Phase 2 starting in 2013. The operative word here is "if."

So far nothing has been announced for Phase 2, but Imagineers have been busy dusting off old plans and dreaming up new ideas for the re-emergent Anaheim theme park. As any Disney fan knows, these "blue sky" proposals can change repeatedly over the course of development ????????????????? and many never see the light of day.

What follows is a land-by-land compilation of possible attractions and thematic changes for Phase 2:

Buena Vista Street
(An idealized vision of a 1920s Southern California streetscape when Walt Disney first arrived in Los Angeles.)

* Original plans for the Carthay Theater called for the screening of a "Walt Disney Story" biographical film. The latest plans have the Blue Sky Cellar preview center moving into the space.

* An exclusive Carthay Circle Club on the upper floor of the Carthay Theater. Disney has quietly put out feelers to Club 33 members and those on the long waiting list for the private Disneyland club. The Interior of the DCA club would replicate an idealized version of an early Disney animation studio on Hyperion Avenue in Hollywood.

Paradise Pier
(A 1920s and 30s seaside amusement park-themed land with Victorian architecture.)

* An E-Ticket ride next to California Screamin', with an entrance in the helix of the roller coaster track leading to a new backstage attraction.

* A D- or E-Ticket attraction in the other helix where Maliboomer once stood. The area is currently being turned into a character meet-and-greet location. The tacky strip mall-themed Man Hat n' Beach souvenir shop fa??????????ade likely remains unchanged in anticipation of this forthcoming attraction.

* An E-Ticket ride in place of Goofy's Sky School, itself a rethemed version of the Mulholland Madness wild mouse roller coaster. Current proposals for the location include an original thrill ride or a character-based attraction. An early concept called for a Ratatouille coaster to occupy the space.

* Disney's original plans called for the since-removed Maliboomer drop tower to become a Green Army Men parachute drop ride. The same "Toy Story" theme could replace the nearby Jumpin' Jellyfish ride, which was originally scheduled for removal in Disney's initial plan.

* Early plans called for the Fun Wheel Ferris wheel and the California Screamin' queue to get entrance facades to match the Paradise Pier area's new Victorian seaside theme.

* Imagineers have previously discussed Halloween and Christmas holiday overlays for the Toy Story Midway Mania dark ride.

(The existing Hollywood Studios Backlot becomes Hollywoodland, representing the 1930s Golden Age of Hollywood.)

* Transform the space around the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride into the Golden Era of Hollywood (expanding the footprint of the area into the Timon parking lot).

* Add an enclosed lobby to the Hyperion Theater and a street fa??????????ade to close off the view of the outdoor queue area. Disney announced and then rescinded plans to replace the current "Aladdin" stage show with a "Toy Story" musical.

* An E-Ticket attraction in the former "Who Wants to be a Millionaire ????????????????? Play It" sound stage.

* Several replacements have been floated for the "MuppetVision 3D" movie, including "Mickey's PhilharMagic" from the Magic Kingdom (which apparently won't fit in the DCA theater) and a 3-D story based on the "Chronicles of Narnia" (a film franchise recently dumped by Disney).

* Removal of the modern pop-culture signage above the shops along DCA's Hollywood Boulevard.

* The unused Hollywood & Dine food court in Stage 12 remains empty for future expansion.

Yosemite
(The former Condor Flats and Golden State lands combine to form a single land themed to a 1950s-era Yosemite-like national park.)

* Grizzly River Rapids receives animatronic bears, condors and other creatures once envisioned for the raft ride. Animatronic characters under construction for the Grizzly Trail area at Hong Kong Disneyland would fit perfectly.

* An E-Ticket ride in place of the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. Proposals for the location include an outdoor adventure attraction or a mine-train ride.

* A circuitous train ride around Grizzly Peak as envisioned in concept art featured in the "Disney Mountains: Imagineering at its Peak" book.

* The Soarin' Over California hang-gliding tour makes way for the long-awaited Soarin' Over the World replacement.

* Convert the Cannery Row-themed Pacific Wharf food court to a San Francisco motif and combine the eatery area with the already-existing but unrealized San Francisco block.

Cars Land
(A faithful re-creation of the isolated Route 66 town in the Pixar movie ????????????????Cars???????????????? designed to evoke the automobile culture of the 1950s and 60s.)

* A drive-in theater-themed sit-down restaurant where diners eat in vintage cars while watching a movie on the big screen. The concept was part of the initial pitch for Cars Land that has since been postponed.

* A C- or D-Ticket on an unused corner of the new themed land scheduled to open in 2012.

lame.

This is like... years old news.

The phase 2 stuff is new to me. It talks about phase 1 then about future plans starting in 2013.

[jayman]

all that money ought to have been put into fixing what eisner did to disneyland in the 90's

I already knew about phase 2 because of rumors and word from Castmembers themselves (who will not be named). Aww yeaaa

[coolbeans326]

Originally posted by A113

I already knew about phase 2 because of rumors and word from Castmembers themselves (who will not be named). Aww yeaaa

cast members dont really have inside information. But this is the most complete list of all rumors, speculations, and proposed/postponed attractions for the project, all of which I have seen posted on the internet (mostly al lutz's articles, but other bits from blue sky disney)

The one thing I can call out, though, as not likely to happen is the dark ride with the entrance in the helix. For one, there is not enough clearance from the track and the ground to build a proper entrance. Number 2, there is not enough space for people to exit Screaming and enter a new sure to be popular e ticket dark ride.

Of course here's the other option that people seem to forget: the carousal and bathrooms directly behind that attraction could be removed to make room for another dark ride. There were rumors of upgrading the architecture on that attraction but Im guessing they'll likely remove it and put in something much more interesting in phase II or III.

[Mikey]

Cast members tend to make assumptions based on information which is sometimes passed down through the ranks of management. For all intensive purposes that information is only accurate about 10% of the time. Until things start showing up backstage then the project is simply a dream.

Disney is perhaps one of the best at keeping projects secret, the extraordinary lengths at which they go to keep everything under wraps is like no other company I have ever seen.

I know that they don't always keep information, but I know there are some cast members who have connections with Imagineering and know things, but they can't provide all details. And Mikey, they are good at keeping secrets. Last year in my Principles of Engineering Class in High School, we had a project to interview someone who does engineering and my friend contacted Imagineering, and she told me that she went through a dozen transfers to reach them.

Oh, and coolbeans, might I ask, do you have an account on MiceChat?

An intense, 16-month construction project designed to transform the Disney California Adventure entryway from a nondescript strip mall into a circa-1920s Los Angeles streetscape will begin in earnest Jan. 4.

As part of an ongoing, $1.1 billion makeover, the sweeping and extensive reimagineering will wall off 4 acres of the main entrance between the C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A letters, Sunshine Plaza, Grizzly Peak and Hollywood Studios Backlot. The remade entryway, dubbed Buena Vista Street, will be designed to evoke the era when a young Walt Disney first arrived in Los Angeles.

After the winter holiday season ends, construction walls will go up around the iconic C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A letters Jan. 4 so that crews can turn the plaza area into Streamline Moderne turnstiles modeled after the former Pan-Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles.

The most disruptive phase of the project will start in August, when retheming work will begin on the shops just inside the entrance. On Aug. 1, Engine-Ear Toys, Bu-r-r Bank Ice Cream and Baker's Field Bakery will close on the right side of the entrance. Then on Aug. 29, the Greetings from California gift shop on the left side of the entrance will close. If all goes according to plan, the new Pan-Pacific-style turnstiles will also open Aug. 29.

But construction will force Disney to route visitors through a 500-foot-long backstage pathway running behind Soarin' Over California. The temporary entrance/exit route is expected to remain in place through spring 2012. Another pathway carved through the Sunshine Plaza construction zone will allow visitors to travel between Condor Flats and Hollywood Studios Backlot.

The undertaking is so massive and unprecedented that DCA Vice President Mary Niven has taken to a Web video in an effort to convince visitors the Anaheim theme park will remain open for business once the front gate turns into a construction zone.

"While we're adding all these new attractions, our guests' favorite attractions are still open," said Niven, who faces the daunting challenge of building and operating a theme park at the same time.

Indeed, all major attractions and shows will remain open during construction.

By spring 2011, virtually all the areas of Paradise Pier currently behind construction walls will reopen to the public ?????? including the Voyage of the Little Mermaid dark ride, the Goofy's Sky School wild mouse coaster, the Paradise Garden Grill and Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta restaurants, the Corndog Castle take-out stand and the SeaSide Souvenir shop.

The 12-acre Cars Land addition is expected to make its debut with three new rides in spring 2012.

The ongoing expansion, which some have derisively dubbed "Disney's Construction Adventure," has proven to be a continuing nightmare for DCA planners. They were forced to ship the Main Street Electrical Parade to the Magic Kingdom when earlier construction shrank the parade route and cancel the California Food & Wine Festival for 2011 and 2012 when logistical hurdles became evident.

In addition, the Pixar Play Parade will go on hiatus after Jan. 3, with the parade characters continuing to appear in pop-up "dance parties" throughout the park. "The Incredibles" mini float will begin appearing at various locations throughout the park on Jan. 7, with "Toy Story" and "Monsters, Inc." pop-up parties making their debuts over the ensuing weeks. The full Pixar parade is expected to return in November.

The Playhouse Disney theater will also close after Jan. 23 for conversion into the Disney Junior theater in spring. The rethemed theater will feature a new show segment based on the upcoming Disney Channel cartoon "Jake and the Never Land Pirates."

Additionally, the Blue Sky Cellar preview center will add a more elaborate display on the Little Mermaid ride beginning on Jan. 27.

http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/the ... 5014.story

The First one is basically a copy of Sci-Fi Dine in theatre at Hollywood Studios...