Disney California Adventure: Creating the Magic

When I started writing this blog, my intention was to title it “Re-creating the Magic”, that was until it dawned on me you can’t re-create something that was never truly there to start with.

That Disney magic we all know and love is something found in abundance at Disneyland.  But let’s face it, she has it pretty easy.  I mean, Walt walked in that park.  With all the nostalgia and history found in every nook & cranny, it would take some serious Imagineering for Disney to be able to draw guests out of that park in order to go visit her baby sister across the way.

Historically, most Disney parks have had their share of struggles in the beginning.  Epcot didn’t become a staple for WDW visitors until several years after their 1982 debut, and Animal Kingdom still has low attendance 14 years after opening their gates. For most of DCA’s 11 year life, the park just wasn’t worth the price of admission to most guests.  There wasn’t a lot to draw people in, and even less to keep them coming back.  Sure, there was Soarin’ Over California, California Screamin’ and Tower of Terror, but the overall theming of the park was boring, uninspired, and most surprisingly coming from a team of Imagineers, unimaginative.  For the most part, annual passholders have made up the majority of the park’s attendance over the first few years simply because their passes allowed them admission to both parks; but why would local Californians want a theme park based on California?

Even still, for all the critics and visitors either opposed or indifferent to DCA’s existence, there was a small population out there that actually appreciated the park, including my husband and me.  While it may not have had the charisma of Disneyland, it was a nice place to escape when the crowds at DL became just too much to bear.  The walkways are much wider, and with so many people uninterested in the park you could do everything in a day and never feel rushed.  The overall feeling was much more grown-up and laid back, which could be considered either good or bad depending on your point of view, but for us, it was a welcome change of pace.

In October of 2007, Disney announced a $1.1 billion overhaul planned for California Adventure in the hopes of making DLR a true resort destination, as it was originally intended in 2001.  The announcement revealed some pretty grandiose plans, including the concept for a Cars-themed land with 3 new attractions, a water show for Paradise Bay and a 9,000 guest viewing area, a Little Mermaid attraction, and a 1920’s themed area as a throwback to Walt’s arrival in Los Angeles.  All the buzz about the renovation was actually starting to put California Adventure on the map, surely the investment itself was enough to draw everyone’s attention.  Just saying the figure out loud makes me want to put my pinky up to my chin and do my best Dr. Evil impersonation.

At the time, the logistics for all the planned construction seemed like it would be nearly impossible to manage (how could they possibly re-do the entire entrance and still allow guests in the park?!?), and the final outcome seemed like a lifetime away.  The construction started soon after the announcement, and as each project was finished, at least one or two more would pop up.

Over the last 4.5 years, the landscape of the entire park has changed in one way or another.  Whether it be an attraction given a new theme (from the eye-sore of Orange Stinger to the eye candy of Silly Symphony Swings), a complete area torn down and brought back to life (from the tacky Pizza Oom-Mow-Mow & Burger Invasion to the delightful Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta and Garden Grill), or a simple refurb with updated paint (the shops along Paradise Pier, the mill at Grizzly River Rapids, and the infamous Corn Dog Castle).  Then there are the completely new attractions that have been brought to life, such as: Toy Story Midway Mania way back in 2008, World of Color in 2010, and The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure attraction in 2011.  It’s hard to believe that today, we’re just days away from the grand re-opening of the entire park and the reveal of the last two, and probably the most highly anticipated, projects: Cars Land and Buena Vista Street.  It’s almost as surreal as the initial 2007 announcement itself.  The park has been flanked with obtrusive construction walls for so long it will almost seem foreign once they’re all down.  As each project was revealed, the park has gained more and more popularity with both the locals and out-of-towners.  The buzz surrounding Disney California Adventure is at a fever pitch.  It’s positively electric, and it’s not just all that new neon in Cars Land.  The charm, magic and passion that are so plentiful at Disneyland have finally found a home in Disney California Adventure.

Recently, I was looking through some old photos and discovered that we inadvertently tracked most of the construction progress throughout the park during our many visits over the last few years.  I suddenly felt inspired to pool them all together and share them with you! I hope you’ll enjoy a peek through the looking glass of DCA’s painstaking transformation.

The Entrance:

As I fished through hundreds of photos, I was shocked to find that I couldn’t find any proper shots of the giant “CALIFORNIA” letters that used to greet as you entered through the turnstiles.