“Armchair Imagineering.” For Disney Parks fans, it’s a skill that’s learned early, and practiced often. Almost inescapably, theme park aficianados can’t help but to imagine what could be; what should be; what we would do if we were given creative control of a theme park we love and an unlimited budget to make it happen.
And once in a while, we finally decide to put our ideas down and make them real. That’s exactly what lead to this project: my armchair-Imagineered, fully-matured, Blue Sky version of California Adventure. (It’s not the only “Blue Sky Build-Out” I’ve created! You can check out my reimagined version of Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Twitter, and my from-scratch plans for a whole new Disney Park – Fantastic Worlds – here on Park Lore.)
I should say before I even begin that no one “armchair Imagineers” better than S.W. Wilson, whose blog – Ideal Build-Out – contains work that is not only jaw-droppingly, stomach-churningly enviable, but almost inconcievably professional. Be sure to bookmark that blog, and follow @buildoutideal on Twitter for incredible park concepts.
But today, we’ll step land-by-land through my own, hand-drawn, “built-out” version of DISNEY CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE. Though it may be a “Blue Sky” reimagining of what Disneyland’s second gate could be, it’s far from a complete fantasy. Actually, the park you’re about to see would’ve been at least conceptually possible until about 2017, when the park’s expansion pads started filling up and “DCA 2.0” gave way for “DCA 3.0,” injecting outright contradiction into the idealized, historic, and distinctly Californian park Imagineers had unveiled just five years earlier…
So as far-fetched as its contents may be, know that “my” California Adventure pretty realistically adheres to the real limitations Disney has in this park – mostly related to acreage, access roads, infrastructure, and neighbors. That’s why – along the way – we’ll look at each land’s Background before we get to the Build-Out, with necessary Diversions here and there. Would this “idealized” build-out of California Adventure make it a top tier Disney Park at last? Or is Disneyland’s second gate just doomed to be a cartoon catch-all? Let’s start at the beginning…
And before we head off, remember that you can unlock rare concept art and audio streams in this story, access over 100 Extra Features, and recieve an annual Membership card and postcard art set in the mail by supporting this clickbait-free, in-depth, ad-free theme park storytelling site for as little as $2 / month! Become a Park Lore Member to join the story! Until then, let’s start at the beginning…
The Real California Adventure Story
If you don’t know much about Disney California Adventure, let’s take a second to catch you up…
For most of its life, little ole’ Disneyland was all alone. Walt’s “original magic kingdom” was a storybook oasis surrounded in the urban sprawl of Southern California. Disneyland and its equally-sized blacktop parking lot were stalwart companions, even as dozens and dozens of hotels, motels, convenience stores, and neighborhoods surrounded them on all sides. So even as Walt Disney World grew, by the late ’80s Disneyland was still just a single theme park mostly drawing intergenerational, loyal locals, road-tripping regional visitors, and the odd Disney historian from afar, and only for a day or two at a time.
Michael Eisner’s plan was to change that. In the early ’90s, Disney announced that a second theme park – the Possibilityland: Westcot – would soon rise on Disneyland’s only expansion pad: its own parking lot. As part of a wide-reaching reinvention, Disneyland would become a multi-park resort, gobbling up available land to add parking structures, hotels, and shopping and entertainment venues around the new Disneyland and Westcot combo.
But after the disastrous opening of Disneyland Paris, nearly everything in the pipeline at Disney was scaled back, including plans for a second gate in Anaheim. In our Disney’s California Adventure: Part I feature, we walked through the value-engineered park that finally opened in 2001. Suffice it to say, the park meant to catapult Disneyland into international, multi-day resort status instead crashed and burned.
Disney’s California Adventure had less than a dozen rides – most off-the-shelf carnival rides you could find at your local Six Flags. It had practically nothing for families, and no Disney characters. The park was vastly underbuilt, with more restaurants than rides, and (so it seemed on most days) more rides than guests.
But it wasn’t just that California Adventure didn’t have enough to do. Worse still, Disneyland’s second gate broke all the rules of Imagineering. Rather than carrying guests away to historic, idealized places and times in Californian history, it was set here and now – a pastiche of ’90s Californian pop culture, proudly packed with “MTV attitude,” modern music, celebrity guest stars, and charicatured settings.
It’s not often that Disney admits they were wrong, but in 2007, then-new CEO Bob Iger announced an unthinkable effort: a five year, $1.2 billion reimagining that would not just add news rides and attractions to the park, but that would dismantle California Adventure’s lands and rebuild them in the style of Disneyland: as idealized, immersive places and times plucked from California’s real history passed through a lens of fantasy.
And as we saw in Disney’s California Adventure: Part II, the transformation was completed on June 15, 2012, when Disney California Adventure was re-dedicated as a park packed with new rides, plenty of Disney & Pixar characters, eight beautiful new lands and – most importantly – a new spirit. In that moment, anything seemed possible for the park and even its harshest critics largely had to admit that the unprecedented investment had laid the groundwork for something more worthy of being a counterpart to Disneyland.
Alright, alright, the story of Disneyland’s beleaguered second gate also includes a less-triumphant “DCA 3.0” era post-2012 (see Disney’s California Adventure: Part III) which has seen Disney overcorrect. The park that was once “too much California, not enough Disney” has inarguably tipped in the other direction, veering into “studio park” territory as it’s senselessly packed with IP and hampered by decisions that weirdly undo the work Disney spent a billion dollars on just a decade ago…
So surely you can understand that my “build-out” uses “DCA 2.0” (above) as the starting point. In other words, the park we’re touring is largely the answer to the question, “What might California Adventure’s final form look like if it had stuck to that 2012 ethos? What would it contain if it had found the balance of Disney and California and stuck to it? What could this park look like fully matured, but still ‘on track’?” Here’s what I decided…
Buena Vista Street
Background
Buena Vista Street is practically perfect. Combining the best of Main Street and the best of Hollywood Studios’ Hollywood Blvd., this buzzing, 1920s streetscape is a newsboy’s dream. It’s an electric, red-brick, idealized Los Angeles at the height of its Golden Age… and in fact, a romanticized snapshot of the Los Angeles that Walt himself would’ve found when he arrived by train in 1923.
To that end, there’s also an awesome narrative aspect of the land, in that guests who begin at Disneyland’s Hub actually walk through Walt’s memories of a quiet, charming, turn-of-the-century, Midwestern town during his childhood, pass under the Main Street Train Station, then find themselves at the gates of the Pan-Pacific in a bustling, buzzing young city twenty years later – literally following Walt‘s California Adventure.
Build-Out
Buena Vista Street is one of the strongest opening acts of any Disney Park, a fitting counterpart to Main Street, an ode to Walt’s story, and a perfect prologue to what “DCA 2.0” was about. So naturally, my “built-out” version really doesn’t change much.
Since it’s one of the sweetest little ‘world-building’ rides in the Disney Parks portfolio, the RED CAR TROLLEY stays (and has a more logical route, which you’ll see unfold as we go). But in my version of the park, it’s not the only ride in the land.
Even though Pixar Pier’s Ferris wheel is often used as California Adventure’s park icon, it’s clearly meant to be the Carthay – the palatial 1920s movie palace that resides at the end of Buena Vista Street. As you probably know, the real Carthay Circle (demolished in 1969 for low rise office buildings) wasn’t just an icon of Los Angeles and the filmmaking business; it was the place where Walt risked it all to premiere Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – the world’s first full-length animated feature film.
Though early rumors had suggested that Disney’s scaled recreation of the Carthay would contain an exhibit on Walt’s life, it ultimately ended up housing a lounge and private club on the ground floor, and a full service CARTHAY CIRCLE RESTAURANT on the second (above), all of which are chock full of odes to the historical place and to Snow White. It works, and I actually wanted to keep as much of that as possible! But as the park’s clear icon, I also wanted the Carthay to contain something all guests could enjoy.
Absorbing the adjacent “Disney Theater” (home to a Disney Junior Dance Party show) and building out additional space, the Carthay’s lobby could easily serve as the entrance to a small, Fantasyland-style dark ride (even keeping the restaurant in operation on level two and the bar on level one.) I considered putting a version of Snow White’s Enchanted Wish into the Carthay (there’s really no better a spot) but ultimately decided on a different route…
Upsizing the idea of an exhibit on Walt’s life, I decided to wedge in a small biopic dark ride I called WALT DISNEY’S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE, in which guests hop aboard miniature train engines and proceed through Walt’s story.
I like the idea of this ride being really simple; maybe using newspaper-type visuals throughout, layering flats with black-and-white images, film reels, headlines, and perhaps the narration of someone like Julie Andrews to tell the story of Walt’s boyhood, to Kansas City, Ub Iwerks, and onward to California, Oswald & Mickey, ending at the Snow White premiere. A short, sweet, personally-scaled, impressionistic biopic ride. Guests would then exit into a small exhibit space, which (appropriately) brings us to the next land, which merges beautifully with Buena Vista Street…
So let’s hop aboard the Red Car and glide down the streets of Los Angeles to another land you’ll recognize, but with a nice, built-out twist…
Very cool build out! I know this is a late comment some ideas to consider:
1. With so much animation-themed stuff already on Hollywood Blvd., if they do want to replace the Hyperion Theater (not advocating that, but it’s not being used…) I would love to see a recreation of Disney’s original Hyperion Studio, with the Mickey Mouse billboard on the roof and beautiful Spanish style. What a great Disney-specific “weeinie” that would be. Then that street would also be made less “generic Hollywood” and be re-named “Disney’s Animation Avenue.” It would celebrate Disney’s animation heritage and art form. What would go inside the Hyperion Theater? Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (an indoor, special-effects-filled version)…it was the money-making movie that was made at that studio (and premiered at the Carthay Circle, creating logical bookends to the street). The queue would go through the studio: animators offices, ink and paint, camera dept. and then to the screening room where we’d see the movie on the screen as we switchback down to the ride vehicle loading.
2. I love the idea of resurrecting Discovery Bay. Given we now have Avenger’s Campus there, maybe Pixar Pier could be made into Discovery Bay? Steampunk, whimsical, mysterious San Francisco? Sign me up! But they need to put a skyline flat or mountain range behind it to block out the outside world (power lines, etc.). I don’t love the exposed roller coaster but if it got a steampunk overlay, it could be cool.
3. I’d love to see Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters attraction given the drive-in theater re-theme. They could put a drive-in screen on the building behind the attraction. During the day, the attraction would be the same as it is, but at night the Cars-versions of movie would be projected on the screen (a great visual as you walk to Avenger’s Campus) and the ride vehicles would move in synchronicity to action on the screen, whether a car chase or a Busby Berkeley dance sequence.
These are all great points!
As I hoped you’d see (and now see that you have via comments there!) I actually did use the historic Hyperion Studio in my build-out of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. My only reason not using it here (even as the facade of the retained Animation Academy) is because I don’t think it’s scaled right to be at the end of the Hollywood Blvd. stretch. The flat front of the theater – while it certainly could be more beautifully decorated – is used partially to screen out views of Harbor Blvd., so I used the faux Hollywood Hills to do the same in my build-out, concealing the Runaway Railway showbuilding. But I like the idea of a purely animation-themed street a lot!
For Discovery Bay, I actually did this build-out after Avengers Campus has debuted, but still wanted to reorganize it more thoughtfully. Avengers Campus feels like a land that would work well in the bus loops (where now Avatar is going) because it would be “okay” that entering pedestrians can look down into it from the descending pedestrian pass planned to be there in the initial Eastern Gateway. Likewise, I wanted Discovery Bay to absorb Tower of Terror, and to continue Cars Land’s tradition of using faux mountains to create a berm. Seemed like a good way to activate that last expansion pad (where now the Avengers dark ride is going) to expand the park’s pedestrian footprint. I shied away from going that route with the Pier because I know several people have already done armchair Imagineered redesigns that make it more steampunk, industrial, etc. But also, it felt to me like a waste of a concept as strong as Discovery Bay to apply it to what would basically be a reskin of carnival rides along a boardwalk. Pop-Up Pier was my solution to letting the Pier be what it is, but in a “distinctly Disney” way!
For your Luigi’s idea, this is great! I love it! I used the “Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater” concept instead, but cars “acting out” the action on screen with randomized clips would be very funny.
Thanks so much for checking this out and for your thoughtful reflections on it! I love this project, and it means a lot that you read it, thought about it, and replied!
Such a small thing, but I feel the entrance of Grizzly Peak is incomplete without a small, log cabin with a traffic arm that is up representing the typical ranger staffed entry to a national park. We all get excited when we reach that spot. Maybe a few vintage cars lined up. T-shirts for sale.
I love this idea so much! Brilliant!
Okay, two more things I’d add:
1) The adding Runaway Railway took away the 2,000 person Hyperion Theater. I don’t remember seeing another equivalent elsewhere in the park (correct me if I missed it, please). It’s hard to mention determine where it could go in the build-out you described, but it’s something that should definitely be part of a final DCA design. LA is home to so many actors, singers and performers that it’d be a shame not to have a theater space worthy of showing that off.
2) Ever since Carlsland was announced, I’ve wanted to see Autopia moved over from Disneyland and rechristened Carstopia, or some such. Not only is DCA is a more fitting home to celebrate California’s car culture, but it frees up a HUGE portion of space between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland; the last space for such a large expansion pad at Walt’s original park.
The one thing I miss on your design (which would be a dream come true, too bad we got DCA 3.0) is the loss of the Paradise Gardens area. I love your Pacific Point land, but that area is also the defacto “California Hispanic Heritage” area of DCA, with the Dia de los Muertos celebrations and future Coco ride entry point.
I’d love to see such an important heritage group, which accounts for 40% of the state’s population, represented a park celebrating the Golden State. Just my 2 cents. Any suggestions for where that might go in your layout?
-danielc56 🙂
This is a tremendously good point! The Coco ride coming to that area of the park feels like such a natural fit, and I hope its cultural influence really does take over the Gardens area. I really am weirdly proud of the unique context I came up with here to make Mystic Manor feel at home in California Adventure, but you’re exactly right that I’ve also totally ignored something really important in our state’s past, present, and future… let me see what I can come up with when I inevitably revisit this Build-Out in the future!
Thanks for replying personally, Brian. You *definitely* need to keep Pacific Point. It reminds me of Pacific Coast-meets-Hearst Castle-meets-Winchester Mystery House. That’s a great concept to bring a bit of magic and mystery into the park in a very California way. Coco does that as well, so if there’s a way to pair the two in that section of the park, it celebrates some of the more fantastical aspects of the Golden state. Find a way to wrangle in sasquatch into the park too and you’ve got a DCA trifecta!
Looks like, I am very late to commenting – the blogpost is a few years old – but I want to commend the author for this incredible work (and for the other build outs as well, each one is amazing in its own right). This would be an amazing park to visit – and yes, I am a California Adventure apologist/fan.
With that in mind, I think there could be a way to scale it down and incorporate most of these ideas into California Adventure 3.0 – in order to be a bit more realistic. I’d figure:
Buena Vista Street, Grizzly Peak, Pacific Point, and Radiator Springs would all be kept as suggested. Unfortunately, would have to keep the Pier as Pixar Pier – but it could use some polish; perhaps rebrand/refurbish the Incredicoaster to reference the opening scene of Toy Story 3… i.e. Andy’s Great Train Heist.
San Fransokyo Wharf could take over the Central Plaza and Ariel’s Grotto, but as cool as the realignment of the Torii Gate Bridge is, it would unfortunately have to stay where it currently is. Since its relocation and turning Wine Valley into water would be an enormous expense that would be needed to block the main artery of the park for its reconstruction.
As awesome as Discovery Bay is, Avenger’s Campus is already there, but I would like to include some of your suggestions it could be blended with the Incredibles Metroville (taking over the Monsters Inc. wedge and unused space in that area).
Hollywoodland could be kept mostly as suggested, but since Mickey’s Runaway Railway is already in Toontown, I’d move your suggestion for Oswald’s Astounding Adventure into that space. Make it more of an E-Ticket ride, rather than the dark ride you suggested.
Finally, the East Gatewat you designated for Avengers Campus could instead be repurposed for the Plaza de la Familia that you suggested for Magic Kingdom. I think it fits overall with the theme, references California’s mission past and Mexican plazas.
As a child the day after Disneyland we always spent the morning drawing fake maps to our imagined perfect Disneyland. This was a great way to pass the time seeing your ideas and remmebering those days!
Is Nemo’s Seaskimmers another Aquatopia-styled ride?
Do you ever like to think (in a purely fictional and prideful world) that Disney potentially has some similar ideas to you and then says “oh darn, he used them in his rebuild” so they can’t use them?
For better or worse I don’t think I have a large enough following that anyone from WDI would ever even stumble across my stuff! Hahahah. But that isn’t to say it’s not a cool daydream that someone would say to themselves or to me, “This is great stuff stuff and I would love if we could make it real in the parks just as you’ve drawn it.” But again, I know I’m not actually a professional and that countless real world limitations would stop that from happening every single time! Haha
This is probably my favorite build out as a Disneyland regular. I love the call backs to unused lands like Discovery Bay and the addition of Mystic Manor. Pacific Point gives me a Northern California vibe like close to Oregon area. Can’t wait for your next build out!!
The thing about the 2012 redesign is that, while an idealized California appeals to out-of-towners, it also leans into DL’s identity as a local’s park by giving us places that we cannot visit in real life. I especially love the Carthay Circle restaurant and the Pan Pacific Auditorium gates, because they were torn down before I could ever see them.
Which is a long winded way of saying that the Figueroa tunnel does not belong in California Adventure, because I’ve driven there a hundred times. (To a lesser extent I’m not interested in putting the Chinese Theater in the park, because it’s still there, but I have to admit every time I’ve gone to the Chinese Theater I’ve had fun. Pasadena, however…)