California Dreamin’
With Disney's California Adventure, the Mouse House seeks to extend its brand name while presenting the state’s culture and natural beauty in miniatureby Wayne Kawamoto
A major new ride at Disneyland is cause for rejoicing among amusement park and Disney fans. An entire new theme park in LA’s backyard is a downright milestone, akin to the second coming of Mickey Mouse. Disney’s California Adventure (DCA), along with the new and upscale Downtown Disney shopping area, is part of Disney’s plan to create a West Coast resort that can pull in visitors and encourage them to stay a while. But is it the “promised land” it was designed to be?
As it stands, DCA, built on Disneyland’s old parking lot, offers an experience that is different from that of its venerable neighbor. The park is entertaining and well done, but options for youngsters are limited and food is expensive. Also, DCA, which is only about 60 percent the size of Disneyland, lacks the wealth of attractions of its sister park, but costs the same to experience.
As the name implies, DCA attempts to present California’s culture, history, and natural wonders in miniature—a California Cliff Notes. The park offers three major lands: 1) Hollywood Pictures Backlot, a tribute to movie-making; 2) Golden State, an area that’s meant to evoke a scenic national park; and 3) Paradise Pier, a seaside amusement park complete with roller coasters, a Ferris wheel, and other carnival-style rides. Along the edges of the lands are areas representing Napa Valley, San Francisco, Monterey’s Cannery Row, and more. A couple of the attractions are unique to DCA, but most are either duplicates of those that already exist at Disney’s Florida theme parks, or standard carnival rides that have been given the Disney treatment.
The Best of the Best
The park’s crown jewel is its impressive “Soarin’ Over California” hang-gliding simulation—a cross between Disneyland’s old Circle Theater experience and “Star Tours.” You sit in rows of seats which lift up and into a giant screen, and as the movie rolls, the seats move with the action. There’s no story or narration—just music and stunning scenery. This is a must-see, especially if you can get the front center seats.
The Grizzly River Run is a first-rate river ride. River rides at other amusement parks often leave patrons wondering, “Is that all there is?” Grizzly River run offers a satisfying run of twists and turns, a couple of fun drops, and realistic rock formations and geysers. This attraction is worth getting wet, and in the summer, it’s bound to be popular.
The prominent California Screamin’ roller coaster serves up a loop along with various drops and turns, and pumped-up music to enhance the experience. It’s a smooth, exhilarating ride, especially at night (get one of the cars at the back). This coaster relies on magnetic induction technology, not gravity, to accelerate the cars from a flat standstill.
Compared to roller coasters at other Southland parks, it’s a toned-down ride that won’t satisfy die-hard coaster lovers. But for everyone else, it’s fast and exciting enough.
“It’s Tough to Be a Bug” is a duplicate of a show that is already at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida. The 3-D movie show is like Disneyland’s Honey, I Shrunk the Audience in that it delivers outrageous 3-D effects and visual tricks. The show features characters from Disney’s popular “It’s a Bug’s Life,” and it’s very entertaining and funny, but you need to take seriously the signs that warn you of an intense experience for kids and those who are squeamish about creepy-crawlies.
Another duplicate, this one from Florida’s Disney/MGM Studios, is Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3-D, which stars Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and other popular Muppet characters. Like “It’s Tough to Be a Bug,” Muppets offers a hilarious 3-D movie and surrounding special effects. The presentation in the waiting area alone is worth the visit.
A worthy attraction is the Golden Dreams movie, which stars Whoopi Goldberg and that airs in a theater resembling San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts. Goldberg lends a comic spark to a show that presents the experiences of various people throughout California’s history. This time, Disney dares to depict historical situations that aren’t necessarily pleasant.
Undoubtedly, Golden Dreams was designed as a scaled-down, California version of Epcot’s outstanding “American Adventure” attraction in Florida, complete with historical figures and ending with the requisite video montage and soaring theme song. Some may consider the film too politically correct. But I applaud Disney for taking a chance and removing some of the patriotic sugar-coating that it’s been known to apply to historical recreations.
The Disney Animation attraction in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot is also a must-see. Highlights here include a show in which an animator (portrayed by an actor) shows how animated characters are developed. An adjacent exhibit shows how some famous Disney movie characters evolved. Another room offers interactive exhibits that let kids draw and view their own cartoons, or perform voice overs on favorite animated sequences. There’s also a film, featuring Robin Williams and Walter Cronkite, that explains the basics of animation (a duplicate of that in Florida).
Unlike the animation studio in Florida’s Disney/MGM Studios, which lets viewers peek into the animation process at an actual production facility, DCA’s Animation Studios is not a working production facility. However, the activities and presentations here are first rate.
The Areas
As the name implies, the Hollywood Pictures Backlot is designed to look like a working movie studio, rather than a Hollywood street during MGM’s heyday, as at the Disney/MGM Studios in Florida. Generally, the attention to detail in this area is excellent, and the Animation Studio and Muppet 3-D Adventures are the key attractions to visit.
Superstar Limo is a “dark” ride that takes you on a silly tour of Hollywood. While the ride offers clever puns and gags, it’s mainly a tribute to Disney’s current crop of favored stars, who are depicted as caricatured figures. Definitely not a highlight, this attraction is one to skip on a crowded day. The Hollywood Studios also features the Hyperion Theater, which presents the “Steps in Time” stage show. While not as memorable or inspired as some Disney park productions, it’s energetic and fun to watch.
The Golden State is designed to look like a California National Park. The trees here haven’t grown in yet so the greenery is somewhat sparse (as it is in most places in the park - there’s not enough shade). A play area called the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail lets kids swing on tires, cross net bridges, and crawl through tunnels-an experience similar to that of Disneyland’s Tom Sawyer’s Island. The main attraction here is the Grizzly River Run. The rustic-looking Grand California Hotel, which looms in the background at the edge of DCA, looks right at home.
Paradise Pier, which evokes a beach-side amusement park, offers the California Screamin’ roller coaster; the Maliboomer, a vertical ride that quickly sends you up 180 feet and then back down; and the Sun Wheel, a Ferris wheel featuring cars that move in and out of the wheel’s hub as it turns. Unfortunately, like all Ferris wheels, this one takes a long time to load and unload. You can expect a long wait to ride this attraction, but the view from the top—especially at night—may be worth the wait.
Kids can ride on the Jumpin’ Jellyfish, a smaller and slower Maliboomer, or ride the colorful King Triton’s Carousel. The rest of the rides, which include the Golden Zephyr, the Orange Stinger (a chain swing ride), and Mulholland Madness (a “wild mouse” or “flying fish” mini-roller coaster ride) are dressed-up carnival rides. Paradise Pier also offers a water area in which kids climb on a mock-up ship (much like Donald Duck’s boat in Disneyland’s Toon Town), and play with water. Paradise Pier also features carnival-style games and souvenir shops that evoke a seaside amusement park. Fortunately, the employees who run these, like all of Disney’s “cast members,” are friendly and not pushy.
The park is clean and colorful, and it does look wonderful, particularly at night, especially the Paradise Pier area with its rock-bordered lake and wave machine that successfully evoke a beachside amusement park. Upon closer look, some areas lack the attention to detail that Disney is known for. For example, waiting areas, particularly those in Paradise Pier, are your standard zig-zagging bars with nothing to look at. Some theme areas tend to lack the final polish — window dressings, for instance — that make an area come alive.
The park’s food service also bears mention. DCA features a good number of restaurants and eating venues with varied and generally tasty food. The Avalon Cove and ABC Bistro are higher-end theme restaurants that look great and serve first-rate entrees. The rest of the park offers decent-quality fast food, with one meal generally costing between $7 and $10 (you’ll pay another two dollars for a drink). A McDonald’s in the Paradise Pier area — while relatively inexpensive — charges about a dollar more per item than you would pay at a Golden Arches on the street.
Some of the meals, such as those at the “Hollywood and Dine” eating area, offer decent portions for the price and refillable soft drinks. Others, such as those served in the Cannery Row area, are barely appetizers, and there are no drink refills. If you want to taste wine at The Golden Vine Winery, hosted by Robert Mondavi, you’ll pay dearly—between $6 to $8 for a glass. Ouch! Even if one can easily afford this, no one likes to be gouged.
All things considered, Disney’s California Adventure is an entertaining (if expensive) experience that lives up to the Disney reputation. If crowds don’t smother the park (the preview days were notorious for two-hour plus waits for major rides, which puts a damper on anyone’s experience), most will enjoy its attractions and spend a memorable day. And those who are lucky enough to attend on a slow day will find that they can experience all of the attractions and have time to revisit their favorites. Overall, Disney’s California Adventure is a blast.
909-593-9675 wkawamoto@earthlink.net