California Zephyr: A History
By Peyton Schultze
As a partner park to one of the world’s most famous destinations across the esplanade, Disney’s California Adventure finally turns 20 this week (via Disney Parks).
After twenty fun-filled years of excitement and adventure, Disney’s California Adventure officially turns twenty years old this week!
One of the most popular attractions on Earth finally found its own partner twenty years ago in the form of Disney’s California Adventure, and the evolution of this duo has only continued to grow more and more every single year. With constant change and the continued emphasis on the guest experience inside the park, Disney’s California Adventure has become everything that visitors could ever want when visiting a unique Disney park since construction began in January of 1998. The park may be temporarily closed right now due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, but it is very easy to celebrate a place as enjoyable as California Adventure as it hits a major milestone this week.
Despite some early miscues, the park was a perfect embodiment of the California spirit that tourists longed for on vacation (via Theme Park Tourist).
Opening on February 8th, 2001, Disney’s California Adventure was the extra addition that Disneyland Park needed to attract even more visitors on a yearly basis. Since its opening in July of 1955, Disneyland and the Disneyland Hotel had been the only two attractions on the property, and the rumors of a second park across from the gates to Main Street had long circulated. That inspired the idea for California Adventure, a theme park built over the former Disneyland parking lot that would be entirely dedicated to the Golden State and its rich history, which figured to convince guests from all over the world to visit the Anaheim property for two unique experiences.
Nevertheless, although the park has transformed into a giant in the industry in the modern-day, it has not always been bright for California Adventure. In fact, the park faced early attendance issues and was often criticized as a park aimed more for adults than the family-friendly atmosphere of its fellow neighbor. Compared to the full immersion of Disneyland or the theme parks over at Walt Disney World, California Adventure initially seemed like a place that was just set up without any sort of rhyme or reason, and plenty of change has been forced to make sure that guests keep coming back for more.
But that early low point began to change over the course of its twenty year history. In 2007, the Walt Disney Company announced a $1.1 billion dollar overhaul of the park to redesign and expand the park with all sorts of new lands, attractions, and entertainment options. And while some things still remain intact from opening day in 2001, the park has been completely transformed from a sidekick into a shining star in the theme park industry with so many new things being added every single year, including Cars Land, Pixar Pier, and the soon-to-be-released Avengers campus.
Disney’s California Adventure officially opened on February 8th, 2001, right alongside Disneyland Park (via Duchess of Disneyland).
Entertainment features, in comparison to Disneyland, have always seemed to lack at Disney’s California Adventure, except when it comes to the park’s landmark Hollywood Land on the left side of the park. While Frozen may take residence inside of Hollywood Land’s massive Hyperion Theater now, Disney’s Aladdin was a longtime favorite inside of California Adventure for many years. As the classic tale of the Disney classic was retold with a stage format that brought guests right into the center of the action, the show stood out as one of the marquee entertainment options found at any Disney park on Earth. Located in the back area of Hollywood Land, the Hyperion has hosted some memorable shows inside and should only continue to display excellent shows for future guests.
With that said, Disney’s California Adventure has had its fair share of iconic attractions, but no ride in the park’s early history matches up with the likes of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Before being replaced years later by Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, the Hollywood Tower Hotel was home to one of the resort’s most thrilling attractions, full of spooks and surprises at every instance. As the rare Disney attraction to embody some pure fright in addition to some spectacular theming blended with an iconic property, the Tower of Terror was one for the ages in terms of its ability to wow guests on a daily basis. Travelers can still get a peek of the ride over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, but the legacy it left behind in California is as memorable as any attraction of the past at the Disneyland Resort.
Before closing down in January of 2017, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was regarded as a Disney Parks favorite with a blend of suspense and surprise (via The Disney Blog).
Elsewhere in Hollywood Land is the still-standing Animation Building, home to several unique Disney experiences. Long home to the screen displays of animation and music from some of Disney’s most cherished films, as well as the infamous-but-now-gone Toy Story Zoetrope, the building has withstood the test of time inside of the theme park. With the enticing drawing techniques inside the Animation Academy, the mysteries of the Sorcerer’s Workshop, the fun inside of Turtle Talk with Crush, and the opportunity to meet Anna and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen, the building has several very fun options that gives families a chance to unwind for a little bit of time away from the bustle of the parks.
Although the Muppets no longer reside in the Sunset Showcase Theater in Hollywood Land, they were once inhabitants of one of the park’s original adventures. As the same show experience as the once still found at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida, MuppetVision 3D was a great time for families and friends to meet up and see the shenanigans of Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, and the rest of the zany Muppets. Since it closed down in 2014, the theater has been home to several sneak previews of feature films and the popular For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, before it was replaced by Mickey and friends in recent years.
California Adventure has had its fair share of miscues, just as Disneyland had in their early history in the 50’s and 60’s, but no project in the park fumbled quite like Superstar Limo inside of the land. As a strange ride through the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, the attraction faced a short run in operation until it was officially shut down in 2002. Luckily, two friendly monsters quickly came to the rescue to save part of the area from destruction. Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! opened back in early 2006 to a positive reception after the enjoyable Pixar film was released in 2001, and it still remains a hidden gem inside of Disney’s California Adventure as a nice dark ride with short wait times on most park days. The area has also been host to many of the park’s special events over the years, including Grad Nite festivities and the Mad T Party nighttime event that was formerly held inside the park, and still has a versatile backlot set that has been the home to Frozen and Marvel themed events, as well as the current Disneyland Resort Backlot Premiere Shop inside of Stage 17.
MuppetVision 3D was a longtime park classic that opened along with the park in 2001 (via WDW Today).
On the east side of the park closest to the magnificent Grand Californian Hotel (the luxurious, third hotel on the resort’s property) stands Grizzly River Run, the wild, water-raft ride that has thrilled guests since the park opened. As a similar option to the wet adventures on Splash Mountain inside of Disneyland Park, the water ride takes guests on a bumpy and choppy journey alongside Grizzly Peak (and sometimes even inside of the bear-shaped mountain) before it concludes in one last splash down the side of the mountain with covering mist and water cannons abound. There is still nothing quite like this ride on a burning, Southern California day during the summer, and it is no wonder that it still draws such a large crowd so many years later.
Another legendary ride that looms large in the history of Disney Parks is Soarin’, debuting in 2001 along with the park’s opening. Blending right in as the ideal ride for Disney’s California Adventure, Soarin’ has stood the test of time over the past twenty years, and remains a park favorite for many to this day. As the centerpiece of Grizzly Peak (once known as Condor Flats), the calming ride toward the blue skies first took travelers around the state of California, gliding right past the Golden Gate Bridge and zooming past the orange groves of Camarillo to breathe in the fresh scenery of the Golden State (see video below). Now, however, new destinations have converted the ride to take riders around the world, from Fiji to Paris, with all types of new scenes and experiences that guests are sure to enjoy for years to come.
Although areas of the park like Grizzly Peak have been left virtually unscathed since the park opened back in 2001, other sections inside of California Adventure have undergone massive change. This is exactly the case for the back right corner of the park along the waters of Paradise Pier. Although Corn Dog Castle, Golden Zephyr, and Jumping’ Jellyfish still remain in place, the restaurant next to what is now known as Goofy’s Sky School have changed several times over the years to cater the surrounding area. In addition, the building that once hosted Golden Dreams, a twenty minute film detailing the expansive history of the state of California until 2008, has seen many big changes. The show was not widely popular during its time in the park, often being used as a show building for other events that were taking place during the Halloween and Christmas seasons, and was left vacant until a new attraction emerged in time for adjustments to the park’s enhanced experiences.
Yet in a fitting, inevitable, and much-needed change that really paid off for the park, the now-permanent residence inside of the building is home to none other than Ariel from Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Although plans were stalled until California Adventure’s massive expansion in the early 2010’s, Ariel’s Undersea Adventure took residence inside of the building that was once modeled after Bernard Maybeck’s Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco when the ride debuted in the summer of 2011. As the first ride centered around the film for the time, the undersea attraction was a major smash when it first opened and continues to be regarded as one of the more popular dark rides options found anywhere in the resort with its joyful music, calming tones, and breathtaking Audio-Animatronic technology.
Before later being home to Ariel’s Undersea Adventure in a replica of Bernard Maybeck’s Palace of Fine Arts, the park hosted Golden Dreams to display the history of the Golden State (via Yesterdayland).
Remember when the ride now known as Silly Symphony Swings was once located inside of a giant orange called Orange Stinger? Or when Mulholland Madness took guests on a zany, off-the-rails adventure before converting into Goofy’s Sky School? Or when the Maliboomer shot guests hundreds of feet into the air in imitation of the classic strength-of-test carnival game? Paradise Pier has changed quite a bit since it debuted during the park’s opening in 2001, but its legacy remains a massive part of the history of Disney’s California Adventure. From the beach-themed, California advertisements along the boardwalk (you can still see a glimpse of one in the sky near buildings on Sunset Boulevard inside of Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida) to the playable games that represent the many beachside piers along the coast of California, Paradise Pier may have been the standout area of the park for a major chunk of the park’s history, especially as the park smoothed other things out in its first decade of existence.
But for many early years at the park, the marquee attraction was certainly California Screamin’ (see video below) over at Paradise Pier. Before the area was converted to Pixar Pier in the late 2010’s, the boardwalk area at the very back of the park carried the resort’s most noticeable high-speed roller coaster ride. With a beachy soundtrack, a blazing countdown at the start of the attraction, and the only loop in the park, California Screamin’ was a major hit for those looking for a new type of experience in the resort. However, with the area’s expansion with the Pixar theme, the ride adopted a new mantra with “The Incredicoaster”. Themed as a wild ride alongside Pixar’s famed superhero family with The Incredibles, the new roller coaster boasts many of the same elements as the original attraction with even more entertaining elements along the way such as physical characters, chocolate chip cookie scents, and brightly colored laser beams inside of the first launch tunnel after takeoff.
But the magic of Paradise Pier didn’t stop there. Although the park had seen the Electrical Parade and the Pixar Play Parade take the reigns as the premier entertainment options in the park in the past, Disney’s California Adventure truly lacked a real nighttime spectacular to match up with the fireworks show and Fantasmic! across the way for most of its early history. Enter World of Color, the 2010 show that changed the entertainment levels in the park and remains a true staple to this day eleven years later. With some of the most state-of-the-art water effects found anywhere in the world that highlighted the tales and adventures of classic Disney movies, Paradise Pier became lit up in a dazzling display of water and color with the insertion of the new spectacle. The show has been in high demand ever since, even adding in new segments at times during the holiday season or during special park-wide festivals, and figures to remain a key piece of the Disneyland Resort entertainment schedule for years to come.
Nevertheless, although the Pixar Pier expansion did not occur until very recently, Toy Story Midway Mania was the marquee attraction added to the park back in 2008 that changed Paradise Pier and started the new wave of Pixar attractions seen over the next decade and a half. A clone of the Walt Disney version being built at the same time as Disney’s MGM Studios (the name at the time), Toy Story Midway Mania introduced some licensed content to California Adventure for one of the first times to attract some of the attention garnered from the Toy Story franchise, as had been already seen in Tomorrowland with the already-popular Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. The attraction has been a Disneyland Resort smash ever since, and no matter how much change has occurred in the area since its debut, the ride does not appear to be heading anywhere else any time soon.
Before future expansions in the parks relating to acquired properties, Toy Story Midway Mania was the first of many attractions in the park to adopt a new approach to attracting guests through Disney/Pixar-branded characters (via Twitter).
With that said, Toy Story was not the very first Pixar property to make their mark inside of Disney’s California Adventure. Although the land itself did not open up right away with the park in 2001 (the show It’s Tough to be a Bug! actually did inside of the area’s theater, though), A Bug’s Land was an immersive land that shrunk guests down to the size of a bug from the 1998 film, A Bug’s Life. With Easter eggs abound and several entertaining rides for young kids looking to get their first taste of bigger rides, the land was a serious hit for families until it closed down in 2018. With five attractions, including feature standouts like Flik’s Flyers and Francis’ Ladybug Boogie, the longtime favorite was a solid block in California Adventure until it was closed down to make way for a certain arachnid wall climber and his gang of superhero friends.
But if A Bug’s Land was the start of future expansions and Toy Story Midway Mania is regarded as the addition that sparked a new wave of creativity in the park, Cars Land is the masterpiece that truly transformed California Adventure for good. An immersive land that is still a true spectacle almost a decade later, Cars Land brought the town of Radiator Springs to life in spectacular fashion starting in 2012, including interactive characters like Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater driving around and plenty of shopping and dining options throughout. The Cozy Cone Motel snack shops and Flo’s V8 Cafe are the standout food options in the land, and the environment as a whole is as photo-worthy as any spot in the resort (especially when the neon signs are lit up at night). The area is also home to three total attractions today, including the twisty thrills of Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree and upbeat tempo of Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters, and the land continues to expand each year with new holiday overlays that continue to reel in guests.
Even nine years later, the land’s true thriller is Radiator Springs Racers, the high-speed racing ride that remains one of the most popular attractions in any Disney park around the world. The ride is a unique blend of the classic Disney dark ride from Fantasyland with the thrills of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or Space Mountain, which further clarifies why so many people are eager to ride it as soon as they enter the park. And with the picturesque background of the Cadillac Range Mountains from the film at the centerpiece of the action on the ride, it is no wonder why this particular barnburner is still amazing guests every single day inside of Radiator Springs.
Certainly the most significant of the park’s developments since it opened, Cars Land was a major step forward in the re-imagining of Disney’s California Adventure (via Pinterest).
Right next door to Cars Land today is Pacific Wharf, an original area from 2001 that has held up over the past twenty years. An area truly dedicated to the culinary arts scene throughout the Northern part of California in areas like San Francisco and Monterey, Pacific Wharf really does have some of the best food options in all of California Adventure, even though they have changed quite a bit over the years. The Bakery Tour replaced the former Mission Tortilla Factory back in 2012 along with the addition of a new Ghirardelli Soda Fountain, and while longtime favorites such as Lucky Fortune Cookery, Mendocino Terrace, Pacific Wharf Cafe, and Wine Country Trattoria remain intact, the best seems yet to come for the area as new food and drink selections continue to be offered every single year.
The last land in the park addressed is none other than the park’s throwback to Los Angeles in the 1920’s on Buena Vista Street, a magnificent re-imagining of the theme park entrance that was introduced back in 2012. Once known as Sunshine Plaza with a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge that would carry the Disneyland Monorail on its track, Buena Vista Street is now a bustling area full of movement and nostalgia from another time period. With the Red Car Trolley servicing through the area on any given park day, and with several imaginative shops on the street such as Elias and Co. and Trolley Treats, the land is a great entrance to the park and stands out as the perfect representation of California Adventure. Yet the park’s marquee also resides in the land and stands out in the form of the Carthay Circle Theater, the original home for the premiere of 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. As a true piece of Disney history standing out for all to see once entering through the teal covered gates of the park, guests can take comfort in knowing that this unique land is full of plenty of original Disney magic that would surely make Walt Disney proud.
Buena Vista Street was another major addition to the park that transformed the overall aesthetic look to capture the spirit of the state when Walt Disney first arrived in 1923 (via Orange County Register).
But recent years have seen even more expansion around the park. The new Incredicoaster was touched upon a little bit earlier, but Pixar Pier in general has been a welcome addition to the park since it debuted. With three more rides in addition to the Incredicoaster and Toy Story Midway Mania, the area also includes new attractions in Jessie’s Critter Carousel, Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind, and Pixar Pal-A-Round, the infamous Ferris Wheel towering above the rest of the park. In addition, with some great snacks such as the Pixar Pier Frosty Parfait at the Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats and some chicken legs at Poultry Palace, alongside the delicious Lamplight Lounge at the entrance to the pier, the area has plenty to offer for those young and old.
Meanwhile, Hollywood Land on the left side of the park has changed over the past couple of years as well. With the constant changes inside Sunset Showcase Theater, Mickey’s PhilarMagic has taken over the residence, much to the delight of fans from Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom (the attraction is a longtime staple inside the park’s Fantasyland). In addition, a Frozen stage show replaced the fan favorite Aladdin show inside the Hyperion Theater a couple of years ago (although there are not great signs pointing toward the show’s future), and there always seems to be some kind of changes and refurbishment going on inside the Animation Academy and the Sorcerer’s Workshop
Yet among the biggest additions in recent years was the conversion of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror into Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout. Although the choice faced some serious backlash due to the popularity and excitement of the Tower of Terror, Mission Breakout (see video below) has been a major hit amongst guests since it debuted in 2017. As riders travel up and down in an elevator shaft alongside Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Gamora, Drax, and Star-Lord in the resort’s first Marvel themed attraction, the ride takes guests up and down to the beat of classic rock hits such as “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” and “Burning Love” as you help the Guardians of the Galaxy with their latest narrow escape.
So what lies ahead next for Disney’s California Adventure? Well, it is certainly exciting since the park is bound to re-open at some point this year with a massive new addition. Avengers Campus, an entire themed land centered around Marvel’s legendary superheroes such as Spider-Man, Captain America, and Black Panther, is the marquee addition to the resort in 2021 after a yearlong layoff, and it should be a huge opening once things around the world begin to clear up quite a bit. The initial highlight of the new land is a webslinging ride centered around your friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man, featuring actor Tom Holland in his famed role as Peter Parker, that opens along with the land. Details have been limited due to uncertainty around the park, but there is no doubt that this ride will take guests on a thrilling new journey and become an immediate fan favorite once it debuts.
Elsewhere around the land, guests can expect to be able to meet up with some of their favorite heroes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to those already mentioned, guests should be expected to see heroes such as Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Ant-Man, The Wasp, Captain Marvel and even more around the campus, who will eventually meet up in a new E-Ticket ride in the land somewhere down the line. And with the rumored Ant-Man Microbrewery, full of key Pym particles to both shrink and grow ordinary food and drink options, ready to open up alongside two gift shops and a Doctor Strange show, Avengers Campus should be extremely busy from the moment the gates re-open and welcome guests to meet their favorite characters and create their own Marvel moment.
The addition of the new Avengers Campus is the next step in the constant improvement of the resort’s second theme park (via Disney Parks).
And even after almost a year of being closed to guests, good news appear to be soon on the way. In a recent statement sent out to cast members from Disneyland president Ken Potrock, the park will debut an all-new ticketed experience relating to food and beverage options from around the resort with some inclusion of entertainment options in mid-March. With the re-opening of the entire resort somewhere down the line in 2021, guests can only hope for the best when it comes to tidbits of news such as this. And until then, what better way to celebrate the parks than to honor the anniversary of an official opening?
Cheers to the next twenty years!
Clockwise: some of the park’s logos (top left), new plans for the Avengers campus (top right), the park map in 2020 (bottom right), and the park map in 2001 (bottom left).