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Disney Unveils Park Redo After 5 Years

Disney unveils park redo of Disney California Adventure costing them around $1 billion!

The $1 billion plus overhaul of Disney California Adventure which took 5 years is finally over.

Disney unveils theme park redo on Wednesday, June 13, transforming the Disneyland Resort into a multiple-day destination similar to the more popular Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

It can be remembered that the Disney California Adventure received harsh criticisms from customers since it opened in 2001. The park also got a thumbs down from critics because it lacked the immersion, character experience, and timelessness of Disneyland Park.

Disney management admitted that the park has been “a brand eyesore” that’s why on October 2007, the company began the $1.1 billion re-construction of the park (against its initial $600 million price to build).

The 85-acre “Disney California Adventure” was built during the ‘Disney Decade’, a growth initiative of former Walt Disney Company CEO Michael Eisner. The theme park was divided into eight themed “districts”: Buena Vista Street, Hollywood Pictures Backlot, Grizzly Peak, Pacific Wharf, “A Bugs Land,” Cars Land, Condor Flats, and Paradise Pier. Each district is meant to resemble various aspects of Californian culture and landmarks, both stylized and idealized.

Disney listened to the public and several of the attractions which drew criticism from the public were removed while other rides were redesigned or replaced with a larger focus on Disney characters and stories.

For example, The Mulholland Madness roller coaster, named after an infamous California water baron, is now Goofy’s Sky School; Golden Dreams, an audio history of California, is now an animatronic ride called The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure; A replica of the Golden Gate Bridge spanning two banks of stores that lined the entranceway has been made over to evoke the Los Angeles neighborhood where founder Walt Disney got his start.

Most of its new features rely on characters that come from Disney’s $7.4 billion acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios, the San Francisco-area studio behind “Cars,” ”Toy Story,” ”Monsters Inc.” and “A Bug’s Life.”

And Cars Land, a 12-acre area based on the Pixar movie “Cars,” opens Friday with three new rides and a re-creation of the fictional town of Radiator Springs on Route 66.

It was also announced through the Disney Parks Blog that the park would also be receiving a slight name change, to “Disney California Adventure,” as well as a new logo.

With the expensive redo, it’s inevitable that gate prices have increased to $200 for a two-day “park hopper” pass for visitors aged 10 and up, compared to $173 previously.

1 Comment on Disney Unveils Park Redo After 5 Years

  1. I sure hope I can visit Disney Hong Kong. The nearest theme park for me 🙂

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