When Disney’s California Adventure opened on February 8, 2001 it was touted as an “adventure through the Golden State.” This 72-acre park, also known as “DCA”, is themed after the history and culture of California. DCA celebrates the fun and adventure of California through various themed areas, such as Hollywood, mountains, coast, desert, and agriculture. Since DCA’s opening, the park has gone through several updates – to the point that one may ask: How much ‘California’ remains at DCA?

History of California theme at DCA

I watched the former Disneyland parking lot transform into Disney’s California Adventure and I attended one of the pre-opening events in early February 2001. Initially, DCA had five themed areas (Sunshine Plaza, Hollywood Pictures Backlot, Golden State, Pacific Wharf, and Paradise Pier). The original main entrance was like walking into a giant CALIFORNIA postcard – complete with custom murals, a replica Golden Gate Bridge, and 3D concrete C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A letters. Everywhere you looked, there were aspects of the Golden State in the architecture, design, and décor of the park. The original storyline for DCA was this postcard entrance and being able to experience California’s iconic scenes and places.

When Disney’s California Adventure first opened, the main street into the park was lined on either side with ceramic tile mosaics showing scenes from California and a variety of shops. As you walked down the street, you passed under the Monorail track that was disguised within a scale replica of the Golden Gate Bridge. At the end of the street was Sunshine Plaza that included a giant metal sun sculpture, wave fountain, and California themed music.

One of the landmarks in the Sunshine Plaza area was an actual train engine and cars from the California Zephyr. The sides of the train cars served as entrances to an ice cream shop, a bakery, and a shop selling toys. To the left of the plaza was Hollywood Pictures Backlot and to the right was Golden State.

Beyond the plaza was Pacific Wharf and Paradise Pier. Everywhere you looked, there were aspects of California in the architecture, décor, names of shops, music, and more. Noticeably absent during the first few months were the character meet and greet opportunities with Mickey and his friends. Disney quickly realized that people want to see the main mouse and his friends, so character photo opportunities were added.

Changes to DCA started in 2002, when “a bug’s land” opened in October. This was the first of many additions, and an area that was geared for younger guests. Even though “a bug’s land” was based on the movie characters in Disney’s “bug’s life”, this area also tied-in to an area focused on California’s agriculture. Bug’s Land was the first introduction of Pixar characters to DCA.

Bug’s Land was popular for many years yet in summer 2018 it is closing to make way for a new area featuring some of the Marvel franchise. With the closure of Bug’s Land, the area dedicated to California’s agriculture will be all but gone from DCA. One nod to the Golden State’s agriculture remains at the Wine Country Trattoria and the grape vines growing in the area.

Hollywood Pictures Backlot saw some changes in late 2005 when the Superstar Limo ride was replaced with Monsters, Inc. This was the second introduction of Pixar characters to DCA. The Hollywood backlot area has gone through several iterations trying to figure out what types of entertainment, shows, and/or attractions should go in this space.

A new storyline for DCA was introduced on October 17, 2007 when Disney announced extensive changes for this park. The main entrance and central plaza area were rethemed to portray a romanticized Hollywood and Los Angeles of the 1920s. The retro and vintage architecture matches how the area looked when Walt Disney arrived in California in 1923.

In 2007, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure and Cars Land were announced with opening dates scheduled for 2010 and 2012 respectively. Some sources have said that more money was spent on these additions to Disney’s California Adventure than when the park was originally built in 2001. In May 2008, Toy Story Mania made its debut at Paradise Pier — paving the way for Pixar’s ultimate takeover of DCA’s pier area.

The Mali-boomer ride closed in 2010 and was removed. The area has remained empty since then. However, in 2019 one of the rides from Bug’s Land will be moved and changed to an Inside Out theme. One of the original rides at Disney’s California Adventure was the Orange Stinger that was located at the far end of Paradise Pier near where Mali-boomer had been. The swing ride remained when DCA was refurbished in the mid-2000s. It reopened as Silly Symphony Swings during summer 2010. The Mulholland Madness roller coaster closed in October 2010. It was rethemed and became Goofy’s Sky School and opened in July 2011.

After approximately four years of construction at DCA, the new entrance debuted in July 2011. Nearly a year before, in May 2010, the park’s name officially changed from “Disney’s California Adventure” to “Disney California Adventure” and a new logo was introduced. The redesigned front entrance was modeled after the iconic Pan Pacific Auditorium.

The Streamline Moderne architecture was popular in the 1930s when the Pan Pacific Auditorium was built in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. Guests now enter DCA and walk down Buena Vista Street toward the Carthay Theatre. Buena Vista Street transports guests to how Los Angeles appeared in 1923 when Walt Disney first arrived in California. The buildings are inspired by structures that existed in Los Angeles during the 1920s and ‘30s.

The Sunshine Plaza was replaced with the Carthay Circle Theatre, which was another iconic building in Los Angeles/Hollywood in the 1920s. Back in the day, the original Carthay Circle Theatre was the site of Walt Disney’s first animated feature length film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in 1937. DCA’s Carthay Circle is a sit-down restaurant where the food is the star in this classic setting.

In 2012, Cars Land made its grand debut and has proven to be a popular addition to this park. This area continued the California theming, to some degree, with the desert landscape and Route 66 inspired architecture and décor. The Imagineers for Cars Land went all out to make this area seem like it came straight from the Cars movie. Many real-life places along Route 66 inspired the architecture in Cars Land.

Pacific Wharf also saw some changes in 2012 when the Mission Tortilla Factory was replaced with Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop. This was a great addition to DCA and the Ghirardelli ice cream shop definitely fits with California! Like the Boudin Bakery and Restaurant, both Boudin and Ghirardelli share a history in California that dates back to the Gold Rush days of the 1850s.

The Condor Flats area was rethemed in 2012 to look like a typical California National Park in the 1950s. This land opened in 2001 as part of a subsection of a larger land, Golden State, which included three total areas – Condor Flats, Grizzly Peak, and Pacific Wharf. The “Golden State” name was retired, and the three areas became their own separate lands in 2012 with the park’s redesign. The Condor Flats section was subsequently incorporated into the Grizzly Peak area, Grizzly Peak Airfield, in 2015.

Some of the Grizzly Peak Airfield redesign enhanced the California theme for DCA with its tribute to the rangers and smokejumpers who protect California’s national parks. However, this change also brought the end of “Soarin’ Over California” when “Soarin’ Over the World” debuted. While many of us hoped the original Soarin’ movie would return at some point, it’s been two years and there’s no indication if or when it will be back.

Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, part of Grizzly Peak, has remained mostly unchanged since DCA opened in 2001. This area is a great place for kids and families to explore the trails and obstacle courses in a setting inspired by the redwoods found in northern California.

In my opinion, the true beginning of the end for the California focus at DCA occurred when Tower of Terror was changed to Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT in 2017. Tower of Terror, which opened in 2003, had been a tribute to the gilded age of Hollywood with a Twilight Zone inspired storyline. Like much of the architecture in Hollywood Land, the high-rise tower was inspired by a real building in Hollywood. Between 2011 and 2012, a subtle change occurred when this area was renamed from Hollywood Pictures Backlot to Hollywood Land. Also, the main entrance that featured the iconic elephants and archway was removed.

Fast forward to 2018 and more changes have been made or are planned for DCA. Paradise Pier closed in January 2018 and was transformed into Pixar Pier that opened in June 2018. The original design of Paradise Pier was modeled after the boardwalk theme parks that are popular in some of California’s seaside towns like Santa Cruz and San Diego. The overall feel and of a seaside amusement park remains, but the nods to California are gone and replaced with all things Pixar.

How much ‘California’ remains at DCA?

Area:	CALIFORNIA references (2018):	Rating:
Front entrance	Retro California from the 1920s	3
Buena Vista Street	Hollywood of the 1920s and 1930s	4
Hollywood Land	Hollywood architecture & décor	4
Cars Land	California desert & Route 66	5
Pacific Wharf	Monterey, Boudin Bakery, Ghirardelli Chocolate	5
Grizzly Peak	Redwood Forest	5
Grizzly Peak Airfield	California National Parks	5
Pixar Pier	Seaside amusement parks	2

Scale:
1 = Not so much California;
2 = Minimal California;
3 = Some, not so obvious, California;
4 = Strong California connections;
5 = Excellent!

Keep in mind that there used to be more direct examples of California when DCA first opened. The problem was that the crowds did not come as expected, at least not initially. So, the Imagineers went back to the drawing board to determine how to improve DCA. The park we know and enjoy today is the result of the many iterations since Disney California Adventure opened in 2001. Only time will tell if the “California” theme can continue to attract and entertain guests.

If you’re feeling nostalgic about the CALIFORNIA letters from the front entrance or the California Zephyr train, they have been relocated to new homes in northern California. Making a grand entrance at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds, the CALIFORNIA letters are located in Sacramento at the main entrance of the California Exposition & State Fair. The California Zephyr is at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola. Check out this album of photos taken from 2006 – 2010 at Disney California Adventure Park​ before Cars Land was built.

I’ve heard rumors that Disney is considering a name change for the Disney California Adventure Park. However, no official statement has been made to date.  With the increased use of the Pixar and Marvel franchises, it would not surprise me if a name change is next.

What are your thoughts? Does DCA need a name change?
What are your favorite memories of Disney California Adventure?
Looking forward to hearing from you in the comments!

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