Ever since I heard that Disney's California Adventure will undergo a $1.1 billion enhancement, I've been thinking about what it means not only to that park, but also to the future of Disneyland. To begin with, I'm very pleased that Disney has seen fit to plunge such an enormous sum into a park that was, truth be told, under-performing. Disneyland itself has been more immune to poor decisions simply because of the fact that it has such a fundamentally sound and popular framework that unpopular changes don't diminish the overall picture.
California Adventure is different.
From the start, California Adventure has been the younger sibling that didn't have the same credibility or depth as its older, more established counterpart. Not its fault. Disneyland is a very hard act with which to compete. Still, I've felt that California Adventure could have certainly been conceived in a more promising and engaging fashion. I say this without any desire to trash what Imagineers did with California Adventure. If they had designed it to flow in exactly the way Disneyland does, they would have found themselves being criticized for making a 'cookie-cutter' park. Perhaps if they'd had a more generally cohesive central concept for the park it might have been easier. Who knows? My point here is that California Adventure did not live up to the potential of Disney theme parks and needs a 'redo'.
There are, without question, 'E' ticket-type attractions at California Adventure already: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, California Screamin', Soarin' Over California each carries the power of a marquee attraction and will doubtlessly remain central fixtures for years to come. But let's return to that all-important term: cohesion. In the context of a Disney park, I would suggest that it's something akin to attractions, design, flavor and theme all sprouting from a consistent source of inspiration. I've never felt that California Adventure had that. The inspiration behind it seemed to be, "let's build something".
A case in point: The entrance to California Adventure. It's always seemed incredibly equivocal to me. Not committing to anything in particular. In order for the first impression of a park to be striking doesn't there need to be a definite focus? My understanding of the new entrance is that it will be themed as Hollywood of the late 1920's/early 1930s. Regardless of how they execute this plan, it's already a stronger start because it makes a commitment to a central idea.
There's also the changes to Paradise Pier. Facades will be redesigned to reflect waterfront amusement spots of yesteryear. Sounds good. I hope that the attention to detail will be at the level that we've come to expect from Disney.
The addition of the 'Cars' themed area leaves me with mixed feelings. I think that an addition of this size will almost certainly bring in more people, but I wonder how compatible this particular new area will be to the rest of the park. Time will tell.
For anyone who's interested in seeing a really terrific video on the entire California Adventure update, here's the place to go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCsmQPwxiP8
Now what was my point in this post to begin with...? Oh, yes. What will these changes do for Disneyland? I envision nothing but benefits for the park. Why? Quite simple. By strengthening California Adventure, Disneyland Resort as a whole becomes a more solid and reliable draw. Perhaps the changes will help balance out the crowds between the two parks. I think that would be a great change. What's more, it seems to me that if the $1.1 billion investment pans out for Disney, they'll be more likely to make larger and larger types of investments in Disneyland itself. Tomorrowland, I'm looking at you.
California Adventure is different.
From the start, California Adventure has been the younger sibling that didn't have the same credibility or depth as its older, more established counterpart. Not its fault. Disneyland is a very hard act with which to compete. Still, I've felt that California Adventure could have certainly been conceived in a more promising and engaging fashion. I say this without any desire to trash what Imagineers did with California Adventure. If they had designed it to flow in exactly the way Disneyland does, they would have found themselves being criticized for making a 'cookie-cutter' park. Perhaps if they'd had a more generally cohesive central concept for the park it might have been easier. Who knows? My point here is that California Adventure did not live up to the potential of Disney theme parks and needs a 'redo'.
There are, without question, 'E' ticket-type attractions at California Adventure already: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, California Screamin', Soarin' Over California each carries the power of a marquee attraction and will doubtlessly remain central fixtures for years to come. But let's return to that all-important term: cohesion. In the context of a Disney park, I would suggest that it's something akin to attractions, design, flavor and theme all sprouting from a consistent source of inspiration. I've never felt that California Adventure had that. The inspiration behind it seemed to be, "let's build something".
A case in point: The entrance to California Adventure. It's always seemed incredibly equivocal to me. Not committing to anything in particular. In order for the first impression of a park to be striking doesn't there need to be a definite focus? My understanding of the new entrance is that it will be themed as Hollywood of the late 1920's/early 1930s. Regardless of how they execute this plan, it's already a stronger start because it makes a commitment to a central idea.
There's also the changes to Paradise Pier. Facades will be redesigned to reflect waterfront amusement spots of yesteryear. Sounds good. I hope that the attention to detail will be at the level that we've come to expect from Disney.
The addition of the 'Cars' themed area leaves me with mixed feelings. I think that an addition of this size will almost certainly bring in more people, but I wonder how compatible this particular new area will be to the rest of the park. Time will tell.
For anyone who's interested in seeing a really terrific video on the entire California Adventure update, here's the place to go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCsmQPwxiP8
Now what was my point in this post to begin with...? Oh, yes. What will these changes do for Disneyland? I envision nothing but benefits for the park. Why? Quite simple. By strengthening California Adventure, Disneyland Resort as a whole becomes a more solid and reliable draw. Perhaps the changes will help balance out the crowds between the two parks. I think that would be a great change. What's more, it seems to me that if the $1.1 billion investment pans out for Disney, they'll be more likely to make larger and larger types of investments in Disneyland itself. Tomorrowland, I'm looking at you.
