News Coco Boat Ride Coming to Disney California Adventure

[coffeefan]

Walt's work for the State Department in the early 1940's, which was helpful in keeping the Nazis out of Central America and keeping the non-committal governments there sympathetic to their Allied neighbors to the north, was some truly wonderful work on behalf of the nation and freedom!

It would be fun if they could tie Coco and this new mini-land into the early 1940's and Walt's artistic work there.

The entire Viva Navidad! show every Christmas is entirely based around the Three Amigos and that 1940's State Department contract work, after all.

It would have been perfect in the backlot. The timeline would've been in chronological order: BVS in the 1920s (arrival in LA), Hollywood Land in the 30s (first Disney movie), and Mexico in the 40s (Goodwill trip along with several key figures that designed DL). It's like following in Walt's footsteps and tying it all together, and leading to Disneyland in the 1950s.

 

[MistaDee]

My theory is that they aren't concerned about hiding the Incredicoaster, because it will be modified or removed in the coming decades, while Coco remains in place.

For the Coco attraction, my idea is that it takes place after the first movie. It's a Coco Museo that celebrates Hector's artistry and tells the story of how the family cleared his name. The ride takes us through the museum, but then, oh! oh! Who's that? It's Miguel! He appears and takes us to the Land of the Dead to see the celebration on the other side.

I think the coaster is here to stay - we've seen no indications otherwise and it would be a massive cost just to demolish the thing

 

[britain]

I think the coaster is here to stay - we've seen no indications otherwise and it would be a massive cost just to demolish the thing

Yeah it’s popular and fulfilling its purpose. Not leaving unless some unrecoverable damage (earthquake or bomb?) happens to it.


Now don’t get any ideas!

 

[DLR92]

I’m just going to accept it going to just evoke a wonderful boat ride at the pier carnival park. Nothing more.

 

[D.Silentu]

Not leaving unless some unrecoverable damage (earthquake or bomb?) happens to it.

Right, I think the best we can hope is that they plus it up a bit when The Incredibles III releases.

 

[britain]

Right, I think the best we can hope is that they plus it up a bit when The Incredibles III releases.

Right on! Wall up the final section and improve the finale.

 

[Professortango1]

You all are acting like DCA is adding a new land, rather than a new themed entrance to a Coco ride as part of the Pixar Pier/Paradise Gardens area. Hiding the coaster was never a concern. It is like the Epcot pavilions, a portal into a story/culture rather than an immersive ultra realistic themed land.

 

[mickEblu]

You all are acting like DCA is adding a new land, rather than a new themed entrance to a Coco ride as part of the Pixar Pier/Paradise Gardens area. Hiding the coaster was never a concern. It is like the Epcot pavilions, a portal into a story/culture rather than an immersive ultra realistic themed land.

I think you re missing the point. Or mine at least. My point was that Disney is not interested in trying to hide the coaster because they don’t have to. Because it’s likely going to be a little plaza surrounded by palm trees and then into the attraction entrance we go.

 

[Professortango1]

I think you re missing the point. Or mine at least. My point was that Disney is not interested in trying to hide the coaster because they don’t have to. Because it’s likely going to be a little plaza surrounded by palm trees and then into the attraction entrance we go.

Exactly, and also because we are not suddenly supposed to be in a faithful representation of his Mexican village in Coco. It's a plaza with Mission architecture that leads into a Coco ride behind the coaster.

It would be like trying to hide Mission BO from the new Avengers Campus expansion.

 

[mickEblu]

Exactly, and also because we are not suddenly supposed to be in a faithful representation of his Mexican village in Coco. It's a plaza with Mission architecture that leads into a Coco ride behind the coaster.

It would be like trying to hide Mission BO from the new Avengers Campus expansion.

Yeah the fact that they chose this location for the attraction means that a land or even mini land was never in consideration. It’s just a Coco neighborhood and an attraction. A small shop and maybe a little eatery and/ or partially rethemed Paradise Gardens area. With that said I don’t think anyone here was really was expecting a land. The discussion was centered around the desire/ need for an outdoor queue.

 

[DrStarlander]

I don’t think anyone here was really was expecting a land.

Agree, I don't recall anyone expecting a full land.

 

[Professortango1]

Agree, I don't recall anyone expecting a full land.

But wanting faux hills and worrying about sightlines when these same sightlines exist for most of PP is absurd.

I've read through pages of speculation and solutions to a non existent issue for PP-based attractions.

 

[mickEblu]

But wanting faux hills and worrying about sightlines when these same sightlines exist for most of PP is absurd.

I've read through pages of speculation and solutions to a non existent issue for PP-based attractions.

Well the distinction here is that the rest of the pier is comprised of seaside pier attractions. Coco is set in Santa Cecilia and is not a seaside amusement park attraction. So thematically it’s placement doesn’t make a whole lot sense in that location. With that said, the coaster isnt a huge issue because they re not going for a hyper immersive land because they can’t and because it’s just going to be one ride with a mostly indoor queue. If they wanted to bigger/ bolder and more immersive they would have chosen a different location.

Have we ever considered the possibility that Coco isn’t actually going into Pixar Pier but actually going into Paradise Gardens? Coco PLAZA Gardens kind of makes more sense than it going in the Pier and would feel organic in the area. Not that any of the following would be necessary in Disneys view but Boundaries could simply be redrawn, Silly Symphony Swings and Jumpin Jelly fish can be reassigned to the Pier and rethemed as Up and Nemo. Zephyr can stay in Plaza Gardens or be rethemed to Coco alebrijes. Mermaid can go to my favorite land - Performance Corridor and if you think about it makes more sense there than anywhere else.

 

[DrStarlander]

But wanting faux hills and worrying about sightlines when these same sightlines exist for most of PP is absurd.

I've read through pages of speculation and solutions to a non existent issue for PP-based attractions.

There was a side conversation about whether the acreage could have been used for a full land instead, and what kind of visual blocking would be possible (or not) in that case.

Yes, Coco will just be a ride behind the coaster. Whether it will be have any outdoor queue or all indoor queue was the real discussion. And yes, having the outdoor queue for this IP (given the vibe seen in the concept art) next to the coaster was cited as possibly unappealing. I gather you wouldn't think so. But I don't think the anticipation that could be unappealing is "absurd."

 

[mickEblu]

Just looked at the original announcement (First post on this thread) and nowhere does it say that the attraction is going in Pixar Pier. The more I think about it, this has to be the move and if it’s not, it should be. Why put an attraction that’s set in a village in Mexico in the land themed to a seaside Pier when right next door you have Plaza Gardens? Because it’s Pixar IP? It’s not as if other Pixar attractions haven’t always existed all around the park. The way I see it, Coco would be the perfect bridge between Pixar Pier and the newly named Plaza Gardens or Coco Plaza Gardens.

 

[AJFireman]

Here is the announcement from last year when they gave the location. "near" not in either land

 

[coffeefan]

Just looked at the original announcement (First post on this thread) and nowhere does it say that the attraction is going in Pixar Pier. The more I think about it, this has to be the move and if it’s not, it should be. Why put an attraction that’s set in a village in Mexico on the land themed to a seaside Pier when right next door you have Plaza Gardens? Because it’s Pixar IP? It’s not as if other Pixar attractions haven’t always existed all around the park. The way I see it, Coco would be the perfect bridge between Pixar Pier and the newly named Plaza Gardens or Coco Plaza Gardens.

Perhaps something like 'Celebration Gardens' since that area of the park is used for festivals and the attraction likely takes place during DotD.

Ideally, Disney would redo that entire area from the ground up, and if they can use some of the service road behind the restaurants. Then they could do a 'Pixar Plaza' to extend Pixar themes, but without the limitations of a pier setting.

 

[marni1971]

I wouldn't be surprised if at some point a Coco overlay was planned, but never announced, for the Mexico pavilion at Epcot

It was.

 

[Gusey]

I wouldn't be surprised if at some point a Coco overlay was planned, but never announced, for the Mexico pavilion at Epcot and what we are getting here at DCA is a clone of that ride with the cancelled overlay, but with an extended outdoor queue.

If it's anything more than that I'll be thrilled, but I'm going in with low expectations.

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The Epcot Experience/preview center in the Odyssey had a few hints including the guitar next to the pavilion on the model and Miguel on the Mexico poster on display

 

[DrStarlander]

This video about the "second park problem" by James Grosch / Guide2WDW was really interesting. And I think it outlines a core tension about DCA, and why so many find it disappointing. This entire conversation about Coco and how it might be executed -- for me at least -- is a conversation about what vision they have for DCA and ultimately, as James points out -- quoting a theory of Tony Baxter -- whether the park can be charming or not.

With Coco, there is this obvious opportunity to be charming and I think seeing that, likely, being under-exploited, in real time, sends a message to me that they don't even understand the problem at DCA.

And to the extent they've found success at DCA (Buena Vista St. and Cars Land), they don't even know what they achieved.

It's not just about IPs. It's not just about capacity. And for all the reasons people have -- for centuries -- framed paintings, it's not just about the content...what's inside. It's also about how you present things. The elegance and respect and dignity in which you serve something up is important. And with Adventure Way they seem to show they -- someone at WDI -- gets it. As long as DCA is this opportunistic junk drawer where they tuck things -- the Scotch tape, the screwdriver, the random zip ties -- it will never be what it could be, or complement Disneyland as it should.