What follows is a hodgepodge of thoughts I have about Disney California Adventure's first two decades:
2015 is being singled out as the year the park peaked and I would agree and feel it worth noting that was the year the Soarin' area became an extension of Grizzly Peak. To date I would call this the last change to DCA that was any sort of improvement. Avengers Campus may yet be the next improvement when it opens. The aesthetics have been criticized, but as for Bugs Land that category is the only one that impressed me and Marvel has the possibility of bringing more to the table, including an E-ticket.
The 2012 improvements were the biggest steps forward for the park, but were lacking in one major category.
EXHIBIT A:
Some may find fault in my opinion, but that is a beautiful entrance to a theme park! The trade was that once you pass the gates things were lackluster; now you pass lackluster gates to an excellently themed entry corridor. I realize that they felt the exterior needed to change to demonstrate how serious they were about the park's relaunch. However, I'm certain word of mouth would have been enough and I try not to think of the extra funding they would have had for other improvements if they didn't build a new entry. I will say it was nice to see the bridge go; at night the lights could be seen from Main Street.
Most would agree that retheming Tower of Terror was a step backwards, myself included. For clarity I must admit that I find things to enjoy on Guardians, though it's in need of a few extra touches before I would call it a great ride. Specifically, the preshow sets you up as a participant, but on the elevator you're merely an observer. Following the opening of Avengers Campus I hope they take the opportunity to develop the ride further, just as they did when the animatronic aliens were added to the queue. Also, for the love of Imagineering, if you're going to put a looped video in the line, then accurately calculate how long people will be standing around watching it!
While I think a number of changes can redeem Guardians, I'm not sure the same can be said of the Incredicoaster. Screamin' was one of the redeeming factors of year one DCA. All of the criticisms of having a simple roller coaster in a Disney park were on point. That being said, it was an excellent coaster and that adjective couldn't be applied to much else on opening day. I nearly have no words for what the makeover did to it. Marrying the Incredibles to a roller coaster should have been the theme park equivalent of peanut butter and chocolate. Instead we get what serves as a monument to the poor execution that formed Pixar Pier. I'm not sure what they could do to make me enjoy this version of the ride any better, short of returning the ride to its previous state.
Not to entirely disparage Pixar Pier, there is one thing that I do enjoy. I like the lemon ice cream cones at the Adorable Snowman location and initially found myself thrilled that they had replaced generic soft serve with something tasty and unique.
I feel I've been on a negative run thus far so it's worth reiterating that the park has come a long way. One of the better things that have come and gone were the night time celebrations ala ElecTronica and Mad T Party. The energy that came with them was infectious and, referring to the latter event, live bands are due for a return to both parks! The Aladdin show was fun and had a better grasp than Frozen of what a show at a theme park should aspire to. Not to say Frozen is a bad show, but I've only seen it once thanks to its length.
Speaking of shows, I would say the best addition to the park has been World of Color. The park desperately needed an evening show, but choosing choreographed fountains was a masterstroke. This was finally a spectacle that you couldn't find at Disneyland, but was worthy of it. This is the kind of thing California Adventure needs more of. Not just big rides, but one of a kind attractions that can evoke a sense of awe. Cars Land comes close to this, with its sweeping vista of the desert town and racing ride on full display.
Well, there you have it. Just a number of thoughts on the history of DCA as they came to me. Pardon the lack of structure or conclusion, but it's been fun to write this stream of consciousness. I'm sure other thoughts will cross my my mind and if so I will do my best to make them a bit more concise!
