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[Disney Irish]

If they treated "California" as an idea just as they did with the sea in TDS, we would have been fine. It would have likely been a park similar to EPCOT with it being free from IP's and rather than Edutainment, would have explored the themes and stories that California inspires.

El Dorado was rumored to be here. Manifest Destiny. Bigfoot, Lost City of Mu, Shasta Lights, Winchester Mystery House, vintage San Francisco. Heck, Baxter's Discovery Bay could have fit DCA had it been done right. But, as Disney Sea took a lot of money and big thinking, this too would require that commitment from Disney. And Disney doesn't do that anymore.
I wonder, in an alternate timeline, had they done DCA correctly, would that have ushered in another golden age for theme parks? Or would they still learn the wrong lesson from Potter.

No offense but most of that stuff sounds boring to me, especially as a California native, in a theme park setting. I don't need my Park to be a fantasized history lesson about California, I was born and raised here and studied its real history in school.

Remember one of the biggest complaints heard back in the day about DCA was the lack of "Disney" in the Park, the lack of recognizable IP. So I don't see how they could have gone into that direction you're talking about long term anyways.

 

[DavidDL]

Oh gotcha. No it shouldn’t be the litmus test. I was just pointing that Mission BO was the nail in the coffin and that anyone giving it a pass is doing some hardcore mental gymnastics. It’s all irrelevant anyway as the park being strictly themed to California is dead and gone. I can understand the hope that they retheme Mission BO and revert to a more strict California theme. However, not only do I find that highly unrealistic but that also ignores the fact that most additions post opening 2001 minus BVS and TOT had a very weak connection to California.

The frustrating part for me is Disney can absolutely have it both ways. Want to incorporate Avatar and Marvel into your California-themed park in a way that makes sense? There's a way to do that: build those attractions in Hollywoodland. Have to expand or fix up Hollywoodland to do it? Go for it! I'm totally in favor of a refresh for that area. I'm not gonna sit here and pretend like the faux facades are bees knees or anything. But having a well-built, expanded Hollywood "land" gives that area the potential to hold all kinds of attractions that might have a hard time fitting in thematically with other areas.

I guess I'm also just tired of these giant, super specific lands dedicated to single IPs. We get it, Potter was popular. But I really wish they would go back to building lands that can incorporate multiple IPs that have the ability to come and go as needed instead of dedicating giant swaths of the land to a single movie or something. Then again, I also wish we'd get some original stories and attractions out of Imagineering, too. But I know that will also never happen!

 

[mickEblu]

Oh I agree that we're not going back. Not in my lifetime. They shifted from Buena Vista Street to Mission BO with lightning speed and never looked back. That's why I am all about making the divorce final. Let's change our name and remove any traces of the former partnership.

But even if you change the name you’ll still have BVS and Grizzly Peak so you’d have to retheme those lands for a full divorce… which I am vehemently opposed to as they are beautifully themed lands with great place making. I can understand why some may prefer a name change. I don’t find it necessary. I like the ring of California Adventure and I still think it makes sense. I think that viewing DCA as an Adventure park in California is a much smaller leap than saying Bugs Land, Cars Land, Mission BO, Mermaid etc have any real connection to California.

Not that I think they have to but they can just come out with a new rededication plaque with a new spiel describing that this is Disneys Adventure Park in California that celebrates some of the States natural beauty, Walt’s history here and many of the worlds and adventures created by the talented artists at the Burbank, Hollywood, Emeryville studios etc. I think there’s a little more meat there and more of a thesis than just a straightforward “these are adventures from our movies.” Much cheaper and easier than rebranding the park too. I hate the ring of Cinematic Adventure as it kind of brings my mind back to the ride the movies USH approach which IMO kind of makes it all feel less “real and organic.”

My rededication spiel would make even more sense if they put Avatar in the Simba lot as you’d have the front of the park be about the States Natural beauty and Walt’s history here and then as you move to towards the back it becomes about all of the worlds/ adventures created by the artists in the Burbank, Emeryville and Hollywood studios.

 

[D.Silentu]

If they treated "California" as an idea just as they did with the sea in TDS, we would have been fine. It would have likely been a park similar to EPCOT with it being free from IP's and rather than Edutainment, would have explored the themes and stories that California inspires.

El Dorado was rumored to be here. Manifest Destiny. Bigfoot, Lost City of Mu, Shasta Lights, Winchester Mystery House, vintage San Francisco.

My white whale of unbuilt attractions planned for DCA was their original take on Tower of Terror. Supposedly they were going to build a variation on the ride themed around the Eagles' song 'Hotel California,' with the attraction being named the same. Unfortunately, I've never been able to find much information about it save for the fact that it was to be built around the wharf area. As you've said, that kind of fantastic take on California culture and history would have lent the park a much stronger foundation.

 

[waltography]

Remember one of the biggest complaints heard back in the day about DCA was the lack of "Disney" in the Park, the lack of recognizable IP. So I don't see how they could have gone into that direction you're talking about long term anyways.

Lack of recognizable IP is one part of what made DCA 1.0 a failure, but I'd argue the more pressing issue was it lacked the Disney sensibility to foster nostalgia for an unrealized past. Soarin' Over California is proof that a theme park that celebrates California could be interesting, emotional, and worthwhile; it's a shame the rest of the park let it down.

If they treated "California" as an idea just as they did with the sea in TDS, we would have been fine. It would have likely been a park similar to EPCOT with it being free from IP's and rather than Edutainment, would have explored the themes and stories that California inspires.

El Dorado was rumored to be here. Manifest Destiny. Bigfoot, Lost City of Mu, Shasta Lights, Winchester Mystery House, vintage San Francisco. Heck, Baxter's Discovery Bay could have fit DCA had it been done right. But, as Disney Sea took a lot of money and big thinking, this too would require that commitment from Disney. And Disney doesn't do that anymore.
I wonder, in an alternate timeline, had they done DCA correctly, would that have ushered in another golden age for theme parks? Or would they still learn the wrong lesson from Potter.

In my ideal build-out, we'd get a Mystic Manor in the style of the Winchester Mystery House where Redwood Creek is and Discovery Bay by way of San Francisco where San Fransokyo Square is. I could live without Paradise Pier but don't mind the Victorian boardwalk direction they started taking it with DCA 2.0.