Billion $$ DCA Overhaul

[redfive13]

Over at Thrillnetwork.com, they have an article about Disney having plans to pour 1.1 billion dollars into DCA over the next five years in an effort to bring in more customers. FYI, This originally came from the Wall Street Journal.

Here's what they are saying:

Oct. 17th, 2007 -- Since opening in 2001, Disney’s California Adventure has had problems drawing visitors like its neighbor Disneyland.

The Walt Disney Co. has approved a $1.1 billion overhaul of the park to be spread out roughly over a five-year period. The sum is almost as much as the company spent to build the park initially.

Last year the park drew just under six million visitors, compared to Disneyland’s 15 million.

One of the key projects will be redesigning the entrance plaza and replacing it with something more similar to Disneyland’s Main Street entrance.

The company plans to add many new attractions tying into their Pixar and Disney animated movies.

There may also be a name change in the works for the park.

 

[Fun2BFree]

Al Lutz is being pretty smug about the matter over at MiceAge. :hammer:

 

[Since1976]

Is it too late to retheme the park and call it Disney's American Celebration? Or does the bad taste of the Disney's America project linger in too many people's minds? (Some of the DCA attractions were repurposed concepts from the scuttled Virginia theme park, after all).

 

[Rufus T Firefly]

Al Lutz is being pretty smug about the matter over at MiceAge. :hammer:

It seems as though Al was right on the money with this one. :shrug:

 

[devoy1701]

I was just reading about it on money.cnn.com. Said they're adding 12 acres to the park, then revamping or replacing the attractions that the guests simply "didn't get". Guess those people in California aren't smart enough!

(JOKE!)

btw. what is the land area of CA right now and what was the original budget?

I would love if someone could grab me a map of each park on their next trip. It's something I'm starting to do with WDW too, keeping a set of maps from each trips so I can compare the changes 20, 30, or even 50 years from now.

and plus I love maps!

 

[Disneysue]

I was just reading about it on money.cnn.com. Said they're adding 12 acres to the park, then revamping or replacing the attractions that the guests simply "didn't get". Guess those people in California aren't smart enough!

(JOKE!)

btw. what is the land area of CA right now and what was the original budget?

I would love if someone could grab me a map of each park on their next trip. It's something I'm starting to do with WDW too, keeping a set of maps from each trips so I can compare the changes 20, 30, or even 50 years from now.

and plus I love maps!

If memory serves me well DCA is 50 acres. I have NO IDEA where they are going to come up with an extra 12 acres since they are locked in by hotels and roads. BTW, people in CA "get" the attractions there, its the guests from out of CA that dont understand them because they are not familiar with CA.

 

[devoy1701]

If memory serves me well DCA is 50 acres. I have NO IDEA where they are going to come up with an extra 12 acres since they are locked in by hotels and roads. BTW, people in CA "get" the attractions there, its the guests from out of CA that dont understand them because they are not familiar with CA.

It was just what the Associated Press said here:
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/451e89ee2e5d185373d3b4d61e7af622.htm


The "get" part was from another article on there, but I misquoted...it actually said they will be "substituting a number of rides for attractions that didn't catch on with visitors."

and if it was the case that the guests didn't understand because they aren't from CA, then there should be a big sign outside the park that says "CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS ONLY...ALL OTHER WON'T UNDERSTAND"

 

[imagineer boy]

If memory serves me well DCA is 50 acres. I have NO IDEA where they are going to come up with an extra 12 acres since they are locked in by hotels and roads.

There's a large parking lot off to the side of Paradise pier at DCA which is where they plan to expand.

I hope this expansion is worth it, and not just a mumbo jumbo of new Pixar rides...

 

[MichWolv]

If memory serves me well DCA is 50 acres. I have NO IDEA where they are going to come up with an extra 12 acres since they are locked in by hotels and roads. BTW, people in CA "get" the attractions there, its the guests from out of CA that dont understand them because they are not familiar with CA.

Say goodbye to the Timon parking lot. There's your 12 acres.

 

[wherewhy]

They need to go with the stuios side theme at the main entrance and just incorporate it in with the existiong stucture. They are in CA after all and the studios theming would be nice to walk into. (Like MGM/DHS in its heyday) Though who cares if it is more pixar rides? they need something desperately for that park, when we were there this year we could do the whole park in less time than it took to do DHS!

 

[PlutoInOrlando]

There's a large parking lot off to the side of Paradise pier at DCA which is where they plan to expand.

I hope this expansion is worth it, and not just a mumbo jumbo of new Pixar rides...

If not mistaken - I think it's the Chip & Dale parking lot that will be expanded. There is plenty of room behind Tower of Terror (all parking lot) for them to expand in.
Right now, the rurmored "expansion" is for the new Cars section - hopefully to be completed and opening when the sequal to Cars hits theaters.

EDIT -- Timon...thank you MichWolv!

 

[Justin Jones]

Say goodbye to the Timon parking lot. There's your 12 acres.

HAHAHA... That's just what I was thinking.

 

[coasterphil]

I just hope they explain the significance of the Carthay Circle Theater in the park, because they don't do anything here at MGM about it and I think people would be interested in knowing that it was the theater that held the premiere for Snow White. I had no idea until I had my park orientation as a CM. It isn't like the Chinese theater where everyone recognizes it and understands it.

 

[Omnispace]

Actually, it was my out-of-state guest that appreciated DCA much more than I did. The Wall Street Journal article that I read suggests that the California theme of DCA just didn't catch on with the "locals" who make up the majority of visitors to the park, which makes prefect sense. How can Californians be motivated to visit a California-themed park when they can enjoy the real thing every day?? I never understood why the creative leaders at Disney couldn't see this one coming. Wectcot would definitely have been a better draw, even if it was too ambitious for the available space.

Hopefully, introducing the nostalgia of "Walt Disney's California" will make DCA more appealing. The proposals to give more "depth" to the offerings also sound like the right way to go. It sounds like they are going to provide some real substance to those empty building facades one walks past throughout the park. Imagine walking down a San Francisco street and actually being able to enter the buildings....how novel!!

 

[1FoolishMortal]

In case anyone else missed it, this is all now official. From the horse's mouth itself:

www.disneylandnews.com



Also, if you want to be exact, 55 acres is the current size of the park, at least that's what's reported officially.


Just doing a rough calculation on Google Earth, it looks like the Timon lot is currently around 17 acres (give or take an acre). So a 12-acre expansion would only leave around 4-5 leftover. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing because a lot is being put into those 12-acres, but it's still something to consider.

 

[darthjohnny]

It seems as though Al was right on the money with this one. :shrug:

Not really.

Some things he mentioned were not confirmed, while others that were confirmed he never mentioned.

People, not just Lutz, have been talking about the big DCA project for a long time, so he wasn't really "on the money."

 

[SirNim]

Well this is kind of a big deal. Especially if they're really going to overhaul the entire entrance area. A very big deal. That will have never happened before on such a scale.

...They should be turning it into Westcot... :lookaroun

(no, not really!)

 

[Foolish1]

There's a large parking lot off to the side of Paradise pier at DCA which is where they plan to expand.

I hope this expansion is worth it, and not just a mumbo jumbo of new Pixar rides...

I can see it now, "Primeval Whirl West". Glorious banners and lots of barkers saying that if you get your ring on the milk bottle, you win a stuffed Buzz Lightyear. :brick:

 

[Beauty_Belle]

Here's the official release from Disney

The Walt Disney Company today unveiled a significant multi-year expansion plan for the Disneyland® Resort that continues its growth as a multi-day, world-class tourist destination.
The expansion will bring new entertainment and major family-oriented attractions to Disney's California Adventure® Park, including an entirely new Cars Land inspired by the hit Disney•Pixar animated film “Cars.”
"The success of the Disneyland Resort over the past few years provides us with both the opportunity and the need to invest for growth, to enhance and expand the experience for our Guests and attract new visitors, while at the same time delivering attractive returns on the investment. This plan is a reflection of our belief in the bright future of the Disneyland Resort and our continuing commitment to grow the Anaheim Resort Area as a world class tourist destination," said Bob Iger, President and Chief Executive Officer The Walt Disney Company.
Disney Imagineers will be bringing more of Walt Disney into Disney's California Adventure Park, celebrating the hope and optimism of California that attracted Walt to this land of opportunity in the 1920s. Guests entering the new Plaza will be instantly immersed in the world that inspired Walt during his early days as an animation pioneer. The new, interactive Walt Disney Story attraction will set the stage for the unfolding story of Walt that will permeate the park.
The expansive program reaches throughout Disney's California Adventure Park, with an amazing Little Mermaid attraction, a groundbreaking, signature nighttime spectacular and new viewing area for 9,000, and the addition of the 12-acre Cars Land featuring the world of Radiator Springs with three new attractions. Extensive landscaping, new retail and dining will create an even richer environment throughout the park in ways that reinforce Guests' connection with Walt.
"Our Disneyland Guests have a deep emotional connection with Walt Disney, whose life story really captures the pioneering spirit of California in the 1920s," said Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. "The creative evolution of Disney's California Adventure Park will connect Guests to Walt's own California adventure and reflect the place that he found when he first arrived with a cardboard suitcase in his hand and a head full of dreams."
The expansion is part of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts' overall growth strategy of continuing to invest in its core business of existing parks and resorts around the world, while exploring new opportunities to capture more of the growing family vacation market. This announcement follows Disney's ground-breaking last month for a 250-room expansion of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, including 50 rooms dedicated to the West Coast debut of Disney Vacation Club, the company's growing time share business.

Coming to Disney’s California Adventure Over the Next Several Years
In addition to the new themeing and attractions, Disney’s California Adventure Park will receive new restaurant and retail innovations, landscaping to enrich the placemaking, facade and graphics enhancements, and an extensive menu of entertainment and events.
Disney’s California Adventure Park is already home to some of the Disneyland Resort’s highest-rated attractions and shows, including: Soarin’ Over California, California Screamin’, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the Broadway-caliber show, Disney’s Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular.
Cars Land
The expansion will culminate with an entirely new, 12-acre addition: Cars Land, immersing guests into a world inspired by the hit Disney•Pixar movie, “Cars,” playing to America’s love affair with automobiles.
Radiator Springs Racers, a major “E-ticket” attraction, places guests right in the middle of the amazingly detailed, dimensional “Cars” world of Mater, Lightning McQueen, Doc and Sally. Guests get a quick race briefing from Doc and Lightning, and suddenly find themselves in the midst of a race around hairpin turns and steep banks.
Cars Land increases capacity to the park with two additional immersive family rides, featuring Luigi and Mater from the movie. Cars Land represents an unprecedented level of collaboration between Pixar Animation Studios and Disney Imagineering to create this extensive new area. The new land will substantially extend the total area of Disney’s California Adventure Park.
Paradise Pier
Paradise Pier will host major new attractions beginning next summer with the opening of Toy Story Mania!, a ride-through, interactive adventure where Guests ride into a high-energy 4-D carnival midway hosted by “Toy Story” characters. Woody, Jessie, Buzz, Hamm and the gang come to life in amazing ways, immersing guests in the rich stories of the Pixar blockbuster “Toy Story” films.
A major ride based on Disney’s classic “The Little Mermaid” comes to the park’s Paradise Pier with leading-edge animation and special effects. Guests will dive into the magnificent scenes and magical songs from the movie. A Mermaid Grotto area with a fountain and sand castle will offer new play experiences for children.
Unique Nighttime Spectacular
The dramatic and unique Disney’s World of Color will bring new nighttime excitement to Paradise Pier. This nightly panorama of spectacular water effects, colorful lighting and music will bring Disney animation to life with an entirely new creative and technical approach. The 9,000-person viewing area offers prime waterside viewing of the show – and provides a site for live entertainment, music festivals, and outdoor film premieres.
Entry Plaza and Gateway
The totally new gateway to Disney’s California Adventure Park welcomes guests into an immersive world of historic California streets as Walt experienced them as a young artist arriving with big dreams.
A new visual icon in the tradition of Los Angeles, California’s great entertainment palaces will draw guests into the heart of the attractions. This new facility, which was inspired by Los Angeles’ historic Carthay Circle Theatre that premiered “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937, will house a next generation Walt Disney Story featuring an interactive tribute to Walt’s California experiences, and his entertainment legacy that continues world-wide today. Red Car trolleys reminiscent of the old Pacific Electric Railway will travel up and down the main street. New dining and shopping experiences and a slate of unique, live entertainment will bring energy to the Walt Disney Plaza.
Hollywood Pictures Backlot
Hollywood Pictures Backlot will be a new home for a slate of special ticketed events and chances to hear first hand from innovative directors, writers and animators. An update of the popular family show “Playhouse Disney” will provide an experience for younger children.
Golden State
The “Golden State” area of the park will see the addition of numerous new dining opportunities tied to the incredible bounty of California’s farmland and its rich ethnically diverse food heritage. Food and wine festivals that celebrate the seasons, tastes and cultures of the dynamic communities of the Golden State will entertain guests, bringing unique one-of-a-kind experiences.
Preview Center
A Preview Center located on San Francisco Street in the Golden State region of the park will feature models, Imagineering concepts – giving park guests a sneak peek at the excitement that lies ahead. The Preview Center is scheduled to open in late 2008.

 

[Beauty_Belle]

I think the article is great and shows that Iger really wants guests to connect more with Walt Disney and some of the great films that have come about in recent years.