Cars Land After a Decade: How Are We Feeling?

[Californian Elitist]

The topic of single-IP themed lands came up in the Avengers Campus thread, which inspired me to create this one. Next year will mark ten years since the opening of Cars Land (time flies). It’s a single-IP land but it’s also popular.

After nearly ten years, how do people feel about Cars Land? Is it still fun? Is it boring now? Did you ever like it at all? Personally speaking, though the initial awe has definitely worn off (except maybe Cadillac Range), I still think it’s one of the more entertaining areas of DCA and still enjoy it. Cars Land is based on one IP, but it works in my opinion, whereas SW:GE doesn’t and so far I’m not convinced that Avengers Campus will either. I’m not exactly sure why it works, but I think it’s because Disney copied and pasted the film into the park. In addition, it fits nicely in with a California theme. Potter at Universal works for the same reasons, in my opinion. It looks exactly like the films and its placement isn’t off. SW:GE just doesn’t fit in Disneyland, no matter how hard they tried to force it. I’m not super familiar with Star Wars but apparently SW:GE is not a specific place from any of the films and something Disney created on their own. They’re doing the same thing with Avengers Campus and so far, so not good.

Anyways, how do you feel about Cars Land after nearly a decade?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Car Land would have been better. More opportunity for expansion and world building.

 

[drizgirl]

The topic of single-IP themed lands came up in the Avengers Campus thread, which inspired me to create this one. Next year will mark ten years since the opening of Cars Land (time flies). It’s a single-IP land but it’s also popular.

After nearly ten years, how do people feel about Cars Land? Is it still fun? Is it boring now? Did you ever like it at all? Personally speaking, though the initial awe has definitely worn off (except maybe Cadillac Range), I still think it’s one of the more entertaining areas of DCA and still enjoy it. Cars Land is based on one IP, but it works in my opinion, whereas SW:GE doesn’t and so far I’m not convinced that Avengers Campus will either. I’m not exactly sure why it works, but I think it’s because Disney copied and pasted the film into the park. In addition, it fits nicely in with a California theme. Potter at Universal works for the same reasons, in my opinion. It looks exactly like the films and its placement isn’t off. SW:GE just doesn’t fit in Disneyland, no matter how hard they tried to force it. I’m not super familiar with Star Wars but apparently SW:GE is not a specific place from any of the films and something Disney created on their own. They’re doing the same thing with Avengers Campus and so far, so not good.

Anyways, how do you feel about Cars Land after nearly a decade?

Can’t disagree with any of that.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Car Land would have been better. More opportunity for expansion and world building.

Absolutely. Car Land is a missed opportunity.

Can’t disagree with any of that.

Can you think of any other reasons why Cars Land somehow isn’t bad? The copy and paste thing was the only thing I could come up with.

 

[CaptinEO]

I honestly think it only needed the Radiator Springs ride and the cafe. It takes up too much space and most of it is just generic gift shop space.

Yes it looks exactly like the movie Cars, but did they have to have the WHOLE town? I don't see the point. Theres not much thats charming there vs the footprint it takes up.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Can you think of any other reasons why Cars Land somehow isn’t bad? The copy and paste thing was the only thing I could come up with.

The trees. It’s definitely the trees.

I will completely disagree that it had anything to do with copy and paste. I’d say that is the exact wrong lesson to take from the success of Cars Land.

Despite all of the kvetching about Batuu being a new place, it is very much a copy of the look of Star Wars. Many have noted how easily it could be repainted into Tatooine. The problem isn’t that they didn’t copy and paste [things you never really see] but that it is a drab world torn by decades of war. Now looking at Avengers Campus what would have been copied? The new Spider-Man movies are all about him getting out of Queens and going to different places. So what would be copied? That bodega he went to and the bank? McDowell’s would be more iconic than that.

Cars Land succeeds not because it copied a movie but because it’s source was a romantic vision of a place. Cars came out of the Lasseter’s taking a road trip and John becoming enamored with old Route 66. That passion and vision remained with the development of the land. If anything a themed experience was the better medium to bring to life a romantic image of Route 66 than a movie, but John was a movie maker and unfortunately he opted to first make a so-so movie instead of branching out. John also used up a lot of political capital on keeping that vision intact. John got a title at Walt Disney Imagineering when Disney bought Pixar and his involvement with other projects was touted up until Cars Land when he just stopped being involved. Even just tossing his name on top as a consultant was too much.

 

[waltography]

Car Land would have been better. More opportunity for expansion and world building.

I don't know if I agree - it might be misplaced worry, but a part of me thinks that they would've leaned on DCA 1.0 instincts which I dislike. That's probably just a "me" thing though.

I will completely disagree that it had anything to do with copy and paste. I’d say that is the exact wrong lesson to take from the success of Cars Land.

Totally agree with this point and the post more generally. Cars Land works because the source material is a love letter to car culture. That the town itself was already a good fit to be a theme park land is more of a coincidence I think.

Cars Land is really easy to love regardless of your opinions on the source material because the location itself is a singular vision carried through to its natural conclusion. I even enjoyed the ill-fated Flying Tires - I had a lot of fun failing to move the tires and running into the beach balls with my family.

 

[Californian Elitist]

The trees. It’s definitely the trees.

I will completely disagree that it had anything to do with copy and paste. I’d say that is the exact wrong lesson to take from the success of Cars Land.

Despite all of the kvetching about Batuu being a new place, it is very much a copy of the look of Star Wars. Many have noted how easily it could be repainted into Tatooine. The problem isn’t that they didn’t copy and paste [things you never really see] but that it is a drab world torn by decades of war. Now looking at Avengers Campus what would have been copied? The new Spider-Man movies are all about him getting out of Queens and going to different places. So what would be copied? That bodega he went to and the bank? McDowell’s would be more iconic than that.

Cars Land succeeds not because it copied a movie but because it’s source was a romantic vision of a place. Cars came out of the Lasseter’s taking a road trip and John becoming enamored with old Route 66. That passion and vision remained with the development of the land. If anything a themed experience was the better medium to bring to life a romantic image of Route 66 than a movie, but John was a movie maker and unfortunately he opted to first make a so-so movie instead of branching out. John also used up a lot of political capital on keeping that vision intact. John got a title at Walt Disney Imagineering when Disney bought Pixar and his involvement with other projects was touted up until Cars Land when he just stopped being involved. Even just tossing his name on top as a consultant was too much.

Good take on Cars Land. I’d ask though that if that same romanticized place wasn’t re-created for the land, do you think it still would have worked?

Regarding Avengers, for me, a copy and paste would simply be a bustling city aesthetic that would match the feel of many various Marvel movies. They could put specific details in, like the bodega, but something like that isn’t necessarily needed. Just something that reminds me of being in a Marvel film. Even a well-done comic book aesthetic that isn’t too loud but not too subtle either would be another version of copy and paste for me.

What they’ve come up with so far isn’t impressive.

 

[Ne'er-Do-Well Cad]

It's a delightful land, and Radiator Springs Racers remains an outstanding attraction. I really enjoy spending time in Cars Land, and generally I think it lives up to the hype, even 9 years later. It works as a single-IP land because the southwest/Route 66 aesthetic transcends the forgettable Pixar film. There are some lost opportunities here (the unbuilt drive-in, the unbuilt Mater AA, the new Flo's menu, etc.), but those are nitpicks at most.

That said, it's not strong enough to carry the entire park (a totally unfair burden to place on its shoulders), and it makes the rest of DCA look so much worse in comparison. I'm of the opinion that DCA has a long, long way to go before it catches up to the quality of the other American Disney parks -- and Cars Land is a wonderful start, but Disney now needs to apply that level of creativity, detail, immersion, and charm to the rest of DCA. To some extent, I think Cars Land has been a bit overrated by some fans, simply because IMO being the "best" land in DCA is not much of an achievement.

As a single-IP land, I think it works better than Galaxy's Edge (because it's bright, joyous, and kinetic, whereas GE is none of those things) but it's not nearly as awe-inspiring or "magical" as Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley.

 

[BasiltheBatLord]

It’s still funny to me how the official name of the land is literally “Cars Land” instead of “Radiator Springs”

RSR is kinda cool and some of the dark ride tech was cutting edge at the time. Nothing else about the land really stands out to me though to be honest. Disappointing how even with all those specially made store facades, they’re all just generic gift shops on the inside.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

It’s still funny to me how the official name of the land is literally “Cars Land” instead of “Radiator Springs”

RSR is kinda cool and some of the dark ride tech was cutting edge at the time. Nothing else about the land really stands out to me though to be honest. Disappointing how even with all those specially made store facades, they’re all just generic gift shops on the inside.

I know the Curio shop used to have a focus on Route 66 memorabilia. I assume it's now just all Cars toys?

On the topic of merchandise, Buena Vista Street had some really nice exclusive stuff for the first year or so, shame that it's all been replaced with the same stuff you can find at World of Disney within a five minute walk.

 

[CaptinEO]

Cars came out of the Lasseter’s taking a road trip and John becoming enamored with old Route 66. That passion and vision remained with the development of the land.

No. Cars in story, characters, and concept art was developed by another Pixar employee named Jorgen Klubien. John stole these elements, claimed them as his own, and made up the Route 66 story later on.

See below for the concept art Jorgen made and the article which discusses the story.

It turns out that not only was John a person who made the work environment impossible for women, but he also was a thief.

"In the end, Klubien says he got a $50,000 payment for the Cars idea. It did little to diminish his disappointment. "I didn't even get invited to the premiere or to Cars Land when it opened," he says, referring to the 12-acre attraction at Disney's California Adventure Park. "I went with my family to see Cars Land and they had a whole museum of how the film and the Cars Land ride was made. And not a sketch, not a mention of my name in it.""

“He Who Must Not Be Named”: Can John Lasseter Ever Return to Disney?

As the most powerful man in animation nears the end of a six-month "sabbatical" for personal "missteps," CEO Bob Iger must soon determine his fate. But a close look at the career and workplace behavior of the Pixar mogul reveals a man much darker, angrier and, at times, more abusive than "the...

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

It works as a single-IP land because the southwest/Route 66 aesthetic transcends the forgettable Pixar film.

That’s a good point. The land is Route 66 themed as much as “Cars movie” themed and Route 66 is a great theme that is full of nostalgia, romanticized road trips, etc.

Another thing that I love about cars land is how much you can see and hear guests enjoying the land. Between Maters Junkyard, Dancing Cars, and the Racers, you see and hear guests having a good time. Contrast that to Galaxies Edge.

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

The trees. It’s definitely the trees.

I will completely disagree that it had anything to do with copy and paste. I’d say that is the exact wrong lesson to take from the success of Cars Land.

Despite all of the kvetching about Batuu being a new place, it is very much a copy of the look of Star Wars. Many have noted how easily it could be repainted into Tatooine. The problem isn’t that they didn’t copy and paste [things you never really see] but that it is a drab world torn by decades of war. Now looking at Avengers Campus what would have been copied? The new Spider-Man movies are all about him getting out of Queens and going to different places. So what would be copied? That bodega he went to and the bank? McDowell’s would be more iconic than that.

Cars Land succeeds not because it copied a movie but because it’s source was a romantic vision of a place. Cars came out of the Lasseter’s taking a road trip and John becoming enamored with old Route 66. That passion and vision remained with the development of the land. If anything a themed experience was the better medium to bring to life a romantic image of Route 66 than a movie, but John was a movie maker and unfortunately he opted to first make a so-so movie instead of branching out. John also used up a lot of political capital on keeping that vision intact. John got a title at Walt Disney Imagineering when Disney bought Pixar and his involvement with other projects was touted up until Cars Land when he just stopped being involved. Even just tossing his name on top as a consultant was too much.

Don't forget that Cars appealed to a specific set of demographics and increased Disney/Pixar's presence there--boys, car lovers, NASCAR fans, and the US South.

 

[TP2000]

Anyways, how do you feel about Cars Land after nearly a decade?

Compared to Star Wars Land after I visited in several times in 2019 and early 2020?

Cars Land wins. By a landslide.

They didn't try and make the CM's be "the show" in Cars Land. They just let the CM's be what they should be; entry-level college kids and retired ladies working part time as shop clerks who are a plus to the show, but who aren't depended on to be the show.

But in Star Wars Land, they cut out all the extra cost entertainment and pizazz and tried to make the kids selling t-shirts and blue milk be the show. That didn't work. And on my first visit on a very slow day in late June, 2019 it fell flat on its face. Because the CM's were mostly ignoring the paying customers and just talking amongst themselves about scheduling woes and killer keg parties on a planet called "Fullerton".

Cars Land wins. Even a decade later, it still wins. By a landslide.

 

[TP2000]

Don't forget that Cars appealed to a specific set of demographics and increased Disney/Pixar's presence there--boys, car lovers, NASCAR fans, and the US South.

Except for being a boy many decades ago, I am none of those things. I own cars and I appreciate their engineering, but I don't love them. I have never watched a single second of NASCAR, and while I lived in several states in the US South I don't wish to return there. I drink cocktails instead of beer in bottles, I don't drop my g's when I speak, and I'm not generally a fan of dusty environs.

The most Cars Land approaches my lifestyle is Flo's V8 Cafe, because I am a huge fan of The Supremes and Motown in general. Other than that, it may as well be an alien planet.

But I love Cars Land. Because it just works. It's genuine and charming and real. And yet I understand it was created out of nothing on an old chunk of the Disneyland parking lot. But it works.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

As far as I'm concerned, Cars Land is the best of the three single IP lands in the US Disney Parks. It's got it all- and it's just plain fun. Fun is something that's missed in Pandora and Galaxy's Edge. Sitting on Flo's patio eating breakfast and watching the cars zoom by is a must do experience. Cars Land is the crown jewel of the park even after 10 years, the New Orleans Square of DCA. One of very few reasons to return to the park.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

It’s still funny to me how the official name of the land is literally “Cars Land” instead of “Radiator Springs”

It's weird because you can see how the executives wanted something easy to remember and recognizable since people know what "Cars" is in the context of Disney, but it's also ridiculous because anyone who has seen Cars would know what "Radiator Springs" is.

And "Toy Story Midway Mania" does a much better job at describing what the attraction is vs "Toy Story Mania" which just sounds like an article about Buzz Lightyear toy sales in the Wall Street Journal.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

As far as I'm concerned, Cars Land is the best of the three single IP lands in the US Disney Parks. It's got it all- and it's just plain fun.

Agreed.

It’s still funny to me how the official name of the land is literally “Cars Land” instead of “Radiator Springs”

I always thought that was partially because it was originally “Car Land” on the drawing board.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Cars Land is still the best thing about DCA, but that also sounds like a back-handed compliment because it's based on one of the worst Pixar films. It's stunning when you're in the queue for RSR, but then you see Mater and Lighting McQueen and you think "oh yeah, those guys".

We've been comparing the Marvel areas at Universal and Disney, but even with the improvements made to DCA in 2012 [or made worse since] I would still rate Islands of Adventure as a better park.