Condor Flats becoming Grizzly Peak Airfield

[flynnibus]

went kind of overboard with the green paint didn't they?

 

[TP2000]

Just got back from a trip to the park to see Grizzly Peak Airfield, after the rain ended and the skies cleared beautifully.

This is a stunning and massive improvement over Condor Flats. I had the same thoughts some here have expressed looking at the pictures; the Soarin' hangar is big and green, the hand railings look dumb in pictures, and the Florida font for Soarin' Over California is pukey.

After walking through it and hanging out for 45 minutes in Grizzly Peak Airfield, I can say that it looks even better in person and the coloring and surfaces that look weird in photos look fine in person. The only thing that bothers me about Grizzly Peak Airfield is the Florida font on the sign. All else is wondrous and vastly improved over Condor Flats 2001-2014.

There are a lot of details that you can't see in photos. So many people were peering into that 1960 Rambler station wagon marveling at the period luggage and accessories, telling their kids about road trips they took with their grandparents in similar vehicles. They even have an early 1960's "Sign of Good Taste" Coca-Cola sign, which were everywhere in this country in the 1960's. All of the signage and bulletin boards, the firefighter's lockers, the posters and light fixtures, the props and vehicles, the new background music playing, it all fits beautifully.

Interestingly, I think this is the first time a Disney theme park has ever re-created this era before; Circa 1961 Americana. And WDI captured a national park vacation circa '61 PERFECTLY. For those of us who remember the 20th century fondly, Grizzly Peak Airfield is pure heaven.

DCA just took another big step forward for an already excellent second gate. Bravo WDI! Bravo TDA! Bravo Disney California Adventure!

 

[Californian Elitist]

I'm planning on heading to the parks next week. Looking forward to seeing Grizzly Peak and Hatbox. Thanks for the review, TP!

 

[TP2000]

A few more courtesy of Touring Plans

As a reminder, this is what that same area before looked like on a similarly rainy day before the Grizzly Peak Airfield makeover.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

Just got back from a trip to the park to see Grizzly Peak Airfield, after the rain ended and the skies cleared beautifully.

This is a stunning and massive improvement over Condor Flats. I had the same thoughts some here have expressed looking at the pictures; the Soarin' hangar is big and green, the hand railings look dumb in pictures, and the Florida font for Soarin' Over California is pukey.

After walking through it and hanging out for 45 minutes in Grizzly Peak Airfield, I can say that it looks even better in person and the coloring and surfaces that look weird in photos look fine in person. The only thing that bothers me about Grizzly Peak Airfield is the Florida font on the sign. All else is wondrous and vastly improved over Condor Flats 2001-2014.

There are a lot of details that you can't see in photos. So many people were peering into that 1960 Rambler station wagon marveling at the period luggage and accessories, telling their kids about road trips they took with their grandparents in similar vehicles. They even have an early 1960's "Sign of Good Taste" Coca-Cola sign, which were everywhere in this country in the 1960's. All of the signage and bulletin boards, the firefighter's lockers, the posters and light fixtures, the props and vehicles, the new background music playing, it all fits beautifully.

Interestingly, I think this is the first time a Disney theme park has ever re-created this era before; Circa 1961 Americana. And WDI captured a national park vacation circa '61 PERFECTLY. For those of us who remember the 20th century fondly, Grizzly Peak Airfield is pure heaven.

DCA just took another big step forward for an already excellent second gate. Bravo WDI! Bravo TDA! Bravo Disney California Adventure!

Did you get to ride Soarin'? Curious to know how the new digital projection looks.

 

[TP2000]

Did you get to ride Soarin'? Curious to know how the new digital projection looks.

I rode once via Standby, going to the left theater. I thought it looked fantastic, and clearly superior to the old film version. I could tell the audio is also improved and upgraded.

The only problem is that the CGI used was old 1990's tech, and with the 4K conversion it now looks really cheesy and fake. The hang glider over Yosemite is the most obvious CGI trick that now looks fake, where it once was very convincing. But the golf ball scene also looks kind of dumb now too. A shame they can't reprogram the CGI with today's HD technology to match, but I understand if the new movie is coming along in a year or two.

Also, I couldn't spot any differences with the queue and interior. Obviously they are waiting to change the queue for the new movie, when the backstory of the ride will also change. The queue looked freshly painted and spruced up, but it's still in its 2001 décor and format. I did notice the CM uniforms have been redone with new patches for Grizzly Peak and such, instead of the original Condor Flats patches.

Other than the circa 2000 CGI cheese, and the dumb Florida font on the new sign out front, Grizzly Peak Airfield is absolutely fabulous. Really a home run and a big improvement for DCA!

 

[flynnibus]

I kinda wish they went with the 50s/60s aluminium look for the hangers and sheds.. weathered alum. But at least the area is no longer the abandoned piece of DCA it was for a long time.

 

[Mickey_777]

I don't understand why the EPCOT Soarin logo was placed on the signage. I'm sure the point was to make it stand out as an attraction rather than something else but still. I also wish they had replaced the metallic, hole-punched arches above the entrance with something more in theme. And the space on the facade where the soaring sign used to be looks off. The heavy green and brown color scheme doesn't bother me and I actually like the Condor gas pumps remaining as an homage to the land prior. The detail inside Humphrey's and the station wagon is phenomenal. Overall it's a major improvement and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I kinda liked the building the way it was before. It doesn't look as good without the sign. It looks like there's supposed to be something there, but there isn't. Oh well.

They likely went with the Epcot logo for some kind of Disney Parks cross-promotion nonsense. They kept the Soarin' on a separate sign so they can conveniently remove the "Over California" in the future.