- In the Parks
- No
DCA 13.0
“A brand new vision for the future ofgeneric marketing statements Disney Parks.”
I’m sure you’re wondering already… why 13.0? Wouldn’t 4.0 have worked just fine? Well, it was very much an intentional choice. In the words of Disney CEO Bob Chapek, “Bigger is always better, right? Especially when it comes to profits!” This new phase of DCA’s history brings with it an extensive redesign of the majority of the park. Almost every land has been redesigned and rethemed to “enhance” the guest experience. And it all starts with…
Hollywoodland
(Who cares about Buena Vista Street?)
As a part of this expansion, Hollywoodland sees a return to its former glory, including the comeback of one of California Adventure’s most endearing attractions, Superstar Limo. To complete the land’s attraction lineup, Disney has also introduced an entirely new attraction, Journey to Hollywood. Despite sharing a similar premise to Superstar Limo, Journey to Hollywood promises guests a much more realistic experience. Paying homage to Disneyland’s PeopleMover, the attraction’s elevated track winds around the land, completely ruining any sense of immersion guests may have been enjoying, in addition to the forced perspective end of the street.
Journey to Hollywood is a transit attraction, with a track that starts at the northeastern corner of the land, heads towards the west, loops around the land’s entrance (ruining the sightlines of neighboring Buena Vista Street and Grizzly Peak Airfield), and then turns back toward the east, dropping guests off again on the other side of Hollywoodland, about 50 feet from where they started. Why walk when you can take Journey to Hollywood?
The attraction’s central premise is in the name - a Journey to Hollywood… through midday Los Angeles traffic. Guests board their car-themed ride vehicles for a 0.4MPH, bumper-to-bumper traffic trip around the land. And with an hourly capacity of 250 guests, visitors can experience the stunningly realistic experience even in the queue!
Occasionally (every 30 minutes or so), an automated “traffic accident” occurs. Two or three ride vehicles will twist into a preprogrammed position, simulating a crash. The entire attraction stops moving for approximately 10 minutes while Emergency Services resolves the situation. (Due to budget restraints, no effects are used to visualize Emergency Services vehicles. Guests are instead encouraged to use their imaginations as they sit in the sweltering sun!)
Planes Land
The stunning success of Cars Land has inspired Disney to retheme the land to an even more successful franchise: Planes!
(Whatever happened to “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? I don’t know either.)
Planes Land is themed to Dusty Crophopper’s former workplace… a wheat field. A large, expansive wheat field, to be sure, with an absurdly high guest capacity… not that anyone will want to be here. The land is entirely free of attractions, shops, dining, and literally anything of any entertainment value whatsoever. Though initial plans called for drone-based “planes” to fly overhead, said planes were quickly shot down (figuratively) by FAA regulations. Thus, Planes Land.
Pixar Pier
DCA 13.0 also enhances Pixar Pier, that lovely conglomeration of random Pixar IPs beloved by park fans around the world. A brand new off-the-shelf flat ride will be unnoticeably themed to the beloved animated success The Good Dinosaur. A Parks spokesperson commented on the new addition: “This new attraction is a perfect fit for Pixar Pier, a land that shares the film’s forest theming, prehistoric time period, and profitability. The attraction will open with Phase Two of the new expansion. Based on our current construction schedule, that means it should be complete by 2043.”
Paradise Gardens Park
“Wait, that still exists?” - Bob Chapek
Grizzly Peak Airfield
The DCA 13.0 enhancements include an additional attraction for Grizzly Peak Airfield. However, due to the limited available expansion space in the land and the necessity of retaining the fan-favorite Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, the attraction will instead replace the western Soarin’ theater, effectively halving Soarin’s capacity.
The new attraction, “The Bare Necessities”, is a simple flat ride based on DisneySea’s Aquatopia and themed to the Jungle Book. Though some may say the attraction would be a better fit for Adventureland, especially due to the replacement of Soarin’, in the words of Chapek: “Grizzly Peak Airfield. Grizzlies! Sounds like a bear-themed land to me.”
Conclusion
DCA 13.0 promises to bring even more unique experiences to Disney’s most beloved theme park. The entirety of DCA (with the exception of Buena Vista Street) will close on November 1st to prepare for the expansion, and will remain closed for at least two years before any visible construction progress is made. Phase One of the project will be completed in 2029, and Phase Two will be finished by 2043.
“A brand new vision for the future of
I’m sure you’re wondering already… why 13.0? Wouldn’t 4.0 have worked just fine? Well, it was very much an intentional choice. In the words of Disney CEO Bob Chapek, “Bigger is always better, right? Especially when it comes to profits!” This new phase of DCA’s history brings with it an extensive redesign of the majority of the park. Almost every land has been redesigned and rethemed to “enhance” the guest experience. And it all starts with…
Hollywoodland
(Who cares about Buena Vista Street?)
As a part of this expansion, Hollywoodland sees a return to its former glory, including the comeback of one of California Adventure’s most endearing attractions, Superstar Limo. To complete the land’s attraction lineup, Disney has also introduced an entirely new attraction, Journey to Hollywood. Despite sharing a similar premise to Superstar Limo, Journey to Hollywood promises guests a much more realistic experience. Paying homage to Disneyland’s PeopleMover, the attraction’s elevated track winds around the land, completely ruining any sense of immersion guests may have been enjoying, in addition to the forced perspective end of the street.
Journey to Hollywood is a transit attraction, with a track that starts at the northeastern corner of the land, heads towards the west, loops around the land’s entrance (ruining the sightlines of neighboring Buena Vista Street and Grizzly Peak Airfield), and then turns back toward the east, dropping guests off again on the other side of Hollywoodland, about 50 feet from where they started. Why walk when you can take Journey to Hollywood?
The attraction’s central premise is in the name - a Journey to Hollywood… through midday Los Angeles traffic. Guests board their car-themed ride vehicles for a 0.4MPH, bumper-to-bumper traffic trip around the land. And with an hourly capacity of 250 guests, visitors can experience the stunningly realistic experience even in the queue!
Occasionally (every 30 minutes or so), an automated “traffic accident” occurs. Two or three ride vehicles will twist into a preprogrammed position, simulating a crash. The entire attraction stops moving for approximately 10 minutes while Emergency Services resolves the situation. (Due to budget restraints, no effects are used to visualize Emergency Services vehicles. Guests are instead encouraged to use their imaginations as they sit in the sweltering sun!)
Planes Land
The stunning success of Cars Land has inspired Disney to retheme the land to an even more successful franchise: Planes!
(Whatever happened to “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? I don’t know either.)
Planes Land is themed to Dusty Crophopper’s former workplace… a wheat field. A large, expansive wheat field, to be sure, with an absurdly high guest capacity… not that anyone will want to be here. The land is entirely free of attractions, shops, dining, and literally anything of any entertainment value whatsoever. Though initial plans called for drone-based “planes” to fly overhead, said planes were quickly shot down (figuratively) by FAA regulations. Thus, Planes Land.
Pixar Pier
DCA 13.0 also enhances Pixar Pier, that lovely conglomeration of random Pixar IPs beloved by park fans around the world. A brand new off-the-shelf flat ride will be unnoticeably themed to the beloved animated success The Good Dinosaur. A Parks spokesperson commented on the new addition: “This new attraction is a perfect fit for Pixar Pier, a land that shares the film’s forest theming, prehistoric time period, and profitability. The attraction will open with Phase Two of the new expansion. Based on our current construction schedule, that means it should be complete by 2043.”
Paradise Gardens Park
“Wait, that still exists?” - Bob Chapek
Grizzly Peak Airfield
The DCA 13.0 enhancements include an additional attraction for Grizzly Peak Airfield. However, due to the limited available expansion space in the land and the necessity of retaining the fan-favorite Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, the attraction will instead replace the western Soarin’ theater, effectively halving Soarin’s capacity.
The new attraction, “The Bare Necessities”, is a simple flat ride based on DisneySea’s Aquatopia and themed to the Jungle Book. Though some may say the attraction would be a better fit for Adventureland, especially due to the replacement of Soarin’, in the words of Chapek: “Grizzly Peak Airfield. Grizzlies! Sounds like a bear-themed land to me.”
Conclusion
DCA 13.0 promises to bring even more unique experiences to Disney’s most beloved theme park. The entirety of DCA (with the exception of Buena Vista Street) will close on November 1st to prepare for the expansion, and will remain closed for at least two years before any visible construction progress is made. Phase One of the project will be completed in 2029, and Phase Two will be finished by 2043.
Last edited:
)
