News Pacific Wharf to be Reimagined into San Fransokyo

[BlakeW39]

Considering California’s history and what the state has going for itself, I wouldn’t say the concept was narrow. Regarding your last sentence, plenty of us have gone and are still going.

Respectfully, I think a romanticized idea of California for a theme park is a gem. The architecture of the Grand California and all of the airfield area is an example of it. Sure, hollywood land and paradise pier were underwhelming, but it could've been so much more with a bit of TLC and cash.

A romanticized idea of CA gave us Tower of Terror, Soarin over CA, Grizzly RR, hell even Cars Land fit the bill with american (CA) car culture and the movie Cars put into a super efficient utilization of the small land. Bug's Land was cute with ITTBAB obviously being the star, and those CA mountains are full of them. Carthay Circle theater and the street cars, another example of brilliance when Disney actually cared for the theme.

Now compare that to DCA today. Disney's vomit of IP with no rhyme or reason of placement. They've removed more attractions than they've added. Just.. wasted money. It's turned into a Six Flags parody of a true Disney park.

I see your point...and there are aspects of a California themed park that could be really cool. Like maybe rides based more California history, geography, etc in there.

I do think DCA has the narrowest parks theme, though, @Californian Elitist . While your state has a rich history and diverse geography/culture, it's still just one state with an entire theme park based on it. That's not necessarily a bad thing...and I can actually see arguments where it's a GOOD thing...more thematically focused...EPCOT Center and DAK had narrower themes than MK, afterall, and they benefited from that fact. But objectively, the premise is more narrow/specific than the one for Disneyland/MK or even for DAK/EPCOT.

 

[Rich T]

It doesn’t matter how wide or narrow a park’s theme is. It’s what you DO with it. Much of DCA is not well done (it’s still a fun park, though). With more money and better choices, it could be a fantastic California-themed park.

Dollywood is one of the most enjoyable parks on the planet. It’s got a fairly narrow theme—The Smokey Mountains—and it makes that theme come alive with more fun, music, thrills, beauty and variety than anyone could have previously imagined.

 

[BlakeW39]

It doesn’t matter how wide or narrow a park’s theme is. It’s what you DO with it. Much of DCA is not well done (it’s still a fun park, though). With more money and better choices, it could be a fantastic California-themed park.

I agree with this^^

I think it was short sighted for me to say basing the park on California was a bad idea. I own up to that fully 100%

I think the way they showcased that theme and how well they illustrated it varied in quality, though.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Just.. wasted money.

This is what bothers me more than anything with DCA, they’ve spent so much money changing things that didn’t need to be changed, all while making the theme less cohesive. There was nothing wrong with Paradise Pier, there was nothing wrong with ToT, there was nothing wrong with the Bay food area.

All that money spent changing things just for the sake of changing them probably could have paid for the Avengers E ticket it desperately needs, or brought back Aladdin/Frozen in the theater, or gave us a desperately needed new ride in Hollywoodland.

We still love DCA but the way they spend money their makes no sense.

 

[Consumer]

California Adventure is a brilliant theme, but it never has been (or ever will be) fully realized. The park is too limited in its space and the layout given to it is all wrong. If we were to start from scratch in a fully blue sky scenario, California Adventure has the potential to be the third, if not second, best Disney park in the world.

In my ideal scenario for DCA, there would be lands celebrating Los Angeles/Hollywood, the beach, car culture, the Sierra Nevada, Central Valley, San Francisco, and San Diego. There is a great diversity of themes within these options here.

I would love to dive into these ideas when I have more time.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

In my ideal scenario for DCA, there would be lands celebrating Los Angeles/Hollywood, the beach, car culture, the Sierra Nevada, Central Valley, San Francisco, and San Diego. There is a great diversity of themes within these options here.

I would love to dive into these ideas when I have more time.

I'd love to hear them but I also don't wanna be bummed out by reading what we could've had.

 

[PiratesMansion]

To those who say they can't theme a park around California: is that not basically what Knott's is?

If Knott's can do it, no reason the bigger budgeted Disney that has ostensibly the theme park brain trust in Imagineering at their disposal, simply can't do it.

 

[Rich T]

To those who say they can't theme a park around California: is that not basically what Knott's is?

If Knott's can do it, no reason the bigger budgeted Disney that has ostensibly the theme park brain trust in Imagineering at their disposal, simply can't do it.

Well, the Imagineers can’t do it if they’re forbidden from any ideas that aren’t based on existing cartoons or movies.

As far as I’m concerned, Disney can keep chasing their own tail into oblivion. If they ever get back on course, great. If not… Other parks are stepping up to the plate and giving their guests amazing, uplifting and wildly fun experiences.

But I’m still looking forward to seeing what Imagineering does with Tiana. After the disappointments of Runaway Railway and Tron (in my opinion) I’d love to see *something* genuinely great from them again.

 

[Californian Elitist]

It doesn’t matter how wide or narrow a park’s theme is. It’s what you DO with it. Much of DCA is not well done (it’s still a fun park, though). With more money and better choices, it could be a fantastic California-themed park.

Exactly. In my opinion, DCA’s greatest asset is not Cars Land (although it is fantastic), but its location. It benefits greatly from sitting a few hundred feet from the oldest and arguably greatest Disney theme park. Sure, DCA is fun in some ways, but, personally, if the resort was structured like WDW with parks spread across acres and acres, I’d make significantly less effort to visit DCA because it wouldn’t be worth the effort. Thankfully, it isn’t somewhere down Katella or Harbor and visiting is super convenient.

With this being said, DCA has great potential to be fantastic, both in terms of theming and attraction selection, but the folks making creative decisions for it keep getting in the way, and have been doing so since before it opened 22 years ago.

 

[Professortango1]

I see your point...and there are aspects of a California themed park that could be really cool. Like maybe rides based more California history, geography, etc in there.

I do think DCA has the narrowest parks theme, though, @Californian Elitist . While your state has a rich history and diverse geography/culture, it's still just one state with an entire theme park based on it. That's not necessarily a bad thing...and I can actually see arguments where it's a GOOD thing...more thematically focused...EPCOT Center and DAK had narrower themes than MK, afterall, and they benefited from that fact. But objectively, the premise is more narrow/specific than the one for Disneyland/MK or even for DAK/EPCOT.

You forget Disney Seas. It could have been a lame Sea World with just bunches of fish exhibits and darkrides/coasters with aquatic theming, however they embraced the idea of what the sea means. Its an unknown world to explore. Ports are launching points to adventures and new worlds.

DCA could have been the same with a park themed around the concept of California and what it means, not the literal state.

Give me El Dorado, the Lost City of Mu, Wendigo/Bigfoot, movies being filmed on every corner, the Mt. Shasta lights....

Its funny, but Knotts already did a better DCA before DCA opened. A forest section, the wild wilderness with bigfoot, Calico, 1920's boardwalk with time machines and parachute jumps, Mission culture. All Disney had to do was a whimiscal version of what Knotts already had on the page and instead they went with Beach Boys, concrete, and puns.

 

[Disney Analyst]

 

[Californian Elitist]

This doesn’t look terrible, I guess.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

"Not terrible" - the new post-2012 DCA mantra

 

[mickEblu]

Not loving the business. Particularly that bottom row. Some breathing room between the “business names” would have been nice.

 

[Consumer]

It’s a little too busy, but I do appreciate the fresh coat of paint.

 

[mickEblu]

It’s a little too busy, but I do appreciate the fresh coat of paint.

Eliminating even just the text on the blue portion of the bottom row would have done wonders

 

[chadwpalm]

When are they going to finish building the bridge so I can get over it?

 

[Californian Elitist]

"Not terrible" - the new post-2012 DCA mantra

Sad that it’s come to this lol.

 

[mickEblu]

When are they going to finish building the bridge so I can get over it?

Just to make to make it even more busy of course

 

[mickEblu]

Definitely not a fan of this trend of imagineers prioritizing authenticity over aesthetics or just good visual theme park design. Reminds me of the TBA stuff. You’re losing a couple dozen charming anthropomorphic critter AA’s designed by Marc Davis but here’s a boy playing a replica of a famous drum set from New Orleans from the 20s. Who cares? How does this make the ride experience better? Or how about removing the dead tree from Chikapin hill and replacing it with nothing because… there’s no mountains in Louisiana. Well, maybe this wasn’t the right place to put the Tiana ride then.