Disney California Adventure

The present-day site of Disney California Adventure was acquired by Walt Disney in the 1950s and functioned as the parking lot of Disneyland for over 40 years. After succeeding with the multi-park business model at Walt Disney World in Florida, the Disney company decided to turn Walt Disney's original theme park into a multi-park resort complex as well. In 1991, Disney announced plans to build WestCOT, a west coast version of what was then known as EPCOT Center, on the site of Disneyland's parking lot. The high price tag of the proposed park as well as the company's financial and public relations problems with the newly opened Euro Disneyland (now Disneyland Paris) led Disney to cancel WestCOT in 1995.[3]

In the summer of 1995, Michael Eisner, Disney's CEO at the time, gathered company executives in Aspen, Colorado, to think of another idea for a second theme park in California. From those meetings, Disney decided it would instead build a park themed to the history and culture of the state of California. Disney's executives aimed to make California a theme park, so as to keep guests at the resort instead of going off site. Then Disneyland president Paul Pressler relied on merchandising and retail staff instead of Imagineers to design the park. As an adult-oriented park like Epcot, dining and shopping was the design focus. Construction of the park began on January 22, 1998. On Main Street, U.S.A., a DCA Preview Center opened in October 1998.[4] The park's construction was accompanied by Downtown Disney and Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, in addition to renovations of the Disneyland Hotel and Disneyland Pacific Hotel.[5]

Grizzly Peak

View of the park

The park was expected to draw large crowds when it opened on February 8, 2001.[6] There were four districts with 22 shows and attractions and 15 restaurants.[4]

On January 14, a Los Angeles Times article titled "The most Jam-Packed Theme Park on Earth?" stated, "Senior Disney officials acknowledge that there will be days when California Adventure will have to turn patrons away, particularly in the first weeks after the park opens, during spring break and again in the summer."[6] However, the actual attendance that year was substantially less than expected. This is suggested to have happened as a result of negative reviews from early visitors,[7] including the lack of focus in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot, the lack of attractions for children, a large number of off-the-shelf attractions, a high number of stores and restaurants relative to the number of attractions, and having a theme that was considered to be redundant, given that the park is located in California. The park also lacks a perimeter berm to separate it from surrounding neighborhoods. The berm in Disneyland Park uses trees and earthen mounds to establish a physical barrier around the park so that structures external to the park cannot be seen, with the aim of more fully immersing guests in the park setting. At Disney California Adventure Park, nearby hotels, power lines, radio towers, and the Anaheim Convention Center are all visible, reducing the sense of immersion. Furthermore, Disney had originally planned the park to be aimed at adults, rather than children, which became the basis of significant criticism.[8]

The park opened to only 5 million visitors in 2001 while its sister park Disneyland saw 12.3 million visitors during the same time frame.[9] Low attendance caused Disney to lower ticket prices for California Adventure, slashing as much as $10 off the park's ticket prices.[10] In its first year, the park only averaged 5,000 to 9,000 visitors on weekdays and 10,000 to 15,000 on the weekends, despite having a capacity of 33,000. Visitor surveys reported that only 20% of visitors to the park in its first year were satisfied with their experience.[11] By October 2001, both Wolfgang Puck and Robert Mondavi had closed their high-profile restaurants in the park,[12] citing low crowds, though Mondavi remained as a sponsor.[13]

Two major criticisms of the park in its first year were the lack of attractions appealing to children and the lack of a nighttime show or parade to keep visitors from leaving at nightfall. Within the first year of operation, Disney's Electrical Parade and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire – Play It! were brought to the park, and several of its original rides and attractions were closed, including Superstar Limo and the stage show Disney's Steps in Time. During the 2001 holiday season, Disney's LuminAria was presented on Paradise Bay. In October 2002, the Flik's Fun Fair area opened, which added attractions for children, and in May 2004, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror opened as another E ticket.[14] The park regularly featured seasonal promotions such as concert series, food festivals, and promotions for other Walt Disney Company franchises including the X Games and ABC soap operas. Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! opened in the former Superstar Limo building in January 2006.

By 2007, Disney began making plans for major updates to the park. CEO Bob Iger said, "Any time you do something mediocre with your brand, that's a withdrawal. California Adventure was a brand withdrawal." Iger briefly considered combining California Adventure and Disneyland Park into one large park, but the price would have cost as much as completely remodeling California Adventure.[15] On October 17, 2007, The Walt Disney Company announced a multi-year, $1.1 billion redesign and expansion plan for Disney's California Adventure Park (against its initial $600 million price to build).[16][17] Each district was reimagined to transform the park from a spoof of modern California culture to a romanticized, idealized version of the state, exploring specific time periods and historic settings. The project began in December 2007 and was completed in stages. Toy Story Midway Mania! opened on Paradise Pier in June 2008, in space formerly occupied by a store and restaurants. World of Color, a nighttime water and lights show on Paradise Bay, opened in June 2010. The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure opened on the site formerly occupied by the Golden Dreams theater in June 2011.

Victorian-style architecture in Paradise Pier

The most drastic changes to the park included a complete overhaul of the main entrance, Sunshine Plaza, and Paradise Pier, as well as an expansion into the last of the parking area originally designated as future growth space for the park. The main entrance and Sunshine Plaza were turned from a "giant postcard" spoof of California into Buena Vista Street, a representation of Los Angeles as it appeared when Walt Disney moved there in the 1920s. The "CALIFORNIA" sign in front was removed and donated to Cal Expo in Sacramento. Paradise Pier was turned from a contemporary representation of California boardwalks into a representation of Victorian seaside amusement parks of the 1920s, and some of the area's off-the-shelf rides were either removed outright (Maliboomer) or re-themed to have more of a focus on Disney characters (Mickey's Fun Wheel, Goofy's Sky School, Silly Symphony Swings). Cars Land, an area that simulates Radiator Springs from Disney·Pixar's Cars film franchise, was added to the southeast portion of the park and features three rides, including the E ticket Radiator Springs Racers. Construction was completed in 2012 and the park was then re-dedicated on June 15, 2012.[18] The park received a modified name, Disney California Adventure, and a new logo first put into use in June 2010.

The redesign and expansion of the park saw attendance rates increase dramatically. In 2012, Disney California Adventure reached a record high for the park of over 7 million visitors (a 23% increase from the year before), a number Disney had hoped the park would attain in its first year.[19] The day of the park's rededication saw the park draw a record number of 43,000 visitors in one day. The night before the rededication, over 500 people camped outside of the park in order to be the first admitted in. Two days later, the park hit a new record of 45,000 visitors.[20] Speaking on the attendance increase at Disney California Adventure, Jay Rasulo, Disney's chief financial officer, said: "We had a very uneven distribution where most people spent most of their time at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure was empty. Now, half of the folks go to one, half of the folks go to the other. It's almost a dream come true."[21]

In 2019, a Disney+ episode of "The Imagineering Story" covered the negative reaction that the park received in its early days. Disney Legend John Hench was quoted as saying "I liked it better as a parking lot."[22]

Disney California Adventure, along with Disneyland, was closed indefinitely starting on March 14, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[23] The park was scheduled to reopen alongside Disneyland on July 17,[24] but due to rising cases in California, the park is remaining closed until further notice.[25]

The Carthay Circle Theater

• 1991: The Walt Disney Company announces plans to build WestCOT.
• 1995: WestCOT plans are scrapped and Disney instead announces plans for a California-themed park.
• 1998: Construction begins on Disney's California Adventure.
• February 8, 2001: Disney's California Adventure opens to the public.
• July 2, 2001: The Main Street Electrical Parade, renamed "Disney's Electrical Parade", moves to the park to celebrate the park's first summer.
• January 11, 2002: Superstar Limo closes.
• October 7, 2002: A Bug's Land opens as the first new themed area since the park's inception, with new attractions including; Flik's Flyers and Heimlich's Chew Chew Train.
• May 5, 2004: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror opens as the second version of the attraction.
• July 15, 2005: Turtle Talk with Crush, Disney's second version of the attraction, opens two days before Disneyland's 50th Anniversary.
• July 17, 2005: Block Party Bash has its first performance, to be partnered with Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams in Disneyland Park.
• January 23, 2006: Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! opens in Hollywood Pictures Backlot, replacing Superstar Limo.
• October 17, 2007: The Walt Disney Company announces a multi-year, $1.1 billion expansion plan for Disney's California Adventure Park. The plan includes modifications to Paradise Pier, Golden State, and Hollywood Pictures Backlot and new areas; Buena Vista Street and Cars Land.
• March 14, 2008: Pixar Play Parade has its first performance, replacing Block Party Bash, which moved to Disney's Hollywood Studios.
• June 17, 2008: Toy Story Midway Mania! opens in Paradise Pier.
• October 14, 2008: The Sun Wheel eccentric wheel is re-themed and renamed Mickey's Fun Wheel.
• October 20, 2008: Walt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar opens, replacing Seasons of the Vine Theater.
• May 4, 2009: Mickey's Fun Wheel opens, replacing The Sun Wheel.
• 2010: Construction on Buena Vista Street and Cars Land begins.
• May 28, 2010: Disney's California Adventure Park is renamed Disney California Adventure.
• June 11, 2010:
  • Disney California Adventure adopts a new logo.
  • Silly Symphony Swings opens, replacing the Orange Stinger.
  • World of Color debuts at Paradise Pier.
• September 7, 2010: Maliboomer closes along with Bountiful Valley Farm and is subsequently removed.
• October 12, 2010: Mulholland Madness is closed for re-theming of Goofy's Sky School.
• November 5, 2010: California Screamin' original recorded safety spiels were updated with the voice of actor Neil Patrick Harris.
• January 2011: The entrance area is closed to remodel.
• June 3, 2011: The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure debuts at Paradise Pier.
• July 1, 2011: Goofy's Sky School opens, replacing the former Mulholland Madness, but its track layout is unchanged.
• July 15, 2011: Pan-Pacific Auditorium open gate entrance opens as a near-duplicate of the entrance at Disney's Hollywood Studios.[26]
• July 20, 2011: Deconstruction of the Golden Gate monorail bridge begins as part of the transformation into the Glendale–Hyperion Bridge.
• August 2011: California Zephyr is removed from Sunshine Plaza and donated to the Western Pacific Railroad Museum.
• August 29, 2011: Sunshine Plaza closes to make way for Buena Vista Street.
• February 8, 2012: Disney announces that the park will be divided into eight themed "lands" to include Buena Vista Street, Cars Land, Paradise Pier, Condor Flats, "A Bug's Land", Pacific Wharf, Hollywood Land, and Grizzly Peak.
• June 14, 2012: The park has a one-day closure to prepare for rededication the next day.
• June 15, 2012: The park is "reopened" after a one-day closure with a newly dedicated Buena Vista Street,[27] Cars Land,[28] and Hollywood Land. Pixar Play Parade makes its return after a brief hiatus as the expansion was being finished.
• November 15, 2013: World of Color opens reimagined as a holiday show with the title World of Color: Winter Dreams.
• January 7, 2015: "Frozen Fun" premieres for a limited time in Hollywood Land, with "Freeze the Night! A Family Dance Party" as a temporary replacement for Mad T Party.[29]
• January 7, 2015: Condor Flats closes to be rethemed as Grizzly Peak Airfield.
• February 17, 2015: Luigi's Flying Tires closes.
• May 15, 2015: Grizzly Peak Airfield opens.
• May 22, 2015: World of Color Celebrate! The Wonderful World of Walt Disney, originally announced on January 28, 2015, debuts as part of the Disneyland Resort 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration.
• March 7, 2016: Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters officially opens.
• June 17, 2016: Soarin' Over California retires and is replaced with Soarin' Around the World as a part of Shanghai Disneyland's Grand Opening.
• July 23, 2016: Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! is announced to replace The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
• September 5, 2016: The Diamond anniversary celebration comes to an end along with World of Color Celebrate.
• September 6, 2016: World of Color returns to its original format.
• November 10, 2016: A new holiday show called World of Color - Season of Light debuts, replacing World of Color: Winter Dreams.
• January 3, 2017: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror closes.
• January 20, 2017: Hurry Home, a 6-minute water show presented before World of Color, debuts as part of the Lunar New Year Celebration.
• May 27, 2017: Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! officially opens along with Summer of Heroes.
• July 16, 2017: Pixar Pier is announced at the 2017 D23 Expo, to replace Paradise Pier.[30]
• September 10, 2017: Summer of Heroes ends.
• September 15, 2017: Halloween Time begins for the first time.
• January 8, 2018: California Screamin' & Mickey's Fun Wheel close for refurbishment, later reopening as Incredicoaster and Pixar Pal-A-Round.
• March 19, 2018: It's Tough to Be a Bug! closes.
• March 20, 2018: A Marvel-themed land is officially announced to replace A Bug's Land.
• April 13, 2018: Pixar Fest begins, along with Paint the Night.
• June 22, 2018: The remaining area of Paradise Pier is renamed to Paradise Gardens Park.
• June 23, 2018: Pixar Pier opens.
• September 5, 2018: A Bug's Land closes.
• September 30, 2018: Pixar Fest ends.
• June 28, 2019: Pixar Pier is complete with the opening of Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind.
• 2020: The first phase of a new Avengers Campus area is set to open.

The first area seen upon entering the park. It is set in a modern-day California city. Similar to Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland Park, it has shops, restaurants, and a system of transportation. It also has a central hub to other areas at the end of it. This hub has entrances to Hollywood Land, Grizzly Peak, Public Wharf, and Paradise Gardens Park. Guests can ride from Buena Vista Street to the end of Hollywood Land on the Red Car Trolley. Its station is located near the main entrance by the flagpole. The trolley will eventually run through Avenger Campus and create a full loop around the park. Some restaurants along the street include Mortimer's Market, Trolley Treats, and Clarabelle's Hand Scooped Ice Cream. Shops include Oswald's, Big Top Toys, and Elias & Company.

Pixar Pier is themed after Pixar films, namely the Toy Story characters, Inside Out, and The Incredibles films. The area is styled after a 1950's amusement park with a ferris wheel, old style roller coaster, carousel, and even a hot dog cart. The Mickey Mouse head on the ferris wheel serves as the park's emblem. The "Pixar Pier" sign with the signature ball is also presented on the Incredicoaster which can be seen from outside the park. Pixar Pier is also one of the areas to watch the World of Color water show. To the side of it is Paradise Gardens Park but the main entrance is a bridge connecting to Public Wharf.

Paradise Pier; taken before its transformation into Pixar Pier

View of Paradise Pier from Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa in 2006

Paradise Gardens Park is the largest area of the park. It is located at the center of the park and has direct entrances to all but one of the areas (Pixar Pier, Public Wharf, Buena Vista Street, Cars Land, and Grizzly Peak). It also has a pathway to, specifically, World of Disney and Downtown Disney. It is the prominent place to watch the World Of Color water show which is themed after The Wonderful World of Disney. It includes rides such as Ariel's Undersea Adventure, Walt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar, and a collection of Mickey Mouse themed attractions.

Grizzly Peak in 2009

Grizzly Peak is themed around California's wilderness and national parks, with particular references to Yosemite and Redwood national parks. Its main attraction is Grizzly River Run, a Gold Rush-esque river rapids ride around the summit of Grizzly Peak. Nearby is the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail; a playground area that includes elements from Disney's Brother Bear and Disney·Pixar's Up. An entrance exclusively accessible to guests of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is located in this area.

Grizzly Peak Airfield is a sub-land within the Grizzly Peak area of California Adventure Park. It is themed to an airfield in California's High Sierras in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The featured attraction is Soarin' Around the World, a ride that simulates a hang glider tour of locations, landscapes, and landmarks across six continents of the world. The district also contains the Smokejumpers Grill counter service restaurant, a shop, and a decorative fire lookout tower.[31]

Pacific Wharf

Hollywood Land in 2010

Hollywood Land is inspired by the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1930s.[32] It includes attractions based on film, television, theater and a subsection called Hollywood Studios, which is designed to appear as an active studio backlot. Found within that subsection is the 3D film Mickey's PhilharMagic and the Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! attraction, a dark ride based on the characters from Disney·Pixar's Monsters, Inc. The 2000-seat Hyperion Theater located in the center of Hollywood Land presents Frozen – Live at the Hyperion. At the far end of this area is Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout!, which opened on May 27, 2017, based on Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy film series.

Disney Junior – Live on Stage! opened on March 25, 2011, and has featured stage productions such as Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, and Jake and the Never Land Pirates. Its final day of performance was April 9, 2017. It was replaced by Disney Junior Dance Party, which opened on May 26, 2017, and most recently features Mickey and the Roadster Racers, Doc McStuffins, Vampirina, and The Lion Guard.

The restroom facilities in the district are designed in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright's Storer House, located in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles. The stamped concrete structure is typical of Wright's pioneering design.

Cars Land

Cars Land spans 12 acres (49,000 m²) and contains three attractions. The largest attraction, Radiator Springs Racers, is a dark ride that utilizes the technology of Epcot's Test Track. Based on Pixar's Cars films, the ride begins with a scenic drive through the mountains, then enters a show building, where the vehicle finds its way into the town of Radiator Springs and gets a race briefing from Doc Hudson; the ride ends with an outdoor, side-by-side dueling race to the Comfy Caverns Motor Court. With a budget of an estimated US$200 million, it is the most expensive theme park ride ever built.[33]

The other attractions at Cars Land are family attractions with smaller height requirements: Mater's Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters. Mater's Junkyard Jamboree opened with Cars Land in 2012. Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters opened on March 7, 2016, and replaced Luigi's Flying Tires.

Cars Land is designed as a life-size model and near-exact replica of the town of Radiator Springs from the Cars films. The land includes several dining and shopping venues. The district serves as a connection between Pacific Wharf, Hollywood Land, and A Bug's Land. Construction began in July 2009 and opened to the public on June 15, 2012.

In September 2017, Cars Land received Halloween decorations during Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort. Two Cars Land attractions, Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters and Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, became Luigi's Honkin' Haul-O-Ween and Mater's Graveyard JamBOOree.

On March 20, 2018, the addition of a Marvel-themed land was announced, scheduled to open on July 18, 2020.[34] The land will be based around the preexisting Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! attraction and will be built on the former site of A Bug's Land.[35] During the D23 Expo in August 2019, Disney announced that the Marvel-themed lands at Disneyland Resort and Disneyland Paris will be called "Avengers Campus".[36]

• Black Panther
• Anna, Elsa, and Olaf from Frozen
• Captain Marvel
• Vampirina
• Captain America
• Spider-Man

• Lightning McQueen
• Tow Mater
• Red the Fire Engine
• Cruz Ramirez

• Citizens of Buena Vista Street
• Mickey Mouse
• Minnie Mouse
• Donald Duck
• Daisy Duck
• Goofy
• Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

• Nick Wilde
• Judy Hopps

• Mike Wazowski and Sulley from Monsters, Inc.
• Edna Mode, Mr. Incredible, Frozone and Mrs. Incredible from The Incredibles
• Dug and Russell from Up
• Woody, Jessie, Bo Peep and Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story
• Flik and Atta from A Bug's Life
• Joy and Sadness from Inside Out

• Chip n’ Dale
• Pluto

Flik's Flyers in A Bug's Land

A Bug's Land (stylized "a bug's land") was seen from the point of view of Flik, the inventor ant from the Disney·Pixar film A Bug's Life, where oversized human items were scattered throughout. It featured Flik's Fun Fair (a collection of themed, family and child-friendly attractions such as Flik's Flyers, Francis' Ladybug Boogie, Tuck & Roll's Drive 'em Buggies, Heimlich's Chew Chew Train, and Dot's Puddle Park). It opened as the park's first expansion in 2002 to expand the park's family-friendly attractions. The land was built around the existing attraction It's Tough to Be a Bug!, a 3D film based on A Bug's Life, which opened with the park in 2001.

It's Tough to Be a Bug! closed on March 19, 2018. A Bug's Land closed on September 5, 2018 to make way for the Avengers Campus, set to open in 2020.

• Disney's Hollywood Studios
• Walt Disney Studios Park
• Tokyo DisneySea
• Epcot
• Disney's Animal Kingdom

• List of Disney California Adventure attractions
• List of former Disney California Adventure attractions
• Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
• List of amusement parks