Something really big is happening next door to Disneyland in California. That's up everybody we have a new neighbor
Oh no! The world ends at the gate
Not from this coordinate miss white aha they're from, California. Oh nice limo
*gasp* Is there a prince inside?
Sorry girls, but any interest in a very large bear
introducing Disney's
California Adventure a whole new theme park filled with the fun and adventures of
California right next door to Disneyland where the magic began, let's go see on the easy big guy nobody likes a nosy neighbor
Disney's, California Adventure
opening February 2001
When Disney's, California Adventure opened in 2001 it had a much different look than it does today
While the park has become a mishmash of various properties the original focus of California Adventure was California itself
highlighting the best parts of the state in a similar manner to the pavilions in Walt Disney World's Epcot
the aesthetic chosen was a hit or miss for park guests as it straddled the line between a charming idealistic view of the state and
Being flat-out tacky looking at the entrance to California Adventure from a distance
It was designed to resemble a postcard giant letters spelling California were lined parallel to the gates to both sides were massive mosaics depicting
Various geological structures found in the state at the time of completion this was the largest ceramic mural in the world
Between these two the mock-up of the Golden Gate Bridge that actually served as a functioning bridge for the Disneyland monorail though it never made
A stop inside the park once guests went to the gates. They'd enter sunshine Plaza
This served as the main hub of the park and housed multiple shops restaurants as well as guest facilities near the entrance to one of
the parks four lands Golden State sat a replica of the famous
California Zephyr
Train at the end of sunshine Plaza stood the Sun icon which sat on top of a wave fountain in a large pool of water
50 foot tall Sun icon
Symbolizing California's abundant sunshine the Sun sits atop nine foot tall
52 foot long perpetual wave fountains you can guess with that symbolize
surfs up
This serves as the final piece of the California postcard from just the right angle it appears as though the Sun was setting just behind
The Golden Gate Bridge the thought of the Disney parks entrance and hub area being completely scrapped and changed seems strange
But by 2007 just six years after the park opened
It was becoming painfully obvious that the park needed a major overhaul if it was to fit the Disney standard
The newly appointed CEO Bob Iger was quoted as saying anytime you do something mediocre with your brand. That's a withdrawal
California adventure was a brand withdrawal
California Adventure cost an initial six hundred million dollars to build the new redesigned expansion was announced to cost 1.1 billion dollars
What saw the most change with this revamp was the complete gutting of the entrance to sunshine Plaza a new entrance was constructed to resemble
the Pan Pacific auditorium
Which may look familiar to Walt Disney World fans as the entrance to Hollywood Studios was also heavily inspired by the building's design
The california letters were removed and donated to Sacramento's Cal Expo where they still stand today
major portions of the California Zephyr display were donated to the western Pacific Railroad Museum
The Sun icon was scrapped altogether alongside the rest of the theming in sunshine Plaza in June 2012 the new land Buena
Vista Street officially opened to park guests
This is a much more immersive area themed to
1920s Los Angeles the new centerpiece is a replica of Carthay circle theater most known for hosting Snow White and the Seven Dwarves world premiere
in 1937 story tellers a statue depicting Walt and Mickey in the
1920s stands in the center of the street the new land serves as an ode to the Los Angeles
Walt stepped foot in when he first came to California and as part of a larger effort to create more cohesive theming for Disney's
California Adventure, but we'll just have to see how this actually works out
Giant apparatus is lifting entire families and alien life-forms are everywhere
We've got a head on over to Disney's, California Adventure