Could Disney's California Adventure Be Fixed? 

They should just rename the park to Disney’s Cinematic Adventure, because at this point it’s 90% more about IP and films than it is about California.

I think Knott's Berry Farm captures the feeling of California much better than California Adventure ever has.

I literally started this video twenty seconds ago but I would like to say that every video should start with that Euro Disneyland opening bit with Eisner’s voice cracking. Possibly my favorite Disney history moment of all

Went to Disneyland Resort around 2010-2011 and I felt California Adventure was ok, I had much more fun at Disneyland. I think the park is a perfect example that Disney should focus on making things timeless instead of trying to latch onto things that are popular in the moment.

I think their emphasis on big rides and ignoring the simplicity and charm of dark rides is a problem. Fantasyland has four dark rides crammed into one area should be the pattern for the Hollywood backlot area.

It’s very unfortunate that the Eisner is so remembered for the terrible end of his run. Most people don’t remember/know about how much great stuff him and Wells did together!! It’s a very real possibility that there would be no Disney as we know it today if not for the team of Eisner and Wells

With all due respect, I don’t think Cars Land works anywhere else BUT California Adventure. Yes…the Arizona thing is more obvious to those who know Route 66 well. However, when you think about the geography of California, you have mountains, beach, metro city and desert. One of the only places in the country or even world that you can see all that in a single day. DCA was lacking the desert landscape in the park and it works perfectly. Even without the Cars franchise attached, CA desert and its car culture would still work!

It's interesting that Walt's original ideas for Disneyland were basically a response to the (what he felt were) dirty and non family friendly boardwalk amusement parks around at the time. So the fact that Eisner and Imagineering went ahead with adding a whole themed land dedicated to old time amusement parks, it just seemed like it was ill-advised from the start. Like they really didn't understand the appeal of what made Disney parks so enjoyable.

It's funny how childhood nostalgia paints everything as wonderful-- I've watched multiple videos on the woes of California Adventure and I understand the cheapness of it, but my 7 year old self absolutely loved the original park. I loved hearing "California Girls" by the Beach Boys playing over the speakers and singing along. I loved the Hollywood section (my sisters and I were picked to be a part of a street show and we had a blast). I thought being in "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" was amazing, as we watched the real show on television all the time. I remember eating a loaf of sourdough bread from the San Francisco area as my sister and I saved our spot for the parade. I 100% agree things needed to change (and keep needing to change), but I really did love it.

Truly they should have done Disney Sea which was being built in Tokyo at the same time. Unfortunately the Oriental Land company has a non-competitive clause limiting what Disney could copy.

DCA was heading in the right direction with Buena Vista Street and Cars Land. They had plans & concept art to make Hollywood Land more vintage looking, and they had plans to transform Paradise Pier into a lush Victorian Era boardwalk. You can see hints of that in some of the post Cars Land / pre Pixar Pier additions they made. But Pixar Pier ruined that. They made it even more tacky than before with the shoehorned IP. They could have easily added a Boardwalk Fun House, Illusions, of House of Oddities themed dark ride to Paradise Pier. And Avengers Campus feels even more out of place than Bugs Land did. I also preferred it's tough to be a bug VS the new Spiderman ride, which feels like a tacky and less interesting version of Toy Story Mania. I just hope the planned Avengers E Ticket eventually gets built. Cuz as of now, it feels like a waste of space. While a fun retheme, losing Tower of Terror and getting Guardians was the biggest loss.

I honestly think California Adventure was doomed from the get go. I'm going to say something crazy here but bear with me: the California theming isn't the problem. I remember when the park first opened. I think I lot of the flack actually comes from the limo ride being lazy, rather than everything else. Keep in mind, the Tower of Terror was really well themed and reflected the downtown area of LA. Soarin' Over California actually took the theming and ran away with it showcasing a lot of California's unique geography. The Grizzly River Rapids are also pretty well done and themed. People forget that a large section of California is actually mountainous. Even the pier at opening is well themed. People may not like it for how cheap it feels, but it really does feel like Santa Monica pier which has all those same cheap rides and carnival games. So what was the problem? How it was advertised. It wasn't supposed to be Disneyland 2.0 and I think using the Disney brand was a mistake. The fact that California Adventure *does* sell alcohol should tell you everything about who the target audience really was. Adults. Adults who could let their "older" kids run free around Disneyland for 2-3 hours while the parents unwind at California Adventure at one of the nicer restaurants sipping wine or beer in the hot California sun. And maybe going on one of the more thrilling rides their younger kids may not have liked. Now, it's just a Frankensteined mishmash of all the IPs Disney can't/won't use in the actual Disney park and Pixar.

I think for me I prefer DCA pre Guardians (when it was still Tower of Terror). The park was definitely flawed, but I much preferred Paradise Pier instead of Pixar Pier. It just had this charm to it that was better than just “generic IP laden experience.” I guess I’ll always have the memories of my visits to the parks (DCA, Disneyland, and all of WDW) in the early 2000s when they still at least half-cared

I have to say that I disagree that Grizzly needs animatronics, I really like the low-key theme of a Bear spirit that we never see, it makes the ride feel more grounded. It also makes room for the best part of that ride: Interacting with the other riders that you're literally facing, and with whom you're sharing this wet roulette experience. More stuff to pay attention to could only detract from that

I was there for the opening week of Pixar Pier, and it dawned on me that they really had utilized Pixar IPs more than anything else at that point. Had they not removed A Bug's Land they very well could have turned the park into a Pixar theme park, albeit with some attractions from other IPs. I'm sure Imagineers could come up with creative ways as to how various Pixar characters are "presenting" the attractions featuring other IPs, as well as tying in the San Francisco areas with the fact that Pixar's studios are there. The entire park could convey the heart of Pixar's best films while also allowing for a comedic tone wherein Pixar characters are trying to make their "own park" like the Mouse-owned one across the street.

Honestly, those bread-making and tortilla-making and farming experiences sound right up my alley! Weird or quotidian though they may be, they’re not something you’d find just anywhere. Maybe this is why I was also a sucker for old, original E.P.C.O.T. Center?

I have always felt bad Michael Eisner had a voice crack during the Euro Disney ribbon cutting haha Every time I see that clip… poor guy

The main problem with DCA is that most of the new rides are just bland. Spider-Man is a pretty boring ride and doesn’t make it feel special. Soarin is better under the California idea not the around the world idea. Except for 2-3 rides, they are just generic merry go round, generic sit there and watch ride, generic swings ride.

My fundamental complaint is that the lack of imagination by Eisner on-wards, they’ve cheapened the parks into studio parks all about film franchises and merchandising. There was no reason to add film IP into It’s a Small World. It’s like adding sugar into a main dish. It was fine as it was created. I haven’t been to any park in over 5 years and I’m a former cast member. It breaks my heart seeing the legacy of Walt diluted into a quarterly profit and loss game.

California adventures has always felt .....nice and homey to me. This video actually makes me appreciate it more.

The whole idea of route 66 was going TO California rather than being in California but I think that still ties it in to the California theme. Our family drove from Saskatchewan, Canada in 2012, down to Colorado and then over to Disneyland and so in my mind it was a perfect fit.

I appreciate your comments about California Screamin'. It may be the case that many guests didn't understand the coaster because I always heard people complain that it was a Disney coaster that wasn't themed. But it absolutely was themed. It was themed in a meta way analogous to Velocicoaster. It was a coaster themed to being a coaster. In the case of California Screamin', it was a modern steel launched coaster themed to being a classic boardwalk wooden coaster like Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. I thought it worked really well and Incredicoaster feels very forced and doesn't feel like an immersive fleshed out effort. In that regard, I find Incredicoaster to be inferior even if you disregard my bias against Disney's general bad focus on IP.

This is the first time I've seen the Tower of terror in this state. Not only is it gone but they made the building ugly beyond belief. They should be ashamed.

California Adventure was finally beginning to find an identity and an actual cohesive theme, but then ToT got turned into Mission Breakout, and then it aLL went downhill from there

I will ALWAYS say that California adventure’s purpose is a love letter to California and i hate hate hate hate hate the park being IP dumping land California is such a huge state with so many places that having a park be a mini California with all sorts of romanticized and parts of California? The old Hollywood area? That giant billboard of the street with cloudless sky? The wharf? Grizzly peak? I just… really wish people could love California adventures and I wish Disney could love it. The park dedication is just… I just want to hold the feeling from the dedication to the park while in the park.

I always thought that California adventure was named that way because it’s located inside California. It wasn’t until i watched this video I realized that it was called California adventure because of its California theme.

I’d love to see Mystic Manor incorporated somehow. Imagine if they slightly retheme sit with elements of the great movie ride so famous movie props and costumes came to life alongside fan favorite scenes from the original ride.

A ‘ghost train gone wrong’ is a fantastic idea and i think it could be well executed by Disney. I would love to see it in a rethemed paradise gardens area. A farming area is a nice idea with a flying dark ride would be good especially with the planes franchise

This was a really interesting analysis that made me appreciate DCA's original theming, or attempt at theming. I honestly love your videos, especially since they take such a critical lens but also share genuine interest in themed entertainment and interesting experiences when analyzing parks and attractions. You have fast become one of my favourite youtubers.

Coming from someone who’s never been to California Adventure, it just seems like the park isn’t very ambitious enough and should be a lot more whimsical. That golden spire would’ve definitely done wonders for the skyline.

DCA has the potential to be an incredible park, maybe even one of Disney’s best even if it’s a California theme park in California ,but it isn’t, simply because the company won’t give it the love it needs and deserves

this was a really cool breakdown, its nice to hear about the old attractions i was too young to remember and all the scrapped ideas

I really do think that the premise of DCA had huge potential. A park evoking the rich history of California would be a wonderful companion piece to Disneyland, which itself has four lands focused on the history of the US as a whole. DCA for a while was actually on the path to becoming that love letter to California, but Avengers Campus and Pixar Pier really screwed it up. At this point the park would require major reworking and demolition in order to be cohesive. Pixar Pier, Hollywood Backlot, and Avengers Campus are among the worst themed areas Disney has ever created, each for different reasons, and DCA will never be truly good if those lands are allowed to stay.

I'll never understand why they couldn't change super star limo from avoiding paparazzi to just being late. It would still be a high-speed thrill ride but it would eliminate all connections to the tragic death of Princess Diana

Eisner's biggest mistake (that then impacted the future parks) was building Euro Disney in France. French people have always looked down upon American culture. They aren't an optimal theme park audience either, and that matters. Hardly anyone in Europe even vacations to Paris, they go south to the perfect weather and beauty of the the Med (including parisians that leave in summer). Italy was one of the final considerations prior to choosing France, but it wasn't picked because the government wasn't willing to give as much as Paris. Choosing France for this reason alone (and because it's "central") was extremely foolish. Italy is a bigger vacation spot for Europeans (Brits and especially Germans/Swiss/Austrians), as well as a huge tourist destination in general. Italy also has better weather year round for mintenance and operation cost considerations. Lastly, the Italian population largely appreciates American culture and Disney, they would have attended in droves. Spain would have also been better...France was probably the worst place to put an American theme park other than scandenavia. I'm also confused why Disney hasn't already built a park in Korea...or Brazil for that matter. Both locations are far better picks than China.

As someone who grew up in the parks, honestly Cars Land was one of the best things to happen to California Adventure (to be fair the bar was pretty low tho lol). And Avengers Campus is the worst. I don't know how they're going to fix it. It's so bland and the Spiderman ride was so disappointing even on the first time I rode it. Cars Land would be even better if it wasn't based on IP but it's so well executed I don't even care. I don't feel that way about Avengers Campus tho. Literally just feels like walking around a business park. Nothing to do or see. Even the only restaurant is always so over crowded you can't even have a proper experience there.

I went to DCA its opening year, I was 12 years old, and even though I was so young and excited, I remember thinking how few music tracks they had for the area music. I remember hearing the same Beach Boys muzak track over and over. Every aspect of this park was so cheap. Great video Herr Poseidon. Its been fun watching the channel grow.

Unfortunately Disney will NEVER make another ride unless it is solely IP. Disney's ultimate goal is only to promote their movies, so unless a new ride is based off of a Disney movie or theme, Disney will not even consider it. It's such a shame since that eliminates so many fantastic ideas.

I went to DCA for the first time in maybe 15 years, and it was fun. That was it. I had fun then I went on my merry way. Each individual ride was fun, but so much of it felt like they haphazardly threw together a collection of rides. There were areas which felt like they really had something, like the Grizzly Peaks area and Cars Land. I also found myself enjoying the Wharf area and the view, as I was able to almost just zone out much of the IP mess that is Pixar Pier. However, for what its worth I would much rather spend half the money to go 5 miles down the road to Knott's Berry Farm. To me it feels like Knott's cares much more about the cohesiveness of their themes and the flow between the different themes works much better than at DCA. Even their interactive experiences are on par if not better than Disney's. Ghost Town Alive is everything Galaxy's Edge should have been, with actors playing walk around characters, people you can interact with and effect the story, with shootouts, trials, and many stunts. On top of the immersion add some world class roller coasters, leading to Knott's being one of the most well rounded theme parks in America. Not to mention the history of the park, dating back to the 1920's and 30's, with rides like the Calico Mine Ride and the Timber Mountain Log Ride both being big influences on Walt Disney when Disneyland was still in its infancy. I think that DCA has so much potential, but with the way it is going, I'd much rather stick to something else.

i found your channel a few weeks ago and watched both videos on old universal studios! you’ve quickly became one of my favorites, keep doing great!!

it makes me sad that we are long past the days of classic disney attractions. now they're all gonna have some sort of ip tied to them 😔

Been loving your videos more and more man, keep up the great work!

"Come on in, it's Euro Itchy and Scratchy Land! Who are you to resist it, huh? Sacre Bleu! Oh come on, my children need wine!" - The Simpsons

I guess I’m totally weird. My family and I have been going to Disneyland together every year for the past 40 years. (Almost every year) and when the original DCA opened…I have to say……we really really liked it. It was a break from Disneyland. It was more spacious to us. (Maybe because no one was there..lol) it was relaxing. And…we could grab a beer!!! We loved it. Have a couple drinks….walk around. We loved bug land once that arrived. (It wasn’t there in the beginning) we loved the restaurants and shopping. Then we’d head back to the hustle of Disneyland after having a few hours of a great break. Now, it’s so different. I still like it, but we loved it in the beginning also. I love Cars land now also. I wouldn’t go to Disneyland unless I had a park hopper pass. I love it.

Excellent ideas for Dca and how to improve the overall theme of the park. Everyone always talks about what went wrong ,but you followed through with some unique ideas to plus everything. This is some of the best content on themeparks anywhere . Do you ever do podcasts?

I recall going as a kid when the sun face was on the ferris wheel and roller coaster and thinking the park ended really quick. We ran out of things to do there before the day was up. The highlight was that Aladdin show! That was my first time sitting and watching professional theater. I was entranced! Still love musical theater to this day

The earliest I've been to one of your videos! Time to enjoy another one!

Such a great video! You continue to put out content that I look forward to watching. I would recommend shortening the black screen ad transitions though. Way too often have I come back from an ad thinking the video was over lol.

One of my favorite channels to listen and learn from.

I loved the original DCA in Anaheim... A celebration of iconic California that is long gone.. Sure, couldve used a few more rides , but they would come in time. Didnt need an overhall.. Needed to work some surfing/skatebording/snowboarding in there someplace.. Action sports culture is very California

Disney moved away from it's main business model that gave it it's longevity and what secured it's future, nostalgia... They hooked kids in early trough their emotional films and profited from it when they got older while they also created a new batch of kids they could rely on 20 years later when they felt nostalgic for their childhood. What ip did they create in the last decades that those kids will be nostalgic for 20 years from now? Probably just frozen, nothing else. Cars maybe, but they milked that dry already and i don't think that has had the same emotional impact things like the lion king or snow white have. Star wars has just become generic schlock, marvel is going to fade away eventually as well. And it isn't focused on family experiences like disney used to be, breaking the nostalgia chain. It will eventually become just old ip nobody cares about anymore. The same issue universal had, attractions based on movie franchises nobody cared about anymore. I really think disney has had it's top with the kids during the disney revival era now being middle aged fueling their highs at the moment. But that cash cow is going to dry up more and more over the next 10/15 years with no longer a new generation of youngsters to replace them when it is their turn to become nostalgic about disney. It created a situation where it now has to keep investing in new contemperary popular ip to replace the old stale stuff nobody cares about anymore, and keep replacing it's atractions and lands linked to it. It will drain disney dry forcing them to make it cheaper and more generic.

ok i never went to a disney park but as someone who grow up with a ton of disney i simply HAVE to defend the mickey head on the ferries wheel. it looks really similar to the old disney shorts title cards that would reveal which character star in it. The mickey head on it creating this great effect using the shape of the ferris wheel so doesnt look like it was a retheme/fix at all and is so much better than the sun( it is less tacky in my opinion too). Also is not like mickey wasnt already in a structure in the original concept and just got shoved in paradise pier to fix it because he already was in the rollercoaster. Even if paradise pier/pixar pier seems disapointed would for sure be the piece of california adventure where i would be most excited to take a picture with because of the mickey face on the ferrris wheel

I just love your videos and verbalize exactly what I think of Disney.. huge fan but wish we could go back to when everything was magical.. The new Creations shop and Cafe are like a local mall/cafeteria hospital.. Keep up the great work

Most river rapid rides are there for thrills, not for scenery. With that said, Grizzly River Run is one of the best themed rapids out there.

It never stops killing me how Michael Eisner had however many years to learn how to say ONE SENTENCE in proper French and he couldn’t be bothered.

The large CALIFORNIA letters were moved to the State Expo Center in Sacramento. Kinda cool driving by, but also kind of a weird throwback.

“An IP dumping ground” perfectly sums up the current state of the park. I’ve always said, the two parks should be called Disneyland and Subsidiaryland

I’ve thought about this ALOT so here are a few of the main points that I’ve thought could improve the park while continuing to maintain its California/ west coast theme. - the avengers land would be themed more like a training base within California with a Doctor strange trackless dark ride with a Victorian Californian house exterior to emphasise this. To accompany this, at the back of the land would be a flying coaster iron man ride and the ‘shaft’ -for lack of a better word- of guardians of the galaxy would be repainted to be more space like with a predominant dark blue colour and golden star details to make the tower less of an eye sore from the rest of the park. - Pixar pier would be adapted with the new design philosophy of a 1960s vintage pier with Pixar references. For example, drop towers would be added which would be mostly white but have some yellow and a wood Mike and sully statue at the entrance of the attraction and a name like ‘Scare Towers’ with a couple scare canisters outside that would fill up when the ride started and guests screamed to reference Monsters Inc. Similar to how the incredicoaster is themed. - The Paradise Gardens area would be turned more into a Californian beach front with a new family coaster and Californian restaurants like the alternative pizzas and ice creams. I hope someone actually reads this and I didn’t just waste my time and I’d love to know what people thought about my ideas

Awesome content! Always look forward to your videos

Went in 03 when Orange stinger still had orange sent, we have a 100 foot swing ride at Playland in my hometown now but I think Orange stingers peel shell really separates it from other swing rides as it really gives a solid summer fun vibe I rode it 3 Times

The only negative about this great channel is I wish you had more videos ;). I have watched them all atleast twice. I think when I discovered this channel last year I went through every video in 2-3 days…Great stuff, spot on analysis by someone who understands what Disney was. A lot of people I see defending things like the Mickey and Minnie replacing the great movie ride are the youth who do not realize the quality that has been lost. Maybe a new video on how Disney is targeting audiences who do not know any better today as a way to drop quality and cost while still bringing in guests

I still think that Superstar Limo would have been perfect for a park like Knoebels or Kennywood. The terrible campy theming would be perfect there.

Just went to DCA on Monday. Cars Land is great. Radiator Springs Racers is always fun. Tower of Terror was a better theme but the ride is still fun. Soarin' Over California was back for a limited run (ended Tuesday). World of Color is a good show. Web Slingers now has a single rider line. Too bad the Frozen show ended during COVID because that was a great show. Overall I had a fun time there.

“We gotta hide the body where nobody would think to go.” “The middle of the ocean?” “No, California Adventure.”

Yo you keep creating some GREAT content I hope your subscribers start to grow more. I will be taking a weekend trip to Disneyland soon and I’m very excited!!

I love grizzly peak, arguably the best themed areas in the park

I visited DCA before and after the re-theme and while the park now has more to do and see, I much preferred the original colorful entrance with the vibrant Main Street. The new Main Street looks something like The Grove or any other upscale outdoor shopping mall. It just falls flat.

Honestly, out of the disney parks I have been too, California's adventure is my favorite. They have my favorite Disney coaster, one of my favorite Disney dark rides and I love the atmosphere of the park.

I remember when I went to California Adventure in the very early 2000's (probably within the first couple years of it opening). I was around 10 and I only remember the entrance, Soarin' over California, and the severe pain in my ribs and knees from one of the rides. It was very unpleasant and I remember the park being mostly boring. But I was OBSESSED with Soarin' at least.

Apparently the answer is, yes it could be fixed considering the park was fixed after Buena Vista Street.

I loved the park during the 60th anniversary, I felt like that was the best era imo.

I actually miss the original theming of the early park. I like the bright colors that they use around the park. I think that the early areas themes worked pretty well. I think paradise pier captured the feelings of an 1950's boardwalk. I think that Pixar Pier is a lot worse. I also think that the redwoods area captures the feeling of Northern California pretty well.

Ironically my family and I went San Clemente, California and decided to go to California Adventure on February 10, 2001 for my brothers birthday. Granted I nor my family were that impressed with what we saw; basically it did not feel like any other domestic Disney park. But, now I look back at the original Disney California Adventure and now hold a special place in my heart solely based off of nostalgia. Granted it was a pretty terrible park honestly, California Screamin was one of the only rides I really remember enjoying. A distinct memory of the park I do have is the The Bakery Tour (loved the smell of bread), Bountiful Valley Demonstration Farm, Golden Dreams, Mulholland Madness, Superstar Limo and Sorcerer's Workshop just to name a few. During that trip and a follow up trip in 2005 we went for my birthday and got a 1 day hopper pass at DCA and went on the The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and ended up going to Disneyland at later in the afternoon. As for what can be done now I have no idea (other than wishful thinking); such as start from scratch and Disney Company does something similar in another warm state in the USA to what they did with The Oriental Land Company were they license the theme from The Walt Disney Company to a another company and pays royalty and licensing fees to Walt Disney (however, Disney still has creative control). Or something similar to The Oriental Land Company were they hand over a new Disney theme park to a company that has the financial resources and actually cares about the Disney park name and guest. Or maybe take a cue from their foreign Disney parks like Hong Kong's Disneyland resort which is owned by a joint venture of which the local government owns 53% and Walt Disney Co holds the rest and/or the Shanghai Disney Resort; the Walt Disney Company owns 43 percent of the resort; the majority 57 percent is held by Shanghai Shendi Group. But as I stated before these scenarios are never going to happen. But, I read somewhere allegedly the Imagineers who built DCA are the same ones who built Tokyo DisneySea which was being constructed at the same time. DisneySea is a far more superior park because it was given a much larger budget by the Oriental Land Company. Disney California Adventure (DCA), on the other hand, was sadly funded completely by Disney under executives at the time wanted to build on the cheap. Imagineers had to make do with their tiny budget which I am sure was frustrating. There are many things I can criticize the Imagineers on, but for DCA, I wouldn’t necessarily say it is their fault for building an underwhelming theme park. It truly shows what Disney Imagineering can come up with when given a sizeable budget. I am simply blown away by what the Oriental Land Co. is doing with the Tokyo Disney Resort they give the fans what they want while still introducing new rides and attractions that feel like a natural and fitting addition to the existing parks.

Ah, yes, a California-themed theme park in the already California-themed California.

If Disney fully committed to the idea of the park from the very beginning and didn’t spare on quality it could have been amazing. History always repeats itself and I feel like Disney is in a worse state then the last 10 years of Eisner. At least back then we have Roy e Disney. Now we don’t have anybody. All the stockholders care about is money not quality.

A modern Disney couldn't pull this off, but there's a way of keeping the current "theming" of DCA while actually incorporating the rich diversity of the state of CA itself--using the IP to complement and bolster this history. California has a big tech industry. Imagine attractions showcasing the wonders of tech as narrated by Tony Stark and Peter Parker, or advances in medicine by Bruce Banner and Stephen Strange. Now you still get your Avengers campus, it's just not "Avengers Campus." Cars Land would be a geological/geographical showcase with the Cars crew and wouldn't even change Radiator Springs Racers. You already touched upon how the agriculture industry could fit in, and if the theming were all done correctly, Grizzly River Run and even Pixar Pier wouldn't need any real change. It would literally be a "modernized, IP-influenced, west coast EPCOT" that could successfully grab the interests of those who DO go to the parks for IP and those who go to the parks for that sense of whimsy and fancy and would tug on the nostalgia of those who miss edutainment EPCOT all while minimizing actual costs of "just redo the whole park." Wasted potential, too bad, Disney.

I loved the tortilla factory. Growing up my mom was always on a budget, after we got the fresh tortillas she would be a wrap with ingredients she brought from home 😝😩🥲 back in the 90’s and early 2000’s Disney was definitely affordable for any family, even poor ones. Man those tortillas were so fresh and warm. 🥰 brings back memories

What's funny is that stuff like the original Paradise Pier, A Bug's Land, and Hester and Chester's Dino-Rama were all called out as being cheap off the shelf lands during the dark half of the Eisner era. But is something modern like Toy Story Land really that much better? Just like those lands, it was built on the cheap with generic off the shelf type of attractions. The most impressive attraction in Toy Story Land is Midway Mania, and that's only because it was already at Hollywood Studios for 10 years before the rest of the land. Slinky Dog Dash is just another roller coaster (one that gets way too long waits, I might add), and Alien Swirling Saucers is a typical carnival ride. Plus, the whole aesthetic of the land from the perspective of being shrunk down to the size of a toy is no different from A Bug's Land.

I can proudly say, I rode Superstar Limo 🦸‍♂️

The thing with grizzly River run is that it was meant to bea real river run and not a themed ride so having animatronics makes it fake. A good choice? Maybe but the idea of you really being on a real river trip was the idea.

Great job on the video! I might add in some ideas to help fix Disney’s California Adventure that would become a strong park that’s well done!

You know, if "Superstar Limo" promised to have cute animatronics that were caricatures of the top celebrities of every few years, and did MAD Magazine type of jokes, I think that could be pretty funny.

I think what they should do is have each area be a different era in California History. Car land would be set in the 50s and be a tribute to car culture around that time and have a version of radiator springs racers themed to drag racing. Grizzy Flats would be vaguely in the mid-20th century. Paradise Pier would be in the 1910s with minor dark and flat rides The Hollywood backlot would be in the 20s with a new speakeasy that gets occasionally raided by the cops, and iconic celebrities like Laurel and Hardy, The Three Stooges, and the Marx Brothers. As well as a new version of the Dick Tracy Crimestoppers ride replacing Superstar Limo Bountiful Valley Farms would be in the late 1800s and a minor homage to Westerns Pacific Warf would be turned into a tribute to the 60s surfing craze

It's funny 'cause as a So Cal resident, my visit to Disney World's Hollywood Studios was intensely underwhelming. I joked that it just looked like the real Hollywood, all it was missing was the smell of trash and piss. So I think making Hollywoodland more like old school LA and less like modern is the way to go, especially since the real one is just about an hour's drive away if you wanna see it so badly.

I really miss the free fresh tortillas at the Mission Tortilla Factory.

Grew up going to to California adventures, holds many good memories!

This channel is so good!

great suggestions !!!

Great video, Poseidon! Always appreciate the effort you put into these. You mentioned that DCA could integrate IP better by theming in a way that Hollywood Studios does. Do you mean to say that Hollywood Studios is well themed to be an "IP dumping ground?" I am curious what you think an "ideal" theme would be for a park designed specifically to be an "IP dumping ground?"

You came up with great ideas, but sadly, under current management, they're not gonna implement anything to make going to their parks a good experience. Too bad Disney doesn't care if you have a good time or not.

A theme not so state centric would have been the best for the park. Who could have foreseen more people wanting to leave California than stay. Agreeing with one of the Disney Imagineering legends, I liked it better as a parking lot.

May be an unpopular opinion but I think the Eisner/Wells era was PEAK Disney

California Adventure is a theming nightmare!

I’d imagine Disney creating a DCA styled theme park themed to Florida for the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. It could be the same as Disney California Adventure, but with a Florida theme as Disney’s Florida Adventure with a romanticized representation of Florida and its history and culture, its different landmarks and locations, its cities, and its beaches to give it a fun Florida feel and atmosphere. Here’s what an ideal Disney’s Florida Adventure theme park would look like: - Themed Lands - Sunshine Street (inspired by St. Augustine) - Everglade Swamps (themed to the Everglades) - The Boardwalk (a boardwalk section themed to the beaches of Florida and some tourist attractions) - Sunny Skies Airport (themed to a Florida airport) - Other Possible Themed Lands - Rides and Attractions - Sunshine Express Monorail - The Everglades Adventure - Everglades Splash Mountain - a pirate themed ride - Boardwalk Blast - Boardwalk Carousel - Florida Sun Wheel - Dolphin Dive - Florida Beach Party - Sunny Skies Airliners

Disney has given into a sole corporate mindset and has lost it’s artistic whimsy and vision. They’re placing “must ride” attractions into all of their parks so all parks become “must visit” parks, regardless of theme (Guardians of The Galaxy at Epcot is so out of place).

It sounds like they really needed a more broad theme. They could have done an entire "Tribute to America" theme that would have given them more wiggle room and opened up to a lot more options for theming. Kind of like a sister to the Epcot World Showcase theme.

The changes to DCA seem to mirror what happens in Universal's Islands of Adventure. Specifically, how the Harry Potter Wizarding World successes led Bob Iger to go IP crazy. I'd argue that DCA isnt doing *enough* to emulate Universal, if that's what they're going for. And not just in quality of execution (such as Avengers Campus). Universal Orlando's park areas may be completely self-cobtained, or only loosely themed now to places like New York or San Francisco. However, they excel at the actual execution of the concept. Toon Lahoon, Kong Skull Island, Jurassic Parl and so on, are brilliantly stylized self-contained worlds. Even mini-lands like Diagon Alley and Men in Black do just enough to designate their difference from one area to another. There are exceptions: Despicable Me and the Bourne Stuntacular are effectively just dressed up soundstages hidden in the existing architecture. (Although, one is a kids ride dressed as a trade show loosely pairing with the old Shreck, and the other it's supposed to be about a clandestine government organization that could theoretically fit in anywhere. Not great, but not the worst.) The kids area is a hodgepodge of Fieval, ET, Curious George and Spongebob that doesnt much meld together (but eh, kids.) The Simpsons ride is probably most guilty in terms of lazy theming (but they did at least try to make up for the visuals with the show's unique brand of humor). And Rip Ride Rocket makes no attempt at all to fit into anything. Overall though, it does enough to convey what it intends--a smattering of self-contained IP that you can wander, like picking streaming shows at your own leisure. One could argue that the Disney Parks have a similar layout, stretching all the way back to the individual themed "lands" at Disneyland. However, each of these areas involved different ideas, or set- pieces, of experiences in general regarding that theme, rather than a tie-in to a particular movie or character. The Robinson Family Treehouse has practically nothing to do with the movie--it's a quirky diorama of Rube-Goldberg ingenuity all its own. Even rides like Snow White or Mr. Toad were more keen give you the "experience" from the perspective of the protagonist, and blended into a similar-looking Fantasyland theme area. DCA (and Hollywood Studios in WDW) really have that identity crisis now, where they started straying from their original intentions without breaking completely. Some attractions are meant to stand on their own in their own area, where others are meant to be shoehorned into a legacy space that doesnt quite fit. The careful blending of scenic elements into real world nature at Grizzly River run contrast pretty heavily against a Marvel comic style Mission Breakout ride. The Incredicoaster also has nothing to do with San Francisco or a boardwalk, and not nearly enough effort is made to seperate or portion off the two. Universal ironically becomes less of an IP and idea dumping ground when it looks *designed* that way, rather than the result of too many individual fixes without an overall plan.

I agree with most everything you propose in this video. If today's Disney is unlikely to create a Great Movie Ride style attraction, I'd propose a similar ride using Disney's Silly Symphonies as IP. I already shared this thought on another RU-vid comment section, but I'd tear out Monsters Inc, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and the old Hollywood and Dine restaurant and build a facade of the original Walt Disney Hyperion Studio from The 30’s that houses a Silly Symphony themed dark ride (similar to the Marc Davis concept). The queue would lead guests down hallways where they could peek into story rooms, see animator’s drawings at their desks and unfinished painted cels, and hear actors recording voices in the recording studio. The ride would take guests through scenes of the Skeleton Dance, The Old Mill, Flowers and Trees, starting in black and white and ending in full technicolor with multi-plane style sets. Another thought would be to expand the Golden State/Bay Area streets into a more fleshed out New Orleans Square style land where guests could wander the streets of old San Francisco. DCA still has a lot of potential and its sad to see it enter its new Marvel-reliant phase.

Cars lands is truly one of the most beautiful areas of any theme park. If California adventure has that same quality of theming as shown in Cars land, it would truly be one of the best Disney parks.

I like California Adventures more than the main park, Disneyland. Just the more thrill rides they have and its for sure less crowded around 2-closing than disneyland which is packed