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Cars Land construction update: March 2012

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Published: March 1, 2012 at 8:16 PM
In the middle of yesterday's One More Disney Day at Disneyland, I took a few moments to hop across the esplanade to check out the construction at Disney California Adventure.

Buena Vista Street construction

Workers are making progress toward the planed June 15 opening date for Cars Land and the new Buena Vista Street entrance. In fact, the exterior of the park's new centerpiece, the Carthay Circle Theater, is already complete.

Carthay Circle

As is much of the exterior work on the big new attraction, Cars Land.

Main street of Cars Land, under construction

Zoom in for a closer look, and you can see the facade detail on the Radiator Springs Courthouse, as well as the sign for the Flo's V8 Cafe restaurant,

Flo's V8 sign

The Cozy Cone counter-service restaurant,

Cozy Cone sign

Mater's Junkyard Jamboree,

Tow Mater sign

And the Route 66 sign that will welcome visitors to the town of Radiator Springs.

Welcome to Radiator Springs

Yesterday, Disney opened its latest exhibit in the Blue Sky Cellar at California Adventure, focusing on Cars Land. In the center of the room, you'll find a scale model of the new land.

Scale model of Cars Land

Along one wall, you'll find concept art for the land's new attractions, including the high-speed track ride Radiator Springs Racers.

Radiator Springs Racers concept art

The images here show some of the early scenes in the ride, where your car will go through Test Track-style stations where your tires are checked and the car's paint is touched up before you race out onto the open road. Radiator Springs Racers will use the same basic ride system as Test Track, but the inclusion of an indoor cave scene raises my hopes that Radiator Springs Racers also will offer some moments reminiscent of Disney's other ride using that same system, Tokyo DisneySea's Journey to Center of the Earth.

Cars Land plans

That's an early design scheme for the new land, and here's a "tour map" of the caverns that Radiator Springs Racers will explore.

Caverns Tour Map

After seeing what Disney's Imagineers can do with this ride system when I rode Journey to the Center of the Earth in December, I'm eager to see what they've done with Radiator Springs Racers. We'll be there for the opening in June.

Readers' Opinions

From Mark Fairleigh on March 2, 2012 at 7:20 AM
Oh wow! That looks amazing! Wifey and I have never been to Disney-West...a trip out might be due! :)
From 71.192.65.50 on March 2, 2012 at 11:24 AM
I think that look wonderful. it look lot fun on this ride.

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