Vote of the week: What's the best upcoming change at Disney's California Adventure?

January 9, 2009, 12:41 AM · Following our Tuesday Park Visit to Disney's California Adventure this week, as well as a suggestion from Theme Park Insider reader Tim W, we're asking about California Adventure's ongoing billion-dollar expansion/renovation project.

If you're not familiar with the changes and additions going in at the park, of which Toy Story Midway Mania was the first phase, you can read about them here.

Tell us in the comments why you picked what you did. Or, what you think Disney ought to be doing with DCA.

Replies (10)

January 9, 2009 at 1:49 AM · Since I have been seeing artwork from the proposed Little Mermaid ride since Euro Disney opened, that has got me the most excited.
January 9, 2009 at 9:49 AM · Cars Land - hands down. DCA needs to be a bigger park, and Cars Land is a definite step in the right direction.
January 9, 2009 at 12:14 PM · Carsland is the obvious pick by virtue of the size, scope and depth of attractions. It would have been a better poll if Carsland had been broken up into the three proposed rides. Radiator Springs versus Little Mermaid would have been a tougher E-ticket choice.
January 9, 2009 at 1:11 PM · I wish I could put all!
January 9, 2009 at 1:36 PM · This question essentially answers the bang-for-the-promotional-buck question. Cars Land is the one Disney needs to get out in front of the audience, with World of Color, Ariel and the entry plaza also having value.

The Paradise Pier stuff? Alas, Toy Story was their value there. Data suggests that they won't get much bang for that, in drawing people into the park, though it very well might help people feel better about it once they are there. Which is not insignificant.

January 9, 2009 at 2:32 PM · I'd say I'm most anxious about Cars Land. If they pull it off, good for them, but I've been skeptical of its integration into the park.

I'm most excited about The World of Color. Disney does fireworks all too well.

January 10, 2009 at 10:56 AM · Disney Fireworks= Awesome!
January 10, 2009 at 3:56 PM · I have been a Disney Theme Park geek forever and was one of the fortunate few to live my dream and become a Disney Animator. My second project was The Little Mermaid and when it became a big success we were all on pins and needles waiting to see if our creation would actually be translated into a park ride (the ultimate mark of success!).

At the time the animation studio was across the street from WDI and (since we shared their commissary) we would wander around after lunch and look at all the cool stuff being build (okay... that's ANOTHER dream come true). We were blown away one day to turn a corner and see a full sized, 'dark-ride', mock-up of the "Kiss the Girl" sequence with the boat spinning around, fish jumping and everything. There actually wasn't any water in the ride of course, it just looked that way due to the use of 'light ring' ripples giving the illusion of a water level. The scene was bi-leveled and you had to go up some stairs to view it because the underwater portion of the scene doubled as an Ursula scene later in the ride (you could see Flotsam and Jetsom right under the "surface". It was beautiful. It had been created for a Michael Eisner visit the day before that we heard had gone very well. We were going to actually have a Little Mermaid ride after all! Except that it never happened - and I don't remember hearing a really good reason why.

Meanwhile it seemed that my colleagues and I watched Pixar ride after Pixar ride come to fruition... and still no ride from our 2D side of things. Sure we had lots of great parades and shows that we were proud of... but that's not the same as a ride to this Theme Park Geek. As much as I love Finding Nemo, and even enjoy the way they overlayed them onto the Living Seas pavilion at Epcot, I often wondered why they didn't use Ariel and friends for the overlay years earlier. Sure, Mermaid didn't make as much money as Nemo did in theaters perhaps, but those characters are easily as "classic" as Nemo and Friends.

Wow! I really sound like a griping parent, don't I! "That boy played three innings and my Bobby only played one!"

Oh, well... all this to say that I'm thrilled that The Little Mermaid is finely going to be a ride! I'll be interested if it's the same version that I saw almost 20 years ago. It's been a long time coming. And I can't wait to check it out... right after I ride Toy Story Mania!

January 10, 2009 at 4:22 PM · Im really looking forward to the world of color show. i think its gonna be really cool. everything sounds good though that they are doing. its gonna be interesting to see some of the updates rides as well.
January 14, 2009 at 2:35 PM · If it's as good as advertised, Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land may turn out to be one of the greatest rides ever.

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