February 2001 – January 2018
LOCATION
Paradise Pier – You could see the Fun Wheel from anywhere around paradise Bay, but the entrance was tricky to find. The easiest path to follow was the one on the right hand side; head toward the Silly Symphony Swings, and you’d see the sunken waiting area to the wheel on your left, before Toy Story Midway Mania.
BACKGROUND
When California Adventure first opened in 2001, the wheel was known as the Sun Wheel and towered over the boardwalk in the same location as it does today. But during the park’s major renovation and expansion, Mickey became the focal point of the wheel, and its name officially changed to Mickey’s Fun Wheel.
EXPERIENCE
Visitors chose between two dramatically different ride experiences on the Fun Wheel. Adventurous visitors braved the swinging cars, which slid on tracks as the wheel rotates, and rocked when the wheel was still. Then there were the tamer cars, which provided a standard ferris wheel experience. Either way, Fun Wheel riders got a birds-eye view of Paradise Bay and much of California Adventure, whether in the sunshine or the park’s evening glow.
CLOSURE
Like with its previous iteration, the Sun Wheel, this wasn’t a closure so much as a re-theming. In 2017, Disneyland announced plans to split the boardwalk off Paradise Pier to form a new land, Pixar Pier. The new land would have different neighborhoods themed to Pixar worlds, with some areas just having general Pixar theming not tied to any particular story or franchise. The Fun Wheel closed in January 2018, to begin its transformation into a Pixar ferris wheel.
TRIVIA
My original rating: I am more afraid of ferris wheels than any roller coaster (maybe it’s the suspension combined with major height?), so I may not be a fair judge of the Fun Wheel. However, I find myself somewhat frustrated when I do brave this ride. Since the wheel is so massive, it takes a while to load all of the cars, and riders spend a lot of time sitting still in the cars. That wouldn’t bother me if the wheel actually rotated a few times before offloading begins, but Mickey’s Fun Wheel only does one rotation before offloading. So for all the time you spend waiting in line and waiting for the wheel to finally move, the payoff seems disappointing. If the wheel spun two or three times – as opposed to the one – I would give this ride five stars. (★★★☆☆)
Imagineers took inspiration from Coney Island’s 1927 Wonder Wheel.
Mickey’s Fun Wheel is 160 feet tall at its highest point.
All of the swinging cars come equipped with sick bags; those cars really whip you around!
