Source: Disney Wiki February 2001 – June 2012 BACKGROUND California Adventure celebrates the spirit and beauty of California. So what land could possibly be more fitting than “Golden State”? This expansive land resembled several vastly different parts of California: Redwood forests and mountains San Francisco and Monterey cannery rows and wharfs Central California farming Mojave […] Read more…
Source: The Disney Blog June 1957 – September 1961 BACKGROUND From the beginning, Walt and his Imagineers knew Disneyland would grow. They envisioned a resort, rather than a single park, much like we have today. So within two years of the park’s opening, Disneyland debuted an adjacent “land” outside of the park gates: Holidayland. This open […] Read more…
Source: Tumblr March 1972 – November 1988 BACKGROUND After the closure of the Indian Village in 1971, Disneyland needed to reinvent this area and generate new interest in a less-visited section of the park. Given its distance from the rest of Frontierland, this section broke off and became its own land, Bear Country. For almost […] Read more…
Source: BP February 2001 – September 2010 BACKGROUND When Imagineers began construction on California Adventure in 1998, much of the concept art for the park was focused on the new “centerpiece”, Sunshine Plaza. This land would function much like Main Street USA in Disneyland, welcoming guests into the park and immediately conveying the themes of […] Read more…
October 2002 – September 2018 BACKGROUND When California Adventure opened in 2001, the area in the park now occupied by A Bug’s Land was part of the “Golden State” region of the park. The theater, which showed It’s Tough To Be A Bug! was the only A Bug’s Life themed attraction in the park, and […] Read more…
June 2012 – March 2015 BACKGROUND Before California Adventure’s major expansion and refurbishment, the park had a huge land known as “Golden State”. But when the park’s transformation was complete, Golden State broke off into three separate lands: Grizzly Peak, Pacific Wharf, and Condor Flats. Based on the mid 20th century Mojave Desert, Condor Flats […] Read more…
February 2001 – January 2018 BACKGROUND When California Adventure was first conceptualized, Imagineers envisioned a pier similar to those found all over the coast of California. Originally, Paradise Pier resembled a seaside amusement park, but from 2008-2009, Imagineers refurbished and expanded the land. The new theme was reminiscent of a 1920’s Victorian boardwalk, with new […] Read more…
June 2012 – August 2023 BACKGROUND When California Adventure first opened in 2001, Pacific Wharf was technically part of Paradise Pier, although it was very similar to how it appears now. As the park expanded and Paradise Pier was renovated, Pacific Wharf began to take on an identity of its own. By 2007, when California […] Read more…
November 1988 – November 2024 BACKGROUND In the beginning, this area wasn’t Critter Country at all – the space was an extension of Frontierland called Indian Village, and housed Native American shows and attractions, including dances and canoeing. But the land wasn’t very popular among park guests, and Disney soon turned back to the drawing board […] Read more…