Sometimes, finding concept art for Disneyland spaces can be really tricky, especially when they were designed more than 60 years ago. But other times, the art is so plentiful that it can feel overwhelming! And then…there’s Cars Land.
Honestly, the best concept art for this space is the movie Cars itself. Imagineers really went as close as humanly possible to recreating Radiator Springs, to the point that the movie truly is video concept art for this space.
 Source: MiceChat
In researching concept art for Cars Land, I found an article from the LA Times about the space’s earliest concept: “Carland”. This wasn’t a land solely dedicated to the Cars franchise; instead, it was a larger car-themed land with a Cars area (pictured below).
 Source: Pinterest
Carland was set between 1955 and 1965, and included the following elements:
- Cruise Street – themed to rock and roll, car hops, and all things 50s Americana
- Goofy About Road Trips – a thrill ride where Goofy is behind the wheel…so of course things get a little crazy! (this concept was later incorporated into Goofy’s Sky School)
- Marty’s Drive-In – a space age drive-in
- Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree – originally, this concept was a dark ride leading visitors through a nighttime dance party in the junkyard
- Road Trip USA – a dark ride taking visitors through Mt. Rushmore, through the western landscape, and into a mine with rock formations (very loosely resembling the beginning of Radiator Springs Racers)
- Sally’s Road Rally – not sure if this was a themed space or an attraction, but this marked the transition into the Cars area
 Source: LA Times
Here is a piece of concept art from Roadtrip USA – you can see the similarities to Radiator Springs Racers’ two rooms just before the outdoor portion of the ride.
 Source: Chicago Tribune
Have you ever noticed a brick building on the left side of Cars Land’s main street, just after the Junkyard Jamboree? That was supposed to be a drive-in dining experience…and I’m still hoping it comes to life someday!
 Source: Pixar Post
In this image, you can really get a feel for both the color scheme of the land and appreciate the car shapes embedded into the mountain range. Though the final product doesn’t look quite so car-shaped from this angle, the peaks are all from different models and many of the larger rock formations clearly resemble car elements.
 Source: LA Times
And finally, this piece of concept art is a really cool glimpse into the lighting design for the land. You’ll notice one glaring different right away: in the final product, the mountain range is very brightly lit and stays the focal point of the land. But each of the shops and restaurants have their own color scheme going, so their vibrant personalities stick out all night: Flo’s lights turn a minty green, the Curio shop shines yellow, Luigi rocks red, and Mater’s junkyard glows orange.
Once Imagineers settled on a Cars theme for this space, the land stayed remarkably faithful to the concept art. If you watch the movie and then walk down the main drag, you’ll be amazed at how “realistic” they made the land – so it makes sense that the concept art stayed true to the movie. What amazes me most about Cars Land is its scale – the overwhelming amount of detail, the size of its headline attraction, and the sheer amount of forced perspective at play from virtually everywhere you look. Cars Land has always been my favorite land in California Adventure, and exploring the concept art just made me appreciate it even more.