California Makeover

It looks like Disneyland's little sister is getting a makeover, a $1.1 billion makeover! Disney now seems to be admitting that they made some mistakes with Disney's California Adventure. And while I like the park, I would agree that there is just something missing from it. From my experiences, there was nothing about it that made it special, that made you want to go there. It had a few nice attractions, Soarin' Over California, Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular, and Disney Animation. But other than those, it didn't really hold much for me. Last winter, I spent two weeks in Disneyland and I hardly ever visited California Adventure. The allure of Disneyland is just so strong. California Adventure almost feels like Disneyland's ugly stepsister.

Well, it looks like times are about to change. It's just been announced that Disney plans a $1.1 billion overhaul of California Adventure. What they're aiming for now is "a second Disneyland." New lands and attractions are going to be added and the entrance of the park will be completely redone with a new hub and a new icon. The new icon is going to be a replica of Hollywood's former Carthay Circle theater, where Snow White premiered in 1937. With Disneyland's entrance bringing guests back to Walt's hometown in Missouri, California Adventure's entrance plans to take guests to Walt's arrival in Los Angeles, including an appropriate "Partners" statue. New additions included Pixar-themed attractions based off of Toy Story and Cars. Existing rides like the Sun Wheel will get a makeover. The park will also finally get a nighttime spectacular. And this is what excites me the most... a Little Mermaid ride! Anyone I've known who has had or seen the Little Mermaid Platinum DVD knows of the forgotten Little Mermaid dark ride and wishes it would have been made. Well, it looks like we're getting that wish! OMG, I am so psyched! It's going to be in Paradise Pier, which is perfect cause of the water and Ariel's Grotto already there. It looks like this overhaul is going to take about five years to complete. Gosh, that's a long wait but in my opinion, it's totally worth it!

You can see the official press release and concept art here.