Introduction to Disney's California Adventure - Part One, The Beginning

Introduction to Disney's California Adventure - Part One
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The Beginning

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The 1996 brochure
(c) Disney

On Disneyland's birthday in 1996 Disneyland formally announced to the public its plan to expand the Disneyland Resort. That plan consisted of the following elements:

  • Disney's California Adventure: A 55-acre theme park to be built in the Disneyland parking lot.
  • Disneyland Center (now called Downtown Disney): A shopping, dining and nightlife district to be built between Disneyland, DCA and the Disneyland Hotel going utilizing a bridge over West Street.
  • Disneys' Grand Californian Hotel: A 750-room luxury,. themed hotel to be built next to DCA. This would be the first Disney hotel to be located inside a theme park.
  • Magic Kingdom Hotel: A budget hotel to be built near the Disneyland Hotel. This hotel is no longer a part of this expansion.

The grand opening date is February 8, 2001 for DCA and Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. Downtown Disney is scheduled to open on January 12, 2001.

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A map of the new Disneyland Resort showing the locations of Disneyland, DCA and Downtown Disney. This map also shows the proposed location of Disney's third theme park (the orange area in the lower right). Details for this park have yet to be announed.
(c) Disney

The centerpiece of the expansion is Disney's California Adventure (DCA). The park celebrates many aspect of the Golden State, from the beaches to Hollywood to the Bay area to the mountains and national parks. DCA also brings with it a few firsts for the Disneyland Resort - the first ride with a loop (California Screamin'), the first water rapids ride (Grizzly River Run), the first permanent midway games and the first park to allow alcohol (three of the four parks at Walt Disney World already sell alcohol). The expansion also brings the first nightlife district to the Disneyland Resort (Downtown Disney) and the first hotel at any Disney resort to be located inside a theme park (Disney's Grand Californian Hotel).

DCA will also feature a new mascot. The name of this new character hasn't been announced, but many are speculating it will be a bear as the state animal of California.

In this first half of this two-part article, we'll discuss DCA including the entrance plaza, the Hollywood Pictures Backlot district and Paradise Pier. In part two of this article we'll discuss the Golden State district, Downtown Disney, Disney's Grand Californian hotel and other changes to the Disneyland Resort that are part of this expansion.