Disney’s California Adventure Review | A Complete Disaster | Disneyland’s OTHER Park

The Disneyland Resort is home to two theme parks; one beloved, and the other...this. What started off as an odd idea for a California themed park is now slowly but surely having less and less to do with the state of California and more about randomly throwing in IP's. The park is now a weird mish mash of everything, and it just doesn't work.
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[@ev7d167]

Calling California Screamin a bad ride is a crime. It was a classic and super unique experience. In my opinion they should pull a universal and retrack the loop, or the entire ride. Not every ride needs to be balls to the wall intense with ejector moments to be fun.

[@noodlegames804]

incredicoaster 🤮

[@mikebenda]

Loved California Screamin

[@staringcorgi6475]

The new theme is 10x better bc it’s not a wooden coaster it’s trying to be the wooden coaster from santa cruz when it’s not

[@ev7d167]

@@staringcorgi6475 don't care it was unique. Now the theme is very tacked on and doesn't make any sense with the wood looking structure

[@SlushysSecret]

@@staringcorgi6475it was originally trying to be a wooden coaster when if first opened, but they phased that concept out after a while, now it’s just an unnecessary waste to add Pixar IPs into the park

[@meatballofdeath9846]

I love the Grizzly mountain area. The fact that it has less traffic sort of makes it a bit more immersive.

[@saucewizard69]

same, I like having a nice chill area with lots of trees

[@ncotton100]

Me too, I love this area and the fact it’s more chilled.

[@DesireeStamat]

Yes immersive!

[@kentslocum]

Agreed! It may have less to do, but it is always several degrees cooler and significantly less crowded. I'm actually really glad that Disney expanded the Grizzly Peak area to encompass Soarin' (which used to be in its own area called Condor Flats), because it now feels like a proper land. I think it would be cool if The Little Mermaid was moved to Disneyland and the showbuilding was used to add one more original attraction to the Grizzly Peak area.

[@Lonech]

It's a cool atmosphere, but at the price point you might as well just go out into nature and explore yourself without forking hand-over-fist in cash.

[@reinhardt5405]

I used to work there. As cast members we love that park. The reason being is because guests are more easy going there, our break areas are bigger, the hours are easy, it's simply not as packed as Disneyland. DCA works as a big time out location for anyone trying to escape the suffocating crowds of Disneyland. And lastly, the water by Paradise Gardens makes the park fresh.

[@Natendowii]

Kevin from Defunctland said it best about why Disney's California Adventure didn't work, that it was "A California-themed theme park to be located in the already California-themed California."

[@JSXSProductions]

This quote inspired me to start working on an Arizona-themed theme park in the already Arizona-themed Arizona in Planet Coaster lmao.

[@AverageJoe483]

@@JSXSProductionswhat is planet coaster ? I lived in PHX for awhile and only knew if two “ theme park “ type places . Golfland and castles and coasters .

[@GoudLoodje]

@@AverageJoe483Planet coaster is a video game in which you can build a theme park

[@tmoneyman9901]

@@AverageJoe483it’s a video game

[@stanbarnes166]

​@rfish7371 planet coasters is a video game where you can build coasters and theme parks.

[@WDIJake]

I used to dislike DCA but now I've grown to love it. While it's by no means perfect, it fits so well into the Disneyland Resort IMO. It's the perfect park for teens and young adults while also offering something for younger ones. While that doesn't necessarily fit with Disney's target audience, it definitely makes it somewhat special. Once you learn to appreciate the park for what it is and not what it could be, it's actually just as fun as Disneyland IMO. I do wish one day they'll do a second overhaul and fix major mistakes (including Avenger's Campus LOL)

[@Blake1720]

Yeah I’m disappointed they took away bugs life for that

[@cjmorton91]

I’m a Californian, and I liked the original theme quite a bit. I think the original Paradise Pier and Grizzly Peak looked great and had great vibes. The park was in a GREAT place with Carsland and Buena Vista Street. Both areas looked great and fit the original theme/vibe of the park.

[@idkidc2388]

DCA was at its peak prior to the retheme of paradise pier to pixar pier and ToT retheme. The guardians version is still well-themed just doesn’t fit with CA theming.

[@GrottiCrimeFamilyHD]

Pixar per is WACK! 😭

[@itscourtney93]

@@golidollI’m a Californian too and I agree! I love the original DCA for the nostalgia but also I appreciated Paradise Pier re-theme to classic Mickey and friends. Not a fan of Pixar Pier.

[@gothrockfairy]

I think it should just be renamed to disneys adventures park. Because it is a mish mash of different Disney properties. The perfect second gate done right is islands of adventures. Comparing these two is night and day

[@juanitajones6900]

Again, that is what Hollywood Studios has become.

[@lonelysatoshi2482]

I agree, I actually don't mind a full-on IP Disney park (as long as there is quality over the rides and services of course) but if that's what they wanna do in California Adventure they really should drop already the California Adventure name and start adding new things to make the Park more worth while because like don't get me wrong, I enjoy the Park and spend a good time there every time I go, but we can all agree that it could be something greater than what it is

[@SlushysSecret]

And they should destroy the hollywood part, Pixar pier, and the LA entrance, they could completely make the Hollywood area an entire avengers campus expansion to fit more rides, and Pixar pier needs to go, just recreate the places from the Pixar movies and it will work with cars land and works much more effective than the tacky looking Pixar pier, they could keep grizzly peak because they could simply use it to re introduce the Country Bears and add a brother bear ride and possibly bring Winnie the Pooh over there too because critter country isn’t what is is anymore because of tianas ride, and boom Disneys Adventure Park

[@lanceflx63]

Actually Disneyland gets a lot of visitors from the western states; Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, Hawaii, even Texas. Also from Mexico, Japan. Disneyland has always been a destination place prior to Disney World opening.

[@awesomeshark3589]

He said “you only plan on going there if you are from near by states” so he proved his point by what you just said 😂

[@lanceflx63]

@@awesomeshark3589 he said locals...meaning people in the LA and surrounding areas.

[@mrslvw]

Yeah for sure DL gets its share of far away visitors BUT it is les than WDW. For example DL is smaller at half the amount of parks and actually will regularly close attractions for seasonal theming (Xmas and Halloween). WDW does this much less as they have such huge attendance they can't rationalize shutting anything down unless absolutely necessary. You also have to remember WDW basically controls the majority of Orlando and owns so many more resorts whereas Anaheim is just a small little parcel of land there with what, like three hotels? WDW definitely is the bigger draw but got to say I do love that DL is the original.

[@war32567ify]

@@lanceflx63 It's said not even a minute in.. "A lot of the people that visit Disneyland are locals; people who live in California or nearby states" Also as far as people from Mexico and Japan, he said it's not an International destination to the same degree as WDW is which is definitely true. Saying "oh well people from neighboring States and some out of country tourists come!" does not in anyway disprove what was said in the video.

[@mingp6193]

As an overseas tourist, it is a bit easier for me to come to LA from Sydney with direct flight. But next time I might consider WDW sounds like it is a bigger and better one?

[@Seabass764]

To me Disney’s California adventure is like a energyLandia situation. In the earlier years of its life, it was a complete disaster, but in the later years of its existence, Disney realized the mistakes they made with the park and they’re trying to make it better by adding new attractions. This park is an absolute mess, but I do hope that this park has a bright future ahead of itself

[@Jdn__0001]

Except for California’s Adventure, the newer attractions are spread out instead of all the good attractions in one half of the park. It’ll take years before they can fully change this park.

[@zacg_]

I sort of agree but think that it's also gone backward again. I'd say essentially everything they've done after adding Cars Land has been really bad. It has totally made the park a thematic mess that is more absurd than the initial mess.

[@Jdn__0001]

@@zacg_ It’s almost like they can’t settle on a specific theme, which is weird, because for other Disney parks, the different themed lands work really well, I just don’t know why it falls apart so badly for this park. It’s a shame really, this place has potential.

[@brickman409]

@@zacg_ Yeah, I agree with you one hundred percent. I would have agreed with this guy ten years ago. But a majority of the changes made in the past couple of years have made the park worse in my opinion. I seriously don't think that there was a single good change made to DCA since Cars Land. Pixar Pier was the worst offender if you ask me. About 15 years ago they were in the process of making Paradise Pier better. Instead of being this jumbled mess of a generic boardwalk amusement park theme, they started making the theme a bit more focused. It went towards this 1920's, like golden age of coney island or Santa Monica boardwalk theme. It was a small change, but was something that made it feel more like a specific time and place that you were being transported to. Then just threw that all in the garbage by slapping Pixar characters all over everything. It's not that I don't like Pixar, or that the characters shouldn't be in the parks, but there's a wrong way and a right way to do it. Perfect example of a right way to do it is Cars Land. And another good example was Toy Story Mania, which opened in Paradise Pier about a decade before the Pixar Pier re-theme. With that one they actually tried to make it fit in with the 1920's boardwalk theme. It enhanced the theme rather than distracting from it. All of the re-themings that they did with Pixar Pier have zero consistent theme between them. Now it's back to being a jumbled mess again. Avengers Campus is okay. I will admit that Guardians of the Galaxy actually improved the ride experience of Tower of Terror. I do like the music and the screens on the ride actually make it more fun. but in the end it's just a reskin. And a very ugly re-skin at that. It sticks out like a sore thumb in my opinion. I can't help but look at it and see it as Tower of Terror but with a bunch of gaudy crap stuck on it. Well, because that's what it is. And you can see it from almost anywhere in the park. I think ultimately the problem isn't that they're putting IPs into the park, or even too many in the park. The problem is that they're just slapping IPs onto the cheapest and laziest attractions imaginable. And they're putting them in the park with no rhyme, reason, or thought put into it. Completely destroying all of the immersion and theming in the process. I honestly think that the state the park is in today is worse than it was when it opened. Actually, I take that back, Cars Land alone makes it better today, but if you were to take that out I would seriously say that it was better in 2001 (or maybe 2004 when ToT opened). At least back then it had a theme. Sure it wasn't a very good theme but it was something. What the hell is the theme now?

[@andreimcallister1365]

My guy it’s awesome. Shut up

[@CoastinTheMidwest]

If Disneyland kept the old theme of the park this park would probably be a very good Disney park, but they keep on adding IPs in changing mostly everything.

[@riparianlife97701]

At age 55, a lot of Disneyland feels like an intrusion. I think maybe the new land was an attempt to keep from changing the original too much, but it's just not a good land.

[@staringcorgi6475]

The old theme was really stupid making a ca park in ca it’s like making a winter themed park in alaska

[@Seabass764]

This park is the perfect example of “don’t copy of what is already been made.” this parks old theme was just plain stupid in my eyes. When you’re trying to make a park about the state that your sister park is in your should never try and make it feel like you’re certain landmark or city when you can literally just go to those places for free.

[@cjmorton91]

@@staringcorgi6475I’m a Californian, and it never felt like that to me. California has a specific vibe a lot of states don’t have, which is why the theme works. A boardwalk is a classic theme that so many parks have, and Paradise Pier nailed it. Plus even Grizzly Peak was great. Soarin over most states would be boring, but California is beautiful, and we all love that orange smell! Plus Grizzly is the best rapids ride Disney ever built, and it captures the vibe of Yosemite really well. I do agree that the studios section always sucked, although I think it would have been fine if it had opened with ToT and had a good dark ride.

[@staringcorgi6475]

@@cjmorton91 but why pay disney prices instead of going to santa monica pier and santa cruz board walk i think it would be better if they put the California adventure park in anywhere but California

[@porkins74]

It’s definitely a mish mash park that still needs lots of work but believe me, as someone who’s visited it since it’s opening, the new Buena Vista street entrance area is leagues ahead of what was there in the beginning.

[@1TSS0FLVFFY]

i stopped watching when he said sea world had a more interesting main entrance lol dca was a perfect park during 2012-2016 the vintage aesthetic was evenly implemented throughout the park it felt perfect being in paradise pier and seeing grizzly peak tower of terror and cars land canyons in the distance or vice versa it felt correct i gave up on any recovery for this park awhile ago

[@HWStrashcanlogo]

@@1TSS0FLVFFYyeah like that was acc insane weird ahh take

[@rosslovesdisney3829]

I like it now, though part if me misses the memories I have with some of my family, (just mom and brother), walking in and getting Ice cream at the California Zephyr. I also remember the California music as well as walking under the golden gate bridge. While I agree the park is better now, I have 1 complaint: For the original park the common complaint among fans was that it's not original. So, then Disney fixed the lack of originality issue by copying the Disney's Hollywood Studios entrance from Florida and putting it as DCA 2.0's front gate. Couldn't they have done something more original? They also removed the C-AL-I-F-O-R-N-I-A letters right before social media was taking off-I bet that's ONE thing they regret.

[@mjfilmmatics]

It could be due to heavy nostalgia but I just prefer the Soarin Over California version a lot more. Song has better melody throughout, transitions aren't fake and distracting, and since its focused on one region it's more immersive to me

[@hunterboyenga]

DCA is a park that I think grows on people over time, in my mind the name reflects Disney’s own spin on California. This is why the name has remained as everything still is based on California just now with IP. Which works in some aspects like Avengers Campus and Cars Land, but utterly fails in Pixar Pier and Hollywood Land. I will always love California Adventure since it has so many highs when it comes to entertainment like Roger’s The Musical and World of Color. In the end DCA is not a bad park, but it’s a bad Disney park. Especially with arguably the best Disney park in the world across the esplanade.

[@Toast0808]

How in hell does Avengers Campus reflect California, but Hollywood and Pixar Pier don’t?

[@ADeityy]

Honestly, being someone who has ridden a TON of coasters, I think the IncrediCoaster is an AMAZING ride, to be honest the loop is probably the worst part, but I also hate loops on coasters. I think it has some weirdly great airtime, the launch is really fun, and its pretty damn smooth.

[@alexisaduk486]

I honestly love the Redwood Creek area. It’s a really nice and serene area. And Grizzly River Run is one of my personal favourite raft rides

[@CoastinTheMidwest]

I mean, I’m just glad they don’t have as bad as an avengers campus as Disneyland, Paris.

[@Ewoonation]

I actually enjoy this park for what it is. It does have 3 of my favorite Disney attractions ever in Radiator Springs Racers, Mission Breakout, and Soarin. Incredicoaster is bizzare but I do enjoy the super long ride. One World of Color also looks amazing in the park and hopefully I’ll be able to experience it soon.

[@kaushiksingh6493]

One world of color is absolutely beautiful! I went just a few days ago. I would go to the second show at 10 there’s a lesser crowd and better view

[@eddiec9756]

2:23 As someone from LA I've never heard it pronounced that way before. It got a good laugh out of me and my mom.

[@irishkcguy]

Now that they have "Rogers: The Musical" playing in the Hyperion, the Marvel area could be expanded into the basically empty backlot area. Since any Avengers land can't be replicated in Florida, they really have an opportunity to create something that would drive people to the California parks.

[@gitner421]

The wild mouse used to be Mulholland madness, which had an awesome theme, and totally made sense... It was made to resemble Mulholland drive, a gnarly road in California.

[@brandnewties]

DCA was actually my first ever Disney park which I visited as a teen and I definitely enjoyed my time. In comparison to the other Disney parks I've had the chance to visit now, I completely agree the park feels more disjointed and filled with band-aid solutions. I know DCA hosts a lot of teen-friendly events like their grad nights, which I think is where it shines since the boardwalk/carnival style works better with for a lively night in comparison to a night at Disneyland which is meant to feel whimsical rather than lively. I'm hoping DCA gets the right investments, because there's still plenty potential

[@CoasterKlips]

I visited for the first time Last October and I honestly loved it there, I liked the carnival mish mash theming as I liked that it was quirky and thought it had character. Some of the rides are absolutely incredible like cars and I adored Incredicoaster, so much that it slipped its way into my top 10.

[@mfan2492]

The Toy Story toys fit perfectly with the carnival theming of the pier area!

[@Mega18G]

I understand your opinion, but I enjoyed DCA for fun and all. Also my last visit is last year of October. I even rode incredicoaster, Radiator Springs Racers, and more. Plus they have World of Color there as my favorite nighttime show. Meeting Pixar Pals and Marvel Heroes was phenomenal! Let’s hope we get new attractions for Avengers Campus.

[@gotabonetopick2942]

As someone who visited first time last year as a long time Orlando resident with annual passes, I kind of love the park. It’s definitely a mess and there are some truly bad sections of the park (Hollywood is a sad section with plenty of space for something really special), but the attractions are some of the best on property like Mission Breakout, Radiator Springs Racers, Incredicoaster (a blast at night imo), Webslingers is really fun even if too short, Grizzly River Run, and Toy Story Mania. I think the individual lands are very pretty even if they are scattershot. Avengers Campus is ok, but held up by great attractions/interactivity, Radiator Springs is one of the best themed lands at any park (I hate Cars as well, so I was shocked how much I love it), National Forrest section is beautiful and as someone that never experienced Paradise Pier, I love how pretty Pixar Pier is. In fact this park is drop dead gorgeous at night and one of the prettiest parks I have seen at night with nearly every land. The food was honestly great when I went, but I also knew to check out Award Wieners and Lamplight Lounge (one of my favorite Disney restaurants anywhere honestly). The park needs serious work still, but I believe adding Avengers ride and fixing Hollywoodland could make it a true must visit. The biggest sins the park has currently are the scattershot theming choices and it being across from what I believe is the best theme park I have ever visited by a mile. It’s flawed heavily, but I still had a blast!

[@eddey3052]

He does not like the park, but yet he has visited the park many times. If you don't like the park don't go to the park

[@CoasterStudios]

As I mentioned at the end, I really like Mission Breakout and Radiator Springs, so that’s why I end up going.

[@eddey3052]

@@CoasterStudios if I go to a restaurant and I don't like it. I will never visit that restaurant again. I won't go there 15 times and complain about it

[@eitanaltshuler2540]

Did you say "byooena vista?". 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@mdf3530]

1:52 every time someone says "they've/we've got a long way to go", my automatic response is "and a short time to get there." 😂

[@benhaskin2754]

7:30 see as someone who grew up on the east coast, I love California screaming almost more than rock and roll since I’ve only rode if a few times. I haven’t ridden the incredible redo, but I have great memories of the coaster

[@jessicabalam4344]

Boi! Goofy’s Flight School is supposed to be cheesy! Its based on the throwback Goofy cartoon shorts where Goofy taught the viewers how to do things. ITS GENIUS!

[@dj_netwrk4901]

Tbh DCA is one of my fav parks, i never went when it was California themed, but seeing it now i feel like it flows pretty well and does actually have alot to do, and i agree the avengers superstore needs to GOOO

[@iseewood]

I think you are being a bit harsh, but make some good points. Of the six Disney American theme parks, I’d rank DCA above Magic Kingdom (over-rated), EPCOT (needs an overhaul) and Hollywood Studios (you think DCA is a mash-up?!). Only Disneyland and Animal Kingdom are better, and the latter is in desperate need of more attractions. Incredicoaster is one of my children’s favorite rides, and Midway Mania and Grizzly River Run are awesome in addition to Radiator Springs Racers and Mission Breakout. Spot on with Hollywood Land and Goofy Sky School. Need to be completely torn down and removed so those areas can be repurposed for something better. In regards to the name, I think it could be another Hollywood Studios, but I like that each theme park in America has it’s own unique name so you don’t have to mention the state to differentiate the two.

[@audi0c0aster1]

Can confirm that Mickey's Fun Wheel (I can NOT use the current name) is the only other eccentric (swinging car) wheel other than the original Wonder Wheel at Deno's. As a matter of fact, the Wonder Wheel specifically is the reason DCA has it's version at all!

[@mackenziefritz8169]

I really enjoyed my first visit to DCA this past January. Radiator Springs Racers and Cars Land easily stole the spotlight for me, and I really loved Mission Breakout as well. However, I would disagree with you on Monsters Inc and Pixar Pier. I was pleasantly surprised by the Monsters Inc dark ride, and I feel that Pixar Pier was a great blend of that Pixar magic with a boardwalk park like Santa Cruz. Heck, my sister somehow enjoyed Pixar Pier more than Cars Land (probably because of all the easter eggs to their various films and shorts). I do think both of the coasters were quite underwhelming and should be entirely replaced however. Pixar Pier, San Fransokyo Bay, and Cars Land do at least try to give off a blend of Disney IPs with the California setting which is nice, I'm crossing my fingers that they'll one day create an original star attraction that isn't based on an IP, even though those chances are slim

[@hellomerio]

I used to dislike this park more until I went to Walt Disney Studios. That park makes this park look like a masterpiece

[@SlippyFlicks]

Incredicoaster is def not a great ride but I think it's perfect for getting over your fear of rollercoasters. At least some. It has a decent launch that will introduce you to launches so you know that to expect, and it has a decent drop before going into the loop. And going back row is the best you just get whipped around and everyone wants the front so you end up not having to wait when you ask for it

[@CoasterStudios]

this is fair. Too bad the vertical loop on it is the worst part of the ride lol. Not a good representation for vertical loops!

[@SlippyFlicks]

@@CoasterStudios Yes I agree

[@starmancrusader]

@@CoasterStudiosis it rough or something?

[@aarusharya5658]

@@CoasterStudios yes the vertical loop is horrible. I thought the rest of the ride was pretty fun though, it's long and the drop before the loop is alright

[@OriginalJoe]

There are videos of Walt talking about the original concept for Disneyland, which was something like imagination (fantasy land), ingenuity (tomorrow land), the ecosystems and environments of the world (adventure land) - like it really tells an important story that people connect with.

[@nicegnome9335]

This is also happening with Disneyland Paris the main park had some unieke themed area's like Discovery Mountain with the uniek sort of steampunk space theme, now the area is still the same but the main ride witch was Space Mountain Mission 2 with good theming is now a black box with some screens and diffrent trains themed to star wars. Some times Disney shoulden't change rides to populaire IP's and keep the old imagineneering ride as they are, but i get Disney they want more money so they take an old crapy (a classic ride of the dyheart fans) and re-make it to a populaire IP like what happend with space mountain Mission 2. (sorry if my english isn't the best,english isn't my first language hope you understand what i mean).

[@twootievids]

I feel these are pretty valid points. I actually grew up in the area whenever the park first opened. Family was AP for a few years. Visited once or twice a month. It's very nostalgic but when I think in comparison of the other parks it's pretty lacking. I miss hearing all the beach themed music they used to play and eating at the McDonalds Burger Invasion.

[@nerf415]

DCA is a really special park. The amazing ambiance at night is especially something that should not be missed by anyone who loves Disney parks. It still has a ton of potential and isn’t done growing into its big Disney shoes. You missed a lot of food and snacks that blows away a lot, if not most of the food in Disneyland. Rides have been improving every time they’ve added something (okay I’ll give you Spider-Man as a setback). To say it’s a mess is misleading in my opinion. The park has a lot of heart and you feel it through the rides and the theming. Seriously, go at night and tell me you don’t get caught up by the magic in there.

[@CoasterStudios]

I did not mention the night experience at the park, but I will say I do enjoy the park at night more than during the day. The lighting is very nice!

[@timknottsfun]

​​​​@@CoasterStudios Not for the price....that's part of the Disney trap now (ambiance) and the immersive experience with lack of Quality rides, on the cheap as I see it, cost cutting... When I worked at Knott's, it was told to me by one of the Knott's managers, that the reason that Disney put in a ferris wheel and coaster and that whole carnival ride area was to compete with Magic Mountain and Knott's..... People Expect More from Disney.....Adding more 3D stuff because I'm guessing, automatronics are more expensive to create and maintain.

[@rosslovesdisney3829]

It is sort of a mess now, but I like it. I disagree with the California theme being the problem. The problem wasn’t the California theme, it was the budget being $5 million. Here’s a fun fact: The original plan would be that California Adventure would cost $1.4 billion dollars to build alone. They ended up spending $1.4 billion on the ENTIRE DISNEYLAND Resort expansion, leaving a significantly smaller amount of money available for Disney’s California Adventure.

[@psychromaniac3525]

It's entirely bizarre that there was a section of the park dedicated to Hollywood, when the actual Hollywood was half an hour away.

[@Ryanishere78]

Actually I would consider another California park to be a bigger mess. Six flags magic mountain.

[@SlippyFlicks]

yep

[@LostMidge-pu4qc]

What’s wrong with Magic Mountain? Haven’t been there since I was like 10

[@aarusharya5658]

@@LostMidge-pu4qc Mostly operations. Last time I went x2, Viper, tatsu, riddler's, wonder woman, superman, goliath, and scream were all down at once. However the second day was a lot better. It's also the decaying atmosphere.

[@Josephvaz460]

If I was able to change, I would bring back Bugs Land and replace Hollywood land with Monster University with mission breakout as the Scaregames , and for bugs land having a family coaster. I would love to have California adventure as a Pixar theme park. Remember, this is just what I’d like

[@tentons10]

The loss of WESTCOT was tragic and is still felt today. It's to the point they've added east coast rides to DCA anyway. This was a clear example of missing the forest for the trees.

[@Aerolandaircraft]

I love how you compare some of the themed lands to national parks, sort of a GP moment for non nature lovers.

[@attorneyrobert]

The original plans for the park came from one guest survey when they learned that people would come to California and spend 1-2 days at Disneyland and then visit San Francisco, Monterey, Venice Beach, Hollywood, Yosemite, etc. They figured they would have a winner if they could get people to visit those places at Disneyland instead of spending money all over. And if they could create mini-Six Flags Magic Mountains or Universal Studios with off-the-shelf rides, then they would have people spending money on Disney properties instead of wasting time visiting all over. But they just did it poorly. People want to see more than fake forests and fake beaches/boardwalks.

[@hypershadow4643]

DCA is my childhood homepark. California Screamin (Now Incredicoaster) was my first ride with an inversion and Tower of Terror (Now Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout) was my first thrill ride. This park is very special to my heart but it truly was a failed attempt to make a more thrilling area than the beloved Disneyland. The mile-long Intamin launch coaster, Incredicaoster, has a substantially better layout than any of their small Vekoma "___ mountain" coasters at Disneyland. Incredicoaster is a child's first real coaster and that is why I love it. That ride allowed me to develop the courage to ride Xcellorator at KBF at the age of 7. From then on I would ride some of the craziest roller coasters in California and some other states in the U.S with X2 being my most intense coaster credit. To sum everything up, I love California Adventure but it could be better.

[@Saul_Leven]

"Bob Iger even went out and basically called the park mediocre." Immortan Joe agrees with that assessment

[@JakeTerch]

It’s too bad Incredicoaster is no longer California AAAAHHHHH!!!!

[@kurtissmith3409]

As CA resident and a pass holder for the Disney parks here, I agree it does have its issues. The hollywood backlot is not great. Pixar Pier could be better. GSS is not suited to a disney quality park. It is lacking attactions. And it is lacking cohesion. However, the theming of Grizzly Peak, Radiator Springs, Pacific Wharf is really immersive. It has some solid thrill and dark rides. And i would include Soarin, Mermaid, Incredicoaster (overhated imo), Grizzly River Rapids, RSR, Mission Breakout, Toy Story. Plus Animation Academy and Redwood Trail are unique family experiences with lots to explore.

[@HugeRMCFanBoY-bx3od]

BRO WDYM I HAVE IT RANKED 13 SPOTS HIGHER THEN DISNEYLAND AND I HAVE IT RANKED OVER EVERY SIX FLAGS PARK I DKNT SEE HOW ANYONE CAN THINK ITS BETTER THEN DISNEYLAND IT LITERALLY HAS THE BEST DARK RIDE IN THE WORLD

[@SoCalAdventurer19]

California Adventure is the one theme park I can definitely live without going to for as long as I live it's just a dumping ground for Pixar's IP's now.

[@fletchy40]

I went to the park in 2010 on a family trip to the USA. I didn't think it was a disaster or a piece of garbage back then. I thought it was pretty great.

[@7b7BenGazing]

Let’s think up new names for California Adventure. So far I’ve got *Disney Discovery* *Disney Adventure*

[@TimmyTheTinman]

CalVenture🤷‍♂️

[@iWrestleUSA]

Soaring over California is so much better than soaring over the world

[@Sean032]

I do agree that cars land is the best in the park. I disagree that the incredicoaster is a bad ride. I will admit that the name and theming isn't great. The ride isn't meant to be that intense. It is a long ride, and it introduces kids to their first inversion.

[@kri5hie]

I don’t really dislike DCA, but it just feels incomplete, which is fine I guess. What’s not fine is changing the tower of terror 😭😭😭

[@HumanStateOfEmergency]

This park needs a 500ft intamin strata coaster！

[@IntaminFanGRLPowerCoasters]

Would love it

[@Funeillusion]

WOW!! Calling Incredicoaster bad is a very hot take I love this ride. Granted I have not been to disneyland since 2008 and it was california screamin then it didn't have Radiator springs and I was 14 then. Just started becoming a roller coaster junkie then, but every time I rode California screamin I loved it and it's looking like my family wants to go next year for a whole week. I am excited to expierence The new theme of this roller coaster as well as all the new rides that have been added since 2008

[@kentslocum]

2:10 As a former Disneyland Cast Member, I can personally attest that everyone at Disney also calls it "DCA".

[@P-_-S]

As someone who had a park hopper season pass in the late 90s early 2000s and went countless times in that era, you could throw away more than half the park and nothing of value would be lost. There is so much wasted and/or ugly space there, especially Hollywood Land and the space that connects Soaring to the backside of the pier area. That being said, you can pry California Screamin from my cold dead hands. Can't speak for the reskin, though I do think that is unfortunate, and I know it basically checks no boxes for biggest, most inversions, innovations, etc, but as someone who's been on a few of the classic boardwalk style coasters growing up, I've always felt it encapsulated and enhanced that experience perfectly. Of course, I think it would have been way better if they had actually just built a proper wooden coaster of that style, but even for a park that is very un-Disney that would have been well outside of their normal M.O. Our usual course of action in the early college days when we still had passes was to arrive at the parks in the mid-late afternoon and head into DCA for a beer or two and a ride on Screamin. Maybe hit up one or two other random rides on our way back out, but from there we would then head into Disneyland in the late afternoon when people were starting to wind down and gather for parades and such. We'd then scramble on as many normally long line rides as we could till we closed the park out. Good times.

[@wishmaker]

its a not bad park but the hours of operation made it limited to have what is there to enjoy. Granted i get that the park is a tribute to california itself since there is so much to do with very little time. Now, like epcot, disney ip is being implemented. You can clearly see how each franchise works well with this from west coast avengers to big hero six. Sadly I felt like they really hit the wrong mark on san fransokyo since almost 2/3 of the district is actually the montery canning buildings while the other 1/3 is on the little mermaid area of the ride. HOWEVER there is one positive experience I CAN SAY what its best to have a theme park of california to be made. YOU dont get robbed, have your car stolen, breaking into, beaten up, and such in the bay area and la regions combined.

[@kaylasilverstein4137]

Ngl Avengers Campus was a HUGE letdown. As far as I know there are only 4 things to “do” in that whole area: -ANOTHER point-and-click video game style ride -a Loki show where really there’s just some lights strung across the ceiling that light up a few times and Loki does a trick with some cards and a spinning wheel. I hate to say it but this felt less like a Disney stage show and more like a magic show at a kid’s birthday party. The actor was pretty good but that’s about it -a Spider-Man show where you literally just watch him run back and forth over some boxes for 15 minutes. Ppl who had gathered around to see it were walking away after the first 2 or 3 minutes. Again, I really thought they would go all out for something they hyped up so much. -character meet and greets. There’s nothing wrong with this, I love characters and this is the thing ppl seemed the most excited for when I was there. It’s just that they shouldn’t be the ONLY exciting attraction in whole “land” if that makes sense. And that’s really all there is to it. There’s also a better version of the Spider-Man ride literally right next door (Toy Story)

[@EliteZer0]

California screamin was an objectively better version of incredicoaster. I’ll gladly fight someone over this.

[@Saul_Leven]

"Radiator Springs - this is just incredile" Isn't it ironic that the area of the park that's incredible is not the one with the Incredibles-themed ride?

[@stevenwinterhill3623]

Great video, good attention to detail! Thanks very much 😊😊

[@davidnevolo4402]

Avengers campus is bad. The approach to and positioning of tower of terror/guardians was always terrible. Just poor theme park design. The resort hotel takes up 25% of the footprint. The parade route is kind of an extended hub connecting all the lands. It would work if the lands were better executed. Just bad theme park design overall. I’ve tried to do some good things they try to do some terrible things. I don’t think the Pixar pier change was necessary and I think avengers was very poorly executed. Everything they did until 2012 and that initial renovation was a great start and then I think everything since then has been sideways.

[@brianfoss571]

I'm stunned that Incredicoaster's track was never repainted orange-gold. That change alone would at least give Pixar Pier *some* character. Would be great if the Sun/Fun Wheel were moved to the wild mouse plot so a Crush-themed water coaster (maybe a mini PowerSplash) could be squeezed into the lagoon. The Hollywood Land area only makes sense if Disney goes all-in on the Golden Age. That means replacing the Monsters Inc *in-case-of-emergency-break-glass* overlay with an original D-ticket dark ride through "Fantasia" scenes. Would be interesting to see an indoor spinning coaster go into the animation building - it could be named after the Multiplane projector created to make Snow White.

[@rosslovesdisney3829]

But the fun wheel is on the perfect spot for photos. I wish they would put a Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway style ride in the DCA Backlot, but with the theme being Oswald instead of Mickey.

[@brianfoss571]

@@rosslovesdisney3829 Yeah, I get that the Fun Wheel is in a picturesque spot. But it doesn't look like a Disney icon...just a muted imitation of a real boardwalk. A smaller Mack PowerSplash in front of Incredicoaster would at least look unique. An Oswald dark ride would be interesting for the 30s Hollywood area, but it'd be for diehard Disney fans, not the GP. If they created a stage show based on Walt's early career, that would probably have more appeal and reference Oswald too.

[@rosslovesdisney3829]

@@brianfoss571 if you look at original concept art for Paradise Pier/Surf City there was a planned Flume ride in addition to the Sun wheel. Unfortunately it was never built. They could do both, keep the wheel and put a flume there. I wonder what the theme would be presently if they put it in.

[@brianfoss571]

@@rosslovesdisney3829 To add a flume ride, Disney would have to gut the World of Color fountains. The lagoon really isn't that big. You need something long and narrow to fit the wheel's footprint, and what does that? Half a standard Mack Power Splash. And you could theme it to Crush and the EAC.

[@AydenJennerCarroll]

I do agree with some points you brought out. Definitely not a fan of Goofy’s Sky School, they need an indoor roller coaster to replace it. Hollywoodland, definitely needs a little bit of TLC with Guardians now being a part of Avengers Campus. Cars Land is THE BEST land in this park! I will say though, I have been to the original DCA when it first opened in the early 2000’s - my time I grew up - and I will say, it has come a long way from when it first opened. It’s improved and changed a lot, which makes me love the the new DCA vs the old one. Being a California native and Disney boy, both DCA & Disneyland hold a special soft spot in my heart. I’ve been coming here since I was a baby, and it really is my home away from home, Sacramento. Hopefully soon, their next expansion - soon to come - will bring everything all together.

[@jonathanbishopmusic]

Lol this is certainly a hot take 😂 DCA isn't my favorite park ever and I think a big part of it is that it doesn't feel entirely cohesive--something about it feels kinda haphazardly thrown together, and I think it's because of oddly placed rides like Little Mermaid, Goofy wild mouse coaster, Monsters Inc, and the Tower of Terror retheme. That said, I actually love the overarching California theme, and aside from Cars land and Avengers campus, every area of the park fits that theme really well. I also love that two of the Disneyland resorts tie in with adjacent areas of the park. Hopefully the new Disneyland Forward addition will expand and improve this park without destroying the character it has now.

[@88tibro]

I actually like this Park and dont waste my energy much with over-thinking whether this and that makes sense but instead try and have a good day which this park is able to provide for me. I have no issues with Pixar Pier - it looks great at night and is a unique land - unlike the many copy/paste lands which Disney is currently building. World of Color is amazing!

[@adamlamb3580]

Travelled to DL And DCA from Australia for the first time this year. Couldnt get our head around just how bad this park is compared to next door, and the same admission cost.... I don't know how they could have fit it in but Galaxys Edge should have gone into DCA, it would have helped this park a lot and DL still has tons there without GE.

[@thefactsarethese3668]

It's not BYOO-na Vista Street; it's BWAY-na Vista Street.

[@jeremydegeytere8385]

Disneyland and Knott’s are my home parks and I worked at Disneyland for 10 years and you’re pretty spot on about DCA. I disagree about guardians though, that thing is an eyesore and I miss tower of terror. Especially now that I’ve been on cosmic rewind, we lost a classic for not even the best guardians attraction… I don’t dislike the coaster aspect of incredicoaster, the length is cool and it’s tame enough for everyone but I do miss the California screamin’ soundtrack badly. I refuse to go into avengers campus, it should’ve opened with the e-ticket… this whole waiting an eternity for it ain’t right. Web slingers is awful, especially when you have midway mania 5 minutes away, I’ll never understand why that has a line or why we needed a 2nd interactive shooter in the park. I know you were younger but the new entrance and buena vista street is far superior to what it was. Tacky and cheap is being very kind to DCA 1.0. I would rather DCA still be the parking lot in all honesty, that way I wouldn’t have to deal with the parking structure of the Toy Story parking lot. We spend 99% of our time at Disneyland and relegate DCA to an afternoon beer run before going back to Disneyland 😂

[@mfan2492]

Just need to replace Hollywood Land with an Tron and/or Nightmare Before Christmas land and it would be perfect! Oh and make the red cars go to San Fransokyo!

[@RichieJimyt]

I was weirdly a fan of the original California Adventure (DCA 1.0). I thought it had some charm, even if it was a little rushed/cheap. There was something enjoyable how different it was than the other park Now with all these IP's, it just feels like a place where Disney puts characters that don't "work" in Disneyland

[@rollercoastercrafter]

I’ve gone to DCA numerous times in my life and have seen its evolution. And I am 100% in agreement with your review. It’s a decent park but needs A LOT of work. Some of my favorite rides are here and possibly my favorite nighttime show World of Color, but the park as a whole doesn’t have that sense of home feeling that you wish it did.

[@24ecko]

We get it. Everything is better in Florida. We don't need a video every week telling us so

[@fudgemonkeyz69]

That Doctor Strange cast-member literally looks like if you smashed together Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch’s faces. It’s uncanny.

[@ThrillsofColdplay]

I loved watching the classic videos of this park with it’s actual California and minor Disney theming. The giant sun on the parks Ferris Wheel did freak me out a bit when I was little watching the videos. I never personally went to California though yet

[@albertjimeno5315]

🤣

[@johnlovesbridge]

It was an odd idea from the start, and should have been an expansion of Disneyland proper. But now I realize they wanted an area with an additional entrance fee.

[@timknottsfun]

BAM!!!!!! NAILED IT!!!!!

[@michaelhill9007]

Hard disagree on buena vista street. I think the theme works wonderfully but disney has systematically destroyed its synergy by adding IP to the rest of the park

[@loganmcgrew2822]

In your review of California screamin' you gave it an 8/10 saying it's a fun ride but now you're saying you don't like it. You also said you've never liked it. It makes no sense.

[@juanitajones6900]

Actually, Hollywood Studios is also a mess. Like DCA, it's more about Disney IP than anything else. If it weren't for Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard, I would label it a complete mess.

[@colin8802]

I remember going there the summer it opened, and my family wasn't super impressed because it just seemed like a generic amusement park for the most part. Over the next several years, they did a lot of re-theming and it started to feel a lot more "Disney". But it sounds like they've gone a little overboard with the re-theming lately. I haven't been there in probably a decade now and I'm not sure I'll like how much it's changed the next time I go.

[@SoylentGamer]

Incredicoaster, formerly known as California Screamin' is a gentle giant that's perfectly at home in Disneyland (formerly California Adventure) I get why diehard coaster fans cringe at the re-theme, but let's be realistic. It's a gigantic launched Intamin steelie that decided to spend the extra steel on wooden style supports. It cost a small fortune, and the old theming meant it wasn't selling well enough to justify that crazy price tag. It was inevitable.

[@McBoomFly]

I agree and disagree. While I think the idea isn't the best, some of it was executed well. This park is a hot mess though. Carsland is amazing. Grizzly Peak has so much potential. Pixar Pier is just not cohesive and comes off as tacky. Paradise Pier on the other hand I still think had lots of options for IPs but whatever. If IPs are where this park is heading, then Pixar Pier makes sense, the area is just cheap.

[@1SmokingLizard]

If a renaming is in order, immediately remove the word "California" and sales would increase. I'll take my cut for consultation fees now. And be sure to save 10% for the big guy too.

[@TheRealConcertKing]

Actually Avengers Campus only has one very small store next to the Spider-Man ride. I think any other merchandise there is just sold from carts.

[@seminolefantodd4736]

As a Magic Key holder and frequenter of both parks, I can't disagree with your assessment. When it was built, Michael Eisner went on the cheap and it looked/looks it. I took my family to the annual passholder preview in February 2001 and wasn't impressed. When the coaster was new is was fun, but now that it's not it is rough and sucks. I agree Web Slingers is a crappy Toy Story Mania clone with a dumb story-line. Avengers Campus is just meh. The Food and Wine Festivals are held at DCA (locals call it DCA so you're fine) and why my wife and I go to eat, drink and ride Guardians. Finally, it's pronounced Bway-na-vista street.

[@socal_haunts_and_parks]

I loved California Adventure from the day it first opened. But that first year it was only an $60 add on for the entire year with my previously purchased $199 annual pass. So for me it was a free extra land that was a part of Disneyland. Still to this day I never goto only DCA it’s just an addition to my Disneyland day. Thanks Coaster Studios for 🎉always the best content.

[@gabrieldally6044]

I actually love Buena Vista Street and it's a love letter to Walt Disney and how he viewed Los Angeles in the 1920s when he first arrived to start his "California adventure" I really recommend Poseidon entertainment's video about how to fix California Adventure because he does a great job explaining the original park and how the theme of it could still be saved kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWnOhKZ9oaulorc

[@futurecoug2012]

Current DCA is an elite park & extrneely far from a "disaster." Messy, I guess, but the vibes, attractions, & food are all elite & industry-leading

[@josearmenta7200]

Okay I thought I was the only one who loved this park I think theres just as many experiences in this park you really have to try new food and try going in every shop not just rides its amazing what they done with it

[@acslater017]

California Adventure started out as a disaster but I don’t think that’s been a fair description for years. It’s not quite as good as Disneyland but I’d definitely do a DCA day over a second Disneyland day. I disagree that it’s less and less to do with California: Buena Vista, Grizzly Peak, San Fransokyo, Pixar Pier, Hollywood, Grand Californian hotel. Radiator Springs is more Arizona, but hey it’s Western US. Hollywood Land and Paradise Garden are probably the weakest, at least the latter is used to host food stalls for Food & Wine, Lunar New Year, Festival of Holidays, etc. Nearly everywhere else has gotten significant upgrade since opening. World of Color is my favorite night show too.

[@xxladyofrokkxx3133]

I've been to Disneyland and Disney World twice, and I favor Disneyland more. Last time I went was 2019 and we had a park hopper with max pass. We were able to do everything in just 2 days and I enjoyed both parks. The Cars ride, Incredicoaster, Soarin and Guardians Tower were all fun and I got multiple rides. Those were the only 4 rides we did in that park but nonetheless I still think the overall Disneyland experience with 2 parks is better than the overall Disney World experience with 4 parks.

[@Propakate]

I was at Disneyland in 1999 while they were building that park. I saw the trucks haul in the roller coaster parts so for that reason, I want to go back.

[@edrrrk]

honestly a california themed park inside of california never made sense to me. So i dont really mind all the IPs, this type of park should have been built in Florida. And WestCOT should have been made in California

[@caiusoof]

Even weirder, the entrance of DCA used to have a picturesque, that being the Sun Wheel. It wasn't really a good picturesque, but it was one.

[@Shazizle]

the thing that saves California Adventure is the food festivals. The food and wine festival are always top tier, and the Chinese New Year is always really good too.