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attraction batting order, it gets worse. Most of these attractions are little more than
off-the-shelf midway rides spruced up with a Disney story line and facade.
From a competitive perspective, Disney California Adventure was an under-
whelming shot at Disney's three Southern California competitors. The Hollywood
section of DCA takes a hopeful poke at Universal Studios Hollywood, while Paradise
Pier offers midway rides à la Six Flags Magic Mountain. Finally, the whole California
theme has for years been the eminent domain of Knott's Berry Farm. In short, there's
not much originality in DCA, only Disney's now-redundant mantra that “whatever
they can do, we can do better.”
Finally, after more than eight years of basically being in denial about Disney
California Adventure, the Walt Disney Company seemed willing to admit that this
theme park (which pulled in only about a third of Disneyland's attendance annually)
needed some help. On June 15, 2012, the mouse held a grand reopening to celebrate
the completion of a $1.1-billion effort, originally announced in 2007, to address
DCA's problems. And that's only one portion of the $10 billion Disney has budgeted
over 10 years for an extreme makeover of the entire Disneyland Resort.
Startingattheparkentrance, theImagineers havescouredeveryinchofDCA,in-
jecting charm, character, and ride capacity wherever they could. A new entryway em-
braces the legacy of Disneyland's founder with a nostalgic re-creation of 1920s Los
Angeles. That freshly poured-on theming flows all the way to Paradise Pier, where
the tacky seaside amusements have been softened with new-old Victorian-era styl-
ings. An original family-friendly dark ride based on a popular Piscean princess has
been added, and the central lagoon now sports a Vegas-quality water show designed
expressly to keep crowds in DCA after dark. The final element of DCA's transforma-
tion fell into place with 2012's opening of Cars Land, an entire area dedicated to the
best-selling Pixar property. Cars Land has shaped up to be the biggest project to hit
theme parks since Universal Orlando's Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and appears
to be the final puzzle piece needed to rehabilitate DCA's poor reputation. While the
park spent its first decade as a punch line, DCA is now a legitimate destination in its
own right and finally rivals its older brother for turnstile entry bragging rights on busy
days—something that was once almost unimaginable.
Mind you, the rest of Disneyland Resort is experiencing its own gussying up.
Look for Downtown Disney to increase in size, adding new shops, clubs, and restaur-
ants to its lineup. Likewise, Disneyland Hotel completed a face-lift in 2012, which
folded festive new furnishings and up-to-date amenities into the then-56-year-old re-
sort. Disneyland Park is also rumored to see an expansion in time for its 60th an-
niversary, now that the major work on DCA is done. There's also at least one new
hotel on the drawing boards, plus a Disney Vacation Club property. According to the
