Name Change of DCA

[joece]

A VMK Forums thread and a source (miceage.com) have told me that DCA will have an official name change. This will bring much more E Rides and a supposed Incredibles attraction. I am thinking the park could be a America
theme in general or even a PIXAR teamup. A couple of names I thought of
were Disney/Pixar's American Thrill and Fun Theme Park, American Kingdom or Disney's Pixar California Studios! I would think along with a PIXAR twist they will much likely make this like USH!

 

[PryncessChrysty]

I don't mean to sound condescending, but why would they change the name? As far as more e-ticket rides go, it already has the word 'Adventure' in the name, so that would go right along with it. And the park is based on California, changing the name to 'America' just wouldn't make sense.

 

[joece]

I totally understand that DCA reviews have been low and I think this gives them an opprotunity to make this a premier Disney theme park. I think DCA will really need to close A Bugs' Land and start with that.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

just as long as they dont take out TOT I dont care what they call it

 

[bclydia]

Why on earth do you think they would close Bug's Land? It's great for little children. You may not have little ones but those of us that do have seen that it has a purpose and serves it well.
I very much doubt there will be a name change. Any changes the Disney execs may deem necessary can be made without changing the name of the park.

 

[safetymom]

I hope they don't change the name of the park. We really enjoyed the theming of CA. It was great sitting there listening to the Surfer band waiting for the parade to start.

It's a Bugs Life is a keeper too.

 

[Amy&Dan]

If this is true they are going to have change more than the name. So many of the rides and attractions are based upon a California theme. Soarin, California Screamin, Grizzly River Run, Mullholland Madness, Redwood Trail, too many to name off ! Also, are they going to change the name of the Grand Californian to the Grand Pixar or Grand American? I love it the way it is. They can add more E rides without changing the overall theme and name. I agree that Bugs Land is great and I hope they don't ever get rid of it. My daughter is almost 9 and still enjoys it back in there. One of the best things about all Disney theme parks is they have a lot of fun rides for people of all ages.

 

[LucyKate]

They would only change the name if research showed them people thought the park was a failure, and the only way to turn this perception around was to give it an entire markeover as well as some rides.

For what it is worth, as a first time timer who did both last December, I thought DCA badly needed an overhaul.

It had some great rides - TOT, GRR and Soarin are the best 3 in either park (IMHO) BUT the look of the park just didn't work for me.

Bug's life was awful - I just cant believe Disney could do something this bad and my 5YO and 9YO were bored by it. The whole salute to industry thing doesn't work either - I don't pay a fortune to see tacos being made and learn how to grow orange crops - sorry!

I love the California theming and believe this should stay, but there are large parts of the park which would benefit from a big rethink which in some way tries to capture that incredible magic that envelopes its neighbour.

 

[disneychrista]

I do think they will change the name but it won't be for at least another five years. They are going to slowly move away from the failed California theme and once that happens being called "disney's california adventure" just won't make sense. If Disney and Pixar continue their relationship, I can deffiently see a Disney Pixar theme. With so many attractions being Pixar related and now Car's being a viable option for a new "test track" type ride. It make sense.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I believe any park located right next to Disneyland is going to have a tough time measuring up. I think the same is true for every park Disney has done that isn't either Disneyland or Magic Kingdom with the possible exception of Epcot which is so unique it is beyond comparison. While Disneyland and MK are my favorite Disney theme parks I enjoy the others including DCA because to me they are still so far and above any other theme park we have been to and they are Disney, complete with characters and all that famous magic and theming. I guess my kids will be too old to really enjoy much of Bugs Land now, my daughter will turn 9 next month when we are there. But as a 7 and 8 year old she still enjoyed it back there if for no other reason than it felt like she had the place to herself! She and I rode Frances' Lady Bug about 5 times in a row without getting off last September, by ourselves each time. The cm looked really lonely as we left! I guess that is space that could be better utilized. I do hope however they don't take out ITTBAB, I love that and hopefully if they do change that area of the park it will have something for very small children that can't ride TOT or Screamin. I hope in time they add some more E ticket rides but until they do my family will continue to enjoy DCA. Its funny how different people have different opinions. There was a thread earlier in the week about how one visitor loved DCA and many others (including myself) agreed. I guess time will tell.

 

[B9erSteve]

I've always thought that the name should be changed. Although I'm not too crazy about the inclusion of Pixar. I enjoy the Pixar related rides but I think that the theme of the park should be more inclusionary not exclusionary. The California Adventure name trapped Imagineers into themeing around the name rather than building an enjoyable park. The same will happen if they are forced into a Pixar mold. I hate to state this because I will sound like those prudes who want Disneyland to remain exactly the same forever and who want to bring back the rides of their childhood, but I have always thought that Disneyland should be a celebration of Disney and the classic Disney themes. Whereas, DCA should be more about the present and future of Disney. Pixar fits into that mold but so does anything else that you want to throw in that will be entertaining.

 

[disneysteve]

They are going to slowly move away from the failed California theme.

We just returned from our first visit to DCA and loved every aspect of it. Can someone on the west coast please explain to me why this park is considered a failure. Lots of people seemed to be having lots of fun when we were there.

 

[disneychrista]

It is considered a failure (by some; not all) because the park fails to bring in the projected numbers set for the park. Also when you look at the breakdown of those in the park a great # of them are from AP's or promotional tickets (aka 2fers) where you buy admission to one park and get the other free.

I enjoy the park. But can see where the "theme" is limiting.

 

[MateasMom]

I don't think it's the name or theme that's a failure. I think it's Disneys poor attempt to 'explain' and advertise DCA (both AT the park and in the 'real' world) that is a failure. Most people don't 'understand' DCA because Disney doesn't 'explain' what to do or where to go. If someone walks into DCA for the first time with a plan of action in hand understanding what they are there to see I would bet they have a GREAT time. Someone who just shows up though and wonders around would probably NEVER walk into the Animation building, make plans to watch Block Party, see California Dreams or the Bakery tour. People generally walk to the rides, do that ride and then wonder 'what else'??? We've taken people to DCA that have been many times and 'hated' it and after going with us they say they can't believe how much fun they had and they saw stuff they never knew exsisted.

Oh...and getting rid of flicks fun fair, I think that would be a shame. I think it's so much more kid friendly then the 'kid' rides at Disneyland with the scary and dark themes. I do think they could add some...maybe a play area like Honey I shurk the kids at MGM (though it's a loose the kids nightmare).

I think the CA theme is perfect. They can add stuff that would be fun....like more 'Hollywood' themed stuff....honestly the Hollywood side is totally lame. Hollywood plays a huge part in what people think about CA and is probably the most 'exciting' part of CA to a tourist and it's a nothing piece of the park. I know space is limited....but it's Disney, they can think of SOMEHING better then one stupid little Animation building (that we do love BTW LOL).

 

[B9erSteve]

When DCA first opened, the idea was for people to buy two tickets one for Disneyland and one for DCA, Problem was that Disney did DCA on the cheap and it showed. I remember all of the advance publicity that Superstar Limo got and when you rode the ride you couldn't feel but let down. Flick's Fun Fair wasn't there, it was an area where you could watch crops grow! Can't get more exciting than that. The western half of the park was all that was very interesting at all and that made it a half day park. People quickly began stating, why pay full admission for a half day park. By all standards of measurements DCA was a failure. Disney needed to bring out the park hopper to get people to walk through the gate, and still they hopped over to DL.

Now don't get me wrong, I like DCA, I always have. it is a restful place to get away from the crowds of DL. But, I don't think that is what the imagineers had in mind when they designed the park. They need to redesign the park so that it is a destination in itself. Then they will have a sucess. I think that more E ticket rides is a good start.

 

[disneysteve]

When DCA first opened, The western half of the park was all that was very interesting at all and that made it a half day park.

I can see the "failure" label early on if that was the case, but what about now? We spent two full days in DCA and still didn't hit every attraction. No way is DCA a half-day park now. It is well worth the cost of admission. So is the "failure" label just hanging on due to the early impressions of the park?

 

[B9erSteve]

Yep that's pretty much it. Failure is a self-perpetuating state of being. Disney tried to revive the park (admirably) with the addition of plenty of great attractions, yet the park struggles. The mind of the public has been set. Now with the DCA logo disappearing, it seems that there will not be any money spent on marketing for some time. That will not help anything. I think that the park will ultimately be worthwhile, but only when they have cleaned up the Ghost town that is the Hollywood backlot. The Monterey area needs to be revamped as well. Let's face it as good as tortillas are they are not that interesting to watch being manufactured. (I can see that at Chevy's)

 

[disneychrista]

I have never bought into the "half day" park theory. If you only want to do "rides" then yeah it might only take half a day. But if you go to the shows, watch the parades, take in the atmosphere, etc there is no way it can be done with less then a full day. Our first trip we spent a good 2 hours in the animation building alone.

But for a lot of people who go a lot they don't want to watch how bread & wine are made. They want rides & attractions that they can do over and over and not get bored. This is where IMO it got labeled as a half day park.

 

[disneysteve]

I have never bought into the "half day" park theory. If you only want to do "rides" then yeah it might only take half a day. But if you go to the shows, watch the parades, take in the atmosphere, etc there is no way it can be done with less then a full day.

Animal Kingdom in Florida has the exact same problem. I think it is the most beautiful of the US Disney parks and most guests rush right through, ride the safari, Dinosaur and a couple of other things and head out before lunch.

Having just been to DCA, I can't imagine anyone saying it is a 1/2 day park.

 

[disneychrista]

Animal Kingdom in Florida has the exact same problem.

I was going to mention this as a comparison. And I agree with you. We loved AK, only problem we had was not having enough time to really enjoy it.