Five years in the making, today (June 15, 2012) finally marks the opening of Cars Land at Disney California Adventure Park. This 12-acre land is jam packed with highly detailed theming, three attractions (one of which is a thrill ride), high quality animatronic characters and fun for the entire family, bringing the five year California Adventure $1 billion dollar+ expansion to a close. As you may imagine, you can expect massive crowds throughout the next few weeks, even months.
But the real highlight of this land is its big new ride – Radiator Springs Racers. It recently received a glowing review in the Los Angeles Timesas they claim that it “redefines the Disney E-ticket.” They say that “The E-ticket ride is so amazing that Disney may need to come up with a new attraction designation: F-ticket.” This $200 million attraction combines a classic dark ride through scenes from the Disney/Pixar “Cars” movie with a “thrilling head-to-head drag race around hairpin turns and along high-speed straightaways.” This technology is based on Epcot’s Test Track. Mercury News calls it the best new ride at either Disney park since Space Mountain.
Radiator Springs Racers is pictured above. Is it the best ride in Disney California Adventure? It sure sounds like it.
Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree is pictured above, this kiddie ride features multiple Maters moving in figure eights, towing you behind as you slide back and forth like someone greased the driveway, while the tow truck’s voice happily calls out the amusement park equivalent of a square dance. It’s fun, but not thrilling.
Lugi’s Flying Tires (as pictured above) is a very creative concept that allows riders to sit in large tire shaped cars. Its your classic bumper car ride with big bright beach balls.
We would love to hear from our readers - What do you think of Cars Land? Does the “new” Disney California Adventure Park level up to the same quality as the other Disney parks?
PS – Check out this video of the Disney California Adventure Grand Reopening celebration:
Today it is my great pleasure to interview Ricky Brigante, the owner and host of InsideTheMagic.net. His site launched in 2005 and has been featured in Fox35, the Orlando Sentinel, Perez Hilton, and Time. His favorite attraction is the Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion. His YouTube videos have gotten over 25 million views and he produces the best and longest-running Disney podcast around.
What Inspired you to create Inside The Magic?
Inside the Magic began as a very simple weekly podcast in the early days of podcasting. As soon as I heard of the new medium, I knew I wanted to get involved and there was only 1 other podcast in existence that focused on Disney theme parks. That show has come and gone, leaving Inside the Magic to continue to be the longest-running Disney podcast around. As the number of listeners rapidly grew (much to my surprise and delight), I saw opportunities to expand to a longer show and ultimately a full web site, delivering news, information, and entertainment on a daily basis and covering even more than just Disney topics, though keeping Disney as the primary focus.
Ricky Brigante
But the main reason behind it all is because I love it! I’m a big fan of Disney and theme parks and working on Inside the Magic enables me to stay connected to those worlds while bringing them to those who can’t always physically be “inside the magic” of it all. Not everyone can live 15 minutes from the Magic Kingdom, so my goal has always been to help spread that Disney magic to the world.
What was it like to move from Miami to Orlando? Do you ever get tired of visiting the Orlando theme parks?
I grew up in Miami and lived there for around 18 years before moving to Atlanta for college. Growing up, my parents took me on Orlando vacations once every few years. Once I moved away, I began frequenting the city as often as I could, culminating in moving here straight of college. Of course, the fact that I had met my now-wife who lived in the Orlando area helped too! Since I regularly attend special events happening at all of Orlando’s theme parks, it’s tough for me to get tired of going. There is always something new and different to see as the parks are constantly changing. I do occasionally take some time away from the parks, particularly during the crowded, hot summer months.
Ricky's photo from the Magic Kingdom
What’s your favorite theme park restaurant or snack from any of the Orlando theme parks?
Epcot’s restaurants are easily the best of all four of Walt Disney World’s theme parks, with Le Cellier and Via Napoli among my favorites. It’s actually tough to pick favorite theme park foods in Orlando because the options available at Disneyland in California are so much better. Outside of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, which I absolutely love attending each year, it can be difficult to drool over any particular theme park restaurant. As a local, I don’t frequent the table service restaurants in the parks since reservations are so difficult to get and it’s often less expensive to eat outside the parks. Disneyland caters to locals and passholders far more, offering a better variety of dining options for those who frequent the parks there. It seems like every time I grow attached to a particular food item at Walt Disney World, they change or get rid of it.
With all that said, I always love getting a pineapple and vanilla swirl Dole Whip.
What is your favorite Disney resort?
The Grand Californian is my favorite Disney hotel at Disneyland and Animal Kingdom Lodge is my favorite at Walt Disney World. Both feature similar layouts and construction styles, designed by the same architect. The grand lobbies are a marvel to look at and comfortable to relax in. I particularly enjoy sitting by the fireplace in Anaheim and fire pits in Orlando. The arts and crafts style of the Grand Californian creates a wonderfully warm feeling throughout and Animal Kingdom Lodge features a rustic, worldly, and yet modern look and feel. Plus the restaurants at both are fantastic, with my favorite being Boma.
What was it like to sail on the Disney Fantasy on it’s inaugural preview?
Ricky's Disney Fantasy photo
The Disney Fantasy is an amazing new ship that features everything great about the Dream and improves upon it. Inaugural sailings are always a mixed bag of fun and work. I was happy to have an extra day on board over the 2-night Disney Dream Christening Cruise last year, but the extra time simply meant I could pack even more into my schedule. It’s always exciting to be among the first to experience anything Disney produces, particularly something as massive as a new cruise ship that will sail for many years to come. But I was invited with the purpose of covering the ship and its many amenities, so I take that as an opportunity to use every moment I’m on board to experience as much as I can, documenting it along the way. It’s exhausting, but thrilling at the same time. And even with all the work, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Which Disney cruise ship is your favorite?
I’ve only sailed on the Dream and Fantasy and prefer the latter for its improvements in the adults-only areas and the addition of the AquaLab, which is a wonderfully fun extension of the AquaDuck water coaster, my favorite part of both ships. Satellite Falls on the Fantasy adds a relaxing 18+ area to a fairly dull portion of the Dream with a unique new water feature. And the themed nightclubs and lounges of Europa are much more interesting than the fairly ordinary ones found in The District on the Dream.
Ricky's Picture of The Aquaduck
What’s the most memorable event you’ve experienced while visiting a theme park?
Grand opening events are always the most memorable, as they heighten an already exciting new theme park experience with the addition of a huge one-time-only spectacle. I’ve had the opportunity to hear Jodi Benson, voice of Ariel, sing twice at Disneyland related to The Little Mermaid ride. I’ve seen George Lucas and a handful of Star Wars celebrities celebrate the reopening of Star Tours. I’ve seen celebrities arrive down a “blue carpet” for the premiere of World of Color and had a chance to chat with some of them during the after-party. And best of all, I’ve had a chance to talk to countless Imagineers and other designers about the attractions they’ve just completed. It’s amazing to hear the relief and joy in their voices when they’ve just wrapped up a project and are celebrating its opening after years of work. I’ve gotten to know the extraordinarily friendly creators of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando and always look forward to talking to them about their achievements at each year’s opening night. And it’s always fun to see the twinkle in all designers’ eyes as they think about their next projects, which are often already in the works by the time I talk to them. For a theme park fan like me, these events are definitely among the most memorable.
World of Color premiere:
Other than theme parks, where else do you like to travel?
I recently went on a fantastic first-time trip to San Francisco, exploring the culture, riding the street cars, and devouring the local cuisine. Of course, there was a bit of Disney thrown in too when I visited the Walt Disney Family Museum, a must-see for any Disney fan. I also attended the San Diego Comic-Con for the first time last year, which was an unforgettable 4.5-day adventure that I look forward to duplicating again in the future. But I rarely travel anywhere that doesn’t involve some sort of Disney, theme park, or special event connection.
What would you have done differently when reimagining Disney California Adventure Park?
From what I’ve seen so far, the improvements made to that park are nothing short of a miracle. The previously skippable park is now becoming a worthy counterpart to the original across the esplanade. I’m personally not the biggest fan of “Cars,” but I do look forward to seeing what Imagineers have created in Cars Land. I hope it is able to entertain even those who don’t like the films. Of all the changes, I’m not thrilled with the Pan Pacific-themed entrance. It looks great, definitely better than the previous turnstile area, but it’s nearly identical to that of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I would have preferred a unique entrance for the park. That’s probably the biggest part that I would have done differently. I’m sure there’s another classic Hollywood icon out there that could have acted as the inspiration to that area.
*Update* Carsland recently opened, check out Ricky’s playlist:
Which theme park attractions do you look forward to see opening in the coming months?
Though Cars Land is massive and Radiator Springs Racers will surely be fun, I’m particularly looking forward to seeing Buena Vista Street and the Carthay Circle Theatre. It should be a fun journey through time to the California that Walt Disney saw when he arrived there. And the live entertainment seems like it’s going to be a lot of fun.
I’m really looking forward to seeing Universal Orlando’s new nighttime lagoon show, Cinematic Spectacular, debuting next month. I hope it’s even half as good as World of Color. If so, I’ll see it regularly.
Get the latest scoop on your favorite Disney theme park at InsideTheMagic.net.
Here’s the most recent episode of Inside the Magic LIVE:
Today it is my great pleasure to interview Robert Niles, the founder and editor ofThemePark Insider, a consumers’ guide to the world’s most popular theme and amusement parks. ThemeParkInsider.com has been named the top theme park site on the internet by Forbes and Travel + Leisure magazines and it has been a finalist for the Webby Award; it is read by more than 200,000 people each month. Robert is a former Walt Disney World cast member who has since worked as a staff writer, editor and website producer at top newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times. Theme Park Insider has been featured in the New York Times, ABC’s Good Morning America, Wall Street Journal, Readers Digest and Life Magazine.
Robert is the author of “Stories from a Theme Park Insider,” a priceless collection of stories that take you behind the scenes of the Magic Kingdom to give you an insiders look at how a theme park works, while also sharing funny and embarrassing moments from the world’s most popular theme park.
Hi Robert, thanks for doing this interview - I’m sure you will inspire many travelers to visit the world’s greatest theme parks.
What inspired you to create Theme Park Insider?
I started what became ThemeParkInsider.com in 1999 because I wanted to create a website where all the content was provided by the readers – a community where people shared information, instead of simply reading stories written by pro reporters. That’s a common template for the Web now, but in 1999 it was still somewhat radical.
I see that you are currently living in Pasadena, CA. What’s it like to live in Pasadena in comparison to Orlando? Is living next to a theme park all it’s cracked up to be?
Your question reminded me that I’ve actually lived across the street from both of Universal’s US theme parks – in Orange Tree across Turkey Lake Road from Universal Orlando and in the Oakwood Apartments across Barham Blvd. from Universal Studios Hollywood. Pasadena’s about 45 minutes from Disneyland, but it’s close to Burbank and Glendale, which is home to many attraction design firms. So that’s nice for me in doing reporting.
But, yes, it’s a blast living near enough to a theme park that you can get an annual pass and earn the value from it by going over the park on a regular basis. It allows you to experience the parks in a much less pressured way. Instead of trying to cram everything into a single trip, you can just go over and do one or two things, then head home. Or even just go to hang out and enjoy the atmosphere. And a churro, of course.
What’s the most memorable event you experienced while working at the Magic Kingdom?
Well, I wrote a whole book of them, but I’d have to go with the say that it snowed at Disney World. That was a surreal experience, with fog enveloping much the of the Magic Kingdom, tourists and cast members alike utterly unprepared for the cold and the massive crowd that packed into The Land pavilion at Epcot, because it was the warmest large space on property.
Which theme park is your favorite? Over the years, which theme park attraction has made the biggest impact on the industry?
Tokyo DisneySea, with Islands of Adventure and Disneyland close behind. No question at this point, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is roiling this industry like nothing seen in decades. Disney can’t throw enough money at attempts to blunt Universal’s momentum with Potter, which is a great thing for theme park fans. And Universal’s responding with a massive expansion of Potter into at least two more parks. Even SeaWorld’s stepping up its game to provide more attractions in Orlando. It’s just a great time to be a fan/
Other than theme parks, where else do you like to travel?
I love roadtrips, and we end up in a good number of national parks during the summer. But I love cities, too, including New York, Tokyo and Singapore.
Which part of the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland renovation/expansion excites you most?
The Beauty and the Beast restaurant. I know that’s heresy for a ride fan, but we’ve already got Little Mermaid here in California (and it’s a fun ride – people in Florida will love it. I’m looking forward to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, but not as much as I’d love to see what Disney does with bringing the experience of eating a meal at the Beast’s Castle to life. That was the high point of the movie, and if Disney can create just a fraction of that magic in the dining experience, it could be a highlight of the park.
Here’s Robert’s On-Ride Video of The new Little Mermaid attraction at California Adventure:
What would you have done differently when reimagining Disney California Adventure Park?
Get it done two years earlier? Theme park fans in Southern California are voting with their money and their feet, and their message is clear – they want more Disney. Even when the expansion opens in June, Disney will still need more capacity at the Resort. If there was room, they could build and fill a third park, easily. As it is, they should be working on new expansions at both Disneyland and California Adventure, even beyond Cars Land. Disney simply can’t build fast enough to meet demand here.
Now, driving that demand is the fact that Disneyland is just beating up Disney World on show quality and attraction design right now. It’s by far my favorite of the two US Disney resorts.
What are you expecting from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion at Universal Studios Florida and the all new land at Universal Studios Hollywood?
I think that the Wizarding World expansion into Universal Studios Florida will be a huge hit, and a turning point in the competition between Universal and Disney in Orlando. That expansion will make Universal a true multi-day destination, perhaps bringing a significant number of theme parks fans to Central Florida who won’t visit Disney at all on their trip.
As for Hollywood, I don’t know what to expect. There’s no sign in the park of Potter’s arrival, and I’ve not heard word one on where in the park it will go, or what to expect. I assume that the park and creative team are focused on getting Transformers open in May before moving on to Potter, but I think that Universal got cornered into making an announcement last December before it would have preferred to do so.
How do you think Animal Kingdom’s announced Avatar Land will compare to the never-built Beastly Kingdom?
Who knows? I think the Avatar plans are as undefined at this point as the USH Harry Potter plans. It’s way to early to tell what will happen. But it will be nice to see some more creativity put into WDW. It seems like Florida’s been just following Disneyland’s lead for years. It’d been nice to see the east coast get back in front on something.
Which item would you consider to be the most common thing people forget to bring with them to a theme park?
Patience. You’re supposed to be having fun. Forget the minute-by-minute attack plan, and allow yourself to have a good time. If you’re enjoying the park, then you’re using a good strategy. Relax.
Which theme park attractions do you look forward to see opening in the coming months?
Radiator Springs Racers. I think that Journey to the Center of the Earth in Tokyo is one of the two best rides in the world (after Harry Potter) and I can’t wait to see what Disney’s created using a similar ride system and indoor/outdoor setting in Anaheim.
After that, I just really want to be able to get a Butterbeer here in Southern California.
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