We begin our anniversary tour of Disney California Adventure at the beginning - the picture postcard entrance to the park. It's an entrance statement that is already a thing of the past, as the second gate of the Disneyland Resort undergoes its massive transformation, but for ten years this is how the adventure started.
The dedication plaque beyond the golden CALIFORNIA letters set the scene:
To all who believe in the power of dreams... Welcome! Disney's California Adventure opens its golden gates to you. Here we pay tribute to the dreamers of the past... the native people, explorers, immigrants, aviators, entrepreneurs and entertainers who built the Golden State. And we salute a new generation of dreamers who are creating the wonders of tomorrow... from the silver screen to the computer screen... from the fertile farmlands to the far reaches of space. Disney's California Adventure celebrates the richness and diversity of California... its land, its people, its spirit and above all, the dreams that it continues to inspire.
- Michael Eisner
Feb. 8, 2001
Spanning the entrance (and disguising the monorail beam) is a tribute to the Golden Gate Bridge. According to a plaque nearby, "Once the world's longest and tallest suspension structure, the Golden Gate Bridge has stretched across the San Francisco Bay since 1937. Today, the strong twin towers and radiant span of this engineering landmark stand as an enduring and hopeful symbol of the strength, unity and dreams of California."
Fanning out on either side of the entrance plaza are two enormous mural walls, among the largest ceramic tile pieces ever created. We discussed the murals in this previous article on the park's entrance, but let's take a look today at even more of the detail found in this extinct Disney California Adventure landmark.
From the giant Wawona Tree that once stood in Yosemite National Park to Catalina Island and a surfer riding a curl in the Pacific, the murals captured the breadth of the California experience.
The diversity of California wildlife was also depicted in the murals. Interestingly, these whales (along with the deer across the way) were actually shown leaping over the gate into the park.
The left mural featured the Los Angeles skyline and LAX, and on the right one could see this representation of San Francisco complete with Chinatown, Lombard Street and the Palace of Fine Arts.
One original Disney California Adventure mural that's still there (for the time being, at least) is this one inside the lobby of Guest Relations.
It's a bright and colorful work of art, representing the icons of Disney California Adventure, but it's also fascinating now for all it shows that is no longer a part of the park. Look for Superstar Limo, the Mickey ears on California Screamin', Sun Wheel, Orange Stinger and Maliboomer.
As we look back on the first ten years of Disney California Adventure, quite a lot has come and gone and changed along the way. The park opened with vast potential, and now its second decade is looking even brighter than the first.
"...and now its second decade is looking even brighter than the first."
ReplyDeleteAMEN!