97-452: The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail is a forest-themed play area at Disney California Adventure . It features a network of trails simulating a trail in a redwood forest, a large network of stairs and rope bridges, a traverse rock climbing wall, a zip line, side-by-side slides, and an amphitheater. Explorers can also visit the "Kenai's Spirit Cave" to find what spirit animal represents them (bear, wolf, eagle, moose, salmon, and skunk). The area
194-559: A Who Framed Roger Rabbit franchise. However, the lackluster success of Disney's Animal Kingdom in the years after its opening, general stagnation in Disney's revenues and various corporate issues and disputes would dampen Eisner's later career. In 1993, Katzenberg had lobbied to become Eisner's second in command, which would have meant moving Frank Wells from president to vice chairman, to which Eisner 'replied that Wells would feel "hurt" in that scenario'. Coincidentally, Wells died in
291-661: A claymation show called Glenn Martin, DDS . He was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2012. In March 2017, came the revelation that Eisner was interested in a takeover of Portsmouth F.C. , a football club in the south of England that had fallen on hard times after years of poor ownership, before being taken over by its fans. The club released a statement on March 23, 2017, that Eisner and his Tornante Company were in an exclusivity agreement. On August 3, 2017, came confirmation that Eisner and his Tornante Company had completed their purchase for
388-578: A mockumentary style show about his takeover of the Topps Company, called "Back on Topps." In January 2022, he sold Topps to Fanatics following its loss of the Major League Baseball licensing rights. His investment firm has funded the critically acclaimed Netflix series BoJack Horseman . The College of Education at California State University, Northridge is named in his honor. In 2009, Eisner used his own money to produce
485-399: A series of commercial and critical successes . Disney also broadened its adult offerings in film when it acquired Miramax Films in 1993. Under Eisner, Disney acquired many other media sources, including ABC , most of ESPN , Fox Family Channel (now known as Freeform) and The Muppets franchise. The ABC purchase in particular reunited Eisner with his former employer. In the early part of
582-508: A connection between San Fransokyo Square, Hollywood Land , and Avengers Campus . Starting in 2017, Cars Land receives Halloween decorations during Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort . Two attractions, Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters and Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, became Luigi's Honkin' Haul-O-Ween and Mater's Graveyard JamBOOree. Cars Land also receives holiday overlays, where Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters becomes Luigi's Joy to
679-518: A fictional scouting organization from the film. Disney California Adventure Disney California Adventure is a theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California . It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. The 72-acre (29 ha) park is themed after Disney's interpretation of California , by the use of Disney, Pixar and Marvel properties. The park opened on February 8, 2001, and
776-429: A helicopter crash in 1994. When Eisner did not appoint Katzenberg to Wells' now available post, tensions arose between the two that led to Katzenberg's resignation. At the time, Eisner refused to pay Katzenberg his contractual bonus despite Katzenberg's offer to accept $ 60 million as a settlement, much less than was actually owed. Katzenberg was forced to take the issue to court, who ruled in his favor. The final settlement
873-507: A lack of support by Eisner, and left Disney in December 1996, via a "no fault termination" with a severance package of $ 38 million in cash, and 3 million stock options worth roughly $ 100 million, at the time of Ovitz's departure. The Ovitz episode engendered a long-running derivative suit , which finally concluded in June 2006, almost 10 years later. Chancellor William B. Chandler III of
970-413: A member of his executive team (which required multiple takes) Eisner "came across as stiff and awkward ... Disney executives ... were pretty much unanimous that the test was a failure....Eisner stubbornly persisted in the face of almost unanimous criticism." Eisner hired Michael Kay, a director of political commercials for then- U.S. Senator Bill Bradley , to help him improve his on-camera performance. As
1067-586: A number of themed kiosks, each featuring food and beverages from a particular aspect of California cuisine. Five and Dime is a traveling street show featuring Dime and her five band mates. They can be seen driving through Hollywood Land in their 1920s-style car and perform in Buena Vista Street on a stage in front of the Carthay Circle Restaurant, and World of Color is nighttime water and light show on Paradise Bay. During
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#17327832765841164-723: A period known as the Disney Renaissance . Eisner additionally broadened the company's media portfolio by leading the acquisitions of ABC , most of ESPN and The Muppets franchise. Eisner also led major investments and expansion of the company's theme parks both domestically and globally, including the openings of Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) in 1989, Euro Disney (now Disneyland Paris) in 1992, Disney's Animal Kingdom in 1998, Disney's California Adventure Park and Tokyo DisneySea in 2001, Walt Disney Studios Park in 2002 and Hong Kong Disneyland in 2005. Eisner's final years at Disney were tumultuous:
1261-404: A representation of Victorian seaside amusement parks of the 1920s, and some of the area's off-the-shelf rides were either removed outright, (such as Maliboomer ), or re-themed to have more of a focus on Disney characters (such as Mickey's Fun Wheel , Goofy's Sky School , and Silly Symphony Swings ). Cars Land , an area that recreates Radiator Springs from Pixar's Cars franchise, was added to
1358-434: A result, Eisner was well-recognized by children at the company's theme parks who often asked him for autographs. During the second half of the 1980s and early 1990s, Eisner revitalized Disney. Beginning with the films Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) which was brought to Disney by Jeffrey Katzenberg and The Little Mermaid (1989) a Ron Clements idea that Eisner originally panned, its flagship animation studio enjoyed
1455-581: A string of box-office bombs in the early 2000s, public feuds with former associates such as Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steve Jobs , and dissatisfaction with Eisner's management style culminated in the "Save Disney" campaign organized by Roy E. Disney , during which Eisner rapidly lost the confidence of much of Disney's Board of Directors. As a result of the pressure from the campaign, Eisner announced in March 2005 that he would step down as CEO prematurely, handing day-to-day duties to Bob Iger before formally leaving
1552-497: A surprising and unprecedented 43% of Disney's shareholders, predominantly rallied by former board members Roy Disney and Stanley Gold , withheld their proxies to re-elect Eisner to the board. This vote followed a stunning rebuke of Eisner and his executive and chairman practices by both the Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass, Lewis, a shareholder advisory service. Disney's board then gave
1649-608: A very uneven distribution where most people spent most of their time at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure was empty. Now, half of the folks go to one, half of the folks go to the other. It's almost a dream come true." In 2015, the Condor Flats area of the park was re-themed into Grizzly Peak Airfield and was incorporated into the Grizzly Peak area. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror closed in January 2017 and
1746-568: Is a sub-land within Grizzly Peak, themed to an airfield in California's High Sierras in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The area's main attraction is Soarin' , which simulates a hang-glider tour of locations, landscapes and landmarks across six of the world's continents. The area also includes the Smokejumpers Grill restaurant, the shop Humphrey's Service & Supplies, and a decorative fire lookout tower . In August 2024, it
1843-406: Is a tribute to Route 66 and is a recreation of the town of Radiator Springs from Pixar 's Cars franchise on the town's big race day. The land spans 12 acres (49,000 m ) and contains three attractions. The largest attraction, Radiator Springs Racers , is a dark ride that utilizes the technology of Test Track at Epcot . With a budget of an estimated US$ 200 million, Radiator Springs Racers
1940-730: Is also home to The Bakery Tour . The Performance Corridor area hosts the park's parades and cavalcades, with most starting in Paradise Gardens Park and traveling north through the Performance Corridor towards Buena Vista Street . The Performance Corridor area hosts many of the Resort's seasonal and cultural celebrations throughout the year. Some of these celebrations include the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival in
2037-687: Is also home to the 2000-seat Hyperion Theater , which most recently presented Rogers: The Musical . Disney Junior – Live on Stage! opened on March 25, 2011, in the Disney Theater, and has featured stage productions such as Mickey Mouse Clubhouse , Sofia the First , Doc McStuffins , and Jake and the Never Land Pirates . Its final day of performance was April 9, 2017. It was replaced by Disney Junior Dance Party, which opened on May 26, 2017, and currently features Mickey and
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#17327832765842134-550: Is anchored around an Avengers campus located on the former restricted grounds of a California Stark Industries and Strategic Scientific Reserve complex. Attractions and restaurants include Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! , Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure , the Ancient Sanctum , and Pym Test Kitchen. The area's shops include WEB Suppliers, Avengers Vault, and The Collector's Warehouse. Cars Land
2231-614: Is inspired by the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1930s. It includes attractions based on film, television, theater and a subsection called Hollywood Studios , which is designed to appear as an active studio backlot. Found within that subsection is the 3D film Mickey's PhilharMagic and the Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! attraction, a dark ride based on the characters from Disney · Pixar 's Monsters, Inc. The land
2328-630: Is the first area seen upon entering the park. It represents Los Angeles in the 1920s, when Walt Disney first arrived there. Similar to Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland Park, it has shops, restaurants, and a transportation system. Its central hub has entrances to Hollywood Land and Grizzly Peak . In the hub's center, also known as Carthay Circle, is a replica of the Carthay Circle Theater , where Disney 's Snow White and
2425-435: Is the most expensive theme park ride ever built. The other attractions at Cars Land are family attractions with smaller height requirements: Mater's Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters . Mater's Junkyard Jamboree opened with Cars Land in 2012. Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters opened on March 7, 2016, and replaced Luigi's Flying Tires . The land includes several dining and shopping venues. The district serves as
2522-507: Is the second of two theme parks built at the Disneyland Resort complex, after Disneyland . The concept of a theme park dedicated to California arose from a meeting of Disney executives in 1995, following the cancellation of WestCOT , a planned West Coast version of Walt Disney World 's EPCOT Center . Construction of the park began in June 1998 and was completed by early 2001. Disney initially projected high attendance rates at
2619-595: Is themed around California's wilderness and national parks, with particular references to Yosemite and Redwood national parks. Its main attraction is Grizzly River Run , a Gold Rush -esque river rapids ride around the area's summit. Nearby is the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail , a playground area with elements from Disney's Brother Bear (2003) and Pixar 's Up (2009). It has an entrance exclusively accessible to guests of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa . Grizzly Peak Airfield
2716-745: Is underrated". In January 2006, Disney's corporate headquarters in Burbank was renamed to Team Disney – The Michael D. Eisner Building in Eisner's honor. On October 7, 2005, Eisner was a guest host for the Charlie Rose talk show. His guests were John Travolta and his ex-boss, Barry Diller . Impressed with Eisner's performance, CNBC President Mark Hoffman hired Eisner in early 2006 to host his own talk show, Conversations with Michael Eisner . The show mostly featured CEOs, political leaders, artists and actors, until its cancellation in 2009. Eisner
2813-543: The Star Trek film franchise, Ordinary People , Raiders of the Lost Ark , An Officer and a Gentleman , Flashdance , Terms of Endearment , Beverly Hills Cop , and Footloose , and TV shows such as Happy Days , Laverne & Shirley , Cheers and Family Ties . Diller left Paramount on September 30, 1984, and, as his protégé, Eisner expected to assume Diller's position as studio chief. When he
2910-532: The Delaware Court of Chancery , despite describing Eisner's behavior as falling "far short of what shareholders expect and demand from those entrusted with a fiduciary position...", found in favor of Eisner and the rest of the Disney board because they had not violated the duty of care owed by a corporation's officers and board to its shareholders. Despite his record of success while serving as President, CEO and Chairman of The Walt Disney Company, Eisner
3007-739: The Superstar Limo ride, which were closed in 2001 and 2002, respectively. During the 2001 holiday season, Disney's LuminAria was presented on Paradise Bay. In October 2002, Flik's Fun Fair opened as part of the new A Bug's Land area, which added attractions for children, and in May 2004, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror opened, with Who Wants to Be a Millionaire – Play It! closing in August 2004. The park also regularly featured seasonal promotions such as concert series, food festivals, and promotions for other Walt Disney Company franchises including
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3104-416: The X Games and ABC soap operas . Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! opened in the former Superstar Limo building in January 2006. To all who come to this place of dreams, welcome. Disney California Adventure celebrates the spirit of optimism and the promise of endless opportunities, ignited by the imagination of daring dreamers such as Walt Disney and those like him who forever changed—and
3201-494: The 11th-most visited theme park in the world that year. The present-day site of Disney California Adventure was acquired by Walt Disney in the 1950s and functioned as the parking lot of Disneyland for over 40 years. After succeeding with the multi-park business model at Walt Disney World resort in Florida, the Disney company decided to turn Walt Disney's original theme park into a multi-park resort complex as well. Disneyland
3298-766: The 1990s, Eisner and his partners set out to plan "The Disney Decade" which was to feature new parks around the world, existing park expansions, new films, and new media investments. While some of the proposals were completed, most were not. Those completed included the Euro Disney Resort (now Disneyland Paris ) which was vastly over budget, and had low attendance and was acknowledged by Eisner to be his "real financial disappointment", Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios ), Disney's California Adventure Park (now Disney California Adventure ), Disney-MGM Studios Paris (eventually opened in 2002 as Walt Disney Studios Park ), and various film projects including
3395-462: The CEO-designate. Eisner did not initially promote Iger as a successor until after the board put pressure on Eisner to resign. To reporters and contrary to his actual intentions, Eisner remarked that "I would not have agreed to [leave] if it hadn't been Bob. Because of governance, they wanted a big search and everything. ... And by the end of the search, it was clear that I was able to convince
3492-601: The Disneyland Resort in the summer of 2021, but ultimately were reinstated for indoor shops and attractions in July in response to the Delta variant. In February 2022, face masks were made optional for guests who are fully vaccinated. Disney California Adventure is divided into nine themed lands; Buena Vista Street , Hollywood Land , Avengers Campus , Cars Land , San Fransokyo Square, Performance Corridor, Pixar Pier , Paradise Gardens Park , and Grizzly Peak . Buena Vista Street
3589-573: The Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! then becoming part of it. San Fransokyo Square, a re-theme of the Pacific Wharf area, debuted in late August 2023. Disney California Adventure, along with Disneyland , was closed indefinitely starting on March 14, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic . The park was scheduled to reopen alongside Disneyland on July 17, but due to rising cases in California , both parks remained closed. In October 2020, it
3686-644: The Lamplight Lounge. It is connected to Paradise Gardens Park at both ends; its main entrance is via a bridge under a large Pixar Pier gateway. Paradise Gardens Park has direct entrances to Pixar Pier , San Fransokyo Square and Grizzly Peak . Paradise Gardens Park is the main viewing area for the World of Color water show. Paradise Garden's attractions include Goofy's Sky School , Silly Symphony Swings , Jumpin' Jellyfish , Golden Zephyr , and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure . Grizzly Peak
3783-549: The Roadster Racers , Doc McStuffins , and Vampirina . Next door to Disney Theater is the Animation Building, which hosts Sorcerer's Workshop (a walk-through exhibit focused on basic animation), Animation Academy (a workshop that teaches Guests how to draw popular Disney characters), Turtle Talk with Crush , and an Elsa & Anna Meet and Greet. Outside of the Animation Building and Disney Theater are
3880-506: The Sea . The land closed in 2018 and reopened as Pixar Pier . A Bug's Land (stylized "a bug's land") was inspired by Pixar 's 1998 film A Bug's Life , where oversized human items were scattered throughout. It featured Flik's Fun Fair (a collection of themed, family and child-friendly attractions such as Flik's Flyers, Francis' Ladybug Boogie, Tuck & Roll's Drive 'em Buggies, Heimlich's Chew Chew Train , and Dot's Puddle Park). It opened as
3977-623: The Seven Dwarves debuted in 1937. Guests can ride from Buena Vista Street to the end of Hollywood Land on the Red Car Trolley . It stops at Kingswell Camera Shop, and the Carthay Circle Restaurant. Other restaurants along the street include Mortimer's Market; Trolley Treats; Clarabelle's Hand Scooped Ice Cream; and Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe. Main stores along the street include Oswald's, Five & Dime, Big Top Toys, Kingswell Camera Shop, and Elias & Co. Hollywood Land
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4074-504: The Whirl, and Mater's Junkyard Jamboree becomes Mater's Jingle Jamboree. Located between Cars Land and Pixar Pier , San Fransokyo Square is a waterfront neighborhood inspired by California's fishing wharfs. San Fransokyo, as seen in Disney 's 2014 film Big Hero 6 , is a combination of San Francisco and Tokyo . The story of San Fransokyo Square is set after the events of the film, with
4171-577: The board—our newly constructed board—that Bob was great." Within Disney, though, Eisner was telling Board members that Iger lacked "stature". On September 30, Eisner resigned both as an executive and as a member of the board of directors, and, severing all formal ties with the company, he waived his contractual rights to perks such as the use of a corporate jet and an office at the company's Burbank headquarters. While Eisner did much to stabilize and promote Disney in his early years as CEO, his performance in later years garnered much criticism. "Beginning with
4268-407: The chairmanship position to board member George Mitchell . However, the board did not immediately remove Eisner as chief executive. On March 13, 2005, Eisner announced that he would step down as CEO one year before his contract expired, and handed off day-to-day duties to Bob Iger , who had been serving as Disney's President and Chief Operating Officer and had just been selected by the directors as
4365-671: The coast of California. The area is themed after films produced by Pixar Animation Studios , and is divided into four districts; Incredibles Park, Toy Story Boardwalk, Pixar Promenade, and Inside Out Headquarters. Its attractions include the Pixar Pal-A-Round , Incredicoaster , Jessie's Critter Carousel , Games of Pixar Pier , Toy Story Midway Mania , and the Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind. Its main stores are Knick's Knacks, Midway Mercantile, and Bing Bong's Sweet Stuff, and offers table-service dining at
4462-701: The company in September 2005. He went on to create the stop-motion animated sitcom Glenn Martin, DDS in 2009. Eisner was born to an affluent, secular Jewish family in Mount Kisco, New York . His mother, Margaret (née Dammann), whose family founded the American Safety Razor Company , was the president of the Irvington Institute, a hospital that treated children with rheumatic fever . His father, Lester Eisner, Jr.,
4559-418: The company's well-publicized distribution disputes with long-time production partner Pixar Animation Studios and its CEO Steve Jobs , with whom Disney had produced such animated feature film hits as Toy Story , A Bug's Life , Monsters, Inc. , and Finding Nemo , which were critically acclaimed and financially successful for both partners. On March 3, 2004, at Disney's annual shareholders' meeting,
4656-499: The company. Eisner brought in Jeffrey Katzenberg as Walt Disney Studios chairman. A couple of years after becoming chairman and CEO, Eisner became the host of The Wonderful World of Disney , making him the public face of the company as well as its top executive. Eisner was not a performer by profession, and studio management did not believe he could do the hosting job. After filming a test video with his wife Jane and
4753-535: The cost to Disney and the vitriol and publicity they generated, are without parallel in American business history. ... Eisner controlled and manipulated the board by keeping members isolated, preferring to communicate one-on-one; selectively doling out information, access and benefits ... and ruthlessly dispatching anyone who dared challenge him." In his book The Ride of a Lifetime , Bob Iger quotes Eisner answering criticism for micro-managing as saying: "Micromanaging
4850-589: The district was absorbed into the land. Caterpillar ended their sponsorship in 2007 and the area closed in 2010. It was replaced by Cars Land . A tribute to Bountiful Valley Farm can be found in Pym Test Kitchen in Avengers Campus on the labels of the enlarged ketchup and mustard bottles. Paradise Pier opened in 2001 with the park. It featured attractions such as California Screamin' , Maliboomer , The Sun Wheel and King Triton's Carousel of
4947-690: The exception of Carnation Cafe in Main Street, U.S.A. , River Belle Terrace in Frontierland , Club 33 , Blue Bayou Restaurant and Café Orleans in New Orleans Square , and Oga's Cantina in Star Wars : Galaxy's Edge ), Disney California Adventure serves beer, wine, and cocktails throughout its restaurants, stands, and food kiosks. The park also hosts the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival , an annual event featuring
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#17327832765845044-521: The first weeks after the park opens, during spring break and again in the summer." The attendance that year was substantially less than expected, however. This is suggested to have happened as a result of negative reviews from early visitors. For example, Disney had originally planned the park to be aimed at adults, rather than children and families, which became the basis of significant criticism. The park opened to 5 million visitors in 2001 while its sister park Disneyland saw 12.3 million visitors during
5141-535: The founders of Creative Artists Agency , to be President with minimal involvement from Disney's board of directors (which at the time included Oscar-winning actor Sidney Poitier , the CEO of Hilton Hotels Corporation Stephen Bollenbach , former U.S. Senator George Mitchell , Yale dean Robert A. M. Stern , and Eisner's predecessors Raymond Watson and Card Walker ). Ovitz lasted only 14 months, partly due to outright hostility from Sandy Litvak and Steve Bollenbach and
5238-437: The holiday season, a holiday version of the show is offered. In addition, many Disney, Pixar , and Marvel Cinematic Universe characters can be found in the park, greeting visitors. Michael Eisner Michael Dammann Eisner (born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner
5335-476: The lack of attractions appealing to children and the lack of a nighttime show or parade to keep visitors from leaving at nightfall. Within the first year of operation, Disney's Electrical Parade was brought to the park (where it ran until 2010 ) as well as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire – Play It! , and several of the park's original rides and attractions were closed, such as the stage show Disney's Steps in Time and
5432-727: The land's two main stores: Off the Page and Gone Hollywood. The restroom facilities in the district are designed in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright 's Storer House , located in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles. The stamped concrete structure is typical of Wright's pioneering design. Avengers Campus is inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), featuring attractions based on characters originating from Marvel Comics and appearing in MCU media. The area
5529-592: The lavish, even reckless spending on Euro Disney, and continuing with the poorly planned and executed foray into the Internet, and perhaps worst of all, the acquisition of the Fox Family cable network - each of which is a more than $ 1 billion mistake - Eisner squandered Disney's assets. ... This is even before considering the exit of Jeffery Katzenberg, the failure to honour his contract, and the hiring and firing of Michael Ovitz, personnel and judgment errors, which, in
5626-415: The national programming director. Eisner moved up the ranks, eventually becoming a senior vice president in charge of programming and development. In 1976, Diller, who had by then moved on to become chairman of Paramount Pictures , recruited Eisner from ABC and made him president and COO of the movie studio. During his tenure at Paramount, the studio produced films such as Saturday Night Fever , Grease ,
5723-405: The new park; a series of preview openings held in January 2001 led to negative reviews, however, and after the park officially opened to the public, the company's attendance projections were never met. Disney spent the next several years incrementally adding new rides, shows, and attractions, and implementing other promotions aimed at boosting attendance. In 2007, Disney announced a major overhaul of
5820-488: The park also received a modified name; Disney California Adventure. The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure opened on the site formerly occupied by the Golden Dreams theater in June 2011. The most drastic changes to the park included a complete overhaul of the main entrance, Sunshine Plaza, and Paradise Pier and an expansion into the last of the parking area originally designated as future growth space for
5917-447: The park consisting of new expansion as well as re-construction of existing areas of the park. Construction lasted for five years and was completed in stages, culminating with the opening of Buena Vista Street and Cars Land along with the re-dedication of the park in June 2012. The most recent addition to the park was San Fransokyo Square, which opened in August 2023. In 2023 the park hosted approximately 10 million guests, making it
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#17327832765846014-727: The park from March 18 through April 19, 2021. On March 5, 2021, it was announced by the California Department of Public Health that Disney California Adventure was allowed to reopen with capacity restrictions beginning April 1, 2021. Then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek then announced the following week that the company planned on officially reopening the park in late April 2021. On March 17, 2021, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products announced that both Disney California Adventure and Disneyland would officially reopen on April 30, 2021, with limited capacity and social distancing and mask guidelines in effect. Mask policies were relaxed at
6111-426: The park's first expansion in 2002 to expand the park's family-friendly attractions. The land was built around the existing attraction It's Tough to Be a Bug! , a 3D film based on A Bug's Life , which opened with the park in 2001. It's Tough to Be a Bug! closed on March 19, 2018. The rest of A Bug's Land closed on September 4, 2018, to make way for Avengers Campus . When A Bug's Land closed in 2018, Flik's Flyers
6208-566: The park, citing low crowds, though Mondavi remained as a sponsor. In the 2019 documentary series The Imagineering Story , then- Walt Disney Imagineering creative executive Kevin Rafferty described how he and other Imagineers felt about the original entrance design of California Adventure: Much to our chagrin, it didn't adhere to our fundamental design principles of theme park design. There were all these visual cues that were kind of contradictory. There were great big California letters. There
6305-591: The park. As an adult-oriented park-like Epcot, dining, and shopping were the design focus. Construction of the park began on January 22, 1998. On Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland, a Disney's California Adventure Preview Center opened in October 1998. The park's construction was accompanied by Downtown Disney and Disney's Grand Californian Hotel , in addition to renovation of the Disneyland Hotel and
6402-466: The park. The main entrance and Sunshine Plaza were changed from a giant postcard design into Buena Vista Street , a representation of Los Angeles as it appeared when Walt Disney moved there in the 1920s. The giant "California" letters in front of the turnstiles were removed and donated to Cal Expo in Sacramento. Paradise Pier was turned from a contemporary representation of California boardwalks into
6499-546: The re-theming of the Disneyland Pacific Hotel into Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel (known today as Pixar Place Hotel). The park was expected to draw large crowds when it opened on February 8, 2001. There were four districts with 22 shows and attractions and 15 restaurants. On January 14, a Los Angeles Times article stated, "Senior Disney officials acknowledge that there will be days when California Adventure will have to turn patrons away, particularly in
6596-521: The same time frame. Low attendance caused Disney to lower ticket prices for California Adventure, slashing as much as $ 10 off the park's ticket prices. In its first year, the park averaged 5,000 to 9,000 visitors on weekdays and 10,000 to 15,000 on the weekends, despite having a capacity of 33,000. Visitor surveys reported that 20% of visitors to the park in its first year were satisfied with their experience. By October 2001, both Wolfgang Puck and Robert Mondavi had closed their high-profile restaurants in
6693-496: The several attractions to do in California. Based on this, Disney decided it would instead build a park themed to California's history and culture to keep guests at the resort instead of going off-site. This would require less expensive hotels, a single parking garage, and very little additional property acquisition, with most of the park residing on the Disneyland parking lot. Then-Disneyland president Paul Pressler relied on merchandising and retail staff instead of Imagineers to design
6790-405: The southeast portion of the park and features three rides, including the E ticket Radiator Springs Racers . Construction was completed in 2012 and the park was then re-dedicated on June 15, 2012. The redesign and expansion of the park saw attendance rates increase dramatically. In 2012, Disney California Adventure reached a record high for the park of over 7 million visitors (a 23% increase from
6887-688: The spring, the Dia de los Muertos celebration during the fall (with two shows, A Musical Celebration of Coco and Mariachi Divas ), the Festival of the Holidays (with "Disney Viva Navidad Street Party" and "Mickey's Happy Holidays"), and the Lunar New Year Festival (with "Mulan's Lunar New Year Processional"). The area has no attractions, but several dining locations. Pixar Pier is inspired by Victorian boardwalks that were once found along
6984-461: The time, gathered company executives in Aspen, Colorado , to think of another idea for a second theme park in California. They broke down the Disneyland problem as follows: The majority of the people visiting Disneyland consisted primarily of California residents, locals, or those traveling from nearby states. Those who were visiting from another state or another country, probably had Disneyland as one of
7081-605: The waterfront neighborhood holding a celebration in honor of the Big Hero 6 superhero team. Most of the signage in the area includes Japanese translations. The area's restaurants include Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop, Lucky Fortune Cookery, Aunt Cass Café ( Boudin Bakery ), Rita's Turbine Blenders, Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill, and Port of San Fransokyo Cervecería ( Karl Strauss Brewing Company ). The area's shops include San Fransokyo Maker's Market. San Fransokyo Square
7178-508: The year before), a number Disney had hoped the park would attain in its first year. The day of the park's rededication saw the park draw a record number of 43,000 visitors in one day. The night before the rededication, over 500 people camped outside of the park in order to be the first admitted in. Two days later, the park hit a new record of 45,000 visitors. In 2013, speaking on the attendance increase at Disney California Adventure, Jay Rasulo , then-Disney's chief financial officer, said: "We had
7275-432: Was $ 280 million. Katzenberg went on to found DreamWorks SKG , with partners Steven Spielberg and David Geffen . Eisner recalled that " Roy E. Disney , who did not like him at all — I forget the reason, but Jeffrey probably did not treat him the way that Roy would have wanted to be treated — said to me, 'If you make him the president, I will start a proxy fight.'" Eisner then recruited his friend Michael Ovitz , one of
7372-421: Was a brand withdrawal." Iger briefly considered combining California Adventure and Disneyland Park into one large park, but the price would have cost as much as completely remodeling California Adventure. On October 17, 2007, The Walt Disney Company announced a multi-year, $ 1.1 billion redesign and expansion plan for Disney's California Adventure Park (against its initial $ 600 million cost to build). Each district
7469-575: Was a lawyer and regional administrator of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development . His great-grandfather, Sigmund Eisner , established a successful clothing company that was one of the first uniform suppliers to the Boy Scouts of America and his great-grandmother, Bertha Weiss, belonged to an immigrant family that established the town of Red Bank, New Jersey . Eisner has one sister, Margot Freedman. He
7566-685: Was a stylized Golden Gate Bridge that was kind of foreshortened and was kind of fake and suggested that this wasn't a real place, and the supergraphics on the toy store. And the first statement that you saw when you walked into the gate with the sharp sun. And you know, frankly, you could have seen that at a shopping mall in Newport Beach . It's like 'why is it here?' Reflecting on the park's initial reception in The Imagineering Story , Barry Braverman, executive producer of California Adventure (1995–2001) stated; What we really had
7663-438: Was also an executive producer of the show. In March 2007, Eisner's investment firm, The Tornante Company , launched a studio, Vuguru , that produces and distributes videos for the Internet, portable media devices and cell phones. In October 2007, Eisner, through his Tornante Company investment firm, partnered with Madison Dearborn Partners in the acquisition of Topps Company , the bubble-gum and collectibles firm. He produced
7760-443: Was also known for his habit of integrating much of his Paramount films with Disney. These moves were seen as unfavorable, and led to Eisner’s isolation from other Disney executives by 1995. On November 30, 2003, Roy E. Disney , the son and nephew of co-founders Roy O. Disney and Walt Disney , respectively, resigned from his positions as Disney vice chairman and chairman of Walt Disney Feature Animation . His reasons for resigning
7857-526: Was announced that Buena Vista Street would open as an expansion of the Downtown Disney District . This expansion would allow for additional shops and dining options for visitors to the Disneyland Resort, while the parks remained closed under State guidelines. In February 2021, Disney California Adventure announced there would be a limited-capacity ticketed event called "A Touch of Disney", which would allow Disney fans to shop and eat around
7954-460: Was announced that the park will receive two new attractions for Avengers Campus , with construction scheduled to start on them in 2025, as well as a ride based on Pixar 's 2017 film Coco , which is scheduled to start construction in 2026. In addition, it was announced that the park will receive an area inspired by the film Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), its upcoming sequel Fire and Ash (2025), and future Avatar films. Sunshine Plaza
8051-549: Was boxed-in, however, because of the growth of Anaheim around the park; while the Walt Disney World property was 30,000 acres at the time, the Disneyland site was about 400. This consisted of the park itself, the 100-acre parking lot, and the newly acquired Disneyland Hotel and vacation property from the Wrather Corporation. In 1991, Disney announced plans to build WestCOT , a west coast version of what
8148-562: Was forever changed by—The Golden State. This unique place embraces the richness and diversity of California... Its land, its people, its stories, and, above all, the dreamers it continues to inspire. Robert A. Iger , June 15, 2012, On the plaque of the flagpole in Buena Vista Plaza on Buena Vista Street By 2007, Disney began making plans for major updates to the park. CEO Bob Iger said, "Any time you do something mediocre with your brand, that's withdrawal. California Adventure
8245-585: Was his feeling that there was too much micromanagement within the studio, flops with the ABC television network, the company's growing timidity in the theme park business, the Walt Disney Company turning into a "rapacious, soul-less" company, Eisner's refusal to establish a clear succession plan, as well as the studio releasing a string of box-office movie failures starting in the year 2000, such as The Emperor's New Groove and Treasure Planet , and
8342-407: Was locals who love Disneyland for good reason, basically faced with a choice. Are you going to go to Disneyland or to California Adventure? Equally priced. One with one-third as many attractions, and fewer characters, and things that were intentional on our part to differentiate it. And that's a competition that California Adventure couldn't win. Two major criticisms of the park in its first year were
8439-480: Was one of the park's original attractions, and opened to the public on February 8, 2001. It was later re-themed after the 2003 Disney animated film Brother Bear and featured character meeting areas for characters from the film as well as an amphitheater show called The Magic of Brother Bear . It was later themed after the 2009 Disney - Pixar film Up , and centered on the Wilderness Explorers,
8536-504: Was passed over for the job, though, he left to look for work elsewhere and lobbied for the position of CEO of The Walt Disney Company . Following the deaths of founders Walt Disney in 1966, and Roy O. Disney in 1971, The Walt Disney Company narrowly survived several takeover attempts. Its shareholders Sid Bass and Roy E. Disney brought in Eisner (as CEO and chairman of the board) and former Warner Bros. chief Frank Wells (as president) to replace Ron W. Miller in 1984 and strengthen
8633-466: Was president of rival film studio Paramount Pictures from 1976 to 1984, and had brief stints at the major television networks NBC , CBS , and ABC . Eisner's 21-year stint at Disney saw the revitalization of the company's poorly performing animation studios with successful films such as The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The Lion King (1994),
8730-402: Was primarily an outdoor food court . In September 2022, it was announced that Pacific Wharf would be re-themed to San Fransokyo, a combination of San Francisco and Tokyo , as seen in Disney 's 2014 film Big Hero 6 . In February 2023, it was announced that the name of the re-themed area would be San Fransokyo Square. The area debuted on August 31, 2023. Unlike Disneyland Park (with
8827-878: Was raised on Park Avenue in Manhattan. He attended the Allen-Stevenson School kindergarten through ninth grade followed by The Lawrenceville School in 10th through his senior year and graduated from Denison University in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in English. He is a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity and credits much of his success to his time at Keewaydin Canoe Camp for boys in Vermont . After two brief stints at NBC and CBS , Barry Diller at ABC hired Eisner as assistant to
8924-497: Was re-themed into Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind, inspired by Pixar's 2015 film Inside Out , and relocated to Pixar Pier . Located between Cars Land and Pixar Pier , Pacific Wharf was themed to resemble the old waterfront of Monterey, California as a tribute to its fishing industry. Its attractions were The Bakery Tour and the Walt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar . This area
9021-576: Was reimagined to transform the park from a spoof of modern California culture to a romanticized, idealized version of the state, exploring specific time periods and historic settings inspired by Disney and Pixar stories. The project began in December 2007 and was completed in stages. Toy Story Midway Mania! opened in Paradise Pier in June 2008, in space formerly occupied by a store and restaurants. World of Color , nighttime water and lights show on Paradise Bay, opened in June 2010. That same year,
9118-573: Was removed to make room for Avengers Campus . In addition, Jessie's Critter Carousel (a re-theme of King Triton's Carousel of the Sea) officially opened in Pixar Pier in April 2019, and A Bug's Land spinner ride Flik's Flyers was re-themed into Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind and relocated to Pixar Pier later that year at the former site of Maliboomer . Avengers Campus opened in 2021, with Guardians of
9215-407: Was replaced with Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! , which opened in summer of the same year. Pixar Pier , a re-theme of Paradise Pier, debuted in June 2018, with the area that includes Silly Symphony Swings , Jumpin' Jellyfish , Goofy's Sky School , Golden Zephyr and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure becoming Paradise Gardens Park . In September 2018, A Bug's Land
9312-443: Was the first land guests would find after entering Disney California Adventure. It featured two stores, Engine Ears Toys and Greetings from California. At the center of the plaza was the "Sun Icon". The land closed in 2010 and was replaced by Buena Vista Street in 2012. Bountiful Valley Farm was a themed area presented by Caterpillar . It featured farm equipment, different crops, and fake animals. When A Bug's Land opened in 2002,
9409-442: Was then known as EPCOT Center , on the site of Disneyland's parking lot. The price tag of the proposed park was high and the company was facing financial and public relation problems with the newly opened Euro Disneyland (now Disneyland Paris). Additionally, Disney president Frank Wells died in a helicopter crash in 1994. These issues led Disney to cancel WestCOT in 1995. In the summer of 1995, Michael Eisner , Disney's CEO at
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