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Today’s photo essay began in 2013 as part of a series of “then and now” comparisons of parts of Disney California Adventure. The subject was Paradise Pier, which had changed considerably since 2002, the park’s first full year. Earlier this year, Paradise Pier became Pixar Pier—so it’s time for a third look.
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002 2002 - Paradise Pier portal |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 2013 - Paradise Pier portal |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2018 2018 - Pixar Pier portal |
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Paradise Pier’s entrance portal promised “Fun in the Sun for Everyone.” Pixar Pier reuses the same structures, but with more attention to architectural details. The odd purple swirl dome is now a double onion dome. What had been Treasures in Paradise in the first two photos is now Knick’s Knacks. What had been Avalon Cove and The Cove Bar in 2002 and Ariel’s Grotto and The Cove Bar in 2012 is now Lamplight Lounge. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002 2002 - California Screamin’ launch, track, and loop |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 2013 - California Screamin’ launch, track, and loop |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2018 2018 - Incredicoaster launch, track, and loop |
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California Screamin’ was billed as the “high-speed thrill ride that recalls the great wooden roller coasters of yesteryear”—even though it was not a wooden roller coaster. There are major differences between the first two photos. The most obvious is that the Mickey ears behind the loop are gone, and Toy Story Midway Mania replaced miscellaneous food and photo facilities. With the transition to Pixar Pier, California Screamin’ became Incredicoaster, themed to Pixar’s Incredibles franchise. The loop and the coaster hill behind it received a third redo. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002 2002 - California Screamin’ launch and Sun Wheel |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 2013 - California Screamin’ launch and Mickey’s Fun Wheel |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2018 2018 - Incredicoaster launch and Pixar Pal-A-Round |
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The Sun Wheel became Mickey’s Fun Wheel. Now it’s Pixar Pal-A-Round—which still features the classic Mickey Mouse face of its predecessor. In the 2002 photo, look for Maliboomer mostly hidden behind the Sun Wheel. Also, note that the “orange peel” of the Orange Stinger was huge. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002 2002 - California Screamin’ loop |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 2013 - California Screamin’ loop |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2018 2018 - Incredicoaster loop |
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This closer look at the loop now shows how the color scheme for Toy Story Midway Mania has changed. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002 2002 - California Screamin’ and Games of the Boardwalk |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 2013 - California Screamin’ and Games of the Boardwalk |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2018 2018 - Incredicoaster and Games Of Pixar Pier |
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At the ground level, Games of the Boardwalk originally looked cheap and lacked a connection to any particular point in time. Within a few years, charming Victorian era façades provided a better sense of time and place. Expanded, fully-enclosed sound barriers along parts of the Incredicoaster track contain Incredibles show elements. Oddly, the roller coaster framework is still decorated with golden suns, echoing the “Yester suns” of Sunshine Plaza and the Sun Wheel. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002 2002 - Games of the Boardwalk at Paradise Pier |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 2013 - Games of the Boardwalk at Paradise Pier |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2018 2018 - Games of Pixar Pier and the Pixar Promenade arch (2018) |
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The first two photos above provide another chance to compare the Games of the Boardwalk in their original and upgraded incarnations. Somehow, the strange Point Mugu Tattoo sign survived until the transformation to Pixar Pier. |
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Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002 2002 - Midway Shops at Paradise Pier, looking toward Maliboomer |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013 2013 - Midway Shops at Paradise Pier, with Maliboomer gone |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2018 2018 - Pixar Promenade and Bing Bong’s Sweet Stuff at Pixar Pier |
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The most notable difference between the first two photos above is that the bizarre Man, Hat n’ Beach jack-in-the-box clown is gone. He was replaced by the Boardwalk Bazaar façade. At first glance, Sideshow Shirts may look unchanged because the signs are the same. But notice the other improvements to the Midway Shops, such as clapboard siding and period architectural details instead of brightly colored stucco. The third photo shows how this section now looks completely different—although these are just new façades on old existing structures. The transformation of Paradise Pier into Pixar Pier can be summed up as a new look for an existing land, with improvements large and small. |
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© 2013-2018 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated October 26, 2018. |
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, Curator of Yesterland, October 26, 2018.
