Pixar Pier and Paradise Gardens Park

Pixar Pier and Paradise Gardens Park are themed lands at Disney California Adventure, based on that of Victorian boardwalks that were once found along the coast of California. Despite its name and the presence of a nearby man-made lake, Pixar Pier is not actually a pier, but a waterside area of the park. Incredicoaster sprawls across much of the area, with various other attractions and forms of entertainment scattered around it.

Pixar Pier and Paradise Gardens Park
Pixar Pier in 2019
Coordinates33°48′18″N 117°55′20″W
ThemeA Victorian era seaside amusement park
Attractions
Total29
Roller coasters2
Other rides7
Shows1
Disney California Adventure
StatusOperating
OpenedFebruary 8, 2001 (as Paradise Pier)
June 23, 2018 (as Pixar Pier & Paradise Gardens Park)
ReplacedJune 22, 2018 (as Paradise Pier)

The area opened as Paradise Pier in 2001 along with the rest of the theme park. A new attraction, Toy Story Midway Mania!, opened on June 17, 2008. The attraction was the first in a series of theming upgrades to the land and park as a whole. This was followed by changes to the Sun Wheel to become Mickey's Fun Wheel, removing the ears of the Mickey head behind California Screamin’s vertical loop, and new Games of the Boardwalk in 2009. In 2010, World of Color and Silly Symphony Swings were added. To complete the Paradise Pier makeover, Disney opened Goofy's Sky School and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure.

Part of Paradise Pier was reimagined as Pixar Pier, which opened on June 23, 2018.[1] The area that includes Paradise Gardens, Goofy’s Sky School, Silly Symphony Swings, Jumpin' Jellyfish, Golden Zephyr, and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure was renamed Paradise Gardens Park.[2][3]

History
Pixar Pier's marquee (before Luxor Jr. animatronic installation) at night.

When the park first opened in 2001, Paradise Pier originally resembled a modern seaside amusement park, similar to that of the Santa Monica Pier, or Santa Cruz Boardwalk. As part of the Disney California Adventure $1.1 billion expansion project, Paradise Pier was re-themed to evoke the charm of Victorian era seaside amusement parks of the 1920s.

The first change was the addition of Toy Story Midway Mania!, which opened on June 17, 2008. The boardwalk games were then re-themed to incorporate more familiar Disney characters (completed on April 7, 2009), and the Sun Wheel was transformed into Mickey's Fun Wheel with a new color scheme, new lighting effects, and a "pie-eyed" Mickey Mouse face replacing the original sun face (completed on May 4, 2009). Following these changes, the "Route 66" area was completely re-themed, with the "S.S. rustworthy", and "Dinosaur Jack's Sunglass Shack" being completely demolished. The Orange Stinger underwent extensive re-theming to become Silly Symphony Swings, based on Walt Disney's 1935 short film The Band Concert. Silly Symphony Swings opened on May 28, 2010. Cosmetic changes were also made to California Screamin': the Mickey Mouse silhouette was altered to represent a sunburst pattern, with a large Paradise Pier sign hanging above the loop, and the scream tubes were also repainted a darker shade of blue.

Walt Disney Imagineering created World of Color, a new nighttime spectacular featuring fountains and projection effects, for Paradise Bay. An area on the northern waterfront was repurposed into a viewing area for the show, known as Paradise Park. World of Color premiered on June 11, 2010, and plays nightly.

The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure—which replaced Golden Dreams—opened June 3, 2011. As of November 2010, Mulholland Madness was closed and reopened July 1, 2011, as "Goofy's Sky School", inspired by Walt Disney's 1940 short film Goofy's Glider.

On June 23, 2018, part of Paradise Pier reopened as Pixar Pier, inspired by films from Pixar Animation Studios. California Screamin' became the Incredicoaster, Mickey's Fun Wheel opened as the Pixar Pal-A-Round, with Pixar characters on its gondolas.[3] The Luxor Jr. animatronic was installed on the top of Pixar Pier's marquee, four months later, in October.[4] Jessie's Critter Carousel opened in 2019 taking the place of King Triton's carousel. The Maliboomer closed in 2010 and was unused garden space until it was replaced by the Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind attraction in 2019.[3][2][5]

Pixar Pier features

Attractions and entertainment

Restaurants
  • Lamplight Lounge
  • Jack-Jack Cookie Num Nums
  • Poultry Palace
  • Angry Dogs
  • Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats
  • Señor Buzz Churros

Shops
  • Knick's Knacks
  • Midway Mercantile
  • Bing Bong's Sweet Stuff

Characters

Paradise Gardens Park features

Attractions and entertainment

Restaurants
  • Bayside Brews
  • Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta
  • Corn Dog Castle
  • Paradise Garden Grill

Shops
  • Embarcadero Gifts
  • Seaside Souvenirs

Retired features

Former attractions
  • Disney's LuminAria: A holiday themed pyrotechnics show on Paradise Bay. Guest were invited to design holiday greeting cards at a special LuminAria greeting card making station inside the park, in which select cards would be used and presented during the actual show. The show was only presented during the holiday season of 2001, due to the intense amount of smoke the show would generate, and its proximity to park guests. Although the show was never presented again after 2001, a mirrored "island" structure which was used in the show remained in the center of "Paradise Bay" for several years.[7]
  • Disney's Electrical parade: the second to last version of the Main Street Electrical Parade in the west coast which opened with Disney California Adventure in February 2001, and was shipped to Florida in 2010.
  • Maliboomer: a "space shot" ride which shot rides up a 180-foot tower. The ride was closed and removed in 2010 and replaced with a park, as well as Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind.[8]
  • Mulholland Madness: a "wild mouse" rollercoaster themed to California freeways. The ride was closed in 2010 and re-themed as "Goofy's Sky School".[9]
  • Orange Stinger: a swing ride inside a giant orange peel structure, which featured seats shaped like bees, and an orange scent inside the ride. The bee shaped seats were removed shortly after park opening due to being damaged from seats bumping into each other, and the orange scent was discontinued after it was attracting real bees. The ride was closed in 2009 and extensively remodeled. The giant orange peel structure was completely removed, and the ride was renamed "Silly Symphony Swings".[10]
  • S.S. rustworthy: an outdoor play area themed to a run-down fireboat, which was located in the "Route 66" section of Paradise Pier. A portion of the play area adjacent to the Orange Stinger/Silly Symphony Swings was closed and demolished in early 2010 as part of that attraction's renovation. The main play area closed on September 7, 2010, and was demolished; its site is now used as seating area for the Paradise Garden Grill and Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta restaurants.
  • Sun Wheel: ferris wheel inspired by Coney Island's 1927 Wonder Wheel, which featured swinging and stationary gondolas and a large replica of a sun face in the center. The ride closed in October 2008 and reopened as Mickey's Fun Wheel on May 8, 2009.[11]
  • Rockin' The Bay Concert Series: a Series of concerts on Paradise Bay.[12]
  • Lilo & Stitch's Ohana Luau: a small show featuring Lilo and Stitch from the 2002 Disney animated film Lilo & Stitch.[13]
  • Rockin' California Screamin': in 2007, as a promotion for the park, "California Screamin'" was given a temporary new soundtrack by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
  • Original Games of the Boardwalk: the original consisted of 7 games. 3 of the games were later removed as part of the park's expansion.[14]
  • Golden Dreams: a film presentation hosted by Whoopi Goldberg about the history of the state of California, with a focus on the contributions of individuals and particular ethnic groups. The attraction was located in "The Bay Area" section of the park. As a result of declining attendance, the movie had its last public performance on September 7, 2008, and the theater building was demolished in July 2009. "The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure" was built on the former theater's site and opened on June 3, 2011; the current attraction is part of Paradise Gardens Park. The replica of the Palace of Fine Arts rotunda that stood at the entrance to Golden Dreams was repainted and still stands at the entrance to the present-day attraction.[15]
  • California Screamin': Closed on January 8, 2018, it reopened as Incredicoaster on June 23, 2018.[3]
  • King Triton's Carousel of the Sea: Closed on March 5, 2018, it was replaced by Jessie's Critter Carousel in April 2019.

Former shops and restaurants
  • Burger Invasion : a former burger restaurant which was sponsored by McDonald's Corporation, and served McDonald's food. After the sponsorship was not renewed in 2010, the building was closed and renovated in 2011. The location was renamed "Paradise Garden Grill", with new Mediterranean inspired décor.[16]
  • Pizza Oom Mow Mow: renovated in 2011 and renamed "Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta".[17]
  • Dinosaur Jack's Sunglass Shack: a Route 66 themed sunglass shop inside a pink dinosaur shaped building, located next to "Muholland Madness". The building was painted green in 2009, and was later completely demolished in 2011.[18]
  • Avalon Cove By Wolfgang Puck: a fine dining restaurant sponsored by Wolfgang Puck. The sponsorship was dropped eight months after the park first opened due to low revenues. The restaurant was renamed "Ariel's Grotto".[19]
  • Souvenir 66: a Route 66 themed souvenir stand. The location was repainted and re-themed in 2011, and renamed "Seaside Souvenirs".[20]
  • Malibu-Ritos: a counter service food location serving burritos. The restaurant closed permanently in 2001 only a few weeks after park opening, due to low park attendance and sat empty for several years. The empty location was permanently removed in 2006 to make way for "Toy Story Midway Mania!".[21]
  • Pacific Ocean Photos: a photography studio and shop selling photos of park guests. The store was demolished in 2006 to make way for "Toy Story Midway Mania!".[22]
  • Reboundo Beach: a "pay-per-play" game involving shooting basketballs into hoops. The game was removed in 2010 to allow construction of seating for the "Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta" restaurant.[23]
  • Boardwalk Betsy's Strips, Dips 'n' Chips: a counter service food location serving fried foods, located under the loop of "California Screamin'". The location was demolished in 2006 to make way for "Toy Story Midway Mania!", with the restaurant's menu being made available at Bountiful Valley Farm, before being permanently retired from the park in 2010.[24]
  • Paradise Pier Ice Cream Company (Originally Catch-A-Flave): a counter service ice cream location that closed in January 2018 and was replaced by Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats, inspired by Disney·Pixar's Monsters, Inc..

References
  1. Glover, Erin. "Pixar Pier to Open June 23 at Disney California Adventure Park; New 'Incredibles' Float to Join 'Paint the Night' Parade". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  2. Glover, Erin. "New Pixar Pier to Bring Favorite Pixar Stories to Life at Disney California Adventure Park; Limited-Time Pixar Fest Celebration Coming Throughout Disneyland Resort". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  3. Glover, Erin (November 2, 2017). "Pixar Pier to Bring New Incredicoaster and More to Disney California Adventure Park Summer 2018". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  4. Soberman·October 31, Matthew; Read, 2018·1 Min (October 31, 2018). "PHOTOS, VIDEO: Luxo Jr. Animatronic Arrives at Pixar Pier". WDW News Today. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  5. https://nerdist.com/pixar-pier-disney-california-adventure-2018/
  6. Weiss Werner. "Disney's LuminAria". Yesterland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  7. Weiss Werner. "Maliboomer". Yesterland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  8. Weiss Werner. "Mulholland Madness". Yesterland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  9. Weiss Werner. "Orange Stinger". Yesterland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  10. Weiss Werner. "Sun Wheel". Yesterland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  11. Weiss Werner. "Rockin' the Bay". Yesterland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  12. Weiss Werner. "Lilo & Stitch's Ohana Luau". Yesterland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  13. Weiss Werner. "Games of the Boardwalk". Yesterland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  14. Weiss Werner. "Golden Dreams". Yesterland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  15. Weiss Werner. "Burger Invasion". Yesterland.com.
  16. Weiss Werner. "Pizza Oom Mow Mow". Yesterland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  17. Weiss Werner. "Sunglass Shack". Yesterland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  18. Weiss Werner. "Avalon Cove". Yesterland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  19. Weiss Werner. "Souvenir 66". Yesterland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  20. Weiss Werner. "Malibu-Ritos". Yesterland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  21. Weiss Werner. "Pacific Ocean Photos". Yesterland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  22. Weiss Werner. "Reboundo Beach". Yesterland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  23. Weiss Werner. "Strips, Dips 'n' Chips". Yesterland.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
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