We’re bringing the excitement of the newly expanded Disney California Adventure park to Pasadena, Calif., with a Cars Land-inspired float in the 124th Rose Parade on January 1, 2013! This year’s parade theme is “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” – which is perfect for a story like “Cars,” in which the journey is as much a part of the experience as the destination.
My favorite thing about Tournament of Roses Parade floats are all the moving pieces, and this float will have plenty! Our Cars Land float will come to life with a bouncing tire from Luigi’s Flying Tires, a bubbling “Original Radiator Spring,” real waterfalls and smoke-puffing baby tractors – you have to tune in to the parade to see all the amazing features for yourself!
The first Rose Parade was held on January 1, 1890, as a way for the city of Pasadena to show off its abundance of fresh flowers; parade entrants would decorate their carriages with hundreds of blooms. Today, the Rose Parade floats feature high-tech animation and natural materials from around the world.
Be sure to watch the 124th Rose Parade – either in person on January 1, 2013, in Pasadena or live on ABC-TV.
We reported last month that Disney would be real releasing an album consisting of some songs from the Carthay Circle Theater’s background music loop. Here it is…
In the wake of the extremely popular “Music from Cars Land” album, another new CD comes out November 6 that has already become a favorite among Disney cast members. “The Circle Sessions: The Music of Carthay Circle” offers, for the first time, sparkling jazz versions of great Disney songs, selected from the soundtrack of the Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge at Disney California Adventure park!
“We really wanted to capture music across all generations and breathe new life into treasured and familiar songs,” said John Dennis, Director, Music Production, Walt Disney Imagineering, who is music supervisor and producer of the new album. “Everyone involved wanted to allow the variations to weave a different tapestry for our guests.”
Even though several of the songs were created after the themed 1937 setting of the restaurant, the smooth, evocative jazz approach is right at home in the period. But choosing from the voluminous catalog of Disney songs was a daunting task. In cooperation with Chris Montan, President of Walt Disney Music, these are the eclectic, wide-ranging gems they mined for a fresh, yet classic, jazz approach:
*Best Original Song Academy Award nominee
**Best Original Song Academy Award winner
***Best Original Score Academy Award Winner
Not only does the CD feature some of the most beloved Disney songs with an upbeat, sophisticated twist, but this timeless collection also creates an ambiance that allows the listener to feel like they are in another time and place.
“Did you know that the selection of music actually changes from the downstairs to the upstairs?” fellow Disney Parks Blog writer Michelle Harker asked me—and I did not know that! “Guests on the first level will often hear these pieces represented by an ensemble trio, while those dining in the restaurant upstairs, will enjoy the same music but in a variety of light jazz piano tones.”
John is quick to point out the musical virtuosity behind this music. On piano is the album’s arranger, Bill Cantos, who has worked with a “who’s who” of the music industry, including Herb Alpert, Lani Hall, Elton John, Phil Collins, Bob Dylan and Burt Bacharach. And while we’re name-dropping, the album was produced by 11-time Grammy nominee Bill Schnee—who has helped such stars as Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Natalie Cole and Whitney Houston to Gold Record awards—and Todd Homme, a longtime music supervisor/producer of music for Disney feature films as well as award winning films such as “Almost Famous,” “Catch Me if You Can” and “Saving Private Ryan.”
Both Bills, as well as every musician you’ll hear, are among the most sought-after music names in Hollywood, heard on countless movie and TV soundtracks, as well as best-selling recordings. You can catch a glimpse of them making this music in Valarie Sukovaty’s“Cue the Dining Music at Carthay Circle Restaurant” post.
Here at Disney, we’re no strangers to hyperbole, as you probably have noticed. But in the case of “The Circle Sessions: The Music of Carthay Circle,” everyone involved has become especially attached to the quality and magic of these performances. “I’ve already been told things like, ‘I play this over and over and never tire of hearing it,’” says John. “Best of all, this CD is the perfect way for parents to introduce their children to jazz music. I feel so privileged to have been part of this project—and that’s probably one of the best reasons.”
Look for “The Circle Sessions: The Music of Carthay Circle” beginning Tuesday, November 6 at Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge, and at nearby locations such as Elias & Co. and Off the Page in Disney California Adventure park. (And if you like this album, allow me to also recommend the landmark “Dave Digs Disney” by the iconic Dave Brubeck Trio, one of several albums that paved the way.)
For information on purchasing select Disney merchandise items, call Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Merchandise Guest Services at 1-877-560-6477 or send an email to merchandiseguestservices@disney.go.com.
Buena Vista Street is filled with dreams of a bright future for all, and this Yuletide season promises to be even brighter as this happy, bustling community celebrates its first Christmas with joyous new traditions.
Shopkeepers up and down the street have decorated for the holidays, but inside the lavish Elias & Co. department store, they’ve gone all out to create a winter wonderland for the arrival of Santa Claus. Here, wide-eyed children may take a seat alongside the jolly old elf to share with him their fondest wishes for Christmas morning.
Another new idea really struck a chord after a holiday committee meeting of the Buena Vista Street Chamber of Commerce. Wishing to serve their community, eight individuals decided to form a volunteer holiday troupe, calling themselves the Buena Vista Street Community Bell Ringers. Acting as a spirited, traveling “welcome wagon” to anyone visiting this friendly neighborhood, the Bell Ringers take their festive cheer to the street, encouraging others to join in spontaneous ring-along sing-alongs of familiar holiday tunes.
As dusk falls each evening, the Buena Vista Street Community Bell Ringers will gather in Carthay Circle with their fellow Citizens of Buena Vista Street. The sound of bells rings out, and everyone is invited to join together in the lighting of the town’s Christmas tree, wishing goodwill and joy to one and all!
You’re all invited to come join in the merriment, November 12 through January 6, at Disney California Adventurepark.
Expanded Disney California Adventure Park Features New Entrance Themed to Los Angeles of the 1920s and ’30s, When Walt Disney Arrived With Big Dreams and Plans for an Animation Studio
ANAHEIM, Calif., June 6, 2012 – When guests walk into a Disney theme park, they find themselves in a place apart from the everyday world they leave behind. At Disneyland Park, the adventure begins on turn-of-the-century Main Street, U.S.A. At the newly expanded Disney California Adventure Park, it now begins on Buena Vista Street, a nostalgic look at Los Angeles as it may have appeared to Walt Disney in the 1920s and ’30s when he first arrived in California.
Buena Vista Street welcomes guests to a very specific “Disney California Adventure,” the adventure of a young Walt Disney stepping off the train from Kansas City and into 1920s Los Angeles, the beginning of a wonderful, inspirational period of his life. The dynamic themed environment transports guests to another era, along this boulevard of dreams.
“One of the main things we’re trying to do with Buena Vista Street is create an emotional connection for guests when they walk in,” explained Lisa Girolami, senior show producer and director, Walt Disney Imagineering. “We want people to take in the architecture and the color and the ornamentation, to know where they are and what time it is. The whole street comes alive to put you right there in the steps of Walt when he first stepped off the train in California, with all the optimism and opportunity he felt was there for him at the time.”
On Buena Vista Street, guests board the Red Car Trolley to take a tour and clang-clang-clang their way into Hollywood Land. The tour includes Carthay Circle Theatre, a striking, new Disney California Adventure landmark that stands at the hub of the park, with a beautiful fountain and avenues that lead to the eight themed lands of Disney California Adventure. It’s also home to one of the premier dining locations at Disneyland Resort, the Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge. Guests may stroll around a Buena Vista Street “downtown” featuring vintage architecture and a dozen shops and restaurants.
Buena Vista Street Landmarks
The new entry turnstiles of Disney California Adventure are inspired by the Pan-Pacific Auditorium. The Pan-Pacific was designed by architect Welton Becket. Disney is said to have consulted his friend Becket when he was planning Disneyland in the 1950s. Becket told Walt he already had all the talent he needed at the Disney Studios. That talent was the creative team that became Walt Disney Imagineering.
Entering the turnstiles, guests find themselves in Buena Vista Plaza, a town square with a flag pole, a stop for the Red Car Trolley, and Oswald’s gas station. Passing through the town square, guests walk under Hyperion Bridge(the Disneyland Resort Monorail track), modeled on the concrete Glendale-Hyperion Avenue bridge near Walt Disney’s early Hyperion Animation Studios.
Past Hyperion Bridge and into the central entry plaza, which leads into the eight themed lands of Disney California Adventure, guests will find Carthay Circle Theatre, inspired by the motion picture palace where “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” premiered in 1937. It’s the home of the Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge.
The Carthay Circle Theatre stands 89 feet 6 inches to the top of the cupola spire. It is approximately a ¾ scale to the original Carthay Circle Theatre building. In comparison, Sleeping Beauty Castle stands 77-feet high, with a design that makes it appear taller through forced perspective.
The central plaza is also home to “Storytellers,” a statue of Walt Disney with Mickey Mouse. Placed at street level and less monumental than the “Partners” statue in Disneyland, “Storytellers” depicts Walt Disney as a humble, optimistic young man, dreaming of achievements to come, standing alongside Mickey Mouse.
A New Attraction – Red Car Trolley
Inspired by, and lovingly modeled on the historic Pacific Electric Railway system which operated in Southern California from 1901 through 1961, the Red Car Trolley runs through Buena Vista Street and into Hollywood Land, making multiple stops until it arrives at the Hollywood Tower Hotel, aka The Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror.
The red cars of the Red Car Trolley are modeled on two Pacific Electric Railway designs, representing different eras of the system’s history. The attraction evokes the original Red Car line with large windows all the way around the cars, a distinctive single headlight in the center of the front panel, and even overhead “catenary” electrical lines (all part of the show).
The Red Car Trolley makes four stops. Trolley car conductors, in uniforms evoking the ’20s time period, call the stops, toot the trolley whistle and entertain guests with historical tales of Buena Vista Street.
Shopping On Buena Vista Street
Oswald’s stands in Buena Vista Plaza, just inside the Disney California Adventure turnstiles. The name might have prompted a young Walt Disney to name his early cartoon success, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Oswald’s is actually a shop selling sundry “road trip” vacation necessities: travel mugs, sunscreen, hats and more.
On the east side of the central plaza is Los Feliz Five & Dime, themed to a vintage five-and-dime or variety store. The Los Feliz area of Los Angeles is near the site where Walt Disney’s Hyperion studios were built. Los Feliz Five & Dime offers t-shirts, fleece, hats, figurines, souvenirs and more.
Big Top Toys features innovative and interactive toys, games and plush inspired by such Disney characters as Tinker Bell, Disney Princesses, Phineas & Ferb and Duffy the Bear. The shop is a nod to the Disney animated film “Dumbo,” which provides much of the inspiration and the background music.
Elias & Co. is the largest shopping location on Buena Vista Street and pays tribute to the opulent art deco style department stores of yesteryear, selling apparel, watches, handbags, accessories and more. The Canadian-born Elias Disney was Walt Disney’s father, and Elias was Walt Disney’s middle name.
Kingswell Camera Shop, on the west side of Buena Vista Plaza, is headquarters for Disney’s PhotoPass, where guests can pick up their photos taken by Disney’s roving photographers. The shop also sells memory cards, cameras, film, batteries, frames and photo albums. Kingswell Avenue was the site of an early Disney animation studio.
Julius Katz & Sons carries a variety of home décor and seasonal merchandise including kitchen gadgets, dinnerware, hand towels and aprons. “Julius Katz” was inspired by Julius the Cat, an animated cat who joined the live-action Alice in Disney’s silent “Alice in Cartoonland” shorts of the 1920s.
Atwater Ink & Paint is a Hollywood-style market house selling coffee, tea and other delectable treats to enjoy or take home. The name refers to the Atwater Village district of Los Angeles, a regular haunt of animators in the early days of the Disney Studio.
Trolley Treats offers packaged candy as well as signature items from the Disney candy kitchen: hand-pulled taffy, gourmet marshmallows, caramel apples, toffee, dipped strawberries and more. Some are made on the spot by Disney candy makers. Another treat is in the window – a display of Rock Candy Mountain, an attraction designed for Disneyland park but never built.
Dining Along Buena Vista Street
Upstairs at Carthay Circle Theatre is the Carthay Circle Restaurant, one of the premiere dining locations at the Disneyland Resort, with a menu of hors d’oeuvres, salads, soups, California specialty entrees and desserts. Downstairs is the Carthay Circle Lounge, which serves appetizers, wine, craft beer and specialty drinks.
Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café is a diner-style, quick-service restaurant serving soups, salads, sandwiches and beverages, including Starbucks coffee. Guests enjoy a pleasant view of Carthay Circle from the picture window. The café name references the names of the Three Little Pigs in the award-winning Silly Symphonies cartoon.
Clarabelle’s Hand-Scooped Ice Cream is a soda fountain and ice cream shop whose name might have inspired the name of one of Mickey Mouse’s friends, Clarabelle Cow.
Mortimer’s Market offers whole and cut fruits, bottled water, juices and soft drinks. (Mortimer is the name Walt Disney originally gave his new creation in 1928; he later changed it to Mickey.)
Entertainment on Buena Vista Street
”The Red Car News Boys” roll into town on shiny Red Car Trolleys, singing “California, Here I Come!” and other fun tunes from the 1920s and ’30s. The News Boys also deliver the latest “headlines,” in the Buena Vista Daily Bugle.
The citizens of Buena Vista Street – a cast of L.A./Hollywood “characters” out of the 1920s and ’30s – interact with guests, creating impromptu laughs, smiles and memories.
The musical group Five & Dime adds all that jazz to Carthay Circle “On the Sunny Side of the Street.” This ensemble of friends and relations, led by a vivacious singer named Dime, has travelled Route 66 all the way from Chicago in hopes of making it big. Like everyone who comes to Buena Vista Street, great things await them just around the corner.
For the past few days, cast previews have been underway at Cars Land and Buena Vista Street. Today, the first AP Preview took place where you could pay $50 to experience Buena Vista Street and Cars Land. Videos and photos have begun to surface of all thing related to the two new lands. Already up, two videos of Radiator Springs Racers. And to make it even better, this particular videographer got both version of the ride with the tire change and the paint job. Let’s take a look…
DLNT Reporter Hayley Nance was lucky enough to be able to attend one of the Cars Land and Buena Vista Street annual passholder previews and took a plethora of newsworthy photos of both new land at DCA. On to the photos!
There was a big line to get in
A special map provided to those attending the event
Wristband for the event
Everyone was so happy…
First ride, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree
Reviews have been surprisingly popular for this ride so far
Filming on Route 66
The queue for Radiator Springs Racers was pretty long
Yes, they built the fountain from the movie…. awesome
Neat bench
Lighting McQueen out meeting guests
Ramone’s House of Stroller Parking… I mean body art
We know you’ve been waiting for it… new trashcans!
The hoods displayed at the D23 Expo are in the windows
The entrance to Luigi’s Flying Tires
Side entrance to Ramone’s
Stanley’s statue
The Fastpass machines that wont be used for a while. Racers’ fastpass will be distributed at the former It’s Tough To Be A Bug location
More filming
The path to Pacific Wharf
Now for a walk through the Racers queue
Ha…
The Radiator Spring
Stanley and Lizzie getting married
There is a house made of oil bottles…
In the boarding area
I spot a WDW bag… anyway…
The attention to detail is insane
Yes, there is an on-ride photo
The word is that the Single Rider line moves quickly if you don’t mind your party being split up
Luigi’s Flying Tires
Path to Bugs Landhas neat sign, selling the land as a tourist trap along Route 66…
Brilliant…
Curio shop
It’s funny where DCA impedes on Cars Land, like the Boudin Bakery visible from Fillmore’s
Plenty of fruit and drinks available
Cone-Anza!!!
YES! The cone umbrellas from the movie!
Flo’s Breakfast Menu
Purty…
Alright, lets move on out
Buena Vista Street time! A leather jacket featuring the Storytellers statue
Plenty of sweets at Trolley Treats
Mad T Party candy…
Clabelle’s
RED CAR!!!!
Pluto out on the street in his fancy new duds
Ads inside the trolley are brilliant. Take note of the Hollywood Tower Hotel before the tallest tower was added
Let’s take this puppy for a spin…
The new guest relations building is the Chamber of Commerce
More new trashcans!
RED CAR!!!!
It’s amazing what paint can do to this old facade
Back in Cars Land, Red was out
Thanks for reading! Don’t forget, DLNT will have continuing coverage of all things opening at DCA and Disneyland over the next week, including coverage of the media festivities June 13th-15th! Stay tuned!
Max gives us photos of Disneyland with updates on construction at the parks, including the Matterhorn & what is happening at Carnation Gardens. Also, some view of the soft openings at Buena Vista Street & Cars Land.
The new Matterhorn ride vehicles look a million times more comfortable.
A view of the work happening where Carnations Garden’s once stood.
Buena Vista street getting those finishing touches for Grand Opening next week.
Visitors getting a sneak peak of Buena Vista Street.
Look at the flowers they’ve added. Simply lovely.
I think these flowers really add the finishing touches to the street.
The front view of the Starbucks on Buena Vista Street
These retro styled attraction posters are perfectly matched with the time/theme of the rest of the park.
Cars Land is filled with people getting to one of the days of it’s soft opening. Wish I was among the lucky few!
Radiator Springs is being test driven! Can’t wait to ride it myself!
The new posters on Paradise Pier add a fun and entertaining backdrop that compliment the overall atmosphere.
If you have any appreciation for Walt Disney and his success story, you’re most likely going to fall in love with Buena Vista Street at Disney California Adventure. Not only does it evoke nostalgia for the long gone Los Angeles, but it brings to life the story of Walt Disney and the people who affected his life and company. Let’s take a walk around this charming new entrance to California Adventure:
Looking Towards Elias and Company
We already covered the Carthay Circle in a previous post, but it is still beautiful…
The front of Fiddler, Fifer, & Practical, Clarabelle’s and Trolley Treats
Buena Vista Street is charming during the day, but just like Main Street, it takes on a whole new persona at night
Fiddler, Fifer, and Practical Cafe Seating Area
The backstory says the restaurant is owned by three singing sisters who performed all over the country
Clarabelle’s
Trolley Treats
Rock Candy Mountain is in the window display
Love the little trolleys running through it
Train models is the window next door. Fun fact, the store in this space previously (Engines, Ears, Toys) originally sold model trains.
Rock Candy Mountain from the outside
LIGHT UP SIDEWALKS!
These were to allow light into basements
The old Candy sign from Greetings From California has moved across the street
Candy kitchen
The next store is Atwater Art Supply
And sells mostly cooking accessories, more-so just mugs…
A lot of detail in the shelving
This is a neat bulletin board behind the check in counter
Firehouse Five is the Firemen on Main Street, at this time they were the Firehouse Four…
The Three Caballeros are referenced here
WDP, Walt Disney Productions
4651 Kingswell was Walt and Roy’s original studio
S. White…
Roger Rabbit?
4409 Kingswell is where Walt and Roy stayed in Los Feliz when they first went to Hollywood. They lived with their uncle Robert Disney. That’s why it says to “See Robert.”
Lots of fun references in this one. First Flower Street is home of Imagineering. Also the Hyperion Theater at the very bottom.
The next store is Julius Katz and Sons and sells various collectibles including these great new big figures
This store is themed to an electricians shop. A bunch of fun appliances are up on the shelf.
They had a little fun with the tags
“Sew What?”
Julius Katz and Sons
Haha….
A little blurry, but an Epcot reference? Really?
The photo shop is very nice
Even the lockers facade is incredible….
Morimer’s Market is a fruit stand on the corner
Love the old style coolers
On to the other side of the street now, This is Los Feliz Five & Dime
Buena Vista Steet has it’s own Baseball Team, The Buena Vista Stars
Red car Trolley making a stop
Another window in Los Feliz has a few storybooks that inspired Disney films
Grizzly Peak appears behind Davy Crockett
The top of the shelves in Los Feliz have merchandise that actually would have been sold in the store at the time
The store sells hats and generic DCA merchandise
The next store is Big Top Toys and is a toy shop. The music loop in this room is actually from Storybook Circus which just opened over at The Magic Kingdom.
Yes the stores stay closed as part of a green initiative
This is the first section of Elias & Company, the children’s department
Cow jumping over the moon
Here is the main entrance
Chandeliers imported from Italy
This appears to be the men’s department
The Rocketeer!
And the last area of Elias and Company sells jewelry and other accessories
This is the old Candy Shop from Greetings From California, but it has been painted and refurnished nicely
The Storytellers statue
There is a small park outside of Elias and Company
Los Feliz window
Eddie Valiant, Roger Rabbit reference
Officer Percival PEabody from Hollywood Studios?
Oswald’s sells hats, sunscreen, and other things of that sort.
The new Guest Relations building
If those photos weren’t enough, you can take an in-depth video tour of Buena Vista Street at night:
Buena Vista Street has a lot of heart and is certainly going to be endearing to any Disney fan. There is a sense of real community up and down the street, much like Main Street U.S.A. and I think guests will connect to Buena Vista Street just as they have to Disneyland’s entrance for over 57 years now. This is a fantastic change for the park and a wonderful area to just meander around for a few hours. It may have all started with a mouse, but for California Adventure, it all starts with a man, a suitcase, and a dream.
Last month, Annual Passholders were invited to attend an after hours event to introduce the Glow with the Show mouse ears. For the past three days, thousands of passholders were given free ears and a private showing of World of Color. DLNT Reporter Max Guggenheim was at one of these parties and got a really awesome multi-angle video of the show and the ears. Enjoy.
Hats are for sale in Los Feliz Five and Dime and many other locations around DCA
Annual Passholders can also buy the hat with a Glow with the Show pin and lanyard for $40. Available at Off the Page.
