Do you think DCA has the Disney magic? Should it even be considered a Disney park?

[CA Screamin Dude]

The prices are Disney, the Guest Service is Disney, the story is Disney. There are characters, shows, and parades. Disney's California Adventure is a Disney park.

[simba_one]

No doubt about it... DCA definitely has the Disney Magic!!!

I agree with disneylover - Remember DCA is not even one tenth of how old Disneyland is. Give it another 45 years and DCA will be an amazing park to visit!!

Not that it isn't now. I absolutely adore DCA. I really don't see why people dislike it so much. Yes, some of the rides are quite "funfair-ish" but you'd never find CA Screamin', Maliboomer, ToT, GRR or Soarin' at a funfair!! You may find rides similar to them, but they would never compare to those at Disney's CA!! The views you get from them alone put them on a totally different scale.

[Space Mountain Mike]

I see you're in London! I think that Disneyland Europe should have been placed in London rather than Paris because the ride soundtracks would not have to be translated! They could simply be copied then you'd have the original voices!

[twinkletoes]

I agree with Disneylover, it's not fair to compare the two parks. I think DCA is suppose to have a different feel than DL. DL will always be my first love, but I really enjoy going over to DCA and having that change. It definitely has the Disney magic, no doubt about it!!

[111702]

Here are the opposing forces:

-It SHOULD be considered Disney because it's owned by Disney
-It SHOULDN'T be considered Disney because there's hardly anything Disney in it!

Anyway, I picked the second one.

[FutureDisneyPyro]

I think DCA sould not be a disney park because its not that magical.

[disneyfreak59]

for me, take all the disney banners down, blindfold me into the park for the first time in my life. i would never have guessed a disney park. the end.

[kates4u]

I love DCA. I think it's a wonderful part and I certainly feel the Disney magic when I'm there. I do love soarin, tower and grr. those are all great rides and worthy of being part of Disney parks!

[Executioner]

I know it has Disney Magic in it. I have experienced it and so did the wonderful women I went with. We had a great time and every CM, including Mickey and Minnie kept at us about Disney having magic and things could happen. We were both flattered and loved every minute of it. It felt like we were on top of the world. We are just close friends and we both have discussed some things about our future, but for now we are still very close friends. We both also had worked together for Disney before. Nontheless, Disney gave us a magical day of fun that we both can not stop talking about. We never expected it to happen and that is what made it all the better.

[Clotho]

Originally Posted by disneyfreak59

for me, take all the disney banners down, blindfold me into the park for the first time in my life. i would never have guessed a disney park. the end.

Good observation, DisneyFreak. But I have to say I would still know. If for no other reason, the cleanliness and quality of all that is put into it. Disney is the only park operation that has such cleanliness and attention to the comfort of the guests. That may not be magical...

I think tiny steps have been taken in the magical direction. I love ToT, and expect to love Soarin' as much as everyone (never got around to it yet). And while I like the theming of the old midway park in the back of DCA, sadly, I think the entire park lacks the texture and color of DLP.

And that is it for me. The rich detail of DLP is what makes it so amazingly immersive. It is what takes us out of ourselves.

When I picture DLP, my first mental image is of Main Street. The coziness of being greeted by that fairly intimate street, lined with so much color and texture from the shops, vendors, smells of food, and sounds of live musicians strolling through. My first impression has many layers of sensation, all pleasantly balanced.

When I picture DCA in my mind, my first image is of the Golden Gate Bridge looming overhead (not a warm greeting to me), framed between two flat, painted silhouettes of California hillsides. After that, essentially I walk through a cement walkway between two banks of stores with kinda of retro storefronts. I am accosted by photographers most days, rather than greeted by a musician. Beyond that, I see a lot of open space, flat surfaces, and earth tones of brown, gold, and green. And very little imagery beckoning me further into the park. Now I know that the theme is
Olde Tyme California", but it doesn't succeed enough in that direction (is this wild west? Silver screen? Pick a theme!), nor does it find a balance with other related themes that would lend some more color or visual interest while still maintaining the original intent.

Additionally the main icons of the park are way at the back--a hike through the park away. While the Disney castle? Right there in view when you walk onto Main Street. Now that is a warm welcome. Main Street itself is an alleyway of light and joyful noise, which funnels you to the hub, where you can get a clear view of the options in front of you. DCA? Nothing really "invites" me. There is no promise of what is ahead reflected in the path itself.

And Walt had the right idea for a hub with DLP, because without one, DCA feels disjointed. And without a hub, it serves to make things *feel* further apart than they are. Rather than "I can just hop back to the hub, and then head over to _____", it's "I have to walk all the way around the lake, back past Grizzly Mountain, and then down the end of the backlot..."

The midway and the backlot are my two favorite places in DCA because of the three dimensional look and feel to all of it. But all the area in between...feels so flat. It needs...something more. Hopefully, over time, they will learn how to add that something more.

To be honest, this was my same reaction to Epcot. Too much cement, not enough texture, everything felt too spread out, and the theming feeling more like "80's business park" than "land of the future"! But at least Epcot has the attractions to back it up. ToT, Soarin, and Screamin' are steps in the right direction. Keep it comin' Disney!

[protostars]

DCA = DISNEY'S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

right there in the title. Disney's....

It may not be the 'magic kingdom'....but it has it's own place.
I enjoy DCA even if I go to DL 3 times more often.
I think the park is still trying to grasp it's own self identity
but it certainly has it's own magic!!!

Maybe an animatronic of the govenator will help!!!
but then it would be DKA (Kal-a-four-nia)

[simba_one]

Originally Posted by Mad Mickey

I see you're in London! I think that Disneyland Europe should have been placed in London rather than Paris because the ride soundtracks would not have to be translated! They could simply be copied then you'd have the original voices!

I always thought that. Our weather is too unpredictable though. Paris' isn't that great but it's better than ours - sometimes. Ours is getting a lot better now though thanks to Global Warming!! Our Summers can be as hot as yours on some days!! Not nice heat though - sticky uncomfortable heat!!! I'd still love it to be here though!!! I'd go every week!!! It'd be a happier place to spend time in too. I mean we have manners unlike the majority of the French.

[Kore]

I think there has been way too much criticism about DCA.

It's not a bad park, and I think it is on a level of quality that surpasses most carnivals/boardwalks/fairs. It is just...different. Which isn't necessarily bad.

It does have some Disney magic. It has only been in existence for 4-5 years, so there's still time.

The main reason people criticize it is because it is often compared to Disneyland. On its own, DCA is a fun theme park. Most people are just, well...biased. They always say things such as "It's not Disney enough!" Well, the park is centered around a California theme, isn't it?

Let's see, according to wikipedia.org:

"The Imagineers who designed Disney's California Adventure Park had a limited theme to work with. The history of California is set in stone, and design creativity was limited at risk of being historically inaccurate. Compare this to Disneyland's design, where Imagineers were allowed to create practically anything they could imagine."

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney%...rnia_Adventure

I think this park will make its mark in several years, if the Imagineers do their job correctly.

[DisneyParksFan]

I completely think that
Disney's California Adventure has the Disney magic touch to it
The park is welcoming with its wonderful mural in the front and the sun glimering in the backround of the Golden Gate Bridge.
I believe that the lands are placed where they are for a reson.

Paradise Pier in set at the end of the walkway between "a bug's land" and Grizzy River Run to draw people towards it with all the high atrractions and at night; the lights.
The same goes for Hollywood Pictures Backlot with the entire skydrop. That is a nice touch to the land. You have to start looking at the small details that form the big picture.
People always seem to say that DCA lacks the feel and the magic that Disneyland has. I'm sorry but, i have to disagree on that statement.
I feel that what helps make the magic are the cast members; who are wonderful are boths park... helping to create the Disney Magic. Also, the theming is perfect to representing the touch of California. Now, there are still some areas that need improvement but, Disneyland didn't exactly start off great in the beginning. It took time to build up the wonderful memories that are created and relived everyday somebody walks through those gates.
And, if I do recall... there are also photographers over in Disneyland waiting to take your pictures. I think that people should just think of how alike these two great parks really are.
Just think if they built DCA first and Disneyland 5 years ago, everybody will be saying the same thing about Disneyland.

DCA is a completely different park with an entire different mind set for a whole new generation with some familair classic Disney touchs. So, no park should ever be compared to a "Disneyland style park" nor should they be compared to each other for they were and will continue to build the theme parks to fit different themes for different types of people.

Just think... how boring would it be, if there was just that one disneyland park? There would be nowhere else to compare it to... then there would be nothing to argue about.

-mickey2005
"Fan of the Disney Magic that all parks create everyday..."

Didn't they decide to put the Disneyland over in Europe in France because that's where most of the original fairytales were developed?
Not exactly sure on that one.

[jason_culley]

Although it does not have the same magic as DL, I think DCA has a certain magic about it. To me it is the magic of California and that is how I believe it was intended to be. For me nothing compares to DL. Although I haven't been to WDW, DLP, TD yet I still think DL will hold a special place in my heart because I grew up there.