What's Going On in Disneyland

On February 8, Disney's California Adventure turned 7 years old! As expected, this occasion brought to light the usual debate over DCA, and many Disney websites are dishing out their thoughts on the good and bad qualities of Disneyland's sister park. What do you all think? Is DCA enjoyable for you, or do you simply walk past the entrance when you're in Disneyland?

Make sure to wish DCA a Happy Birthday! Miro-Foto on flickr.com, 2008.

In other news, the Associated Press recently announced that Disneyland, along with Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, and others, will collaborate to build a new version of the 1957 "House of the Future," this time referred to as the Innoventions Dream Home. The Tomorrowland attraction is set to open in May 2008.

On a side note, here are the latest ride closures in Disneyland: King Arthur Carrousel (closed for repairs; opening date unknown), and the Matterhorn Bobsleds (testing and basic repairs; closed February 25 - 27).

More information than you'd ever need on the new Toy Story attraction!

The New York Times published an extensive article today on Disney's California Adventure, discussing its unpopularity among guests (compare 6 million visitors/year to Disneyland's 15 million), and plans for refurbishment.

Disney cast members take a test spin on Toy Story Mania. J. Emilio Flores for the New York Times, 2008.

However, one of the more notable features of the piece was the staggering amount of information on DCA's new attraction, Toy Story Mania. If you've visited DCA recently, it's clear that something major is being built. Now, though, we've got plenty of information to help better imagine what exactly is going on!

• Toy Story Mania will open in June 2008, after over three years of planning, designing, and building.
• The attraction is estimated to cost $80 million.
• The ride is designed to put guests "inside a video game," by having riders wear 3-D glasses and play "virtual-reality versions of classic carnival games" on large screens.
• If you plan on working at Toy Story Mania, be prepared: Your costume will be based off the outfits of "Toy Story" characters.
• Mr. Potato Head himself will star as a 5'0" tall animatronic figure in the attraction queue of Toy Story Mania. Spoiler Alert: Much like DCA's Monsters, Inc. ride, where a cast member-controlled animatronic figure of "Roz" makes specific comments about riders, Mr. Potato Head will talk to guests waiting in line.

The original article is much longer than this entry, and features more information about DCA in general. If you'd like to read more, here's the link.

The cats residing in Disneyland

Surely you've heard of mice in Disneyland (one named Mickey, in particular), but cats? And lots of them?

Can you spot the cat here? HiddenMickeys.org, 2001.

Yes, it's true: Disneyland is home to many cats, and has been since the 1960s or so. Years ago, when building the now-defunct Sleeping Beauty Castle walk through, over 100 of them were discovered hiding in the castle. Instead of letting them go elsewhere, Disneyland decided to keep the animals and allow them to stay in the park. After all, they controlled the rodent problem (just don't tell Mickey)!

So now, in the year 2008, the rare cat can still be spotted hanging around Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or near the queue of Indiana Jones Adventure. If you really want to catch one, keep your eyes peeled during the night hours - that's when they're most likely to make an appearance.

This and That

Nothing major to report on this week at Disneyland, as we're heading towards the off-season and the park is full of various construction projects. Here's the latest on those projects, and more.

Darkbeer uploaded this interesting photo last week, showing a new entrance being built from part of the Grand Californian Hotel's Whitewater Snacks. However, it turns out this will only serve as an emergency exit, not an additional entrance to Disney's California Adventure.

Visitors to Disneyland will notice a drastic change in the Mickey Mouse floral garden, which has recently been adorned by Tinkerbell's pixie dust! The effect is especially spectacular at night. Thanks to MiceChat for this photo.

Another set of pictures from Darkbeer, this time of the new Disneyland Dream Suite in New Orleans Square! What do you all think of the overall look to the suite? I, while jealous of anyone able to stay there, am still upset over the loss of the Disney Gallery!

Hopefully something really interesting will come up so I can update more frequently, but for now just sit tight and enjoy these construction updates!

P.S. - On a non-related note, this blog has officially been running for a year now! Thanks for all your support and visits, and here's to another great year of Disneyland news and information.

A quick update!

Mickey and I would like to apologize for not updating at all this year! Dimensionedelta.net, 2005.

I'm really sorry for not keeping this blog up-to-date lately; I'm smack-dab in the middle of finals, so I have little time to check for the latest Disneyland news. Come next week, however, I'll hopefully be able to update more frequently. Stay tuned!

A few things worth mentioning:
- "it's a small world" closes January 22 until October for refurbishment. (More information about what exactly they'll change.)
- The Jungle Cruise is also closed from January 28-March 7 for refurbishment.
- Monsters, Inc. (in Disney's California Adventure) is closed until Valentine's Day, February 14, for the same reason.
- Looking for a dream job? How about becoming an official Disney Chief Magic Official? If you get accepted, make sure to tell everyone that the Disneyland Expert told you first!