Big things are on the way to Disney California Adventure . . . but watch out for yellow snow. Pixar Pier has been opening in little stages. First, Cove Bar reopened (although it has not been rethemed yet), then Knick’s Knacks shop opened, now we have the new Abominable Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats. We’ve got photos and video for you. Plus, updates from Pixar Pier construction, DCA photos and news, and a trip through Downtown Disney.
Abominable Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats Surprise Opens
And video from our Facebook Page (which you should be following):
Pixar Pier
Pier construction is speeding up. The new land opens June 23rd and there’s a lot left to do.
The Cove Bar remains open, even as construction walls make the place feel like a blue cave.
The Incredicoaster trains are testing. But there’s a lot of painting and show elements left to complete.
Here’s some video we shot of the coaster testing last week. Note that Mickey’s face was missing on the Fun Wheel. But it’s back now (see image below).
Jack Jack’s Cookies is just an empty box at the moment.
Construction around the Carousel has finally begun, but it won’t reopen until next year.
Meanwhile, World of Color is conducting a cleaning and refurbishment while the Pier is under construction.
And the old Sideshow Shirts building facade has been removed.
What do you think so far folks? Are you Joy or Sadness?
Blue Sky
I’ve been slowly dissecting the Blue Sky Cellar’s Pixar Pier installation. Love spending time in here.
It’s a fun space to explore. Let’s hope they install a Marvel Land exhibit when the Pier exhibit closes.
I hadn’t watched the video before. You don’t learn much, but it’s well produced. Lots of clips of Imagineers spending time with their families. (we have the video for you below).
The new carousel creatures are from the Cowboy Crunchies TV commercial scene in Toy Story 2.
Edna Mode takes shape for the Incredicoaster.
Knick’s Knacks
While the decorations inside Knick’s Knacks are basic compared to the neat carousel antiques which were previously used to decorate this shop, it does have a nice mix of merchandise.
This and That
The Pixar character meet and greet in Paradise Gardens (which has a huge Pixar Pals sign at the moment) are very popular with guests and frequently has a line about an hour long.
The new Pixarmonic Orchestra in Paradise Gardens is really a fun bit of entertainment. Their upbeat and slightly wacky versions of your favorite Pixar songs are sure to delight guests young and old. I make a point of grabbing some food and sitting down to eat it just before showtime. It’s a delight.
Captain America has moved to his own meet and greet across from Spiderman in the Hollywood Backlot.
In Cars Land, Buzz and Woody figures have become the hot photo spot, easily getting lines as long as the actual face characters get.
For those of you nostalgic for the old Disney Afternoon cartoons, Rescue Rangers, DuckTales, Darkwing Duck and TaleSpin all have mugs which have recently arrived in the stores.
It’s been cold in SoCal. So most folks seem to be avoiding Grizzly.
But not to worry, temps will be back in the 90s by this weekend.
Downtown Disney
There is so much change going on at Downtown Disney at the moment. Many of the shops have been swapped out. new restaurants are on the way. World of Disney is being completely rethought . . . and, of course, everything west of the Monorail beam will be removed to make way for a new hotel. I’ve got a few photos for you as well as a 30 minute video walkthrough of Disneyland’s shopping district.
Naples is undergoing a major change. They’ll have a new bar/lounge area outside and are receiving an interior refresh as well. They are set to unveil the new look mid-month.
Farewell to Haagen-Dazs, which will soon be replaced by Salt and Straw, a small-batch ice cream maker that touts organic and locally-sourced ingredients. This change is indicative of Downtown Disney’s new direction. It’s a move away from chains you can find in any mall to higher end and more unique offerings. I applaud the change in direction. But I’m not a fan of the lack of creativity in the physical design of the spaces and color schemes. It seems ironic to me that they are trying to fill the shopping district with options you can’t easily find in your local mall while at the same time trying to make Downtown Disney look exactly like just about every new mall.
The old Build-A-Bear building appears to be keeping the circular sign. The all-white facade has been muted a bit with beige. The new scheme, aside from the red racing stripe, looks like an Irvine medical building. This is as basic as it gets. But looking at photos of it will help me get to sleep at night. Zzzzzzzzzzzz
The door was wide open at the old Ridemakerz, so I snapped a quick shot.
AMC is promoting Avengers . . . which has had a massive opening weekend. So far the film has made over 800 million dollars world-wide and could cross one billion dollars in record time.
AMC, along with Rain Forest, ESPN Zone, Starbucks and Earl of Sandwich will all be departing this summer to make way for a new hotel just west of the Monorail beam.
World of Disney is featuring Pixar Fest merchandise in the center of the store.
A new summer beach inspired line has made its way into the shop as well.
A wall of Spirit Shirts has been put on display. Someone explain this fad to me. These shapeless shirts don’t look good on very many body types. So why are so many people wearing them?
The one thing that you won’t find a shortage of in Downtown Disney is Ear Headbands. They are EVERYWHERE. Racks and racks and racks of them. It’s too much.
If you’ve got 30 minutes, join me on this walk through Downtown Disney. We’ll peek inside World of Disney, the new Disney Dress Shop, take a look at the new restaurant locations, and pop into Splitsville before ending up in the space where the new hotel is going.
Well, that wraps up this update. Did you enjoy the extra video content? If you’d like to see more of it in the future, please let us know.
Thank you for joining us today. Be sure to follow along on social so you don’t miss out on all the fun.
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