The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (211 page)

In 2012, a 12-acre district called
Cars Land
(perhaps you’ve heard of it?) opened in
DCA
’s southeast quadrant.  Previously a parking lot (and prior to that a corner of the almost inconceivably massive original
Disneyland Parking Lot
),
Cars Land
introduced, with great success, a new
E-ticket
attraction, the high-speed
Radiator Springs Racers
, two more modest attractions, and
Cars
-themed shops and eateries.

Disney
can thank its lucky (and
magic
) stars for the brilliant
John Lasseter
, who has worked tirelessly with
Disney
not only on the
Pixar
canon of films, but on the
Pixar
elements that have been woven so successfully into the warp and woof of
DCA
.

Lasseter
was once a
Disneyland
sweeper and
Jungle Cruise Skipper
; he has roots in
Disneyland
and genuine love for the parks and resort.
Imagineer
-
Pixar
collaborations like the
Kevin Rafferty
-
John Lasseter
teaming on
Cars Land
are in large part not only what have saved
DCA
, but also have positioned it to plumb even greater creative depths in the future. 
Lasseter
was actually fired from
Disney
in the early 1980’s; now he’s the Chief Creative Officer of
Disney
and
Pixar Animation
, and the
Principal Creative Advisor
at
Walt Disney Imagineering
(
WDI
)!

The
Pixar Play Parade
made its
DCA
debut in March 2008. 
DCA
already had a dazzling nighttime show with
Disney’s Electrical Parade
, but
DCA
lacked a daylight parade with the scope of
Disneyland
’s.  Previous attempts at crafting a winning daytime parade for
DCA
had struggled to find just the right formula.  First
Disney’s Eureka!  A California Parade
, which ran from 2001 to 2002, failed to stir Guests.  Its intentions were the best.  Consisting of multicultural music and performers,
Eureka!
was a tribute to the diverse cultures that built California.  No one could fault the noble motivations that led to its development, but, like so much of the original
DCA
,
Eureka!
lacked
Disney
relevance and
Disney
magic
.

Next
DCA
unveiled
Block Party Bash
, a frenzied spectacular populated by
Pixar
characters, as well as armies of acrobats, bicyclists, dancers, scooters, singers, stilt walkers, and trampolinists.  A veritable moveable feast,
Block Party Bash
was a
smorgasbord
of shows that paraded through the park from 2005 to 2008.  It was highly interactive experience, with performers firing air cannons and encouraging Guests to dance, jump, and scream.  Banners fluttered in the breeze and beach balls flew through the air.  There was probably a kitchen sink on one of the floats.

Music thumped and pumped at high decibels.  The Oscar-nominated
Toy Story
song
You’ve Got a Friend in Me
closed the parade, but for the most part the shows were set to non-
Disney
dance music, a mix of golden oldies, disco, and modern dance tunes ranging from “Celebration,” “Dancing in the Street,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Shout” to “Shake Your Booty,” “You Can’t Touch This,” and “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)”.

It was all very
extravagant.  Before 2005 ended,
Block Party Bash
had been substantially scaled back, with fewer acts, effects, performers, and stops.  Despite its more modest scope it still wasn’t quite-quite.  Despite including more than 20
Pixar
characters, the parade’s non-
Disney
soundtrack siphoned away much of the
magic
.  It was all very bright and loud and exciting–but was it really
Disney
?  Was it the beautifully executed, coherent
magic
that
Walt
and his team used to deliver, and that many successors had managed to replicate?

DCA
’s
Block Party Bash
ran until January 6, 2008, then was packed up and shipped to
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
at the
Walt Disney World Resort
. 
DCA
had something new in store for Guests.  On March 14, 2008, the
Pixar Play Parade
rolled through the avenues of
DCA
.

The
Pixar Play Parade
is a real parade, not a show on wheels, and it’s admirably focused.  It’s not about dancing and screaming and beach balls and who-all knows what else, it’s about the endearing
magic
of the
Pixar
characters that kids of all ages have grown to love.  It presents costumed and
Audio-Animatronic
Pixar
characters as well as
Pixar
-themed floats and a restrained deployment of well-placed interactive elements like water guns and bubble machines.  Gone are the distracting, unrelated dance tunes.  The
Pixar Play Parade
finally gives
DCA
its own well-crafted parade distinct from
Disneyland
’s parades, a colorful, exuberant but coherent pageant.

As its name suggests, the
Pixar Play Parade
is, well, playful.  It moves along at an amiable clip, giving Guests plenty of time to see their favorite characters, from the
Monsters, Inc.
crowd to the
Toy Story
,
A Bug’s Life
,
Incredibles
,
and even the
Cars
cast.  Performers squirt mild streams of water at Guests from float-mounted water guns.  A flame shoots upward from the head of
Audio-Animatronic
Jack-Jack
, the baby
Incredible
.  The parade culminates with waves of iridescent bubbles drifting softly over the performers and Guests.

It’s a genuine thrill for kids of all ages to see their
Pixar
favorites in person, amidst the pageantry of a parade. Kids–and sometimes grown-ups–shout when they see their treasured
Pixar
pals.  There’s
Sulley
! 
Elastigirl
! 
Heimlich
! And
Woody
! 
DCA
seems to have fine-tuned its parade to just the right degree.

Still,
Disney Theme Parks
are always works in progress, as
Walt
designed them to be, and there’s always room for change and additional
plussing
.  Although well-executed and popular, the
Pixar Play Parade
has never inspired the fervor of
Disney’s Electrical Parade
.  Guests staked out viewing spots hours in advance for the
Electrical Parade
; they’re less zealous about securing places to watch the
Play Parade
.  Though some Guests do claim viewing territory in advance, many Guests just pause when they happen to hear the
Pixar Play Parade
approaching.

Disney’s Electrical Parade
was a venerable icon around which many Guests planned their evening schedule, ensuring that they saw it at least once in their life.  The
Pixar Play Parade
is a boisterous treat that Guests enjoy watching, but if they miss it, no harm, no foul.  It is, of course, still a relatively young parade.  It will be interesting to see how long it lasts. The
Pixar Play Parade
was put on hiatus in January 2011 due to
DCA
construction.  Guests visiting
DCA
during the hiatus were treated to
Pixar Pop-Ups
, brief shows that utilized characters from a single
Pixar
film.  There were mini-shows based on
The Incredibles
,
Monsters, Inc.
, and the
Toy Story
franchise.  As promised, the
Pixar Play Parade
returned to the park in 2012.
Did You Know?
 
Disney-Pixar
has yet to release a flop.  As of 2013, all of their movies have been hits with audiences and critics (though
Cars 2
didn’t garner the raves its peers have earned), and many have been nominated for Academy Awards.  Seven
Disney-Pixar
films have received “Best Animated Feature” Oscars, including, most recently,
Brave
(2012). 
Disney-Pixar
’s secret?  There’s a long-running joke that
John Ratzenberger
, who’s done voice work for all of the films, is the franchise’s “lucky charm”.  But, joking aside (and with all due respect to the talented
Mr. Ratzenberger
),
Disney-Pixar
’s real lucky charm is its adroit balance of excellent animation, music, and story, a balance that always served
Walt
and his original team superlatively. Next up on the
Disney-Pixar
roster: 
Monsters University
in June 2013;
The Good Dinosaur
in 2014.
FastPass:
  No.  A scheduled event,
Pixar’s Play Parade
isn’t compatible with the
FastPass
format.  Guests who wish to have the best views of the parade should claim a space along the parade route twenty minutes to half an hour before the parade begins, or earlier if it’s a crowded day.  Consult an up-to-date
DCA
Entertainment
Times Guide
for parade times and routes.  Like other
Disneyland Resort
parades, shows, and events, the
Pixar Play Parade
might run on a reduced schedule during the off-season.

Disneyland Resort Guest-O-Pedia:  A to Z

Disneyland Resort Guest-O-Pedia:  A to Z

An alphabetical, concise, indispensible, and unauthorized guide to selected
Disneyland Resort
amenities, activities, ideas, objects, and terminology.  An excellent way to prepare for—or fondly recall—your visit.

Alcohol

Alcohol is not served, sold
, or allowed in
Disneyland Park
(except at private
Club 33
). 
Disney California Adventure Park
, which originally was conceived as a venue more for adults than for children, serves beer and wine (particularly those brewed and vinted in California) and cocktails.  Alcohol is served at the three
Disneyland Resort Hotels
and at many restaurants in
Downtown Disney
.

Anaheim

Best known as the home of
Disneyland Resort
,
Anaheim
also has a heavily utilized Convention Center and the Honda Center, and is the home base for the NHL’s
Anaheim Ducks
(founded by
Disney
in 1993) and baseball’s
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
(
Walt
was on the
Angels
’ board from 1960 until he passed away in 1966;
Disney
was an
Angels
owner until it sold the team in 2003).  A city of less than half a million souls (341,361 in 2011),
Anaheim
has grown by leaps and bounds from its rural, pre-
Disneyland
roots, but remains far quieter and more provincial than San Francisco, Los Angeles, or San Diego.  Guests should understand that while
Anaheim
has a close relationship with
Disneyland Resort
–the city’s largest local business–and has strung charming, twinkling lights along
Harbor
and
Katella
Boulevards
and made other improvements to make
Anaheim
a first-class resort destination,
Anaheim
is not an extension of
Disneyland
. 
Anaheim
is in part a resort community but also a real, fully operational city, with its own police, government, schools, accomplishments, challenges, and crimes.  Segments of
Anaheim
have had a substantial makeover since the new millennium started; gone are many of the little mom-and-pop shops and motels that upset
Walt
so much during
Disneyland
’s early decades.  Unfortunately, gone too are most of
Anaheim
’s 1950’s – 1960’s Googie buildings and neon signs, which are only now being appreciated, in the wake of their demolition in the 1990’s.  A legion of pleasant new condos, shops, and restaurants have been built and are still under construction on major thoroughfares like
Katella
and
Harbor
, and
Anaheim Garden Walk
boasts upscale shops and midscale family eateries like the
Cheesecake Factory
and
Bubba Gump
’s.  Some of the newer architecture has a themed, whimsical feel somewhat reminiscent of the Googie spirit.  (Those who miss the now-classic Googie designs of 1950’s – 1960’s
Anaheim
should seek out the images that Heritage Services Manager Jane K. Newell and her team of volunteers captured for the
Anaheim
Public Library.) 
Anaheim
is a blossoming city with a burgeoning, diverse middle-class population.  Past strife between different ethnic groups has eased somewhat over the years, and local leaders of diverse backgrounds have taken the helm.  However, tensions still simmer and sometimes boil over as in the summer of 2012.  Enjoy the city, its wonderful people, and its leisure and dining options, but use the same common sense and intelligence you would use in
any
city with which you are unfamiliar. 
Anaheim
has heavily trafficked streets in and around its popular local landmarks, and a large concentration of tourists and strangers.  You will see families dreamily ambling across busy intersections, or kids larking dangerously close to curb edges while their parents talk or text on their cell phones.  Whether walking or driving, you’re well advised to keep alert.  Once you step off
Disneyland Resort
property, you’re not in a
magical
land anymore.  It’s not a good idea to flash your stash of vacation cash when you’re in
Anaheim
shops or restaurants, any more than you would flash it back home or in another unfamiliar city. 
Don’t make yourself a tempting target for the criminal element that inevitably lurks around vacation hot-spots.
  For example, avoid strolling at night on secondary streets, lanes, or alleys; try to stick to the main thoroughfares like well-lit and very public
Katella
and
Harbor
, where it’s generally safe to walk to your meal or hotel, even at night.  Take a taxi or drive your rental car if you’ll be traveling any distance along unfamiliar streets.  You can engage a taxi at any of the resort hotels and at the
Downtown Disney Valet
area near the
ESPN Zone
.  (In 2010 the resort closed the taxi queue just off of
Harbor
near the resort’s eastern entrance.  Now, Guests
must
be picked up
and
dropped off at a resort hotel or
Downtown Disney
.) 
Anaheim
has a lot to offer, especially if you play it safe and smart.