Disney California Adventure Park
Disney California Adventure Park, often known as California Adventure or DCA, is a theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. The Walt Disney Company owns and operates it through its Parks, Experiences, and Products business. The 72-acre (29-hectare) park is styled after California’s history and culture, and it commemorates the state’s journey via the utilization of numerous Disney, Pixar, and Marvel Studios properties. The park opened as Disney’s California Adventure Park on February 8, 2001, and is the second of two theme parks created at the Disneyland Resort complex, following Disneyland Park.
The idea for a California-themed theme park emerged from a meeting of Disney officials in 1995, following the closure of WestCOT, Walt Disney World’s utopian EPCOT Center. The park’s construction began in June 1998 and was completed in early 2001. Disney initially expected strong attendance rates for the new park; however, a series of preview openings held in January 2001 resulted in unfavorable reviews, and the park’s attendance projections were never met once the park officially opened to the public on February 8, 2001. Disney spent the following several years gradually introducing additional rides, shows, and attractions, as well as employing other promotions to increase attendance. In 2007, Disney announced a significant refurbishment of the park, including new expansion and re-construction of existing parts. Construction lasted five years and was completed in stages, culminating in the June 2012 re-dedication of the park and the inauguration of Buena Vista Street and Cars Land. When the Disneyland Resort reopened in mid-2021 after being closed for nearly a year due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the most recent addition to the park was the construction of Avengers Campus.
According to the Themed Entertainment Association, the park received roughly 9.9 million visitors in 2018, ranking it as the world’s 12th most visited theme park that year.
As with other Disney Parks, characters from Disney properties walk the park’s themed zones.
Following the reopening of COVID-19, up-close character meet and greets have restored to pre-pandemic levels. Nonetheless, character cavalcades began at Paradise Gardens, with Pixar characters from The Incredibles and Toy Story roaming the land. Characters such as Goofy and Max from a balcony on Pacific Wharf, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde from Disney’s Zootopia outside of The Little Mermaid Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, Anna and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen on Buena Vista Street, and the Avengers from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers Campus began to meet and greet with Guests from a distance.
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