Paradise Gardens Park (formerly known as Paradise Pier) is a themed land at Disney California Adventure, based on that of Victorian boardwalks that were once found along the coast of California. Despite its name and the presence of a nearby man-made lake, Paradise Pier is not actually a pier, but merely a waterside area of the park. The former California Screamin' sprawled across much of the area, with various other attractions and forms of entertainment surrounding it.
A new attraction, Toy Story Midway Mania!, opened on June 17, 2008. The attraction is the first in a series of theming upgrades to the land and park as a whole, with the boardwalk's Victorian influences becoming more prominent and introducing a new unseen carnival owner character named Gustav Tinkerschmidt in some of the safety spiels. This was followed by changes to the Sun Wheel to become Mickey's Fun Wheel and new Games of the Boardwalk in 2009. In 2010, World of Color and Silly Symphony Swings were added. To complete the makeover, Disney opened Goofy's Sky School and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure.
Part of Paradise Pier was re-themed as Pixar Pier in mid-2018.[1][2]
Attractions[]
- Goofy's Sky School (2011-)
- Jumpin' Jellyfish (2001-)
- Golden Zephyr (2001-)
- The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure (2011-)
- Silly Symphony Swings (2010-)
Former attractions[]
- Maliboomer (2001-2010) (removed to make way for Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind)
- Mulholland Madness (2001-2008) (rethemed to Goofy's Sky School)
- Orange Stinger (2001-2009) (rethemed to Silly Symphony Swings)
- S.S. Rustworthy (2001-2010)
- Rebundo Beach
- Rockin' California Screamin (2007)
- Original Games of the Boardwalk
- California Screamin' (2001-2018) (rethemed to Incredicoaster)
- Games of the Boardwalk
- King Triton's Carousel of the Sea (2001-2018) (rethemed to Jessie’s Critter Carousel)
- Sun Wheel (2001-2008) (rethemed to Mickey's Fun Wheel)
- Mickey's Fun Wheel (2009-2018) (rethemed to Pixar Pal-A-Round)
Entertainment[]
- Jammin' Chefs
- Live Festical Music at paradise Gardens Park
- Paradise Garden Bandstand
- World of Color
Former Entertainment[]
- Disney's LuminAria (2001-2002)
- Rockin' the Bay Concert Series
- Lilo and Stitch's Luau
- Instant Concert - Just Add Water!
- World of Color: Winter Dreams (2013-2014, 2014-2015 seasonal)
- World of Color - Celebrate! The Wonderful World of Walt Disney (2015-2016)
- World of Color: Celebrate You! (September 15, 2016)
- World of Color - Season of Light (Christmas 2016-2019)
- World of Color Hurry Home (2017-2020, 2023)
- World of Color: Villainous! (Halloween 2019)
Restaurants[]
- Bayside Brews
- Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta
- Cappuccino Cart
- Chiller at Paradise Gardens Park
- Churros near Goofy's Sky School
- Corn Dog Castle
- Festival Food and Beverage Cart
- Festival Marketplace - Berry Patch
- Festival Marketplace - Cluck-a-Doodle-Moo
- Festival Marketplace - Garlic Kissed
- Festival Marketplace - Off the Cob
- Lemonade near Golden Zephyr
- Paradise Garden Grill
- World of Color Dessert Party
Former Restaurants[]
- Ariel's Grotto (Restaurant) (closed on January 8, 2018)
- Avalon Cove By Wolfgang Puck
- Boardwalk Betsy's Strips
- Burger Invasion (rethemed to Paradise Garden Grill)
- Cove Bar (closed on January 8, 2018)
- Dinosaur Jack's Sunglass Shack
- Don Tomas (closed on January 8, 2018) (rethemed to Poultry Palace)
- Hot Dog Hut (closed on January 8, 2018) (rethemed to Angry Dogs)
- Malibu-Ritos
- Paradise Pier Ice Cream Company (closed on January 8, 2018) (rethemed to Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats)
- Pizza Oom Mow Mow (rethemed to Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta)
Shops[]
- Embarcadero Gifts
- Seaside Souvenirs
Former Shops[]
- Boardwalk Bazaar (formerly Man Hat 'n' Beach)
- California Scream Cam
- Midway Mercantile
- Pacific Ocean Photos
- Point Mugu Tattoo
- Treasures in Paradise (closed on January 8, 2018) (rethemed to Knick's Knacks)
- Sideshow Shirts (closed on January 8, 2018)
- Souvenir 66 (rethemed to Seaside Souvenirs)
Re-Imagineering and Expansion[]
When the park first opened in 2001, Paradise Pier originally resembled a modern seaside amusement park, similar to that of the Santa Monica Pier or Santa Cruz Boardwalk. As part of the Disney California Adventure $1.1 billion expansion project, Paradise Pier was re-themed to evoke the charm of Victorian era seaside amusement parks of the 1920s. The first change was the addition of Toy Story Midway Mania!, which opened on June 17, 2008. The boardwalk games were then re-themed to incorporate more familiar Disney characters (completed on April 7, 2009), and the Sun Wheel was transformed into Mickey's Fun Wheel with a new color scheme, new lighting effects, and a "pie-eyed" Mickey Mouse face replacing the original sun face (completed on May 4, 2009). Following these changes, the "Route 66" area was completely re-themed, with the "S.S. Rustworthy", and "Dinosaur Jack's Sunglass Shack" being completely demolished. The Orange Stinger underwent extensive re-theming to become Silly Symphony Swings, based on Walt Disney's short film "The Band Concert". Silly Symphony Swings opened on May 28, 2010. Cosmetic changes have also been made to California Screamin': the Mickey Mouse silhouette was altered to represent a sunburst pattern, with the large Paradise Pier sign that once sat below now hanging above the loop. The scream tubes were also repainted in a darker shade of blue.
Walt Disney Imagineering created World of Color, a new nighttime spectacular featuring fountains and projection effects, for Paradise Bay. An area on the northern waterfront was repurposed into a viewing area for the show, known as Paradise Park. World of Color premiered on June 11, 2010, and plays nightly.
The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure—which replaced Golden Dreams—opened June 3, 2011. As of November 2010, Mulholland Madness was closed and reopened July 1, 2011, as "Goofy's Sky School", inspired by Walt Disney's 1940 short film Goofy's Glider. On the other side of Paradise Bay, Maliboomer was removed and replaced with a park.
In 2018, Paradise Pier was partitioned. All attractions within the California Screamin' area were rethemed to Pixar Pier, while the rest remain untouched as Paradise Gardens Park.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ "New Pixar Pier to Bring Favorite Pixar Stories to Life at Disney California Adventure Park; Limited-Time Pixar Fest Celebration Coming Throughout Disneyland Resort". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved on 16 July 2017.
- ↑ Glover, Erin (November 2, 2017). "Pixar Pier to Bring New Incredicoaster and More to Disney California Adventure Park Summer 2018". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved on November 3, 2017.
