The Paradise Pier Retheme that NEVER Happened

Who knows, maybe there's some blue sky concept art out there somewhere of a re-opened PeopleMover.

California Adventure was kind of a mess. Only Michael Eisner could think, “Why would people go to actual California when they could go to a theme park about California IN California?”

Before Incredicoaster was announced, my armchair idea for a California Screamin' retheme was to set it in a Turn of the 20th Century World's Fair with an animatronic Ludwig Von Drake pulling the lever on his newfangled electromagnetic launch device.

Chernabog is the best Disney villain. Remember when they had villains?

I think Pizza Om Mow Mow is a reference to the old song “Papa Om Mow Mow” which was either doo-op or beach rock depending on the version. I’m most interested in that name because putting Pizza in the title makes me think of the D&D scene at the beginning of ET where they order a pizza and then request that song for Dee Wallace from the radio station. (I always thought it was sly bribery since we later learn they were not supposed to be ordering pizza 😂)

I think they essentially did do this retheme, but it was scaled way back and also included Midway Mania. They rethemed the entire pier area, and the boardwalk games when Toy Story was added.

I really wonder how many of these documents are floating around out there, and how many were created but never saw the light of day outside the company.

That’s the retheme we should’ve gotten! Keep the Fun Wheel, the Sea Carousel, the Silly Symphony Swings, Toy Story Midway Mania, the Sky School coaster, and the other stuff with everything kept intact with the Victorian boardwalk theming! Retheme the many stores and restaurants, the boardwalk games, and the California Screamin’ coaster to a Disney Villains themed coaster, remove the Mali-boomer and replace it with a different drop tower ride, relocate the Jumpin’ Jellyfish ride in favor of the sandcastle play area and have it rethemed to Finding Nemo, etc.!

Spent a lot of time in Pixar Pier first time this year. I would have loved an old time-ification of all the Pixar theming. More carved wood and intricate metal work and stylized Pixar characters!!

Unfortunately, California Adventure's biggest flaw cannot be fixed: the layout. The classic Disneyland map is so elegant and walkable that it's been replicated in every single park: there's simply no way to improve on it. It's so easy to understand that you don't even need a map. There's always a landmark (or "weenie") to guide you, and the wheel-and-spoke layout ensures you can always find a direct path to wherever you're heading. Compare all that to California Adventure, which appears to have been designed on the IKEA principle of forcing you to walk past all the merchandise. Pixar Pier is a long way from the entrance. Not to mention that there are multiple chokepoints where human traffic piles up. I love some of the rides but the overall experience is just too awful.

A derby downs flat ride?! Oh that would have been awesome! My home park (Cedar Point) has a very old and well maintained derby downs that was so much fun.

The California theme was never the key problem. The problem was the large areas of under themed lower budget areas. There were a lot of good bones, but unfortunately about half the park needed to be rebuilt and some of that cheap quality still endures in aspects Pixar Pier and Hollywoodland. But overall I think they've really built the quality of the park up and have done a lot to make this park very impressive and unique. But again, it wasn't so,much the California theme that was a problem at all.

I so desperately need a vacation to disney. It's been 22 years, since I was a kid, and I dream of the day I can go back. I am saving to hopefully go next halloween when it's all decorated. I have no one to go with, but that is my goal. I love your obsession and vast knowledge and research you put in your videos. It keeps my hope up one day I will be able to afford it 😊

One of the difficulties I have with enjoying Pixar Pier is that we also fully have Cars Lands, and until it was demolished, It's Tough to Be a Bug/A Bug's Land (though Bug's Land had it's own issues). Now with San Fransokyo in between Cars Land and Pixar pier it's feels even lass as though the Pixar stuff is in a contiguous geographic area of the park. When the IP described by the land can't even be contained in the land, it just feels like lazy IP promotion, rather than a cohesive theming.

I do love the aesthetic of turn-of-the-century Americana, so I feel like I'd obviously love to see it come to fruition, but aside from that (and this is absolutely my own opinion), I've always kind of felt a disconnect between Disney and Pixar. I know they were created independently etc, but I've never really been able to equate Pixar as a true part of Disney. Maybe because I was at the exact right age to appreciate the Disney Renaissance, but when I picture "proper" Disney, I picture princes/princesses, fantasy and historical themes. I can 100% understand and appreciate why (I believe) Disney has shifted focus closer to the real world, but for me it creates a gap between what I feel or picture when I think of Disney and what Disney is or is becoming. I think because of this I'm always going to prefer old concepts that better fit into my idea of Disney, and that's not to say that the new plans and rethemes haven't been incredible, but it seems as time goes on Disney is just becoming something else (or maybe I am?).

Aw, that was good to hear Tony Jay's voice in the commercial again. Loved him as the Treasure Planet narrator.

I don't need to read the title. When OHD posts, I click, and my day gets a little better. Thank you for making life a little bit more fun. 💜

Late reply: But tbh, I think we should've gotten this retheme instead of Pixar Pier. We nearly got some of these rethemed elements of Paradise Pier and they were presented in a more refined stage in the Blue Sky Celler circa 2009. Like the rethemed exterior for King Triton's Carousel and the themed and covered awning for Mickey's Fun Wheel. Elements from the Villain's coaster are something which could be recycled along with the shoot the shoots (which was the log-looking flume ride in the 2006 overhead concept art.)

The Victorian re-theme is better purely because it woulda had artwork of Disney AND Pixar characters drawn to match the theme. Pixar Pier looks like they had a portfolio of standard issue Pixar images and just slapped em everywhere. Not to mention then the hotel could be a West Coast Boardwalk instead of a Pixar Holiday Inn.

A villains retheme to Screamin would’ve been so cool to see! We need more villain representation in the parks. Hopefully we get to see that Villains Land one day