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View Full Version : Bringing Magic to DCA



DisneyFreak2000
01-18-2002, 07:36 PM
Again, another thread about how to fill this creative, yet un-magical park with magic. Adding attractions doesn't count in here. I want to know simple things that can be changed. For example, Grizzly Recreation Area, Pacific Wharf and HPB are magical. There isn't much berm, but it's small and somewhat isolated. There's magic there because they are unique. Sunshine Plaza, Condor Flats, BVF and Paradise Pier= NO MAGIC. They're fun to visit but (like said before) don't make you feel like you're in another world.

I think they should drop the awful music that blasts everywhere, and give it all a more classical feel (For Sunshine Plaza).

Get a creative and well themed berm for areas of the park that lack it.

In BVF, they need to theme it a little better (I will expect more when Bugs Land comes.)

Condor Flats is creative, but very. . . unorganized? I hate that steam thing, and the plain outsides of the buildings. They could really spruce this place up with a little money. I don't know what they could add, ideas anyone, but something more would be great.

Paradise Pier needs a berm. Enough said. After that, lose the LOUD and FLASHY look (IE games and such) and give it more of a seaside carnival feel.

DOn't get me wrong, I like DCA. However, Magic helps.

bluepearl
01-19-2002, 12:27 AM
Aw, I love the music that plays in Sunshine Plaza. I think I'm there so much, I'm starting to remember the order in which the songs play. :lol: But anyway, that's my favourite part of the park - the music that plays around it. Except, I have to say that I don't like the music on the walkway through Pacific Wharf to Paradise Pier. I dunno, something about it doesn't sit well with me.

For me, DCA doesn't give me the Disney magic, but there is something nice there. I really like the park and when done right, the atmosphere can be really great. I can't get over how awesome the park was on New Years Eve.

I agree - Bountiful Valley Farms falls really short for me. I rarely see the Bugs attraction, so I'm not there often. I just see it passing by when I'm walking to Paradise Pier or something.

sugarhigh
01-19-2002, 04:47 AM
i think i am the only one who likes dca's music besides pearl. the music is great. really. it also fits in w/ the theme of california. plus if you think about it disney could have gone another way with it completely. they could have had each "land" themed w/ the music of that area. like in the sunplaza beach boys, hollywood pop (think britney spears and other "acts"), the farms country, and the pier since it's almost o.c.ish all the new punk and rock coming from there (a mix of o.c. bands and inland bands. sorry like the music that's coming from my area right now). the music they play now is p.c. and everything.

i do think they need to add something. since dca is based on a real place it's hard to make it magical. i mean california isn't that magical.

SimpTwister
01-19-2002, 11:29 AM
One word: Trees.

If/when DCA gets proper foliage, the lack of a berm will be much less obvious.

DCA is really out in the open... DL has an obvious 'front' and 'back', unlike DCA.

At DL, the 'back' is heavily wooded, and few guests ever go around to the back side of the park. I think this goes a long way towards adding magic... the physical limits of DL seem much more vague than at DCA.

They need to plant tons more trees in and around DCA, Timon lot, etc.

They should even go to the expense of bringing in some mature trees.

Rallymonkey23
01-19-2002, 12:41 PM
I totally agree with Simp Twister. DCA needs more trees to help this park out. The next time you go on Sunwheel, Take a look over to Disneyland and look at all the trees that are in the park. You can harly see anything over there.

coronamouseman
01-19-2002, 01:45 PM
Agree with the idea that there should be more trees but trees don't belong in the Paradise Pier area and in the lagoon so unless you cut down the size of the lagoon space for a forest of trees is very limited.

The big problem, as I see it, is that the two best themed areas of DCA, Condor Flats and Grizzly Peak, are severely constrained and completely lack any room for expansion.

The following hypothetical attractions for these areas could provide added thrills/energy to the park but there is simply no room there for much more of anything (unless GP expands into the Paradise lagoon area):

GP - offroad vehicle adventure
CF - high-performance flight simulator (instead of "soarin" how
"searing" over California in a full F-18 simulator?)
- high-performance, space-training simulator (something like
Superman ride at SFMM or like the "Speed-The Ride" from
Las Vegas) with some big g's

But again, without much space not much anybody can do .......

LifelongAngelsFan
01-19-2002, 02:40 PM
I know that this isn't happening, but if they expanded Condor Flats and HPB into the Esplanade this would solve a couple things:

1. Provide CF more room for the "Searing over CA"...I really like that idea!

2. More room to put a more "backlot attractions" in HPB ala DMS has. I'm a movie nut and really enjoy learning how they make movies.

3. Make a more definitive entrance...this existing one rather short and boring. Extending the entrance would also create room for more shopping and dining attractions.

I was a little baffled as to why Disney decided to make the Esplanade so large. An intersting architectural choice.


I agree with the need of a berm around the entire park with plenty of tall, bushy trees planted to create a natural visual barrier. Given its proximety to Hilton Towers, Parardise Towers, etc., it may be impossible to completely isolate DCA as is the case with DL.

As gardening is my hobby, I'd like to see more shubry, flowering plants, and trees in the park.

My issues with the music are, a) its too loud...it should be in the background not blaring, and b) it's nothing special...I can listen to the Beach Boys and Bob Seger everyday. Instead, how about having the Beach Boys, Brittany Spears, and other nostalgic and contemporary pop music acts create songs just for DCA? That's magic!

I like the idea of the music following the land's theme. Pop music in Sunshine Plazza, Swing or 50's in HBP, Country in BVF, Jazz in the Cannery, New Age in the Winery, etc.

DisneyFreak2000
01-19-2002, 06:26 PM
I like the idea about specially created music for DCA. Another thing that lacks magic is the entry area. Like said before, DCA has no definite front and back. If PP got more berm/seclusion, then it would seem more complete. Also, Sunshine Plaza needs a more... WELCOME TO DCA type thing. when you walk under the railroad tracks into DL, you get a special feeling. We need that in DCA. One thing could be to change that mural to something a bit better looking as well as the hubcap sun. That may help a bit, but there still is not much magic there.

wonderful
01-19-2002, 08:11 PM
First, thanks for revisiting this popular topic... something always comes to mind and, until I become an Imagineer or something, this will have to do...
I HATE the entry music... not because it is not good music (who couldn't like the Beach Boys and Natalie Cole?) but because the track is loud and far too short... and, perhaps because they are such good songs, they don't make for a good "background" to the show... and there's not one ORIGINAL disney song in the track... that's just not cool... you enter a Disney park, something distincly Disney should greet you...
The entry plaza has a lot of good competing with a LOT of bad... the mural is horrible, but the letters are very nice... the bridge is appropriate and nicely done, as are the Zephyr (housing the bakery and ice cream shop) and it's train station... the sun is tacky (and WAS, indeed, a second or third choice) and the sunflowers (or "helostats") are just sort of strange... the outer theming of "Greetings" is NOT a California I would call home, but I must say the windows are nice...
Okay, so here's, again, what I would do...
Bring back Eureka! with many more dancers and maybe some characters dressed up CA style...
Continue to add trees, even to add a backdrop to the pier... the theme could stick as that's what Santa Cruz looks like...
Burn down Mulholand and Limo...
Add a stunt show or something to Hollywood and a jet-ski show to the pier... not to mention adding more Disney to the pier...
I'd also like to see some sort of tribute to the movie Pearl Harbor in condor flats (even if it were just a small exhibit like the NASA thing at DL)....
That's it for now... but even if the music was the only thing that got changed, I'd be a happy man!

Nigel2
01-19-2002, 11:06 PM
Yeah the selection is good but I agree it can be a little too loud.

Also are all the songs sung by the names that are associated with the song? I think they are which I guess proves that DCA didn't go 100% cheap since they would have to pay royalties.:D

SimpTwister
01-20-2002, 01:36 PM
Originally posted by wonderful
Add a stunt show or something to Hollywood and a jet-ski show to the pier...


Since Universal's Wild West Stuntshow has closed, there's a perfect opportunity for Disney!

Matterhorn Fan
01-20-2002, 04:36 PM
I'm glad I'm not the only one who is annoyed with the music. It's not that it's bad, but it's TOO LOUD and the loops are short. Has anyone else noticed that they only play two songs in the Pacific Wharf dining area? Also, there are many places where you can hear music from more than one land . . . and they don't turn off the area music when the "atmosophere" performers (who are mainly musicians) are out.

80S ERA
01-21-2002, 07:36 AM
Originally posted by SimpTwister
One word: Trees.

If/when DCA gets proper foliage, the lack of a berm will be much less obvious.

At first, I thought this was an obvious solution. However, about 1/2 of the park is themed as a seaside carnival, which means they could only use palm trees to stay consistent. Anyone notice that over 3/4ths of the trees (with the exception of the grizzly area) are tropical/palm trees? Unfortunately, palm trees are only thin and tall and do not provide much shade. With that said, they could plant literally hundreds more palm trees and still wouldn't be able to hide much.

They might have to go with a toontown/hollywood backlot style of backdrop in order to hide ugly katella ave... Or...they could just re-theme the carnival area?

2CN
01-21-2002, 10:53 AM
I like the music- and I dont think it is loud at all. I've read things that have said theres music playing in areas in Disneyland.. I never hear it myself.. I do, however, hear the music in DCA.

I also don't think seeing outside of the park in the pier area is that big of a thing- is the magic of the park ruined in every park you can see outside in? It is truely impossible I think for them to totaly hide the outside world in DCA. You have way too many tall rides to be able to do this. Disneyland only has its berm because all the trees they have in the park have been able to grow all these years.

disneynut
01-21-2002, 11:59 AM
They need to turn down the music in Paradise Pier. I cannot be the only one who gets a headache just walking through that area.

bluepearl
01-21-2002, 09:24 PM
The music in Paradise Pier strikes me as really adorable, probably just because it's like a chipper version of Muzak (something like that; I can't remember much from my HS music class).

Anyway, I have to say that perhaps the reason I enjoy DCA so much is because I didn't come in expecting it to be completely Disney-fied in the sense that there was a focus on Disney movies and characters. I wasn't expecting too much because I had absolutely no idea what it would be like to be around for a new park opening.

But as for the trees, perhaps they could've expanded the Redwood theme so that they could put in more trees? I know it's a small area and the rest of the park needs more, but that could be a starting point of some sort.

SimpTwister
01-21-2002, 09:27 PM
Originally posted by 80S ERA

At first, I thought this was an obvious solution. However, about 1/2 of the park is themed as a seaside carnival, which means they could only use palm trees to stay consistent.


Since when did they worry about consistency @ DCA? :rolleyes:

Just joking. You have a point... but I still think deciduous trees would be fine behind CA Screamin'- far better than empty space and concrete.